The next Big Thing: INVISIBLE BLING!
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Joined: Jun 2007
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The next Big Thing: INVISIBLE BLING!
Hi All,
I just had the 3M Scotchguard "Invisible Bra" installed on my H3 this morning. If you've never seen it, it is a clear polycarbonate film that is professionally applied to your most vulnerable front painted parts to protect them from chips from rocks and other road debris. You can't see it from 5 feet away and even close up it is a challenge - you need to be atthe right angle to see it clearly. I've had it on the wife's Boxster for almost 5 years and it works brilliantly and still looks good. It has kept her bumper from ANY rock chips and we drive on the highway a lot at 80+ mph.It can be replaced/removed if it ever gets really damaged and keeps you from ever having to repaint your bumper. I cheaped out on my 350Z and didn't get it done and due to the vertical surface of the front bumper it got chewed up pretty badly and looked sandblasted and pock-marked like the moon after only 50,000 miles.
I also got the optional headlight protector film, which is at least twice as thick,to protect the Starr HID projector assemblies. I didn't bother taking pictures of those because the installer did such an excellent trimming job that you can't even see the edges.
Although there are several patterns for application, I went with the basic Hummer H3 hood pattern and it was $280 installed. The headlight protectors were $120 installed and shipping for both patterns was $30 for a total of $430. IMHO that is cheap insurance against repainting and broken headlights with all the construction here in FL.
The guys name is Alan Seligman of Invinca-Shield Installers (Orlando, FL), his phone is 407.767.0966 and his email is invincaman@cfl.rr.com. He is VERY reputable in these parts and is the only clear bra installer for Lamborghini/Bentley of Orlando. You can see his website with more information and testimonials at www.invincaman.com.
Here are the pics:
Pic 1: Front from 5 feet away – he just finished it 2 minutes before the picture was taken. Some water from application makes the film a bit more visible than it will be in 2 days after totally drying out.
Pic 2: The hood from 3 feet at an angle so you can see where the hood pattern starts and stops.
Pic 3: The hood from 1 foot away so you can see the film.
Pic 4: The side of the front bumper from 6 inches away so you can clearly see the film. Again, it is a bit more visible at first application than it will be in 48 hours after more drying.
Jeff
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[IMG]local://upfiles/2685/1A82CE3E6F5148F2A8E3598540E224A6.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/2685/A92E5A950B894E9EB7E367369B36B4BA.jpg[/IMG]
I just had the 3M Scotchguard "Invisible Bra" installed on my H3 this morning. If you've never seen it, it is a clear polycarbonate film that is professionally applied to your most vulnerable front painted parts to protect them from chips from rocks and other road debris. You can't see it from 5 feet away and even close up it is a challenge - you need to be atthe right angle to see it clearly. I've had it on the wife's Boxster for almost 5 years and it works brilliantly and still looks good. It has kept her bumper from ANY rock chips and we drive on the highway a lot at 80+ mph.It can be replaced/removed if it ever gets really damaged and keeps you from ever having to repaint your bumper. I cheaped out on my 350Z and didn't get it done and due to the vertical surface of the front bumper it got chewed up pretty badly and looked sandblasted and pock-marked like the moon after only 50,000 miles.
I also got the optional headlight protector film, which is at least twice as thick,to protect the Starr HID projector assemblies. I didn't bother taking pictures of those because the installer did such an excellent trimming job that you can't even see the edges.
Although there are several patterns for application, I went with the basic Hummer H3 hood pattern and it was $280 installed. The headlight protectors were $120 installed and shipping for both patterns was $30 for a total of $430. IMHO that is cheap insurance against repainting and broken headlights with all the construction here in FL.
The guys name is Alan Seligman of Invinca-Shield Installers (Orlando, FL), his phone is 407.767.0966 and his email is invincaman@cfl.rr.com. He is VERY reputable in these parts and is the only clear bra installer for Lamborghini/Bentley of Orlando. You can see his website with more information and testimonials at www.invincaman.com.
Here are the pics:
Pic 1: Front from 5 feet away – he just finished it 2 minutes before the picture was taken. Some water from application makes the film a bit more visible than it will be in 2 days after totally drying out.
Pic 2: The hood from 3 feet at an angle so you can see where the hood pattern starts and stops.
Pic 3: The hood from 1 foot away so you can see the film.
Pic 4: The side of the front bumper from 6 inches away so you can clearly see the film. Again, it is a bit more visible at first application than it will be in 48 hours after more drying.
Jeff
[IMG]local://upfiles/2685/8080B3E83DBF48DFBAB87362F74BC67F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/2685/86BA9A33CFC24F9AA4DF10D106A4880E.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/2685/1A82CE3E6F5148F2A8E3598540E224A6.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/2685/A92E5A950B894E9EB7E367369B36B4BA.jpg[/IMG]
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 500
From:
RE: The next Big Thing: INVISIBLE BLING!
I used to work for Bekaert Specialty Films which manufactures window film products including what they call Clearshield http://www.clearshield.com/index.cfm...n/Product.Home. Is is a good product which does protect your paint. I have seen it installed on many cars during R&D trials and overall it is a good product. However one thing I noticed is that it can be more visible on certain colors such as white and lighter colors, the first thing to stand out is the edge of the film where dirt collects faster than other spots making the edge line somewhat visible.
