Interior Exterior
Q:
We were actually in FL last yr twice for group installs so that is not completely out of the question. We're actually going to be in NY / NJ between June 8-17 and in DC a wk later. If you could gather at least 6 vehicles together, we could fly two guys out for the install and also offer a group rate if all cars could be at one location for the installation.
A:
Here are some pics of the car after the film was installed: It covered the following areas: bonnet scoop inserts (w/ wrapped edges), nose center (w/ wrapped edges), front clam (w/ wrapped edges), rockers (wrapped inward to side steps and around wheel wells), headlamps, signals, door locks surround, boot lock surround, air intake edges, rear wheel arches, rear undersides, custom roll bar, & mirrors
Thanks for the drinks Chris!
This does look great and I'll probably go this route when it's time to replace my 3M film.
That said, there clearly is orange peel visible in the pix, and it does not look all that much less, if at all, than the orange peel in the 3M film.
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This does look great and I'll probably go this route when it's time to replace my 3M film.
That said, there clearly is orange peel visible in the pix, and it does not look all that much less, if at all, than the orange peel in the 3M film.
I somewhat agree with the orange peel comment. But what I noticed is that if you look at the area that is not covered by the clear bra and compare it to the area that is, it is very noticeable that the orange peel texture on the OE paint isn't any different from the film. It seems more like the inherent orange peel texture of the paint is showing through the film.
BTW, great job as always Sam.
A:
Since it was my car in the pictures, I can confirm that the bit of orange peel you see is in the original paint. I clayed and polished before the bra was put on, but there is only so much you can do about the original paint job. I didn't want the 3M film because it adds noticably more orange peel, particularly on the darker paints (like mine). I have seen the orange peel that the 3M film adds on cars at dealerships that had the Star Shield installed.
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I'm in the Twin Cities, too - any chance of stopping by sometime to do a group install? PM me if this is an option, please.
Wow, that's so pretty I'd almost drive all the way from Minnesota to the Bay Area just to have it done
Very nice work there. Mine looked a little like the before pictures ... just not as many bubbles. The seams on this kit are in much better places than the 3M one I currently have (most of)
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We were there two years ago, but have not had any other requests since. Not too familiar w/ the city except during our last trip the customers did take us to Dejavu though .
If you think you could gather 10 or more vehicles for the install, we could certainly fly our best techs out for the install. Please email me directly, if you would like to arrange this. Thanks.
Best,
Sam
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Sorry for being an idiot, but what is this "orange peel" effect? At first I thought it was some sort of orange tint at certain angles, but now I'm just plain confused. My first car was a '87 Volvo 740 Turbo Stationwagon, which was a wonderful car, but I didn't give a crap about detailing it. I use Zaino on my '03 MINI Cooper, but it doesn't need chip protection, as the lower edges are all this kind of black plastic trim.
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Orange peel is a texture to the paint that makes it appear bumpy, like the surface of an orange (the fruit). It has nothing to do with the film looking orange in color. Personally this is something I hate. Fortunately my color somewhat disguises the effect. If I had a very reflective color it wouldn't look very good.
The effect exists both in the paint and some film materials, but the film's is some what worse. Lotus paints all of the panels before assembly, so the orange peel on the side panels is not really worse than those on horizontal panels. But if you take a look at a BMW for instance, where gravity works against you when painting the vertical panels, you can see more orange peel than on the horizontal panels.
As posted by Stan:
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Surface of an orange
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Aaaahhhhhhh. Yes, my MINI Cooper definitely has this, and I just figured it was a natural attribute of paint on cars.
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anyone have pics of how this looks on black? is the starshield very noticable on the dark finish?
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The 3m film that starshield uses is much more noticeable than say Venture on darker colored cars. The problem with clear bras is that if it is not installed correctly, they look extremely nasty. If you do have a black car, make sure you find the right installer. Since you are in the Bay Area, I would recommend you give Sam at Premier Mobile a call. email: sam@premiermobilegroup.com They get nothing but raved reviews from all the members here. Do a search, I'm sure you'll find many posts and reviews about them and their work.
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Hey Blur,...I totally agree with Ren. Definitely give Premier a ring. I recently had them clear bra my elise and it turned out flawless. I had originally gotten the Starshield option, but it looked absolutely horrible (air bubbles, wrinkles, and wierd ziz zag lines.) I had Sam and his boys come out and replace it for me, and their work is incredible. Haven seen them work in person, you really get to appreciate how much care they put into making the bra look it's best. Check out my review of them:
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my dealership put Armourfend on my car and it looks just fine to me.
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Star Shield is not owned by 3M or anybody else. There are actually 4 manufacturers of paint protection film in use. 3M, Venture, Beckhert, and Avery. 3M invented the stuff and has been making it for over 20 years with continuous product developement. 3M for the past two generations of film use a clear coat finish which stands up to a very wide variety of temperatures and conditions. 3M tests their film for 8 years and guarantees for 5 years. Neither Venture nor Avery use coated film at this time. Avery tried, but had to recall the film. Non coated films are porus and tend over time to yellow, turn grey or trap minute particles in the film which can not be removed. Non coated films do stretch very easily making installation easier and perhaps even cleaner at first. But in the hot Texas sun, they tend to quickly fade and turn color. Coated films are more tricky to install but are ultimately the better choice for most people.
Their are numerous companies who design kits for cars, trucks, SUV, RV's etc. Star Shield is one as is XPEL and many others. Some designs are better than others and some companies tend to have a more complete catalog of kits available. There are also those who hand cut kits on the car. We use a computer cut kit whenever possible, but will hand cut if neccessary. We hand cut a Rousch Mustang yesterday.
The single most important issue is installation. I have seen far too many bad installations. Some were hand cut, others computer cut. Too many installers do this part time and have no real expertise. We do this full time, nothing else. We do not do window tint, graphics, paint touch up or sell laundry detergent on the side. We have to do a good job.
The key is a clean surface to begin with. If necessary, we clay the car first, because anything left in the paint WILL show through the film resulting in a less than perfect installation and an unhappy customer.