3m rock chip protection

[gokuu]

I have a BMW 330ci and was wondering about getting this for the front of the car. is it a good idea, does it fade or reck the paint.

Any good recomendations for a place that does this.

thanks

[grandam]

My Dad has this done on the front of his car and it doesn't look bad but just watch if you wax the car like my dad did he ended up lifting one of the corners up and had to get another panel of the 3M put on. I think that he got it done at Mr.Detail.

[Kaos]

Its a great idea considering how much rocks & stones are on the road after winter.
It doesn't fade or wreck the paint.
Im glad I got it on the X5.
Go to Shadow tinting.

[gokuu]

yes I also heard shadow tinting was good. :thumbsup:

[Slashin_]

3m is the shiz

[bart]

waste of money, the rest of your hood will chip, and you will eventually end up repainting all of it anyway. i got 3m once, never again. calgary is a shit hole city road wise, third world countries have smoother roads.

[Palmiros]

Originally posted by bart
waste of money, the rest of your hood will chip, and you will eventually end up repainting all of it anyway. i got 3m once, never again. calgary is a shit hole city road wise, third world countries have smoother roads.

Yea? Why don't yo go drive around there a few times, maybe you'll have a better appreciation of what you have.

[bart]

trust me, i've driven in dozens and dozens of countries, canada is by far the worst in terms of quality and driver qualifications.

look at deerfoot, every fucking 10m, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, omg thats unbelievable.

my belief is that people here don't care or drive trucks, only those two categories, i and a few others are the minority who do. for those with trucks, road quality doesn't really affect them, those without trucks have pieces of crap only found in calgary, cavaliers for example, no offense, or some other junk. but thats a convo for a another thread.

i say no to 3m.

[SilverGS]

Over time you will always get little nicks and chips all over your car. Calgary is bad for the rock chips because they use gravel instead of salt for the roads.

I have to say though that the vast majority of chips on my car are right where the 3M would have been. If I had it done back then for my teg I know I would be looking at a lot fewer chips. I put it on my new SUV and have been happy with it thus far.

[g-mcstud]

Originally posted by SilverGS
Over time you will always get little nicks and chips all over your car. Calgary is bad for the rock chips because they use gravel instead of salt for the roads.

I have to say though that the vast majority of chips on my car are right where the 3M would have been. If I had it done back then for my teg I know I would be looking at a lot fewer chips. I put it on my new SUV and have been happy with it thus far.

I'd rather have rock chips than rust!

[Dayclone]

SCREW SALT I HATE IT!

[riander]

Originally posted by bart
trust me, i've driven in dozens and dozens of countries, canada is by far the worst in terms of quality and driver qualifications.

look at deerfoot, every fucking 10m, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, omg thats unbelievable.

my belief is that people here don't care or drive trucks, only those two categories, i and a few others are the minority who do. for those with trucks, road quality doesn't really affect them, those without trucks have pieces of crap only found in calgary, cavaliers for example, no offense, or some other junk. but thats a convo for a another thread.

i say no to 3m.
Ever think that canadas roads are harder to maintain due to the temperatures flucuating between -30 and +30 degrees celsius?
Think about it for a bit before you bitch, or go find a solution.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by g-mcstud


I'd rather have rock chips than rust!

Agreed but I would rather have neither. I have no problem with using the gravel over loads of salt but would rather not have the chips either. The 3M protection helps reduce a good chunk of chips that would otherwise be there

[bart]

Originally posted by riander

Ever think that canadas roads are harder to maintain due to the temperatures flucuating between -30 and +30 degrees celsius?
Think about it for a bit before you bitch, or go find a solution.

ever heard of places called sweden, finland or norway? i guess not... and last time i was there, their roads were pretty smooth, not to mention their bridges, especially when going over 200km/h.

here is the solution: education.

[pulse_crx]

How much is it to get your front end done?

[bspot]

Originally posted by bart


ever heard of places called sweden, finland or norway? i guess not... and last time i was there, their roads were pretty smooth, not to mention their bridges, especially when going over 200km/h.

here is the solution: education.

Sweden, Finland and Norway see way less freeze/thaw cycles than Calgary. Calgary is actually about as bad as you can get as far as climates that destroy roads. I agree that some are pretty inexcusable though, such as Deerfoot. I think its the Pagan ramp that I always find so bad I can barely believe they leave it that way. Plus having a yield going onto a road with a 100km/h speed limit at that interchange... thats another discussion though.

[robpark]

It's also easier to maintain infrastructure in smaller countries with more contained populations... It's easy to build an intercity railroad or road network in these smaller, more densely populated countries than it is trying to span 5000kms of underpopulated wilderness....

[SiR_lyfe]

PRice for this?

[sputnik]

My inlaws got the 3M film put on their car and they ended up getting a couple of small stone dents that left a bubble under the hood.

My father in law said he will never get the 3M product again and would rather just spend the money and get the nose repainted.

[Aleks]

I was quoted $1100 for my hood and bumper. It can get pricey. Luckily I had a hookup for the WRX and got it done for like 200 bux, but that's gone now so the Rabbit is unprotected still.

[Jed Bouscal]

I'd recommend having any vehicle with good quality paint 3m'd on the lower bumper, the lower third or quarter of the hood, and the sideview mirrors. This is where you'll get 90% of your rockchips.

It will not harm your paint. Make sure you have it installed somewhere with a reputation for good work.

As mentioned above, we have lots of gravel on the roads in Calgary, which is all the more reason to protect your ride.

[A2VR6]

I have it on my car and it's great and everything in protecting the rock chips... however it's starting to yellow...even after i've waxed it after every wash. it's pretty noticable on my white car.

[gokuu]

thanks for all the info :thumbsup:

[SilverGS]

Quotes I got for full front of SUV ranged from $550 to around $625 and that includes the entire front, 18" up the hood and fenders and the side mirrors. If you want to do the entire hood then add a couple hundred I believe

Getting the front repainted would cost more than getting the 3M. I would prefer to keep the factory paint if I had a choice.

Most of the reputable places will warranty the material against yellowing for the life of the car. I guess you need to watch out for too cheap a price that may not have the best product.

Rocks dented the front? Wow must have been pretty big rock and high velocity to cause a dent

[jtsimaras]

Shawdow tint all the way!!:thumbsup: