I tried searching forums, didn't come up w/ much, so sorry if this is covered well elsewhere... Having the clear bra done on my 997TT before heading to some upcoming track events. Car is still fresh, although should have had this done at dealer upon delivery I think...

SOooo... opinions on amount of coverage? Just front kit and side mirrors? Brand? Thanks!

 

Venture Shield. they have film wide enough to cover the entire hood.

i have the following done:
whole hood
whole fenders
front bumper
mirrors
headlights

also replace the factory side pieces because they turn yellow in no time. u can go for bigger area if u want.

since u're up in SF i'd talk to Sam @ Premier. u can't find a beeter installer up north.

 

Topofthelinetint

 

Call Me Up

 

I had Premier install the clear bra on my E46 ZCP M3...great work!

 

How much does it cost to do the front bumper and hood?

 

I ended up going w/ Clear Armor, did the complete coverage package for $860... not sure what cost is for just the front.

 

Quick follow-up, and a word of thanks to Clear Armor in San Carlos... had some damage to one section of the Clear Armor film on the passenger side front panel (near the headlight). I don't recall hearing/seeing debris hit the car, but some damage was visible from a recent track outing at Thunderhill. The film was applied clean w/ no imperfections, and the damage was my fault - something clearly tagged the car, left a white mark, and tore into the surface of the film. Thankfully the film did its job - I took it to Clear Armor in San Carlos to replace the piece, hoping it was just the film that was damaged... thankfully, the paint was fully protected, the film absorbed the full impact. The replacement took less than 20 min, and the Clear Armor team did the replacement work complimentary. A big thanks to the Clear Armor team - great product and service!

 

^ any pics to show clear armor's work?...what kinda film did they use?...was your job custom cut or a pre-cut kit?

 

need to use 3M on the new bumper

 

All of my cars are done by Premier as well. These guys are top notch when it comes to the protective guard. Our insurance company used to deal with Cleararmor and had a 60% call back on warranty...way too much headache. We've used Premier forhte past year and not 1 came back with issues and that's over 100 cars already.

 

I will be looking into 3M on my next car that is for sure!

 

I have been using the 3M for over 7 years now and it has done its job in any aspect of protection and durabillity. Yes the widest size that is available in is 48" and that makes it hard to cover full hoods on some vehicles. So decided to try the new clear coated VentureShiled.
Venture shield is wider, it is a bit more smoother looking (less orange peel), and it is easier to work with. But as I was applying it the squeegee left few marks on the film, tryed anything known out there to polish out the fine scratches and just couldnt do it.
It has been 3 months since we applied VentureShield on 3 vehicles to test durabillty so its a little too early to speak about yellowing and/or loosing its finish.

3M is a tougher material, needs a good experianced person to apply it but then once its done right it will last you for at least 4 years. When minor swirl marks or scaffs from track events appear, they can be polished and the material is back to looking as the day it was installed.

I still perffer the 3M for now, even it doesnt fully cover some hoods but if a film covers your entire hood and then starts to loose shine after a year or two there is no way its worth it.
It is also very important where the car is located. There is a BIG difference between the weather and road conditions on the West Coast and the East Coast. West Coast does not have drastic temperature changes, not even half of the crap thats on the roads on the East Coast.
The Paint Protection film is a material tha was developed to protect your paint and still somehow keep the looks of the vehicle, it is a product that will have to be replaced 2,3,4 years from the day it was installed but it is up to you to maintain it in that period of time.
I still preffer using 3M at most installs I do because in its life it can be easily maintained.

Eddie

 

I dont like 3M because of the orange peel effect. I like venture shield because it is very clear and has no orange peel effect. 3M is thicker and offers better protection, however after each wash with Venture shield, you need to apply plastic polish / PLEXUS spray on it and it will offer equal protection.

My 2 cents.

 

I have tried both on my last 3 cars. 2 of them had 3M, the current one has Venture shield.

I honestly have to say that I think 3M is better and here is why:
Both of them have a nice finish and with proper application fit all the complex curves on various cars great.

They both do a good job protecting the paint from all the bugs and rocks trying to ruin the finish on our 4 wheeled passions.

Now the one difference is this, when a bird or bug does its thing to the finish it will have some acidic qualities which will try to etch the surface.

On both of my cars that had the 3M clear bra, I was able to polish out these little imperfections just like you would do on a clear coat for the paint.

On the Venture Shield, I just can't seem to do that. I have tried all of my polishes and even an orbital buffer (used sparingly) and still you can see the mark the dead bug or the bird left...

Find an installer who uses the latest 3M product, to prevent yellowing they had with earlier versions of the product.

Hope this helps...