Hello:
I am thinking of a clear 3M or some other brand clear bumper, hood, fender, etc bra. Has anyone had this done? If so what kind do you recommend? I have several stone chips on my bumper, do I have those fixed before the 3M installation or will this cover the stone chips? Am I going to have the entire bumper repainted or are there companies that just fix the rock chips?

Thanks for all your help

Joe

 

Xpel's a good prouduct, does a fantastic job of protecting paint from chips and scratches. It does not last forever and can be expensive and should be done by an experienced specialist. PPF is a great product, but if paint's already damaged it's not going to fix it. If you PPF a respray, make certain it was done properly or the film could remove the paint when it needs changing.

 

I had Xpel PPF put on my front bumper after having it resprayed.

It was actually a similar price to the respray so I don't know if it made sense but it seems to have protected the bumper very well on my recent 2000 km/5 day car and coffee club cruise. Some of the cars on the cruise have had a total wrap with the product and it seems very good so if my next car is in decent enough condition I would use it again.

The bonnet is now a mess though so that might be next in the paint booth followed by a wrap!

 

Front bumper will need a respray and then the clear bra. I got my clear bra for the front bumper the 2nd day after purchase 8 years ago. Great investment. It might be Xpel.... not certain. It hadn’t yellowed as my car is always garaged. Would never own a car without the clear bra front bumper. Yes.... installation is the most important factor. I’ve used the same guy for 18 years. Expensive but meticulous.

 

I am thinking of having this done. A bit worried about the phrase "when it needs changing"; it implies that it WILL need changing. I was looking for a long term protection, so how often does it need changing, please?

 

Several variables including how you care for it, how much sun exposure, quality of installation, product quality, damage from use, etc affect how long it will last. Typically 2-5 years though Xpel claims to provide a 10 year warranty against yellowing or manufacturing process defects, read the fine print as there are numerous exclusions and warranty voids.

 

I had 3M on my car for 4 years and it still looks good.

 

We've got several vehicles front portions covered with 3M film. The oldest is a 2006. It was applied in either late 2006 or early 2007, just after the vehicle was purchased. It still looks good from the original install. The 2007 also had it applied about the same time and it still looks good. All my vehicles are garaged when not in use, but all are also primarily summer vehicles so they sit in the sun alot when they are used.