Spray on 3M film
 

sorry if this has been previously posted. i saw a commercial last night about a spray on 3M protection film for bumpers. has anyone tried this product? im starting to get allot of scratches and rock chips. if it works well i will buy some. they sell it at autozone.

I've tried it and it looked like crap. Had a profound orange peel look. Could of been me during the application, but there are so many similar reviews out there....judge yourself.

I than decided to get a wrap which looked so much better.

I'm thinking of trying it out on my z. Maybe next week if I get around to buying it and washing my car.

Sub'd

I just sprayed my first can of this stuff and man ohh man is it hard!! This thing is very inconsistent. That is the MAJOR flaw! The smallest breeze will make the spray pattern go bonkers. The other thing is that the tip keep building up a foam that then splutters onto the car. I was wiping this away with a paper towel. Well, don't do that! That just pushed some into the spray hole and smear some around. Take a deep breath and then plow at the tip. This was a lot more effective. Last but not least, don't touch it with a napkin to whipe or blot defaults away. It just makes it worst. Think of it as cake icing. Once it's on, the only way to fix it is to start all over. I will post pics and all the good stuff whenever I have time.

What about those of us that don't care what it looks like but just want to protect our cars on the track and wash it off later? How does it perform for that?

It's not suppose to be permanent anyway right? Isn't it water soluble?

I think it would work really well for that. The only drawback is that it takes a lot of prep work. I washed my car 2x to make sure I rid of all and every bit of dirt. I then proceeded with waxing and then taping off the car. I can see you skipping the last part but you still have to do the other two. You will probably want to make it thicker than the recommended thickness. In this case, probably an 2x the thickness. So maybe 2 can for hood, 2 can for front bumper, 1 can for side fenders? I would imagine taking the film off would be easy as you simply peel it off. Being that the film is 2x thicker than the recommended, it should come off in one nice thick sheet. At $25 a can before tax, it can cost you a small fortune and time. However, it will save you from a paint job. Your looking for function over form in a sense.

I'm still waiting for the film to dry so I'm not exactly sure how well this thing works. What I imagine is that I wont look the best. It will have imperfection due uncontrollable inconsistency in applying the product. I will be leaving the film on my car no matter how it turns out. I have already invested time and energy so might as well leave it and see how well it holds up. It's already on the car, so it's not going to get worst than it already is (it don't look half bad imo).

If I were to answer the question of, "Is it worth it?" I would say if your the type that seeks perfection and want the most of everything you buy or do, then this is not for you (For instance, engineers being that you are kinda anal on thing due to the nature of your profession. Function slightly over Form to the most of there ability). If your the type that like to mod things and make them better even though they are perfectly fine and you would be content with what you currently have, then this is not for you (These people are looking for more then what they have, or close to perfection. Function slightly over form if your into performance mods, Form slightly over function if your into looks). Then if your the type that just like things the way they are with the mindset of, "I have this and it's good enough, it works." I would say that you will be fine with the product (These people are the more practical person and seek a balance of the two. They are willing to sacrifice and little here or there for the other one to gain, but it will be a even trade off overall).

I will update the status of the project tomorrow.

In for pics.

I LOVE how they won't go close up!

+1. Pics would be great. Was looking at the 3M Clear Bra for my '13 WRX, and this may be a good alternative....maybe..

sounds like a mess. :eekdance: thanks for trying yzg

So you need a CBE right? :ughdance:

I had me a good power nap after work. Alright guys, lets continue on where I left off. The car was prep and sprayed on in the garage. She has been in there for the last 3 days. I sprayed the the film on about 11am yesterday prior to posting and the film is now dry to the touch on my car. Most of it looks fine. Some parts however are runny and look like a cheap MAACO paint job (stupid wind!!). I'm still going to leave it on the car as it doesn't look that bad IMO. The other thing I notice was HOLY OVERPRAY!! That little bit of wind carried some over spray everywhere!!! TAPE UP EVERYTHING THAT YOU DON'T WANT 1000'S OF SPOTS ON! I will upload and post pics in a hour or two with a walk through of what I did, learn and input on the spray.

YzGyz

Supplies:

-tape
-3m paint spray handle
-3m Paint defender
-Lint free cloth
-car wash supplies
-toothpicks
-blue paper shop towels
-brown paper
-buffing supplies
-enclosed area
-Lots of time

Fist start off with a preliminary washing. I usually wash my car as soon as the sun go down. This way, your car is less likely to have spots due to premature drying. This was the regular soap/sponge wash. I then proceeded to do a second wash to make sure I got everything. I went as far as to use toothpicks and blue shop paper towels to clean in the smallest nooks and crannies such as those in and around the black grill. Make sure you wash out all the soap in the crevices where panels meet! I usually give a few extra seconds of water at the panel meet points and around light bulbs. It is important to keep your car wet until you are ready to dry the car with a towel or shammy. If water is left to air dry, it leave spots and residue. Think of how your car looks after it rains even if you haven't even drove anywhere. You get spots everywhere. As you dry you car off, make sure dry it off really well. Open doors, gas caps and all that. You don't want any water to air dry. It got dark after I was done so I waited 30 mins and then parked her in the garage. Reason why I didn't immediately park her in the garage is to allow as much water in un-wipeable areas to drip out/off the car as possible before I move.

The next evening, I continued the project with Waxing the car in the garage. I just bought my car and the dealer had just waxed my car about 2 weeks ago. I wipe my car off with a soft lint free cloth then proceeded to wax my car as directed by my wax battle. I much prefer the liquid waxes over the hard type like Turtle Wax. They are just a lot easier to work with IMO. I believe a good wax job is critical in a good outcome of this product. I think it will allow the product to spread and self level a lot better. Just think of nonstick pans vs regular pans. Crack a egg in a nonstick pan and the egg spreads out a lot better in that vs a regular one. This is why I went ahead and waxed my spray areas a 2nd time. I wanted to make sure it had as smooth, glossy, mirrors finish as possible. My car basically got 2 coats of wax on intended spray area. I applied the was by had with the applicator, let it dry (30 min in TX heat), then buffing with a new buffing cloth thingies that I put on my buffer. Sure is worth the $35 for this machine. Manual buffing is tiring. This night came to an end and so I closed the garage and went inside.

The next day was taping and masking day. I tacked down the brown paper with some blue tape here and there to hold her in place. I then cut out the shape I needed with a scissor with taped the bottom and top edge. This was insurance in case I accidentally touched my car with the scissors. I cut out the shapes I needed about 3'' from the area I planed to spray. Blue tape was used to secure the newly cut contour edge but leaving about 1'' un-taped where I plan to spray the 3m. I then taped a 2nd layer of tape over the 1st layer (1st layer = layer holding the brown paper down) with one edge as accurately to the edge where I want the 3m to spray on to. The reason for this is that You have to remove the tape prior to the 3m spray drying. By layering this 2nd tape, it allows the tape to more freely be removed. You don't want to remove a big mess of tape and brown paper if you can help it. That will lust lead to unnecessary risk of touching the fresh 3m spray.

I had to once again wipe down the car the next morning because it got dark and I was not going to spray this stuff in the dark. I also didn't want to do this with the sun beaming and drying to product before I had the chance to apply the necessary layers. I shook the living hell out of the can prior to using it. I wanted the have as uniform product as possible. I then proceeded to to attach the spray handle and spray as directed. I went left to right, then up and down, then left to right. I did 1/2 of the bumper at a time starting on the left half then the right half. The spray handle is HIGHLY recommended. It's just a lot easier. Be carful spraying. I had my car with hood pointing outwards. I should of went in head first. Any small breeze will make your spray stream go astray. It was so friggin hard to get the 3m to go where you want it. Another biggie is that the spray nozzle sucks booty. due to the viscosity of the product, a foam will build up at the spray nozzle and then splutter everywhere as you spray, not good. At first, I would stop and wipe it off with a clean paper towel. This was not that effective. IT got rid of most the foam but some was just simply pushed into the divit of the spray orifice that which later would be spit back out and onto the car, DOH! 1/2 way through, I started to just simply give it a good blow/puff of air. 1/2 a lung full is plenty. Just be carfull because the the foam will fly everywhere. Also, don't touch the material once it has been sprayed no matter what. Leave the foam bubbles, the run everything. You can't fix it. It's not possible. It will even and level out better then it looks. JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!! After you are done spraying, peel of the 2nd layer of tape. Do not skip this part. If you let the 3m material so dry with the detail tape on, when you peel the tape, the 3m will peel off too. You don't want that. So, peel it off when wet. I then closed the garage door and let it dry. As a side note, make use you wipe down the bottom edge of the garage door before you start. There is lots of dust and junk there. You want want it to dislodge as the door closes and land on your car.

-wash 1hr
-wax- 1hr
-taping 1.5hr (I have only done the bumper so far)
-spraying 25 mins

Over all, I think the project went ok. This product will work and protect your paint some. It's not going to be perfect but imo plenty fine. There will be some runs and unevenness due to the application technique and limitations of a spray bottle. Just try to control as many variables as possible. I do know that 3m stand by there product. I had some spots that could use a thicker film. I called 3M and they told me you can't spray a 2nd layer on a existing dry layer. You will risk "orange peel" look. They asked how many bottles did I use and then asked if I would like to give it a 2nd try with a supposedly "new nozzle." I told them yes and they took my addy and will be sending me a replacement bottle to redo my bumper for free. I think it looks ok but far form perfect. I'm going ot leave it for a little while and see how it holds up.The smaller the area the more even you can apply this stuff ie. side mirrors. When this "new type" spray bottle comes, I will do my side fenders and hood. Until then, imma drive my car.

car tape off
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psa6b92678.jpg

bumper is sprayed and dried, this is to compare the gloss/ finish. It's not bad.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psa34f2122.jpg

another comparison
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps003bc0c3.jpg

overspray line, hard to see, the windsheld side is slightly less glossy then the other
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps0bfcedc8.jpg

overspray at a different angle. The tape was about where my finger was and goes strait up. You can kinda see the the half closer to the windshield is not as glossy and the other side.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps16928dbf.jpg

Runs
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps11151b60.jpg

A "foam" drop that did not clean up 100%
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps6ba08311.jpg

This bottom lip had this run along the length of it. I'm thinking that the spray on the vertical part of the bumper dripped and cause this. DAMN U GRAVITY!!! you can see it but it's not that bad.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps3b0f93af.jpg

here is is again on the other side of the lip. It's not as bad
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps41eee72c.jpg

again
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps406277aa.jpg

mirrors went well
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps406277aa.jpg

This is my car after it was completely dry. I jsut wanted to show how much I tape up and still had overspray. GRRRR!!!!
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps406277aa.jpg

In this pick, you can see where I dragged my hand in a semi circle pattern over the overspray. It start where my finger is and rings around to the side mirror. It shows 2 line then become 3. I have no doubt that these specks will be gone after a few washes.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps17de377e.jpg

ohh and don't mind the minor scratches and paint chips here and there. I bought the car 2nd had so they were already there. I'm just trying to protect and take care of what I can

here is another shot but on the side so that you can compare the finish on the sprayed bumper vs the unsprayed hood.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...pseddc3c86.jpg

Some orange peel look due to not enough 3m material coverage. This is right under teh "nissan" badge. You can look at the pic above at a further away shot and it's really not that bad.
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps0be9e697.jpg

Sub'd

I was wondering about this stuff

I honestly can't see anything in 80% of those photos. Hopefully that's a good thing :ugh2:

If you click on one of the pics above and then click on the magnifying glass two or three times, you get the full-size pic. Many of the flaws he talks about show up then - but can still be difficult to see in a few cases. For a first try and the conditions he worked under, it turned out amazingly well. With a little more practice and a decent spraying environment (no wind), he should be able to apply it so that it's all but invisible.

If you want to get rid of it after it has been done, or if you want to redo it, does it just peel off?

It's suppose to just peel off. The dried stuff that's dried on the spray can peels right off. Just gonna have to wait until I peel it, whenever that will be.

So I used the product to protect my paint during my cross country drive. You really need to lay this stuff on thick if you want it to peel in one piece. If it's thinly applied, you can use windex and it'll melt the product right off.

Just a update, I totally think the project is worth it now. The minor runs and minor flaws are barely noticeable. People only notice them if I point them out.

On a side not, the 3M spray was put to the test the other day. I was driving to work when all in a sudden a big chunk of wood flew into my lane and hit my bumper while driving ~72 on the highway. It happen instantly so I was not able to swerve or slam my brake. I estimate the piece of wood to be 10'' long by 2'' wide by 2'' thick. Apparently, the chunk of wood originated from a 4''x4''x 6 that was in another lane. The 4''x4''x6 was beat up good on one end which led to many pieces of wood littered all over the highway.

Anyhoo, if you look at the picture, you can kinda see slight angle that the wood flew at my bumper. The area is opaque and the 3m protect ant has lifted off my bumper. I suspect that there will be minor damage that a good buffing would take care of (after removing the 3m). I will update whenever I plan to redo it in a few months.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psedf7b343.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psef8f9413.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps8b3eb1ea.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps3d6f4bd0.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psd7021874.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps8a01676a.jpg

It just rained so the scuff don't look to bad.

I have not heard of this spray on version but I can tell you the shop installed sheet version is great. Can't even see it unless the light is right then you can hardly make out the edge on the hood. They had it installed
and my windows tinted in like an hour. They did the whole front including fender fronts, the sloped front of part of the hood and also the mirror backs.
$500 for the bra.

Bravo Protection Products | Clear Bra and Window Tinting

This worked like a charm because they were 1/2 block from the dealer where I picked the car up, drove it over right then.

The trick to maintaining it and keeping it looking good is to not let bugs cook on it long term. The owner of the company still has his on his truck at 100k miles looking good.