F1tifosi

I am in the process of picking up a like new, PPI'd, and paint metered perfect (24k miles) 1998 993 Polar Silver Turbo I basically exchanged my 2012 991S for plus a little bubble gum money (smart, maybe not, but it is done..). Question is, as I will mainly use the car sparingly as a weekend in town driver (yet on some highways as I must feel "boost") and for some PCA events;

Do I put a full hood and fender Venture Shield or 3M bra?

Does this detract from the value of the car?

Smart or not versus stone chips?

You opinions would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Q

csmab

I do not think it detracts from the value. I have 3M on the first 1/3rd of the hood and front bumper and it looks good after 6 years. I do not think covering the full hood is needed. I am amazed that there are no chips that have happened past the first 1/3rd of the hood that is covered. I drive about 2,500 miles a year. The majority are highway miles.

F1tifosi

Thanks so much. I am leaning toward buy it.

crw

I use it on my car on the hood, lights, and front bumper - I have been very happy with it and it is barely noticeable to the eye.

The key is to have a good installer with takes his time and does not use razor blades in a way that scores your paint at the edges.

Look around, get references, an inspect previous work before you commit.

A lot of these guys do new cars at dealerships, so it should be easy to find a car that they have done.

Martin S.

I have the front bumper, 40% of the hood, leading edge of the roof, fender wheels, rear quarter panel rock chip guards (Replaced the stock ones)…covered in 3M. I am also having Clear Plex installed to my front windshield week of the 13th of January. If you are interested in "saving" your windshield, and want a dealer /installer contact Larry Neely @ 702 358 7950. He is the national guy. Clear Plex web site also lists installers.

H.H.Chinn

When I got my car it already had the 40% hood cover and it still looks great. The only reason anyone would cover their entire hood would be the darker color cars where the slight hint of the edge of material might be objectionable. The entire nose was covered when I had it resprayed and you can see in a few areas where it has saved the paint. It is most important that you find a competent installer that is confident in their abilities to lay the material down with minimal lifts and repositions.

Busta Rib

If you are going to apply a clear protectant, do the entire panel (hood, fender, etc), not a partial covering. You will get an unsightly line over time, which detracts from the car (visually and value) moreso than no protectant at all. Most shops will recommend this as well.

Martin S.

I had partial covering on the hood of my car for years…the 3M had yellowed a bit, can't even say if it was in fact 3M. However the unsightly line may be related to the color of the paint. My car is Grand Prix White, so the line was fairly unnoticeable. It may be worse on darker colors. Make certain the hood 3M wraps around the leading edge of the hood.

P-daddy

Having clear bra on several cars I've owned, I would say cover the whole hood. The visible line isnt a bad thing. It just makes polishing and waxing tough. Over time you'll have crud build up along the seam. Material and adhesive have improved over the years but on lighter paints you'll still see a faint color diff. from the adhesive. Good vinyl nowadays don't hellow like they used to. My 2 cents.

Johnny_law

I was in the same boat as you back in September. Since I live in a rural area and the fact that any driving east would take me on a freeway, I opted to cover. My car is Midnight Blue (dark). I had the full front treatment which includes the full hood the fenders, the lights, the clip. I also opted to have the Rocker Panels covered that continues and covers the rear fenders better than the standard setup. I used an XPEL covering and I am very happy with the results. I have no seams except two which go through the headlight spray nozzles which are not very noticeable, but will take extra care when waxing. I also had the windshield clearplex'd.

When I had it done I questioned why mainly because after I bought the car I had it delivered to the detail shop to have the work done. It took more than two weeks. That was a long two weeks.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I had it done. It is like insurance, it is the peace of mind that it provides when you take it out. One less thing that I worry about, and let's me enjoy the car that much more.

As far as value, I think any car that has original paint and little to no chips will always be valued above a car with original paint with chips... A good installer is also a good uninstaller.

I recommend to do it from my experience.

Good Luck and congratulations on your new ride nothin' like that air-cooled sound.


Johnny

csmab

My clear bra lines on my midnight blue are very hard to see. The key is to keep wax and polish from building up in the edges. Remember that scratches don't buff out on clear bra like paint if you cover the whole hood. Basically it all comes down to your preference. On a polar silver car they should be very hard to see as well. The lines are usually easier to see on dark colors.

hf1

^ This. Plus, if your car sees enough sun and you have panels only partly covered by the (UV protecting) bra, the color difference between the two areas may become a problem.

I've had the full front covered for 7 years on my black car and took everything off before selling it. It looked showroom new after 40k miles including decent track time -- original paint, too. Well worth the trouble and expense. Highly recommend it.

scott watkins

Chris, I recommend doing the front bumper, front fenders, boot lid, front lights, and mirrors Atari minimum.

I would also suggest you look at Xpel. I had Xpel installed on my Gallardo and it looks great, although you can't tell it's on the car unless you're looking for it. The Xpel product is great, warranty, and customer service is awesome.

If you have the time, checkout some of Xpel's videos on YouTube.

Good luck!

NC TRACKRAT

+1 for XPEL! XPEL of the Triad has done four vehicles for us and all are holding up well. As has been stated before, the installer's skill makes a world of difference.

aviography

XPEL Ultimate is the film to use. A good installer will wrap the edge of the film around the underside of the sheet metal so there is no hint of film being applied.

Go for whole hood and whole fenders coverage, it's worth it!