Chris W. - '96 Targa

I'm getting ready to switch over to the Euro turbo front bumper cover, and am thinking about getting a full StonGard film kit for the front end as long as the paint is going to be perfect.

What are your thoughts/opinions on the product? My car is a daily driver, with ~50 miles per day on interstate highways (~80 mph).

My worry is whether the wear over time of the StonGard film will look worse than not having the film on it at all. (Maybe that's silly since the purpose of the film is to take the abuse rather than the paint itself, but I figured I'd ask...)

Thanks for your insights.

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

-Chris

Chris W. - '96 Targa

Ok, I'll preempt the "search the archives" posts by saying I just did. Mea culpa for not doing so before making the original post. You'd think I'd know better.

So, one question that's *not* answered in the archives -- for those of you who have had Stongard film on your car for any length of time, how has it taken the daily wear & tear? Does it still look good, or is it about time to replace? I look at the film on the rear fenders on my car and they really need replacing (which I'll likely do here shortly). I try to envision that over the whole front end of my car.... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

-Chris

jon glover

I put on my wifes Acura MDX a year ago right after we bought it. It's held up really well! I'm going to do my car next. Wouldn't own a car with out it now. You can hardly tell its on the car and it doesn't scratch up and show wear.

rcwelch

Chris,
I have had the full Stongard treatment on my 95 for over two(2) years and it looks as good now as it did when installed. It has also saved me on one occasion from having to do paint work when I hit flying debris on the freeway and the Stongard took the hit and saved the paint. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again! <img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />

96P993

Chris I must say nice color car and nice name.....I think the thing to remember is that in time yes the film start to look a bit battered (I just replaced my rear quarter panel pieces) but this is an easy fix by just replacing it. This is much easier and cheaper then repainting the car..Think if you went to look at a car and the entire front end was perfect. This in itself will up the value of the car...I think this product is just in the starting phase of becoming amazing stuff. I think over time this stuff will become thinner and stronger. I say do it!!

Marshall M

Can you elaborate on the replacement of the quarter panel pieces? Dod you do them yourself? How hard is the replacement? Thanks

96P993

I did do them myself. I wasnt happy with the first one I did so I took it off and bought raw material and made a template of the piece. I dont think it is very tough but I would reccomend cutting off an extra piece and practicing. The big key is to make sure all the air if out of the film..this stuff is just like tint but with more curves. I havent had it on long enough for the water drops to dry so I will let you know how it came out in a couple days..

Ray Calvo

Stop worrying; they'e all the same 3M film cut differently.

Been on a dark green (Adventurine Green) 993 and silver A4 for about 4 years/winters. Looks fine.

STLPCA

Chris
Bear in mind that up close the film will show scratches, swirls, & even marks from the installation squeegee. All of which will be more visible on darker cars - like my black 993. While it's better than scratched, swirled & pitted paint, don't expect perfection. My installer said most light surface marks can be polished out, although I haven't tried that.

96P993

Chris I agree with Dan...Dans black and our arena red cars will show imperfections and there will be some but they are very difficult to see and I think the tradeoff is well worth it.

Tom W

I didn't use Stone Guard (I have Invinca-shield), but think it's much better than the other options (nothing or a regular bra). If, after a year or two you think it's starting to look bad, all you have to do is remove it and replace it. Much cheaper than repainting the car.

I also have the Euro turbo front end and the Invinca-shield is a great fit and was easy to self-install.

A.J. - 95 993

I just installed Invinca-Shield on my car. I had the bodyshop install the factory rear fender guards, and wasn't happy with their work. They also had to repair some paint work under one of the fender guards, so they ordered new ones (OEM), and I put them on. Very simple, but the key is to use the proper fluids. I bought the front end kit from Invinca-Shield, and used their soap solution. But it's also important to have a 50/50 isopropyl alcohol/water solution handy. The soap solution gives you lots of time to work, and can be pulled back up and re-sprayed while you're working. The 50/50 solution is invaluable for those areas that won't stick down. One shot with this stuff, and you have maybe 10 seconds before it really starts to adhere.

I customized the nose piece, and had them combine the upper and lower pieces into one. This makes it very similar to the Stongard/Armorfend piece. I also had them extend the top section, so I could tuck the material under the weatherstripping at the leading edge of the hood, eliminating the edge. I extended the hood piece forward about 1/2" so I could wrap it around the hem at the front of the hood. Visually, that was a hit. I also extended the hood piece at the rear so it was 1" beyond the badge. I also eliminated the cutout for the crest, and removed the crest when I installed the Invinca-Shield. Then I cut holes for the crest studs to go through. Another hit for the appearance of the kit. When I went to install the nose piece (I did this last), there was extra material around the turn signals, and it would not lay flat. I had to cut and trim a 6" slit at each turn signal, and was very unhappy with the result. The rest of the pieces, around the headlights and the hood piece, went on extremely well. I was tickled with those. The fender pieces are near flawless, too. The issue with the scratches when applying - I noticed that, too. They give you a nylon card, and it does leave fine scratches, almost like linear swirl marks. I tried using the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, but it didn't seem to like the surface of the plastic, and wasn't effective in reducing the scratches. I tried the 3M Rubbing Compound (more aggressive) and it worked quite well. After using successive coats (buffing off each time), I was able to reduce the scratches drastically - pretty much eliminate them. I couldn't see the scratches on the fender pieces, because the light doesn't reflect at an angle to see them.

I used a hair dryer and removed the nose piece after a few weeks. It was not too bad to remove - not nearly as difficult as I feared. I had it off in maybe 15 minutes. The paint is only a few months old, no issues with harming the clear coat. I called Invinca-Shield and told them of the problem with the fit and with the scratches. They have been wonderful to work with - they will customize any way you like, and are very helpful. They put me in touch with the designer, and he said he would go out and custom-design a piece that was meant to be a single piece, as opposed to trying to combine two pieces (which, it turns out, wasn't joined properly in CAD). He was going to go out to a dealership and find a car with my same nose (Euro Turbo) and make a new piece. At no cost, I might add. Any changes you make, you only pay for material. I asked about the scratches, and was told to order the Blue Max squeege. It is "guaranteed" not to scratch. It's $7. About the existing scratches - the 3M is actually clear-coated, and their clear coat is what makes it superior to the Avery products (as used in the NASCAR remnants you can buy for $10). Avery hasn't figured out how to perfect the clear coat process. The Avery is clear coated, too, but it's not as glossy. Anyways, he said using the light abrasives like I tried is fine.

Invinca-Shield sent me a new nose piece before I realized they were going to. That didn't give me a chance to tell them about the modifications I made to the first one. They did not charge me for it. I tried putting it on, and the material along the top of the nose was about an inch away from the hood. <img border="0" alt="[crying]" title="" src="graemlins/crying.gif" /> I tugged and pulled and tried to get it to stretch, but this only made it worse. Even though I was pulling in one direction, it was stretching fore/aft and side to side. It fit much better around the turn signals, though. I pulled the material off the car before it dried. I called them, told them I was very appreciative for sending me the piece, I was impressed that they paid for it, and was willing to pay for another one. With the following modifications... I had them extend the top by 1", and the bottom by 1/4".

That piece went on pretty well. It's not PERFECT. If in a year, I still notice flaws, I'll pull it off and pay another $80 for the nose piece. For reference, the same type of piece from StonGuard costs like $200. Something that I would change - I would add some relief slits around the turn signals. Just a few, maybe 4mm deep. That's all it needs - I had to cut one manually, and since it's small, it's not noticable. There are a few tiny wrinkles, and this would take care of it.

If you're not patient, don't attempt to put this single nose piece on. If you don't mind a seam running down the front of the bumper, use what they have on their site. It shouldn't be difficult at all to install. I made life hard on myself by joining the pieces, but I think it is worth it.

Getting the tow hook hole to line up was a bitch. It was a constraint that just didn't want to line quite right. On the left side, it was nice not to have to worry about it. For the third piece, I should have had them leave it out, and I could have cut my own circle out when I was done. But beware, this stuff is nearly impossible to cut once it's on. It wants to stretch like crazy, and even with a perfectly sharp exacto-knife, it's impossible. Scissors are about the only way to go. But with the tow hook hole, I could have gotten away with a rough cut, and put the little cover over it. Even though I extended the bottom material 1/4", it still didn't quite come down to the seam in the bumper. Not a big deal, though. It's NOT noticable. There are a few minor wrinkles down there, though. Again, if it begins to bug me, I'll pull it off next year.

If you've read this far, you MUST be pretty interested in doing this. I love having it on - doing 130 down the back straight of Mid Ohio, it's nice not hoping in the back of your mind that the guy ahead doesn't put a tire off the track. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have a professional install the nose piece for you. But the other pieces are cake.

ZCAT3

I can vouch for Invinca-Shield as well. I have the ROW Turbo front on my 993TT and they did not have a template for this so they made one for Tom W based on a picture of my car. I then bought the same kit (after letting Tom be the guinea pig) and the fit is perfect. I too had an issue with the very fine scratches left by the plastic squeegee, but Plexus Plastic cleaner seems to have removed them to the point of being unnoticeable.

stedge

I just received my invinca shield. I will not be putting it on for a week or 3 - depends on when the pollen is down and I can wash the car! I'll let you know how it turns out.

I just ordered their regular stuff - to cover everything!

Chris W. - '96 Targa

Thanks for all the replies, everyone, and especially to A.J. for the detailed info. (and yes, A.J., I *did* read down that far. )

<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

-Chris