So I got the car resprayed and clear filmed ...

[M3_Power 636]

Have been wanting to tidy up some of the stone chips on the car, so decided to hand the car over to the best panel shop there is and had the car fully recleared and all the stone chips tidied up (took about a month to do, as parts that needed to come off the car came off to ensure a perfect factory finish - all new trim mouldings clips ect ect ..)

Given how good the job turned out, I felt that it was the best time to invest in some paint protection. After doing a bit of research and speaking to a few other regular trackers both locally and abroad, I took the dive and got the car clear filmed with the Ventureshield product (AMAZING PRODUCT)

Found the best applicator that there is here in New Zealand (I can't name them as I have been warned by the mods on not to do any advertising for non paying advertisers - so PM me if you want to know who it is) and did the following:

- Full bonnet

- Full bumper and splitters

- Headlights (he threw these in for free)

- Full front guards)

- Full length side skirts

- full length rockers

- half of the doors

- 1/4 of the rear guards (in line with the doors)

I have to say the results are AMAZING Really pleased I went ahead with the job and finally I can enjoy the car without worrying about stone chips too much!!!

The applicator took 2 days to do the job as he wanted a perfect finish and he was only a one man band operator ... 14 hours later .. results!!

Honestly, you hardly notice that it's even there and the clear film has a high gloss finish much like the rest of the clear coat on the car ... amazing. I took the car around the panel shop afterwards and they were all very impressed with the job.

Now for the photos:

Edited May 27, 2009 by M3_Power

[jordyboy2 0]

Looks great man

[Creaver 55]

Wow, awesome. Very shiny

[bmw_guy 0]

Very nice,

Would love to get my e30 done, the bodys mint but paint work is sh*t now, crazy cracked and a lot of stone chips.

How much would it cost?

[Andre3000 55]

WOW that is niiiiiiice

[drifty325i 0]

Very nice = me jelous

[hybrid 1043]

Hey Tom,

Im looking to get mine repainted very soon (same reasons as you). Interested in this product also ..

And I do believe your car still has a date with my camera at some stage

[JaseNZ 53]

Hey Tom,

Im looking to get mine repainted very soon (same reasons as you). Interested in this product also ..

one word "Bastard"

[AzonicNick 0]

I think mums S3 has this done to it. Whats the name of it? I seem to recall seeing something like Dura-Seal maybe on it?

It makes is easy to clean and dont have to worry as much about it.

Lovely CSL

[M325is 0]

Ive never heard of ventureshield, it has come up mint!

We use the 3M branded stuff, they have the new crystal clear technology, its amazing how clear they can get film these days.

The guy you picked to do your car looks to have done a mint job. Did he cut it on your car or did he make up templates?

[Driftit 2078]

How long does it stay clear? I would imgine that NZ's harsh UV levels would put it through its paces.

Does it go cloudy or yellow like the crap they use on the XK8 Jags?

I ask these questions as my father may look at something like this for his E55. Which has just been repainted to fix stone chips and jelous people in public car parks.

[M3_Power 636]

How much would it cost?

Quite a bit ... but cheaper than a respray ...

Hey Tom,

Im looking to get mine repainted very soon (same reasons as you). Interested in this product also ..

And I do believe your car still has a date with my camera at some stage

We do indeed Josh ... text me when you are free?

Let me know if you want a number for the film guy .. or the panel shop ..

How long does it stay clear? I would imgine that NZ's harsh UV levels would put it through its paces.

Does it go cloudy or yellow like the crap they use on the XK8 Jags?

I ask these questions as my father may look at something like this for his E55. Which has just been repainted to fix stone chips and jelous people in public car parks.

It's guaranteed to stay clear for quite a while. It's a urethane based film - on a white car however you will notice a slight colour change (as many have pointed out overseas) - on a coloured car, less likely to notice. It's guaranteed to not go cloudy and even if it does, you just get another film put on.

Honestly a very good product - now owned by 3M so I am told ... but Ventureshield still hold the rights to the patterns I think.

The guy you picked to do your car looks to have done a mint job. Did he cut it on your car or did he make up templates?

www.ventureshield.com

Google it ... it's the only approved paint protection film for Ferrari.

They have patterns for most cars - but for a custom job like this they have to do the scoring on the car to get it right (i.e. they don't cut through the film so it doesn't damage paint. What they do is they will score the outline, then it's teared off)

Edited May 28, 2009 by M3_Power

[Apex 693]

Looks amazing mate, well done.

What is it with BMW’s and stone chips, seems the paint is very thick and when they chip it is very noticeable.

Good idea with the film, will look at getting some for my freshly painted front end!

[Yuen 16]

Looking good! Bit of a stupid question I suppose but is the film polishable? What happens when you get scrapes, will it swirl like normal paint etc... or do you just re-apply a new one when the old one starts looking tired?

[bravo 35]

I want to know whether it shrinks, whether dirt will collect at the edges, and what residue it leaves behind after say 3-5 years? I'm presuming the manufacturer will claim none, and that may be the case, but I'd like to see it 3 years down the track out of interest's sake.

[Forrest 35]

Your CSL is gorgeous, nice to see your treating it well

[caleb 0]

very nice

[crazyarab 6]

I know the use of this product is common practice in the US, it's usually offered by most dealerships.

You can even buy pre-cut setups for most common models. I briefly looked into this but could not find anyone that would ship to NZ ( I am almost certain some will though).

I am assuming the stunning job done on the CSL was custom made?

[M3_Power 636]

Looking good! Bit of a stupid question I suppose but is the film polishable? What happens when you get scrapes, will it swirl like normal paint etc... or do you just re-apply a new one when the old one starts looking tired?

I want to know whether it shrinks, whether dirt will collect at the edges, and what residue it leaves behind after say 3-5 years? I'm presuming the manufacturer will claim none, and that may be the case, but I'd like to see it 3 years down the track out of interest's sake.

You have to remember that it's a stone chip protection film, not a miracle film that's going to prevent all forms of damage (and the purpose of the film is so that it protects the paint under it .. so I am expecting the film to get damaged). Also any damage on the film would look no worse than the damage you would get on the paint - the difference between the two obviously is with the film you can replace it quickly and easily.

The film is reasonably scratch resistent and yes you can polish and wax it (trust me when I say it is reasonably scratch resistent (you do get the odd ones .. but better on film than paint I think!!) .. after I had the film done, my wife just had to test out how good it was, so she promptly picked up our Jack Russell and put her on the bonnet to run around on and it didn't leave a mark ) - but no cutting compound. There's also a plastic polish and cleaner that you can use on it which works a treat.

The beauty of the system of course is you just replace the film that's damaged or swirled.

The applicator has the film all over his ute and it's been on there for 4+ years and the car's always parked outside and never washed (he's not based in Auckland and has over 240,000km on his odometer) and I can honestly say that the film looks almost as good as the new stuff applied to my car (yes it has dulled a little, but certainly not to an extent that you'd notice it straight away).

As for leaving residue behind - I've been told by numerous people that have had this on their cars for a couple of years and ones that have reapplied - they all say that it doesn't leave anything behind. There is a particular method of removing it though, but I need to find out from the applicator how it is done.

Cheers for all the compliments by the way !!!

I know the use of this product is common practice in the US, it's usually offered by most dealerships.

You can even buy pre-cut setups for most common models. I briefly looked into this but could not find anyone that would ship to NZ ( I am almost certain some will though).

I am assuming the stunning job done on the CSL was custom made?

Yes custom job - no pattern for the CSL.

To be honest I looked at importing the product myself - but trust me it is not an easy product to apply or cut. I have located a dealer in the US that will ship it out - but by the time it gets here you are better off having the official local distributor install it with a warranty. It is also a quite heavy for a film (I was actually surprised when I picked up the sheet for the bonnet).

Edited May 28, 2009 by M3_Power

[antil33t 90]

Wow... it's pretty

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Wow, absolutely stunning CSL, and a great job on the paint and protector.

when I finally get around to tidying up the 'very I will invest in some of this stuff.

I have seen the results of the 3M protectors we use for HSV products and they are pretty good, but real difficult to apply without bubbles forming underneath - which looks worse than a chip! So will keep an eye out for this stuff.

If you ever want to sell the CSL, PM me...

[M325is 0]

I wrapped a new Mercedes van in the latest 3M grade last year, they wanted the whole thing covered as they frequently drove down narrow driveways with overgrown trees.

It came up better then the paint job and it still looks mint today. It gets scraped all the time but he has it professionally cleaned once a month and it comes up like new every time.

Polishing it once it is washed doesn't leave swirls but the polish can be visible along the edge if they don't pay attention to detail and use an old soft toothbrush to remove it.

[Gus 5]

added to shopping list, E46 CSL

Looks good!