3M (Stoneguard) Questions..

[codetrap]

So, I had my truck 3M'd in august, and I noticed a few things about it over time. First, when I look at it in the sun, in a bunch of places it has that *oil on water* rainbow sheen to it. Second, there's places where it it has ripples, like it was sort of stretched a bit, and third, over the winter it's developed some bubbles near the front edge of the hood.

I'm taking it in to have it assessed for repair today, but the shop told me that this all might be due to the pressure washer in the car wash. I'm not entirely sure, since I've had 3m on vehicles for like 10 years now, and been going to the same places for washing. The only difference is that I didn't take this one to Shadow to have it done...

I've been googling around, but most everything is related to tint, and there's not much on the stoneguard.

[infamous]

Where did you get your truck 3m'd? was it at the dealership? The ripples are caused by the material stretching while being installed. The bubbles near the edge of the hood, are they right along the edge or inside the 3m? The oil and water sheen seen on the vehicle means that the 3m they used is most likely the cheapest stuff available on the market....

[nixon45]

Originally posted by codetrap
but the shop told me that this all might be due to the pressure washer in the car wash.

Yeah that's some bullshit right there. We tell our customers to avoid pressure wash type car washes for the first 3 weeks after install. After that they are fine. I solely wash my fully wrapped truck in our wash bay with them and have had zero issues.

[codetrap]

I got it done at Calgary Shield. I'll post a pic of the bubbles.. specifically, they said that the angle that the drive through washes are such that it's forcing water up under the film, then the bubble forms. They're going to try and fix it. The ripples on the mirrors they're going to replace.

[infamous]

that's bullshit. There is no pressure washer out there that should be able to lift the corners of the 3m. if this is the case, they are using really shitty 3m. the "fix" that they are going to try is just to trim the edge of the 3m down past the point where it bubbles so that it is sealed again. I'd complain if they did that, make sure whoever is doing it doesn't cut into your paint!!!

[codetrap]

I noticed that it's peeling a bit at the very front as well. It looks like they did the trimming not on the paint, which is good, but freehanded it and didn't get it to seal all the way down in the front there.

http://www.codetrap.net/binaries/IMG_1561.JPG
http://www.codetrap.net/binaries/IMG_1562.JPG
http://www.codetrap.net/binaries/IMG_1563.JPG
http://www.codetrap.net/binaries/IMG_1564.JPG

[Mitsu3000gt]

Those are all signs of a bad 3M job IMO. I've also had 3M warranty replaced before. Pressure washers do nothing to properly installed 3M.

[infamous]

from what it looks like to me they should be pulling it off and replacing it. while in the shade it won't look too bad, once the weather gets nice you will notice it every time the sun hits the 3m. the other fix that they may try is to stick a needle into the bubbles and suck out the air. this leaves tiny little holes in the 3m which defeats the purpose as well.....

[codetrap]

They said that they were going to peel it up along the front, and try and re-lay it down.

Ok. So my final question, when I'm wearing my oakleys, (polarized) I notice a rainbow sheen in some places, but not in others. Is this stuff polarized?

I want to be clear, I'm not slamming them. I'm just fact checking because I don't know much about this stuff.

[nixon45]

Originally posted by codetrap
They said that they were going to peel it up along the front, and try and re-lay it down.

:banghead:

I would be forcing a full replacement out of them.. this shouldn't even be an option for them to consider. Peeling it back up could deteriorate the adhesive even slightly, as well as allowing particles of dust etc. to get in there. The tiniest speck of dust is magnified 10x when vinyl is laid over it.

[roll_over]

Lol re-lay better mean a new piece. When water evaporates doesn't it expand to something 16x it's volume that's my guess on the bubbles

[codetrap]

I called and talked to them again. They're going to just make it right, whatever it takes. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, and just go with it. They have a very good reputation, so I don't forsee this going sideways.

[codetrap]

Ok, so here's the update. I took it in this morning, and they did a fantastic job of redoing it. They found stuff wrong that I had missed, and replaced that as well. All in all, I'm impressed with the work, and the quality of the service.

I would still happily recommend them.

:thumbsup:


Thanks for the information guys. I appreciate it.