3M Paint defender kit

[lippy]

Update on this stuff. Since the application on the rear fender went so well, I decided to do the lower half of the front of the car, below the quick jacks. I masked everything off and sprayed it as I did on the rear fenders. But I sprayed some areas too thick and others too thin (especially under the oil cooler, where it is hard to aim the can). It ran in a few spots, so I just figured I'd peel it off and reapply. Since it was applied too thin in some areas, it was a complete pain to get off. I either had to peel off tiny pieces, or scrub it with a rag of full-strength ammonia. It took me four hours to get off, and then I had to polish the front of the car again. I will not reapply it on the front of the car. The lesson (to me): this product works great on small areas that are easily accessible, especially if they are vertical. But for harder to reach, larger areas, it's far more difficult to apply and the penalty for doing it wrong is pretty significant.

[STEVE-O]

Has anyone tried this stuff?? Seems easier to use than what I've been reading regarding the 3M product. Could be a possibility when front protection is needed from bugs or stone chips on a cruise.

https://www.dipyourcar.com/home.php

[kevins2]

Update on 3M paint defender. I first tried this on the front of the car and, as experienced by others, the curves were simply too complex to get a good spray angle so I wasn't happy with the results and removed it. I then applied it to the rear fenders and my comments and results mirror what Lippy already wrote in post #40. However, this was just a temporary measure for me and I removed it yesterday and my car is having XPEL self-healing film applied today.

The film removed in a single sheet very easily - just as advertised. No marks on the paint on the passenger side but I had two small stone chips on the drivers side. Fortunately, I was able to touch them up and they are hardly noticeable. The 3M site indicates that Paint Defender offers 80% of the protection of professionally applied film. I've read others say lower numbers - whatever. The question is whether the additional protection would have prevented these two stone chips. Obviously, I can't know for sure, but since the chips were small it is likely that an extra 20% would have made the difference. What is clear is that over time paint defender would not protect the fenders from chips. It was on the car for just over 1,100 miles.

I'll post my results of the XPEL installation in a new thread once I get my car back tomorrow. I'm having the front, rear fender flares and doors covered.

Kevin

[DanEC]

Hi Kevin - this stuff is also pretty good although a little pricey.

Cleartastic Corvette & Camaro Paint Protection 1800 778 9898

I covered my rocker panels, lower part of rear fender flares and the roll under behind the rear tires with it. I also used it to cover the aluminum threshold and door jamb area below that. It comes in 6 inch and 12 inch widths and is pretty easy to cut with an xacto knife and apply with water amended with a little dishwashing soap. The adhesive sticks it down well but it's made to peel off without much effort (a heat gun would problably make it even easier). It's very similar to the XPEL stuff that I have used before (which is excellent by the way). It would not be suitable for the nose area since it doesn't come in large enough sheets and at least I don't have the skills to fit it to complex curves.

Just another option for do-it-yourselfers wanting to apply a little protection on some of the more straightforward areas.