As a few others have pointed out, many brands of the clear films are rated for up to 5 years of life before they start to go bad - same with many of the out-door rated vinyls used for car wraps. It may just be time to replace it - costly but better than getting the paint damaged. Just look around for a reputable installer - some of the pieces you can do yourself, but it can be a lot of work, especially if you are removing the old stuff first!

 

Yeah ... understood about different vendors. I put in a call to the dealer and they are going to looking up what was used. I'd think they'd know right off ... they would use the same/same company/product for all their cars. Would not think they would use several installers and products?

I'd have an installer do the job. I'm not up to this for sure.

The job that was done on my car is pretty dang nice. No bubbles, pooches, or wrinkles. Looked terrific when I got it. If the dude that did the film is still around, I'd have him do it again.

But, it would need to be the 3M product ... correct? Are there different 'levels' of film ... like, is one better quality than another 3M product? I guess I could access the 3M web site to see, but figured you folks know more than most about film protection.

 

There are different quality levels, but the 3M stuff is very nice. They also offer different thicknesses as well - usually the thinner stuff looks better but doesn't hold up to the abuse as well.
Also, have an installer do the removal is a good idea - even if the stuff is old, the sticky level is still very high. I have seen people try to remove clear bra and rip off paint too. Generally they will use a heat gun and often also use a light solvent like a goof-off or adhesive remover.

 

OK ... OK .... I went into my Porsche folder in the file cabinet. I dug thru it and found the information the dealer was going to get me. Duh !

The film is XPel Protection Flim. And, according to the warranty card, it is warranted for seven (7) years from date of purchase. This covers against yellowing, cracking, blistering and delaminating.

It does not cover damage caused by installation error, normal wear and tear, road debris impact, accidents, collisons or intentional damage.

Soooooooooooo .... 7 years, but I suppose the company will call this "normal wear and tear". I understand bug guts, and road crap impact incidents ... but, this is cloudy and getting worse. I mentioned it when I released the car last year. That was just 3+ years after installation?

What do you guys think?

 

XPel is a sponsor here - take some pics, post them up, and ask for an opinion from them.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/member.php?u=46603

 

Thank you for that information. That is terrific to know!

I will take some photos and post them HERE !

 

If you are in So. CT, I have a good installer for you. He does Venture Shield. Mask type installation WAY cheaper than some of the numbers quoted here. Depends how picky you are about the look. You can PM me.
I will add that I hit a tire shred on the highway a while back. Had this guy come out and look at it. He didn't replace the clear bra, simply polished it AND did some magic with a heat gun. You can work miracles if you are an expert with a heat gun. I would not advise it yourself, but a professional may improve the finish of the existing bra.

 

I called the P-car dealership and asked about the type of film and what could be done. I was very polite and just asked a couple questions. They said they would check and get back to me.

I just received an email from the sales manager at the Porsche store where I got my Turbo.

He wrote:

"Hey Bagger****, I am all about taking care of this for you, regardless of what the warranty or message boards say. You are a valued client and I will take care of you. Let me find the appropriate avenue to do so, but rest assured you will have the proper clear film on your car at no charge to you."


I find this pretty neat and refreshing. When the salt/snow leaves, I'll take the car down to have him look at it and we'll go from there.


<OI've a smile on my face ! Pretty kewl, eh?</O

 

Here's a couple photogs from inside my garage. Not the best, but the car was washed a few weeks ago, dried and put away. I used Plexis on the bra.

The spots and fogging are obvious even with the poor lighting you can see the the difference between the film and the car's naked paint.

 

Yeah Bagger, that's definitely not normal. Glad your dealer is taking care of you. Show us some "After" pix once they replace it for you. I'm sure you'll be very happy and they'll be happy and deserving of some good publicity once they've taken care of it. Gotta give credit where it's due and it's nice to see them take care of you. Good luck!

 

We can get you taken care of on the film and labor no problem. That being said, I can tell you from your first post what the issue is. Plexus contains 23% naphtha, which is EXTREMELY harmful to polyurethane. Plexus is made for acrylic and polycarbonate and is fine on those plastics. Here is a picture of two panels covered with polyurethane paint protection film placed through an accelerated weathering test. The one on the left was untreated. The one on the right was treated with Plexus.



Going forward, be sure to use sealants that are designed for polyurethane paint protection films. You can get ours at
http://xpel.com/products/tools.asp?p...rcare Products.

 

i use diluted rubbing alcohol (25%) on my film to clean up some of the rubbing marks. works great but you need to apply and remove it quickly before it eats into the clear coat of the film (if it's a 3M)

your film looks like it's been really worn. do you park outside?

for those with light haze, a polish can work well to hide small scratch marks too.

 

I'm very surprised because my Porsche salesman and other forum posters recommended it. I've been using it for 2 years without any problems, but if it's going to cause problems then I'll use something else. Has anyone else had a problem using plexus for long period of time? If so, I want to let my P salesman know.

 

They all look like crap after 3-4 yrs.
I would only ever do the front bumper anymore.

 

certainly with this stuff you get what you pay for...i had my dealer installed crappy one removed and are putting on the premium xpel self-healing film...10 yr warranty so i figure thats pretty good, costs about double what i paid at the dealer