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mazdaspeed hood bra? anyone got any pics?
- Thread starter speed3se-r
- Start date
I about choked when they were giving me 3M quotes. The more I look into it I'm hearing the same thing about 3M being bad, its too stiff and just cracks and has the orange peel effect. Of course the 3M reps say otherwise but the guy I'm getting mine done with is a private guy who used to work with 3M but switched to Venture Guard because it was better. Also 3M owns Venture Plastics which is the company that owns Venture Guard yet 3M only wants the cash from them and doesn't do anything with their technology.
have you guys ever asked about X-pel protective film? You should look them up. I've seen my fair share of crappy kits, but so far none from my Xpel dealer. he also does all of the insurance work for any cars that require the kits to be re-installed after an accident.
http://www.xpel.com/ look for a dealer nearest you.
http://www.xpel.com/ look for a dealer nearest you.
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I'm already kicking myself, I have a couple small chips already. I'm wondering if I want to try and hit them with touch up paint before I get the clear bra put on. Apparently Mazda sends you a free thing of touch up paint but I was reading on another thread that it takes between 6months and a year for it to come so for the $8 I might go buy one.
I know, very nice gesture by Mazda to send customers free touch up paint.
Well I called a local guy here in Michigan named Greg with a company called Paintshield and he said he installs all kinds of film and whatever is best for your application. He uses Avery, Venture Guard, 3M, and X-pel. I thought I'd share the information that he gave me about putting a clear shield on a white car. Most of the films are very similar in price so he didnt speak much about that. I'm going in tomorrow to see the different products, he was out of the office today installing shields on 3 Ford GT's and wont be in the office until tomorrow.
Avery/Denison is the clearest of the films and they put a sealant over the top of it so it wont discolor as fast and is harder than a Venture Guard so for a white car this is the best option.
3M is the thickest material and has an orange peel texture, it changes the color the quickest even without sunlight, its the adhesive reacting with the film that causes it to change color. He did a show car that was never in the sun and it still changed yellow so its not recommended for lighter color vehicles.
Venture Guard is probably the worst for a white car because it doesnt have a clear coat so it will lose its gloss coat and yellow quicker than others. It's one of the thinest films so its the least durable which also makes it the cheapest. It looks really nice on darker cars because you wont notice the dulling or yellowing as much as on a white car. He also said the last five rolls he got had imperfections in the film and he wasn't too fond of the material.
X-Pel is probably the most expensive, they use the X-Pel layouts more than they use the film because of the expensive material. Still a good film but he didnt mention much about it.
3M warranties their film for 5yrs from yellowing while Venture Guard has a lifetime warranty on bubbling, cracking, or yellowing. I will find out tomorrow about the warranties on the other two companies. All companies only warranty the film not the labor to put it on which is 80% of the cost.
Hopefully that helps in anyones decision making. I've talked to three different companies about this now and think I finally made a decision to go with Avery. Damn only took me a month to do the research.
Well I called a local guy here in Michigan named Greg with a company called Paintshield and he said he installs all kinds of film and whatever is best for your application. He uses Avery, Venture Guard, 3M, and X-pel. I thought I'd share the information that he gave me about putting a clear shield on a white car. Most of the films are very similar in price so he didnt speak much about that. I'm going in tomorrow to see the different products, he was out of the office today installing shields on 3 Ford GT's and wont be in the office until tomorrow.
Avery/Denison is the clearest of the films and they put a sealant over the top of it so it wont discolor as fast and is harder than a Venture Guard so for a white car this is the best option.
3M is the thickest material and has an orange peel texture, it changes the color the quickest even without sunlight, its the adhesive reacting with the film that causes it to change color. He did a show car that was never in the sun and it still changed yellow so its not recommended for lighter color vehicles.
Venture Guard is probably the worst for a white car because it doesnt have a clear coat so it will lose its gloss coat and yellow quicker than others. It's one of the thinest films so its the least durable which also makes it the cheapest. It looks really nice on darker cars because you wont notice the dulling or yellowing as much as on a white car. He also said the last five rolls he got had imperfections in the film and he wasn't too fond of the material.
X-Pel is probably the most expensive, they use the X-Pel layouts more than they use the film because of the expensive material. Still a good film but he didnt mention much about it.
3M warranties their film for 5yrs from yellowing while Venture Guard has a lifetime warranty on bubbling, cracking, or yellowing. I will find out tomorrow about the warranties on the other two companies. All companies only warranty the film not the labor to put it on which is 80% of the cost.
Hopefully that helps in anyones decision making. I've talked to three different companies about this now and think I finally made a decision to go with Avery. Damn only took me a month to do the research.
Psycho_Maz
Member
- :
- 2008.5 MS3 GT - MGM
Can you wax/sealant over the film or do you avoid putting chemical on it? Anyone have any experiences with that?
I'm getting the avery tuesday and was told the same thing, wash and wax it just like youd wash your car. Also suggested to not let bugs or bird droppings sit on the film too long, extra care get a bottle of after wash spray wax and spray down the film after each wash.
Got my clear bra installed on tuesday (5/13) couldnt get any touch up paint from Mazda but luckily the installer had a white fill in crayon, it took a long time but it looks great, that front bumper has a lot of cut outs and under the door handles is a pain in the ass apparently. I'll be making a thread with pictures, even though you really cant see it in pictures.
yeah it does take a while, that's why I was ok with paying for it. they really have to heat/stretch the material to fill in the spots that are on the bumper. after looking at our bumper, it's easy to see why it would take so long. you're going to be happy with the results, trust me.
Link to thread with my clear bra pictures.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123708023
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123708023
jam_asian85
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed 3
Hey Sleeper3 and CWPspeed3, how much did the avery clear bra cost you?
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