xRYD3Rx

I called a few places they gave me price range $700-$1000.

Dealer agreed to install fenders/bumper/hood/mirrors & rear bumper appliqué for $900

XxGoKoUxX

Awesome! Glad you got them to deal it down a bit now..... A lesson everyone should learn is that everyone shouldn't take the first price any of their service advisors give them. These service prices are all negotiable

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

You guys crack me up, you make it sound as if it take a rocket scientist to install properly. Squeegee, a bottle of soap and water is all that is needed.

5min this guy put on this hood bra and our cars are easier because our hoods do not have weird angles like this one does.

I just think that $6-700 savings can go towards something else

PTmobile

If it were that easy there would be more installers. I have been doing it for 12 years now. Took me almost three years to get really good at it... and I still run into cars that are tough. The hood is usually the easiest part of the car. Try doing the bumper. But if you think its that easy order the kit yourself, do the full front install, then go into business for yourself. Obviously by your statement the profit is pretty high so why not do it yourself???

On a serious note I have sold kits for years to people that were expert window tinters... same tools used basically and they ended up throwing the film in the trash because they ruined it. I would say even though they do tint they have a better understanding of film than the average person... so like I said try it out and let us know how you do. And PLEASE post some close up pics the final results.

XxGoKoUxX

These things may LOOK easy, but I highly doubt it is at all.... I've done a DIY tint on an older car and that was a PITA. I also don't know about soap and water on paint finish, last I remembered when I did detailing, doesn't that corrode the finish of the paint? I would do an alcohol+water mixture if it was a DIY, but that's just me.

While all this is said, I still agree about the $600-700 going into better things also. As the famous saying goes though, "different strokes for different folks."

At the end of the day, his resale value would probably be higher than us drivers w/ out the extra clear bras hahaha.

Yikes, that's the reason why I just pay people who've done it for 10+ years to do tint and other things...... Some things you're good at and some things you'll never get.... HAHA!

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

Window tint is hard for me, But Vinyl, or this thick 3m matierial looks very simple to install. Especially that this kit is already cut to the car, I dont see where you guys think it will be tough? Most important thing is to line it up while it is wet inside and out. Even if the lines weren't "perfect" it's clear it will be hard to spot.

That $700 into a new set of tires will raise resale value a lot more

XxGoKoUxX

true true LOL..... I have a Zagg skin on 2 of my phones, and even till this day I have a hard time once in a while with it.... It's never perfect, and that's probably why I hate applying these things sometimes.

BinaryJay

How about you drive the car for 15 years and when the paint finally looks bad enough to matter (if ever) put that money towards repainting it. That's assuming you're going to keep it that long and once you've had it that long you still want it even longer. Chances are, you will have sold the car anyway... I think it's pointless to tell you the truth.

This is also coming from somebody that thinks it's ridiculous to put skins on phones, I never once have wasted my money on that junk and my phones look fine long after they've outlived their usefulness and worth.

xRYD3Rx

Dropped my GS at the dealership today to install clear bra.

They gave me a 2013 GS 350 F SPORT as a loaner car.
I get to drive it for 2-3days thats pretty sweet!!

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

What this thing looks easy but its hard especially on the corners. The heat gun really helps and practice I tried this on my headlights and failed miserably.

worker

I bought some cheap clear bra n install myself. I did ruin the first set. At the end it was pretty good. Had it on 2 years n it was looking ugly. It doesn't become clean when wash like the painted part.

I removed it when I put my car up for sell. The part with clear bra had protection from the sun so it look newer. It didn't look good with new n washed next to each other. Never again.

XxGoKoUxX

I've had my car for 5 years or so, and everyday I fall more and more in love with it, so I'm sure i'll be keeping it for another 10 years

If it were just any of my previous cheaper cars, I couldn't of agreed with you more. The GS is the car with the biggest purchase value I made, and I plan on keeping it for years and years to come. That includes the expenses that follow heheh.

I have wasted my money on that "junk" and while I couldn't agree with you more that it gives almost ZERO protection, the front skin does help from keys and whatnot scratching it up. I've dropped my phone with the skin on all around and needless to say, it looked like dookie. After a full housing replacement from Samsung and a Ballistics (rubber surround+hard) case, the phone looks flawless and I can sell the phone as "mint" condition.

That's great! I wanted to try the '13 GS350, but never had a chance too, and I didn't want to push my luck by asking. How did you get them to loan you one?

Yikes, that's some good insight hahaha.... The color fade that is. Did you detail your car and keep up with it over the years? I would imagine that's why the colors looked different in the two areas.

PTmobile

First thing you did wrong is buy the "cheap stuff". paint protection film, like anything else, has different levels of quality. If you buy the cheap stuff (and most of the cheap stuff for sale on the internet is not actually PPF, its clear vinyl) you cant possibly expect it to last. A quality film will last 10+ years easily if the vehicle is washed and waxed. It also does not have sun fade... so basically the covered and uncovered areas fade at the same rate. Sure if you put the film on the front when the car is new it will look that way years later when its removed. But if you maintain the rest of your car pretty well your resale value will be MUCH higher than if the front end is all chipped up. Ask any dealer... or really ask yourself. If you were going to buy a used car would you rather have one that is pristine or one that has chipped up paint? Its pretty simple really.

Ibidu paint protection film is not vinyl. Its polyurethane... and much different to install. I have installed both and tint as well and all three are much different. Like I said buy a kit online, install it yourself, and give us some feedback... along with close up pics. And just to note, 3M film is MUCH harder to install than say Suntek. it is not as pliable so it is very difficult to put on... not to mention it has a LOT of orange peel (so it will be noticeable on the car).

BinaryJay why should you have to drive your car for 5, 10, or even 15 years with chips until you repsray? Why not install the film and never have to worry about it? Factory paint in good condition increases resale/trade in value. Anytime a car is resprayed the next owner does not know really why it was and automatically assume it was damaged. One last thing, in the last 5-6 years EPA regulations have caused auto manufacturers to use water based paint. It chips much more easily so it wont look good long. I have worked for numerous Lexus owners who have all complained about how quickly their vehicles chipped.

BinaryJay

By the time you sell the thing, you're not going to get anywhere near the $1000 back from having a slightly less chipped bumper/hood. My black 06 has a few chips, I touch it up... give it a polish once a year or so with a porter cable... it looks fine. If you stick your nose up to it sure you can see where it has been touched up... from a foot away you can't tell. I guarantee those few chips have 0 bearing on the resale value of my car at this point. If I had put a film on the car, it would be money flushed down the toilet there is no doubt about that.

If we're talking about a car worth $120,000 or more then sure... why not it's less than 1% of the car's value. People seem to want to put films on their freaking civics too, though... at what point does it become an expense that makes no sense?

worker

I have read that the 3M also have this fade effect. The two paint are are just different. The only way to prevent this is to always garage the dam thing which kinda defeat the purpose of a vehicle.

Anyway, it's just too costly for so little benefit if there is any benefit. Cheaper and better without it.

My car is DD. It will see a lot of stuff, chip and dents are just indication the car has gone the miles.