[eogintz]

Hi Folks,

I live in Central New Jersey and own a 2008 328XI coupe in Crimson Red.

I seem to have developed a huge amount of stone chips on the lower portion of my hood. Don't really know how since I am retired and have only driven this car for 4,000 miles without even going on highways.

Anyway, I have looked into various ways of repairing this and it seems that all the pros want to respray the hood. Estimates range from $350- $500.
I have always been patient and pretty good with chip repairs so I decided to give this a try and the results were pretty good unless you really put your nose down on the hood. I have put many hours into this and have used various techniques including; wet sanding, Lankga, acetone, etc...

Since everything is now looking pretty good I thought that I would get an estimate to have some clear film applied to the hood to protect my work and to prevent future damage.

I took my car to a tint/film place yesterday and I was quoted $525 just for the hood. The manager even said that I could wait for the car since it would take about two hours.

Is it just me or is this outrageous? $525 for two hours of labor and a sheet of good quality film? Do any of you have ideas about what this should REALLY cost? I told the guy that his price was ridiculous and I walked out.

I know that 3M just released a new product only available through Amazon or AutoZone called paint defender. I looked at their site and also spoke with the guy at AutoZone and it seems really easy to do.

You just mask everything off and spray this 3M stuff on the areas that you want to protect. After 3-4 hours it cures and you are left with a clearcoat solid piece of film that it easy to remove in one piece. The entire kit goes for about $50 which will increase for the more sections you want to cover. A hood will use one can of this stuff. I guess sort of like Plasti Dip which is certainly a lot cheaper. My reluctance is because this is a new product and I have not seen many reviews of it.

Does anyone know any more about this 3M Paint Defender and how easy it is to apply? Also, what kind of results could I expect to have? Thanks very much.

Ed

[ken1137]

No, but I am going to try the 3M paint defender after a good detail. It looks pretty simple per their youtube vid. I would stay away from the clear bra. I had it on my two previous BMWs and my wife's MDX. The cost for all three cars was about $500-$600 for a complete front protection, so yes the quote you have for the hood is outrageous. The clear bra is pain in the ass...I encountered install problems (done by so-called professionals), stain issues (always cleaning it and re-sealing), and pealing.

[eogintz]

Thanks Ken.

I will probably give the 3M Paint Defender a try as well.

What is interesting is that some 3M wholesale dealers and various tint places say that they never heard of Paint Defender. I know that it was just released at the beginning of May but you would think that pros in this line of work would know about it. It would be great for a film installer/retailer to be able to offer a customer a less expensive option than actual film but I suppose that they make more selling film. I would imagine that a detailer would also be able to offer this service. Maybe as it becomes more known and popular.

Ed

[napeHbNYC]

Originally Posted by ken1137

No, but I am going to try the 3M paint defender after a good detail. It looks pretty simple per their youtube vid. I would stay away from the clear bra. I had it on my two previous BMWs and my wife's MDX. The cost for all three cars was about $500-$600 for a complete front protection, so yes the quote you have for the hood is outrageous. The clear bra is pain in the ass...I encountered install problems (done by so-called professionals), stain issues (always cleaning it and re-sealing), and pealing.

Who the hell did your installs that you had those problems, a first grader? I have clear bras on over 30 of our cars and not a single one has a problem.

As far as 500 just for the hood, it is a bit overpriced.

[bahn_burner]

I'd highly recommend getting the clear bra. A good install will cost but it is worth it IMHO. I had clear bra installed on my black 328i 4 weeks after i bought the car new. It has saved me from a bunch of rock chips and the installer did an amazing job. You cannot even tell that it is there. I payed $1K out here in the Bay area for full front protection including hood, fenders, bumper and side mirrors.

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by napeHbNYC

Who the hell did your installs that you had those problems, a first grader? I have clear bras on over 30 of our cars and not a single one has a problem.

As far as 500 just for the hood, it is a bit overpriced.

It was a local installer doing the clear bra installs for my BMW dealer and Acura dealer. Yeah, I could've done a better job. Just going to try to 3M paint defender.

[Dark_Knight_335]

There is a fantastic guy- albeit he's down in Monmouth County - and he does an impeccable job with clear bra.
He uses venture shield- his name is Reno. I can give you his info if you like.

[mike-y]

that price for JUST the hood is crazy. The hood is the easiest piece to install, and should only take about 10 minutes or so. Actually, you could install the hood piece yourself, it's that easy.

Now, the front bumper is another story, that piece takes time and skills to install correctly (lots of pulling and stretching). I got the front bumper, mirrors, headlights, and the front half of the hood done for about $600 installed a couple of years ago, and it's been holding up well.

[ccraig13]

I made my own clear bra using XPel. Love the stuff. Cover my phone and laptop with it too

[Viktimize]

Don't get the 3M. The new defender stuff might be good? But this new Suntek stuff is miles ahead of regular 3m technology wise. It was just released at SEMA last year I think. It was like 30$ more expensive than 3m, but it still only came out to about 300$ for the front bumper, 24" strip up the hood and the mirror caps.

Here is a link if you want to check it out.
http://www.suntekfilms.com/paintprot...rotection.aspx

[Rollo`]

Originally Posted by napeHbNYC

Who the hell did your installs that you had those problems, a first grader? I have clear bras on over 30 of our cars and not a single one has a problem.

As far as 500 just for the hood, it is a bit overpriced.

You have over 30 cars?

[Raja Ventureshield]

Originally Posted by Rollo`

You have over 30 cars?

he may have a business and that many car. I know someone with 50 cars and he has a fleet car biz.