Cool thanks - website looks promising. Will give them a call and get a quote.

Quick general question: how easy do these things come off? When you remove that film after a few years, will the paint look different i.e. have faded less from sunlight etc? Any stains from the glue?

 

The 3M clear bras can be a bit tougher to get off; use a heat gun to help soften the adhesive. The adhesive for the 3M films leaves quite a bit of reside left over. A citrus based product will get it off with time and a (hopefully) a light touch -- you probably want to avoid putting any swirls in the paint before you recover it. I believe 3M makes an adhesive remover as well.

The paint should be a uniform color between the panels that were covered and those that weren't assuming you had some sort of UV protectant sealant or wax on the non-clear bra'd panels, or the car is relatively new (couple years old).

 

Does anyone have recommendations for an easily removed (ie semi-temporary) film?

I'm thinking, for long cross-country trips over a 3 week period, I'd apply a film to the full hood and maybe bumper, with the idea that I'd remove it when I got back home... just to protect against the hail of abrasives coming at the car on such long road journeys at mostly highway speeds.

 

Very interesting question and a great one.

The only one I can think of would be the leather/vinyl bras.

 

No they have this removable 3M product now. I don't know how good it is, but I saw it on a car show on TV. You can put it on and remove it.

 

This:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/3m-pa...FepQOgodqiUAlg

There are Youtubes and reviews. Just do the Google. And, NO, it probably won't look as great as a properly applied clear bra film, but if your needs are for a temporary, easily removable protection, then this is what you need.

 

This would fit the bill for temporary use


http://www.aacustomshield.com/

 

So has anyone used the spray-on, peel off types (3M's or ArmorAll's)?

Given its a spray on, it cannot be as thick as a sheet good that is applied - so I would imagine the protection against larger pebbles, rocks, debris would be greatly reduced form a thicker film that can absorb more impact energy.

 

I've used the armor all product on one of my other cars. The nice thing about the product is that it's inexpensive, comes off easily when you want to remove it, and you can apply it as thick as you want. Applying a very thick coat actually makes it easier to peel off afterwards. Getting a clear bra applied just on the hood and bumper for temporary use will cost you quite a bit more, probably well over $350

 

Not a chance, it just cannot work well.

 

Good point. I'd not considered applying more than one coat. I'm wondering how many coats would be needed to buffer against small 1mm, 2mm sized rocks.

I may have to just go and buy some and try it out on the VW New Beetle (my other VW) and run it for a while to see what it does and how it feels.

 

Could you elaborate?

I expect it works great against sand sized stuff (bugs and tar are just a matter of washing the car and not an issue I'm concerned about).

1-2mm rocks, the small stuff thats in asphalt aggregate that you frequently get peppered with is more important.

What it would do with a 1/4 inch rock that a truck kicks up ... that would be much more interesting, but I'd think that this type of debris would be much less common. and, if as posted, multiple layers of application may be able to address.

 

I think the idea of doing a test first is a good idea. If you watch the video on the armor all site you'll see how easy it is to remove. To test the protection perhaps you could spray it on a lawn mower deck, garbage can, neighbors car...etc and throw small pebbles at it to test the product out and see how well it protects. I have a 3m clear bra on my porsche, only recommended the spray on since you mentioned it was for temporary use for 3 weeks.

 

Good idea. Yes, temp is the plan. For normal life I prefer to run without added stuff applied. Its a car, will get its nicks.

But given the state of our roads and the crap one endures on a long road trip that gets flung up - I don't want 80% of the cards paint dings to come form what will be 1% of its usage life.

 

I just had a 3M clearbra put on my C4S and only on the bumper. Unless you're really looking for it, it's not obvious. With black paint, I'm trying to avoid the rock chips that will show the primer...