protective film cover?? Where do you get it and approximate price..

[cindyh]

I am definitely interested in this.. has anyone bought it and where? Thanks

[bbf2530]

I am definitely interested in this.. has anyone bought it and where? Thanks

 

Hi Cindy. :D Protective film cover for what? Headlights, entire front end, door sills...?

 

Any of the above you can get at any good auto parts store, online, etc..

 

I would normally recommend 3M products.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[jeff_h]

I am definitely interested in this.. has anyone bought it and where? Thanks

 

I bought one of these clear acrylic shields for my last car, after 3,000 miles I'd picked up so many rock chips on the hood (just above the grill) that I had to do something. I paid about $230 for a kit and installed myself, they included a video so car owner could "do it yourself" and the video made it look easy.

 

It was not easy. I ended up with wrinkles in many places on the corners and it looked pretty bad. It protected from any more rock dings, but it didn't look very well.

 

If you choose to get an acrylic shield, I highly suggest that you pay someone else a few hundred bucks extra to do it professionally, it will keep you from cringing each time you look at the front of the car.

 

I found a site that does this, this is not the one I bought from (made that purchase in 2005, could not find it now), but this should give you more info and many body shops can also do this.

 

http://www.invisiblemask.com/site.html

Edited December 29, 2009 by jeff_h

[BluHvn]

I am definitely interested in this.. has anyone bought it and where? Thanks

 

 

HI Cindy,

I have the "clear bra" as it is sometimes referred to on all three of my cars and let me tell you, it is a must if you want to protect the car's finish. The are a few different product options, but none of them are meant to be installed by the do-it-yourselfer. You must have these products installed by a professional. Do not fall for any of the kits you see on ebay, they're junk.

 

The two top products are XPEL, which is made by 3M and another called Venture Shield. I have the 3M product on my Thunderbirds, one has had it for almost 5 years, the other for about 10 months. While the quality is good, the warrantee is only five years against discoloration or wear through. Even though I've experienced no issues with my five year old install, I opted not to use the 3M product when it came time to do the Fusion. Instead, I used the Venture Shield product. It is quite a bit thicker then the XPEL (which is a plus) and the warrantee is lifetime. My installer did an amazing job. The entire (and I mean entire) nose, all lights and lower quarter of the hood are completely protected. The Venture Shield is made to wrap around all the leading edges of the hood, bumpers, etc.

 

Now all this being said, this is not an inexpensive thing to do. I had the entire nose, headlights, lower hood, backs of the side mirrors, rear door sills and the top of the rear bumper (so there would be no fear of scratching the paint if something was inadvertently dragged out of the trunk) done and that came to $750.00. I guess you need to weigh the cost against the damage that will occur during the time you own the car. For me, it was well worth it considering how harsh our winters are and the amont of sand used on our roads.

 

I hope this helps, please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[TomV]

I ordered and installed mine from invisiblemask.com

 

It turned out pretty good for a first timer... but I'd like to redo the hood since there are a couple dirt spots I can see.

 

The problem with invisiblemask.com is their non existant customer service will not return any of emails or calls. So be prepared to order only.

[skluck]

I had the 3M film installed. Mirrors, bumper, and about halfway up the hood. Came to about $850 or so. It's not noticeable far away (beyond 4 feet), but up close it is. I live is michigan where dump trucks can carry twice the load of any other state, and I drive almost exclusively on the highway, so I consider it a must. In 5 years I'll be able to take it off and have a front end that looks brand new. That is worth it to me.

 

If I remember correctly the xpel fusion kit is pretty expensive. If you want to do it yourself the kit itself is at least $500. So I basically paid half for the kit, half for installation.

 

If you drive mostly on the highway you have to get it IMO. Rock chips at that speed are killer.

Edited January 9, 2010 by skluck

[DaveM]

Just a word for thought. I belong to a couple of Motorhome forums and there are many people who have tried taking them off due to big stone chips, mold getting behind them and other reasons. The verdict is that it is nearly impossible to get them off without losing some paint too. Be prepared to spend many many hours if you have very much on your car.

[2010 Sport Blue SEL]

I chose not to have the clear 3M film applied when I bought my Fusion because of the cost and I didn't like the look of the end of the film on the hood. In hindsight I wish I had it installed on the grille and lower facia. I have some minor chips on those areas. They're minor and can only be seen when you're up close but still bother me.

[2010SEL]

$750 or $1000? You could repaint most of the damaged areas for that price!

[BluHvn]

$750 or $1000? You could repaint most of the damaged areas for that price!

 

 

Yeah, once. Then again the next year when the nose is all chipped again, then the year after...