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I'll agree that using steam instead of a heat gun is probably safer and more effective, but I learned how to do this watching videos made by pros using heat guns. I just checked with Google to confirm that. But you'll find examples of both.
I should have been more careful and mentioned that:
A) I already had a heat gun,
B) The heat gun I've used for this was fully temperature adjustable and set way below the temperatures many unadjustable heat guns hit, and
C) I frequently checked the temperature I was getting at the film and paint surface with an IR heat sensor... (yeah, I'm a gadget guy), allowing to make sure I was keeping the temperature pretty close to 130 at the surface (the heat gun setting was higher to achieve this).
But if you decide to buy something new just for this then a steamer is probably the better choice.
I'd still think the best solution would be to check with the XPel guys. If the paint around the current guard is still in good shape, then you'd even have the option of using the ones they make that cover a larger area.
I really like DIY projects, but this one has me worried as i don't want to mess up the clear coat or paint. Going to leave this to someone that does it every day. This one could go easy, OR could be challenging.
From my experience, after a certain point nothing you use will get the old guards off without some paint damage. Mine had been baked in the tropical sun long enough they had turned matte and begun to crack. It had bonded to the clearcoat and was hard and brittle. No kind of heat including steam made it flexible enough to peel, it just came off in chunks. Along with some clearcoat.
Not wanting to repaint both quarter panels, I had a film wrap place laser-cut me ones from gloss black vinyl which luckily happened to match my black car almost perfectly. Then they covered those with 3m clear. Recently after 3 years I had to repaint the quarters due to clearcoat failure on the top sides, and those guards just peeled off without any need for heat or steam.
Btw I can highly recommend these guards, which were half the cost of OEM Porsche ones, and made of stronger material. I gave them over to the paint shop to install, and the guy asked where I got them from, as they were the easiest install he's ever done...not a single air bubble. I have no affiliation with the place, but here's where I got them from: http://kistudios.com
Sorry to resurrect this thread again but some follow up on this. I called one of the local Porsche dealers in ATL. They quoted me $450 to replace the stone guards! Do people actually pay these rip off fees? ( rhetorical statement. I know some drive in and pay whatever). Called the local XPel dealer per StormRune’s suggestion. Talked to the shop owner and he was great. They do this routinely. This is where I am headed.
Thanks to StormRune for the recommendation. I had new Xpel stone guards installed this morning. Excellent shop in Alpharetta (Shine Auto Salon) did the work. Check out the before and after pics.
Thanks to StormRune for the recommendation. I had new Xpel stone guards installed this morning. Excellent shop in Alpharetta (Shine Auto Salon) did the work. Check out the before and after pics.
Wow, I really had to zoom in on the photo to find evidence of anything being there in the after photo. That looks like it works really well! Im very glad you are pleased. Its good to know that these wont yellow for a very long time either.
Bumping this thread because I just did this DIY. As far as DIYs go... this one is as tedious as it gets if your stone guards do not come off in one piece. Mine were probably the originals from 2008 and baked under 10 years of Texas sun - needless to say the glue was bone dry. I used a hair dryer to make the old, yellowed stone guards more pliable and then used a putty knife to gently "smear" them off. Afterwards, I used adhesive remover and some (a lot of) elbow grease to rub all of the adhesive off using a microfiber cloth. No paint and clear coat was harmed - in fact, the paint underneath the old guards is perfect with no swirls. Now I need a full paint correction....
Also, I was somehow bit by a mosquito under my left eye while in the garage. No respect.
I am debating whether to put new stone guards on. Most likely, I will put a Carrera stripe along the side and then protect the fenders with new clear 3M stone guards.
Sorry to resurrect this thread again but some follow up on this. I called one of the local Porsche dealers in ATL. They quoted me $450 to replace the stone guards! Do people actually pay these rip off fees? ( rhetorical statement. I know some drive in and pay whatever). Called the local XPel dealer per StormRunes suggestion. Talked to the shop owner and he was great. They do this routinely. This is where I am headed.
I'm no so certain how "rip off" it is, and I've never had a dealer touch any of my cars. To be objective, there's the parts at $100 bucks, the time (at least an hour and maybe two) at $130-250, then there's the RISK. If they don't come off right and peel the paint, the dealer is on the hook to repaint the panels. If one can pay $450 to have them replaced and be absolutely assured the result will be they are done and done properly, it might be worth it.
I'm no so certain how "rip off" it is, and I've never had a dealer touch any of my cars. To be objective, there's the parts at $100 bucks, the time (at least an hour and maybe two) at $130-250, then there's the RISK. If they don't come off right and peel the paint, the dealer is on the hook to repaint the panels. If one can pay $450 to have them replaced and be absolutely assured the result will be they are done and done properly, it might be worth it.
I think this is a fairly accurate assessment. There are some horror stories on the forum of people DIYing and getting subsequent paint damage.
01-29-2018, 04:32 PM
