I am the proud new owner of an Artic Silver GT3. I am considering some sort of protection to help control rock chips and stuff. I have previously used a number of different types of bras to include speed lingerie and would like to explore another alternative.

My questions of those that have taken the Stonguard route are:

Does it blend in with some colors better than others?

Is it a do it myself project or should I seek out a professional installer?

Does it begin age or does its quality degade over time?

Are there any cleaning issues? Do you clean and wax as you would paint?

Can you get the car to clean up and shine with the product applied?

Are there other products that anyone would recommend for protection that they have found to be effective?

Thanks

 

I have had a similar product (3M seems to make all of them, but I can't keep up with the brand names) on my GT3 for 6 months.

1) Yes, it blends in much better with light colors. AS will be ideal.

2) Definitely not DIY.

3) Too soon to tell.

4) Wash and wax as usual, but you will have to spend some time brushing dried wax residue out of the edges. Do not use conventional bug and tar removers.

5) Covered areas will not be as perfectly glossy as bare paint. And installation will result in some optical ripples from stretching to fit. Difference from polished paint is not very noticeable from 10 feet, quite obvious from 3 feet.

Personally, I am ambivalent. I have left the product on my car for whatever chip protection it may offer, but I'm not sure that it doesn't degrade the looks of the car as bad as chips would. Since I DE the car, I'm going for the chip protection for now. My paint is fairly dark (Cobalt Blue), so you may not find the short-comings so significant.

 

Does it blend in with some colors better than others?
I hardly notice it when viewed from the front of my Speed Yellow car. I do not like it on a white car.

Is it a do it myself project or should I seek out a professional installer?
Very Important, make sure the installer knows what they are doing. The 996 is one of the harder cars to do. Same as window tint, the installation is the most important aspect of the job.

Does it begin age or does its quality degade over time?
All plastics do age. I imagine long term appearance will depend on exposure to sunlight and the elements, and milage driven. When mine starts to look bad I will peel it off and have a fresh one put on. Cheaper, easier, and less painful than a respray (IMHO).

Are there any cleaning issues? Do you clean and wax as you would paint?
Wax tends to collect on along the edges. Just spend a little extra time there... otherwise wash and wax as normal.

Can you get the car to clean up and shine with the product applied?
Mine does, even when its not so clean... Its a lot easier to see when you are 2 ft away than when you are 5 ft away.


Are there other products that anyone would recommend for protection that they have found to be effective?
A vinyl bra from Colgan or Speed Lingerie would also work, but could cause more damage in the long run if not kept clean and dry.

 

I have it on my Midnight Blue car, and the only noticeable bit is the bonnet, as the film stops part way up. Even then, it's not noticeable 10ft away.

I'd leave it to the pros. It is a diy job, but best to practice first.

I polish mine just like the rest of the car; Zaino.

 

I agree with Sloth's comments and a few more things. I love it - looks great and really protects the front end - don't have to worry about abrasion from a bra - even the best are going to rub some at high speeds. I know people who have used for several years with no degradation in quality so it should last a long time.

 

You've received excellent advice on the virtues and vices of the clear film protection. I'd only add that one cannot emphasize enough that installer competence is crucial to accomplishing a quality result. Also, one side effect of the film, especially on horizontal surfaces, is to highlight/magnify the existing orange peel in the paint

 

To reduce visible wax residue at the edge use a Q-tip to chase the seams.

 

I have the 3M product on my AS GT2, and it does blend in quite well. I agree with everyone's comments here, and have heard that the 3M product is much less likely to discolor over time than other manufacturers. After a day at the track, I wash the car normally and use Klasse wax on the car while it is wet to remove tire rubber marks and it works great. As many folks have mentioned on this thread, the experience of the installer is key, and make sure that they provide some type of warranty, as it is possible that an edge might lift, and you will want it redone.

 

I have the armorfend bumper sheet plus the Stongard cut, mirror, door edge, plus the door guard, plus the fender guard all done by Envisage in LA for about $800.

The car has been on 185mph speed on roads with little flying pebbles and what not, and the paint is prestine. I have also done Sears Point where cars were throwing up rocks and chunks of R comp tires. No chips!

I taped up my whole front end in the UCLA blue on my SY car when I drove it off the lot and drove around like that until I got Stongard appliced. No chips is a great thing.

 

kmkj1;

Congratulations on the AS GT3. I like you taste in colors. I also have a June build the same color and have been pondering this question for the past several weeks but cannot find a local installer.

Could someone post a site where they found a respectable installer. Thanks.

 

I like the UCLA blue tape bra look......

 

I didn't bother doing it, and by lower sills look like they've been sandblasted after just 3,500 miles, so if you are into keeping it mint it is a good thing to do.

In the long term there will be discoloration issues, and that is my greatest concern. The plastic will discolor, and the paint that is exposed to the air has a different fade rate than the paint that is exposed only the the adhesive of the plastic. I figured that since I'll keep the car a long time I'll want to do a respray somewhere down the line anyway, and to remove the plastic seal is just more work.

I like my chips anyway, they make the car look like it gets used!

 

Does it blend in with some colors better than others?
____ yes, i have it on SY and AS. on SY, you can't see it until you are litterally 12 " from it. on the AS, although blends in well, i can see the lines 3 feet away.

Is it a do it myself project or should I seek out a professional installer?
____DO NOT do this yourself. my installer did a great job and that's a team of two people working together for 5 hours.

Does it begin age or does its quality degade over time?
____ i don't know and i do worry about differential fade that mcfly talks about. i may take it off after a year.

Are there any cleaning issues? Do you clean and wax as you would paint?
____no really. i wax the car often, i tape the edge of the clear bra, and wax away.

Can you get the car to clean up and shine with the product applied?
____yes, but the covered up part shines differently than the non covered part.

Are there other products that anyone would recommend for protection that they have found to be effective?
____if you find them, let me know.

 

15 minutes invested between Google and 3M's site I came up with this site for Stone Guard installers. Perhaps someone will find this info useful.


http://selector.3m.com/selector/us/e...ss.asp?FAM=wtb

 

Great feedback! I appreciate all of the information. Complete and more comprehensive than I expected.

Thanks again!