Interior Exterior
Q:
Disclaimer:
This post is NOT meant to bad-mouth any dealers or sales people. Any names have been removed. I ask that you not use the dealership name in this thread even if you know it. It could be any/every dealership across the country. I just want this to serve as an FYI for the Elise community; we care very much about our unique and limited vehicles.
Attention Deficit Disorder Summary:
Star Shield is a brand name coating. The company is owned by 3M (as far as I know) yet is it’s own entity. They make paint protecting coating for the Elise and other higher-end vehicles. There are knock off kits from 3M and at least one other company. They are NOT the same kit and are not covered by the impeccable customer service offered by Star Shield. If your line item on your bill of sale says “Star Shield” and the coating doesn’t have the logo on it, then you have been mislead. You do NOT have Star Shield coating on your vehicle.
The Full Story:
Here is my ongoing nightmare with an unfortunate situation at the dealership that sold me my Lotus Elise. I had ordered a car from them and put my $1000 down for a Midnight Blue, Touring, Hard Top, and Sport Package trim. I was told the wait would be approximately two years. Many cars came and went in that time and they called me several times with Elises that had been ordered and backed out of for whatever reason.
I got the call that there was a Magnetic Blue Elise without a home (Touring, Hard Top, Tan Interior) on March 26th 2005 and was mesmerized with the brighter blue color and almost purple metallic shine the paint takes on in the sun. I ended up purchasing and driving the car off the lot on March 28th, which was as soon as I could talk to my bank (that was Easter weekend).
At the time of the purchase I noticed that the car didn’t have the Star Shield armor on it, and having read several Elise enthusiast forums prior to purchase I knew that it was something I wanted. I ordered it and scheduled the install for April 11, 2005 … two weeks after driving the car off the lot.
I babied my car despite putting 980 miles on it. There wasn’t a single deep nick on the nose of the car (as in not a single white spot from rock chips, although, sure there were some pits, just not deep ones). I left the car with the dealership to get its 1000-mile mandatory service and Star Shield installed. They kept the car overnight.
I received my bill for the $995 Star Shield pieces and installation and the $275 for the 1000-mile maintenance. Total after their “special shop tax” came to $1307.06. I thought it was worth it to protect the cars beautiful paint and to maintain my warranty. I trusted them to do the job and didn’t inspect the car myself after receiving it from the service department. That would be my only regret – trusting the work done.
I took the car on some rather unsavory roads that week and drove it a little harder. Thinking the coverage would protect the paint. After 300 miles I decided to take a closer look at how Star Shield was holding up. Well, I noticed that it had several areas where there were bubbles … one front and center on the middle fiberglass flare on the hood, some others on the side sills.
But the more troubling issue was that there were white spots on the front lower portion of the car (around the air inlets) from debris and whatnot, which were not there when I detailed the car the week before. I thought it was an odd thing for the Star Shield coating to do, but further inspection showed there was NO coating on this section.
I emailed the Star Shield guys to try and figure out why they would have installed all this protection without putting armor on the one part of the car that takes the brunt of all things coming towards it. They told me to take some pictures of the areas I was referring to and send them (also the areas with the bubbles, as they are covered under their warranty). I did so within 48 hours. Ryan Negal from Star Shield provided me with unparalleled customer service the entire time. Once I sent the pictures he realized that it didn’t look like the Star Shield kit. In fact it is NOT their kit.
I was infuriated as any car enthusiast may appreciate. I trusted this dealership to install the official Star Shield kit to my vehicle. That is in fact the exact line item on my bill “Install Star Shield”. They did NOT install the kit I was charged for. Worse yet was the damage the lack of coverage brought to the front of my car. I thought the car was protected and thus was less careful than I had been … the paint has suffered.
My dealership has since worked out a deal with me. The front of the car is to be repainted but sanding the clam down, and repainting it, and letting it cure will take 3 weeks minimum (most of this is cure-time). I’m concerned that the paint color may not match the rest of the car when this is performed but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Since it’s summer here, I’m not about to give up my car for 3 or more weeks. They agreed they would repaint the car after the summer/fall driving season was over, before I put it in storage for the winter.
This way I get to drive the car all summer with the knock-off coating on it and an uncovered front bumper section. Then the dealership will repaint the front of the car in late fall and then after several months of the paint curing they will put an entirely new Star Shield-brand coating on the vehicle.
This obviously hasn’t happened yet, so I can’t comment on my satisfaction regarding their follow-through. I’m hoping they will stick to this arrangement and I’m going to request this deal in writing. It’s a few months off yet and who knows if these employees will still be around at that time.
Bottom line is that Star Shield is a BRAND NAME … accept no substitutes. The particular product they had applied to my car was still a 3M product, but it was NOT the same kit, and not as extensive as the Star Shield kit. I didn’t even get the rear coverage on the vehicle. Luckily this area hasn’t suffered even a minor ding, chip or scratch yet, so they will be able to apply the real Star Shield coating on it within the next week.
I still love my Lotus Elise. I appreciate that the dealership seems more than willing to make this right for me. This doesn’t diminish the legwork I had to do and the frustration I went through getting to this point. But I can only hope the paint-job is done well and that it matches perfectly enough.
There are logos on the original Star Shield product as seen in these photos provided by Ryan Negal of Star Shield:
Hood
Rear Panel
Bumper
If anyone can count up the actual coverage panels of their Star Shield kit we could all benefit from it. I don’t have the actual count of the number of parts. I just know that there are at least 9 separate parts to the kit.
A:
Are you sure that the white spots aren't some sort of wax residue? Did they detail the car with a wax after putting on the protectant?
A:
guess i am motivated to inspect my film closely tonight.
question: if there is no film on the front of the car, are you not worried about more severe pitting that simple paint chips?
A:
Are you sure that the white spots aren't some sort of wax residue? Did they detail the car with a wax after putting on the protectant?
Yes, I am positive they are not the wax-pox that come with the car every time the dealership cleans it. Those come off easily enough, and are on the top of the paint, not dug into it.
A:
Bull Shi$! They all use the same 3M product, some thicker or thinner than others in different areas... The "Star Shield" doesn't seem to hold up as well as the "Clear Armor" that I have seen in use. Perhaps they use a thicker sheet.
Clear Armor, Star Shield, California Clear Bra, they ALL say "we are the one and only, we are the best"
A:
question: if there is no film on the front of the car, are you not worried about more severe pitting that simple paint chips?
The whole front will need to be repainted just to address 20 (more by the time the car gets the treatment) small nicks in the paint. This means sanding off all the paint on this section, priming it and painting/clear-coating the whole thing again. Baking the clear coat (or whatever needs to happen to harden that coat), and letting it cure for at least 3 weeks.
If this procedure is not followed, and the Star Shield is applied to the car with a sub-par paint job; it's very likely the paint will be damaged from the replacement/removal of the Star Shield Armor. I don't foresee having any issues with it a few years down the road, but I plan on owning this car until I can't drive any more ... so chances are it will need to be replaced during that timeframe
The front clam will have to be sanded/smoothed/primed. So I’m not worried about pitting at this time. That will all be worked and refinished after the driving season.
A:
Bull Shi$! They all use the same 3M product, some thicker or thinner than others in different areas... The "Star Shield" doesn't seem to hold up as well as the "Clear Armor" that I have seen in use. Perhaps they use a thicker sheet.
Clear Armor, Star Shield, California Clear Bra, they ALL say "we are the one and only, we are the best"
I'm uncertain where your "Bull Shi$!" comment applies ... I didn't receive the bumper or rear quarter product on my vehicle. SO - ummm - it's NOT the same kit/product. Unless the installer was a total tool and just "forgot" to put these sections on.
If the line-item on the bill of sale says "Star Shield" and it's NOT in fact that brand name then I'm trying to inform other Elise enthusiasts before they think that the Star Shield company will cover their vehicle. Because I tried to call the 3M number on my warranty card after I found out it wasn't Star Shield ... 1 week later (2 voice mails left) they still haven't called me back.
It's a matter of customer service and product representation/reputation.
A:
Bull Shi$! They all use the same 3M product, some thicker or thinner than others in different areas... The "Star Shield" doesn't seem to hold up as well as the "Clear Armor" that I have seen in use. Perhaps they use a thicker sheet.
Clear Armor, Star Shield, California Clear Bra, they ALL say "we are the one and only, we are the best"
I think you are missing his point, he had trouble and called the company that makes Star Shield, of course they wouldn't cover his problem because it wasn't their brand therefore out of warranty.
The dealer wrote down Star Shield so that's what he expected to have.
A:
Hmm. I've had 3M stone protection film on five cars over the years. The film on the first three (non-Lotus) cars was great. Good fit, protection, shine, etc.
My CO Elise did not come with factory StarShield. I had Ascot Motors install aftermarket stone guard (3M product, but thicker shield). It looks fantastic. Great install, no bubbles, good fit, and absolutely no orange peel. Probably the best kit of the five.
Then my STi with factory ordered StarShield arrived. Installed at the port(?). Decent fit and install, but the quality of the product itself is by far the worst of the five. The material is visibly thinner than that on the CO and other cars. It also has a massive level of orange peel effect in the finish. Fortunately, on STi, a darket color, it's not too noticeable. But close up it's quite poor. Additionally, it provides less coverage than the aftermarket kit on the CO - mirrors, front wings, etc.
While I strongly recommend a stone protection product, I'm not sure the factory approved stuff is the best IMHO.
Chris
A:
While I strongly recommend a stone protection product, I'm not sure the factory approved stuff is the best IMHO.
You could be right. I have no experience with Star Shield other than their customer service. I’m hoping the product is as good as my experience with the company has been. Star Shield is the only one that Lotus recommends for the car. It would be interesting if this coating weren’t actually THE best.
If anyone else has any opinion on this please speak up. Maybe I’ve got better protection on my car with the 3M brand (the sections they remembered to put on the vehicle anyway). I just wish they had covered all the same parts that Star Shield would.
A:
I am extremely pleased with the StarShield coverage and their customer service. Ryan is a top notch guy.
If I was being asked to "improve" the StarShield, I would suggest that they use a thicker material in the area in front of the rear wheels (this will not last more than a year in normal driving before you should consider replacing the present thickness film). I would also put some film on the clam behind the boot.
A:
One point that is getting missed here is that it's not just the material, but the quality of application of the material that's involved.
StarShield = 3M film + a qualified technician applying it + guaranteed result.
If this is what you're charged for, then just the 3M film is not adequate, especially if there's less of it than you expected!
A:
You could be right. I have no experience with Star Shield other than their customer service. I’m hoping the product is as good as my experience with the company has been. Star Shield is the only one that Lotus recommends for the car. It would be interesting if this coating weren’t actually THE best.
If anyone else has any opinion on this please speak up. Maybe I’ve got better protection on my car with the 3M brand (the sections they remembered to put on the vehicle anyway). I just wish they had covered all the same parts that Star Shield would.
There are typically three vendors involved: film manufacturers; "software" companies that produce and sell the patterns; and installers who use the patterns to cut the film and install it on you car.
There seems to be four major manufacturers of the film: 3M, Venture, Avery-Dennison, and I forget the fourth one. 3M and Venture are reported to be the best by far. 3M makes a thin film (6 mil), which Starshield uses, and a thicker film (12 mil). Venture makes an 8 mil film. 3M has a little orange peel in it, which on most OEM paint jobs may in fact look better (less noticeable) than a smoother surface film like the Venture film. Either one is a great product.
Starshield is both a software company (make their own patterns) and an installer. They have a good reputation, but the specific installer you get can make all the difference. Starshield will not sell you an Elise installation directly...you have to order the standard package through your Lotus dealer and pay the $995 option price. Part of their agreement with Lotus, I assume. I ordered my car without Starshield because I wanted the thicker film on the rocker panels and in front of the rear wheels. Starshield wouldn't work with me directly on that, so I went elsewhere.
In my following research, I eventually found Premier Mobile Group. They are an installer who uses the Venture film and Armourfend patterns. The venture film is thicker than the 3M, so I went with that film everywhere. The Armourfend patterns, with one exception, are better than the Starshield patterns. They cover more area and they are less noticeable. If you look closely at a Starshield installation, you will see that the patterns are a little smaller than the area they are designed to cover. The edges of the film are about 1/16" from the edge of the panel they are covering and very visible. The Armourfend patterns are, where applicable, larger than the panel they cover so that the edges wrap around the panel and end out of sight. This makes the installation much, much more difficult, but the end result is far better. It also makes the skill of the installer much more important.
The one problem I have with the Armourfend pattern is with the piece that goes on the top front of the front clam. It is rather small, much like the earlier Starshield pattern. Since I brought this to Premier's attention, I understand they are using the X-Pel pattern for this piece. I haven't seen the X-Pel piece so can't comment on the coverage versus the new Starshield piece for that area.
What I can say after looking at a lot of Starshield cars is that the Armourfend patterns installed by Premier are far superior in coverage and appearance to the Starshield installations and cost a fair amount less. You do have the inconvenience of having to have the installation done rather than receiving your car with the film already applied. For me, the inconvenience was minimal because they came to my home to do the installation.
A:
If I understood the story, you got a car that came from Lotus/port without Starshield and had the dealer "add" it. If they claimed they were adding the Starshield option, they should have worked with the Starshield folks to give you that product.
Like others have said, the film is pretty generic, but the patterns and installation are different. It's easy to tell if you have a Starshield 'factory' film because several of the corners are embossed with the Lotus logo, visible only when the car is clean.
No Logo = Not Starshield.
Of course, none of these are installed at the factory in Hethel.. they're done by Starshield installers at port when the cars come in. Sometimes they make dealer housecalls too.
I have to say I'm not surprised the dealer installed whatever film was cheapest/most-convenient for them. It's like getting a car without leather interior and telling the dealer "But I wanted leather seats!" Think they will ever say "Oh. Sorry then, this isn't the car for you". Never; they'll have Joe's Upholstry out there cutting cowhide for your car by sunset. Might be fine leather, but it ain't the factory's pattern.
So I guess it all comes down to how it was represented. Starshield, like you said, is a product from one company. If that's what they promised and you paid for, you have a right to insist. If they just said "clear bra", well, that's pretty much anything, possibly even better than Starshield.
A:
I'm glad you got everything resolved. As for Starshield, Ryan is a very cool guy - very helpful.
A:
Starshield is not owned by 3M. The only affiliation with 3M is they buy product from 3M. Starshield is owned by two guys, one guy in the CA office and another in NC. Lotus put out for bids and Starshield won the contract. They use the 3M material, cut material with proprietary patterns, have the right to put the Lotus embossed seal and provide installation to new cars in port and service product. As one guy mentioned, the only way to get the Lotus Starshield products are thru dealers just like Lotus parts. The product is very expensive to buy from the dealer. Ridiculously expensive and not worth it unless you value highly the Lotus mark. You can get the same piece from Starshild direct without the Lotus mark for much cheaper.
I had some work done on my car by one of the owners that has installed SS on maybe 300 Elise's in the Charleston port. Believe me having an experienced installer makes all the difference in the world. As Stan mentioned, a thicker piece is needed in front of the rear wheels. The SS guy said that he could put another layer, smaller in length at the rocker panels in front of the rear wheels. I may do that.
From now on any replacements for me will be using SS direct w/o the Lotus mark, because it will cost a lot less. I am also lucky having a SS owner just a few miles from my house for service. With the Lotus there will be frequent repairs and service from what I can see so far.
OBTW, no way you need three weeks to cure the clam before painting. Someone does not know what they are doing. Call BS on them and/or get other opinions! Good luck.
Also, I agree Magnetic Blue is an awesome color in person to see. I like the way it changes color in different light.
A:
...
OBTW, no way you need three weeks to cure the clam before painting. Someone does not know what they are doing. Call BS on them and/or get other opinions! Good luck. ...
The three weeks may refer to letting the paint cure before installing the film. I have seen references to waiting 4 weeks following painting before applying the film. The only reason to be without the car for that period, would be if you absolutely didn't want any chips to occur prior to the film being applied. I drove mine for a month before the film was applied, but on good quality roads, with the AD07 tires and, probably, some good luck. There weren't any chips you could see, but there were some little ones you could feel running your hand over the area under the front and in front of the rear wheel.
A:
The paint is baked on for curing and that you only have to wait about one week after painting to put the clear film on. I was told this by a guy that owns a body shop that deals with high end cars.
The Elise clams have a special white gelcoat that cures fast and can be sanded and painted when dry within a day or so.
A:
I like how the genuine starshield wraps over the top of the side rockers. Some of the alternates only cover vertical elements and that is not enough.
A:
The paint is baked on for curing and that you only have to wait about one week after painting to put the clear film on. I was told this by a guy that owns a body shop that deals with high end cars.
The Elise clams have a special white gelcoat that cures fast and can be sanded and painted when dry within a day or so.
That's true, but the situation that started the thread was about a repaint at a local body shop. They can't bake the paint at the temperatures they do at the factory when it is just the body part in the oven. it takes a respray longer for the paint to cure.