paint protection

[mwbaum]

I see advertisements for "invisible bras" in Porsche mags. Seems like it is a clear coating they put over the front of the car..including the hood, that prevents rock chips. Does anyone have experience or opinions on this procedure?

[wckrause]

It's a 3M product developed for protecting propellar blades. I've seen it on some new cars at the dealers. It looks pretty good.

------------------
Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro
MY PELICAN GALLERY

[mwbaum]

With the 911 hood design so prone to rock chips, I wonder if there are any reasons not to have this done?

[wckrause]

I've seen pre-cut pieces for 911's. Can't remember where I found them though. I think they came with three pieces. A big piece for the hood, and two small pieces for under the headlights. I think you can also buy the film in bulk, and cut your own.

------------------
Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro
MY PELICAN GALLERY

[cstreit]

It's called 3M ScotchCal. I repainted my 930S spoiler 3 times in two years due to rock chips. Since I added ScotchCal, it looks perfect after 2 years with no chips, and it's darn near invisible. I'll never have another 911 without it.

You can by it at autosupermart by the roll. Similar to 'helicopter tape' used in racing, but thinner.

[This message has been edited by cstreit (edited 10-30-2001).]

[gchappel]

Try http://www.xpel.com/index.html
The hood of my 85 911 was getting a lot of rock chips- esp on the track.
The kit was cheap, installation was easy- I had a friend do it that does window tinting.
Nobody has ever noticed that it is on, and no more chips, at least in the areas covered. It has been on for 6-8 months so far. There is a small edge line, that sometimes is noticable if dirt builds up, but otherwise you would not know it was there.
All in all I would do definately look into it- as usual I don't work for the company, etc.
Gary

After my car was repainted I bought a roll of transparent 3M plastic film. I cut the film into shaped pieces to fit under the headlights, on the bonnet, on the bumper, the rearview mirrors etc. Not an easy task with the 911's curvy lines, but the end result is nice. Up close it's easy to spot, but I can live with that. From a distance you don't see it.

[vjd3]

At the risk of sacrilege, I own a new Boxster now, and before I drove it off the showroom floor I had the 3M product installed on the nose (Invincashield -- it goes by various names, depending on the company who cut the pattern). The only place it's visible is on the line where paint meets the material, and even there it's invisible from a few feet away.

I drove the car home to Boston from where I bought it in Florida. I took the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway (highly recommended), and about halfway through, some @#$%^ in an SUV wandered onto the shoulder before I could pass him and showered me with gravel. Not a mark on the paint. Cost about $600 installed.

Here's a photo of my car; the material stretches across the hood about even with the tops of the headlights. You can't see it at all in the photo, which was taken from 5 feet away in good light.

I wouldn't own another Porsche without it, unless it was an older 911 that already had the, um, character ... of various rock chips that are so common on these cars.

Vic

PS -- I've owned a bunch of 911s, and even though the Boxster is not nearly as fast as my 993s or my 87 930, it's still a blast to drive (great handling) and it's a Porsche through and through. If you haven't driven a 2.7 car, you should. I didn't think much of the 2.5 myself.

[autobonrun]

Has there been any evidence of water or moisture getting under them?

[vjd3]

No water or moisture ... it's on there like tint is on a window. It can also be removed with no damage to the paint, as long as it's applied to factory paint or fresh paint that has been completely cured. You can wax right over it, just like real paint.

Make sure to get a good installer ... I have a guy in Florida that's really good, and he'll travel anywhere if you get a few people together for installs. He does everything from Ferraris to million-dollar tour busses.

I've had conventional bras on my 911s ... they are ugly, a huge hassle, a pain to install correctly, there's nothing worse than stripping off a dirty, soaking wet vinyl bra if you get caught in the rain, not to mention the risk of clouding the paint if you leave it on too long. I think the Magbra is a better alternative to the Colgan, but it only covers the hood, not the front valance.

You can also get a thicker 3M film to protect your headlights ... not a bad idea considering how expensive a 911 light assembly is.

Vic

I have washed mine numerous times and experienced no such problems.

One problem though is that dead insects can be extremely hard to wash away from the plastic.

vjd3, congrats with the nice Boxster.

[poorshe911]

I checked out that 'paint protection for your Porsche' web site. I have a black '83 SC, which, as you probably know, shows every little paint imperfection. I went from a silver 911S to this and what a HUGE difference in keeping it presentable. This sounds like something I'll look into.
What is necessary to install it. Are you able to remove it and re-apply it if you had to ?

[wckrause]

I believe it has an adhesive backing. It is removed by heating it up and peeling off. I do not think you can reposition it once it's on.

------------------
Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro
MY PELICAN GALLERY

[vjd3]

There's no adhesive backing at all, that's why it's so safe for the paint. It's just optically clear plastic film cut to a specific pattern; you spray the car with a mixture of alcohol and water, position the film and then squeegee the moisture away. The alcohol evaporates anyway, and what's left is the plastic on top of the paint. It's really important to have someone who is experienced do the install, because it's like an art to get the seams perfect and all the material smooth. It will peel right off the paint with no residue, but I doubt you'd be able to reapply it once you removed it; you'd need a new piece.

I think Bill's thinking of the clear stone guards Porsche put on the rear fenders of the 944 and the 993, which is backed with adhesive and a real b---- to remove.

Here's another photo of the front of my 986; the protection is on the hood, the top of the front fenders and around the headlights, and the entire front airdam back to the front wheels. BTW, the installer removed the Porsche crest and reinstalled it once the film was in place.

This is what's on my car:

http://www.invinca-shield.com

Vic






[This message has been edited by vjd3 (edited 10-31-2001).]

[poorshe911]

How does it hold up to abrasions, stones, dirt, etc ? Do they scratch or dull the coating ? What's the life expectancy ?
BTW, very nice Boxster.

[pwd72s]

And...what happens if you decide to peel this stuff off? Say for a show, when you don't want the plastic "line" there? Anybody try that?

[vjd3]

To answer both questions ... the material appears to be impervious to scratches or chips, like your paint is susceptible too; however, it is plastic, and thus can be buffed and polished if it does scratch.

As far as removing it, it will peel off without a trace, but you won't be able to reapply the same piece, you'd have to put a new piece on.

The real questions I have about using it on an older 911, is whether there are companies that have manufactured kits for the earlier car, and the fact that it won't adhere to textured paint, like the lower airdam on a Carrera, for example. The surface has to be smooth.

Thanks for the compliments on the car.

Vic