Clear film paint protection

[quick skooter]

Has anybody used any of the clear film paint protectors that are available o n the front of your G35's ? If so which manufacture did you use and did you install it yourself for have somebody install it. If you have had this on for awhile does it work? Is it worth the expense ?

[Andy]

I don't know anyone who has, as of yet, but I want to. As for who to buy it from, the bulk of it is manufactured by 3M, regardless of who's distributing it/selling it. You can purchase such films in various thicknesses, but it gets pricey fast, and it's hard to find anyone selling it at a discount. If you find such a place, please let me know. Price, to this date, has been the main reason for my lack of pursuit for this protection. It's hard to get motivated to spend upwards of a few hundie for a couple of square feet of the stuff. Most people use it for covering their headlights, maybe a total of 1.5 square feet, costing somewhere between $30 and $50 dollars depending on your car. The G35's headlights have a fair amount of surface area, and I wanted to cover the whole front bumper, headlights, underneath the door handles, and the top of the rear bumper to boot.

Like I said, if you find a decent thickness at a decent price, please let me know.

[EWOK]

I just had the 3m stuff insatlled about a month ago. I am currently in San Antonio and called around a lot of places to price shop. The average price for the G35 front bumper and top of hood, basically the entire area that a normal car bra covers is around $700. I did get a real good deal at a new installer trying to increase his customer base so if anyone wants his info, PM me. I didn't get the headlights done 'cause all the cars i had i never had a headlight break from a rock chip.

My G35 is white and from the front you cannot tell the stuff is on there. the only angle to can see it is from behind it, such as standing by the drivers door looking at the hood you can see the edge of the clear film but it looks better than a standard car bra and it'll protect the paint much better

I do a lot of highway driving (2 months of ownership and 3K miles) and the paint does suffer so i got the stuff.

My feeling on the car bra is that it is pricey but how much does it cost to get the front end repainted in 2-3 years, if its more than $700 than get the car bra, if its less, then thats your call.

[MikeG356MT]

I have the lex package but opted NOT to get the front end done just the door edges and the wheelwells. The lex package is installed by the dealer and is around $700. This includes a lex polish and wax with a clay bar every 6 months for 5 years as well. I have a few paint chips but even the clear bra won't eliminate that. It's up to you what you think is best and looks best. Good luck!

[quick skooter]

Thank you everybody for the input. I think I will just keep it waxed and clay bar it once a year. I might do the headlights because my wifes van has plastic lenes on her car and they are all etched from the road crudd and I do believe that it would protect against that.

[MikeG356MT]

3M makes a special polish for the plastic covers; you can get it in just about any auto parts store or you can use something like a McGuire's "Cleaner and Wax". They (McGuires) also make a product called "Plastix" which is for the clear headlight covers. I have a few rock chips on my car but I touch them up and it looks great. Gotta have a steady hand though. I also forgot to mention that besides the wheel wells and door edges I also have the film under the door handles. Getting the front done (in 2003) would have been a $600 bump in the LEX package sold by the dealer, so $700 for the front end film install does not seem unreasonable. Good luck!

[da mayor]

i just was never happy seeing the film after a couple of years when it gets discolored.

[Lrpba300]

Do a search on "Clear Bra", "Stoneguard", etc.! You will find some subjects on it. I've used it on SEVERAL cars & would NEVER be w/o the stuff. Find a good dealer in your area. It costs more, but with the 3M stuff, you get a great warrantee & they shold replace if there are problems with it. Good luck