What do people think of Clear Bra Paint Protection?

rsximus · 03-24-2010, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-BoneZ

Does anyone that has Ventureshield use their car as a daily driver? The closest installer in Tampa recommends either clear shield or 3M because he says it will hold up better. Where as ventureshield is not as strong, and it scratches easily. Is this true?

Just had my Ventureshield put on last Tuesday. It does scratch very easily and is very prone to staining.

I had a couple of bee/bird droppings on my car and it stained it, cannot get it off.

I think my installer did a pretty bad job too, since on my passenger headlight there is material hanging off the side and there are lots of air bubbles and what looks like finger prints underneath. I'll try and get pictures tomorrow.

HTP AutoWorks · 03-24-2010, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsximus

Just had my Ventureshield put on last Tuesday. It does scratch very easily and is very prone to staining.

I had a couple of bee/bird droppings on my car and it stained it, cannot get it off.

I think my installer did a pretty bad job too, since on my passenger headlight there is material hanging off the side and there are lots of air bubbles and what looks like finger prints underneath. I'll try and get pictures tomorrow.

Send me a PM with your phone number. I am a ventureShield installer and it sounds like you got the lower end film. I will be happy to help you with your issues with your clear bra. There are some easy fixes... yet it sounds like your installer did a really poor job. So I will speak with you about your options on that.

HTP AutoWorks · 03-24-2010, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-BoneZ

Does anyone that has Ventureshield use their car as a daily driver? The closest installer in Tampa recommends either clear shield or 3M because he says it will hold up better. Where as ventureshield is not as strong, and it scratches easily. Is this true?

DO NOT GO WITH ClearShield. Any installer that would try and sell you that garbage does not know what he is doing. ClearShield is made by Bekeart... and is one of the worst films in the industry. 3M is ok if you can live with the orange peel in it. But Venture is the route to go... and get the Ultra which is their topcoated film. Much more resistent to scratching, stains, and so on.

J-BoneZ · 03-24-2010, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTP AutoWorks

DO NOT GO WITH ClearShield. Any installer that would try and sell you that garbage does not know what he is doing. ClearShield is made by Bekeart... and is one of the worst films in the industry. 3M is ok if you can live with the orange peel in it. But Venture is the route to go... and get the Ultra which is their topcoated film. Much more resistent to scratching, stains, and so on.

What is it that makes ClearShield so bad?

AutoPaintGuar · 03-25-2010, 06:50 AM

Hello Guys.
I read some of the threads and would like to chime in a little bit. I've been installing paint protection for 10 years now, and this is all I know and do. I currently stock 3M, Venture, Clearshield, Xpel, Avery and Llumar. I use them every day for different applications. For example, today I have a 2009 Alpha 8C to do. I am covering the full front end with Venture shield. I consider venture as a garage queen film. It is pretty to look at but don't touch or dare to drive in love bug season in FL. The clear coat is very weak, scratches easy, turns yellow etc. Did I mention i'm doing an 8C today? 2nd time since the first roll of 60" isn't good, (dimples in film.) So I bought 2 more rolls and trying it again. I'm not saying venture isn't good, but for Florida driving with love bugs and the heat on a daily driver I wouldn't recommend it at all. I only install this film on garage queens and I do a lot of them. Check out my site.

For every day use, I use 3M and Clearshield films. They both come with a 5 year warranty and THEY PAY THE INSTALLER FOR LABOR AND REPLACEMENT FILM, THEY EVEN PAY FOR THE INSTALLER TO REMOVE THE FILM IF GOES BAD. So if 3M does this kind of warranty on there Scotchgard film, why don't they do the same warranty on the Venture?

For every day drivers, I only recommend my customers the films that have the best warranty and that are easy for the customer to clean. 3M and Clearshield doesn't scratch and if treated and cleaned correctly 3M doesnt' turn yellow. Clearshield in 5 years of installing it, haven't seen one turn yellow yet. I have 3 personal white vehicles and 3M and Clearshield are miles past the others in terms of durability etc. I could go further into why clearshield doesn't turn yellow, but don't have time right now.

Attached are some pics. Yesterday I had a 3.5 year old tundra come in. He had damage on the bumper from a minor accident. Notice the film is clear as can be. 3rd picture is a C63 lorinser that also came in yesterday complaining of the venture having ripples in the film. Didn't have it when the car left. Dunno.

At any rate PPF is an excellant product and is def needed if you want the paint to maintain its beauty. The main thing is to find an installer that is very good. Installs shouldn't have any dust, lift lines, stretch marks, grab marks etc in the install. Based on your car and driving, different films may be required.

I can also help find someone an installer if needed.
Hope this helps.
Ryan Burroughs
Auto Paint Guard Inc. Tampa Florida Clear Bra 3M Paint Protection Film Car Bras

Zultimate · 03-25-2010, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoPaintGuar

Hello Guys.
I read some of the threads and would like to chime in a little bit. I've been installing paint protection for 10 years now, and this is all I know and do. I currently stock 3M, Venture, Clearshield, Xpel, Avery and Llumar. I use them every day for different applications. For example, today I have a 2009 Alpha 8C to do. I am covering the full front end with Venture shield. I consider venture as a garage queen film. It is pretty to look at but don't touch or dare to drive in love bug season in FL. The clear coat is very weak, scratches easy, turns yellow etc. Did I mention i'm doing an 8C today? 2nd time since the first roll of 60" isn't good, (dimples in film.) So I bought 2 more rolls and trying it again. I'm not saying venture isn't good, but for Florida driving with love bugs and the heat on a daily driver I wouldn't recommend it at all. I only install this film on garage queens and I do a lot of them. Check out my site.

For every day use, I use 3M and Clearshield films. They both come with a 5 year warranty and THEY PAY THE INSTALLER FOR LABOR AND REPLACEMENT FILM, THEY EVEN PAY FOR THE INSTALLER TO REMOVE THE FILM IF GOES BAD. So if 3M does this kind of warranty on there Scotchgard film, why don't they do the same warranty on the Venture?

For every day drivers, I only recommend my customers the films that have the best warranty and that are easy for the customer to clean. 3M and Clearshield doesn't scratch and if treated and cleaned correctly 3M doesnt' turn yellow. Clearshield in 5 years of installing it, haven't seen one turn yellow yet. I have 3 personal white vehicles and 3M and Clearshield are miles past the others in terms of durability etc. I could go further into why clearshield doesn't turn yellow, but don't have time right now.

Attached are some pics. Yesterday I had a 3.5 year old tundra come in. He had damage on the bumper from a minor accident. Notice the film is clear as can be. 3rd picture is a C63 lorinser that also came in yesterday complaining of the venture having ripples in the film. Didn't have it when the car left. Dunno.

At any rate PPF is an excellant product and is def needed if you want the paint to maintain its beauty. The main thing is to find an installer that is very good. Installs shouldn't have any dust, lift lines, stretch marks, grab marks etc in the install. Based on your car and driving, different films may be required.

I can also help find someone an installer if needed.
Hope this helps.
Ryan Burroughs
Auto Paint Guard Inc. Tampa Florida Clear Bra 3M Paint Protection Film Car Bras

After reading all this talk about different films i decided to call my installer. He's also been doing this for many years and very knowledgable on the subject. He's done 3 vehicles for me all in 3M. When i questioned him about installing the Venture on my new 370 (i have an appointment tomorrow) he said i'll install anything you want and then went into a list of pro/cons for each film. He also said the 3M film is absolutely the best choice for a daily driver because it just holds up better, lower maintenance etc. He said the Venture Ultra is fine for a weekend or occasional driver. One thing of note... he said the Venture is the only choice for a FULL hood wrap because the 3M only comes in 48" widths. At this point, i'm still undecided on which film to go with. Yes, my car is only an "occasional" driver but i've been very happy with the 3M product. Just not sure if i'll be happy with the way it looks on my black car. Decisions...decisions.

rbratton · 03-26-2010, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoPaintGuar

For every day drivers, I only recommend my customers the films that have the best warranty and that are easy for the customer to clean. 3M and Clearshield doesn't scratch and if treated and cleaned correctly 3M doesnt' turn yellow. [/url]

I have 4 years experience installing paint protection film and have used most films on the market. The gentlemen quoted above is correct about venture's film lacking durability, but I have to disagree with his comment about 3M's film resistance to yellowing. The pictures below were taken of a Corvette with 3M film right at 2 years after installation. This car is well maintained, garaged, and rarely driven. My customer's father had an identical car with the same problem. I replaced the film on both cars with Xpel film and both are very happy with the results. I'd like to point out that my company installed both the 3M film and the Xpel film on both of these Corvettes.

Don't get me wrong, 3M does make a good product, but Xpel's is better. After a few years using the 3M film, we switched to Xpel and have never looked back.

3M has a 5 year warranty; Xpel has a 7 year warranty (both pay for labor and materials). Xpel's film has much less orange peel and is a much more forgiving film to work with during installation. As a result, the film installs easier and a good installer will have very few cosmetic blemishes that often happen when installing 3M film.

What really sets Xpel apart from the 3M film is that they have an entire system for installation and care of the film. Instead of using water and soap as slip solution like 3M teaches (they may have changed this; I'm not really sure), Xpel makes an installation gel that is far superior for installers to utilize. Additionally, Xpel offers a finishing solution that is applied immediately after the film installation that fills the film pores with a polymer to prevent discoloration. They also have ppf sealant, that is applied periodically like a wax, that contains the same polymer to ensure the film stays sealed and looking great for an extremely long time. Additionally, these products are inexpensive and simple to use.

steveg78 · 03-24-2010, 12:55 PM

Here's pics of the 3M .5mil product that was installed on my Z last weekend. As you can tell, depending on the angle, it is sometimes very hard to find the seams. Check my album for more pics. Sorry if the image quality isn't top-notch, I used my blackberry during lunch.

HTP AutoWorks · 03-25-2010, 04:02 PM

So I guess it makes sense that you would install 3M and ClearShield on your daily drivers since they also warranty the labor involved on removing and replacing the film. I am curious though on the yellowing you speak of. I have used VentureShield and their Ultra line for quiet sometime now. I have never had one come back from yellowing... or any reason for that matter. I do my fair share of "garage queens" and a lot of cars that are daily drivers and even some that hit the track often. Yet no warranty issues in well over 5 years. I'm pretty sure I get the same heat/humidity here in East Texas as you do in Florida. We also have love bugs here... and still no problems with that either. To be fair though I do give a bottle of sealant out with every install which prevents and bugs, bird droppings, or road tar from staining the film. If it is so "weak" and turns yellow then how is it one of the top two films on the market in regards to sales... even if installers know up front they are not going to be paid to remove and replace film??? I would think installers would shy away from it seeing how the installer is out a lot of time and money by dealing with constant warranty issues from yellowing and fading. I mean it is a lifetime warranty they are standing behind...

You are also the FIRST installer... of many I have met over the years that actually promotes ClearShield, otherwise known as Bekeart. Bekeart from my first hand experience is terrible... so much so that I wont tough the stuff anymore. It kind of explains why Bekeart only holds about 5% of the paint protection film market. If they are so good and dont yellow then why doesnt it sale more? People overall are fairly knowledgable about PPF especially in the larger cities... so I would think if the film was good it would sale itself. 3M I can understand because well... it's 3M. They are huge company that recently bought out ventureShield. (If you cant beat them buy them out, LOL.) But Bekeart is simply a terrible film... in many regards.

Anyway thats just my .02. I will continue to offer VentureShield Ultra sine my clients are VERY happy with the results. If a better film comes out... and Avery Dennison has a new film that uses the topcoat throughout it... I will go with it. I actually have some Avery on order and will test it for a while first before offering it... since I have to pay for my own removal and re-application if the film goes bad.

By the way, post some photos of the 8C when you get done. There arent too many of those running around and I am sure everyone in here would love to see the car... and photos of your work.

steveg78 · 03-25-2010, 05:37 PM

Damn that's a bad *** lookin car. Looks great and this thread should be made a sticky!

schrute · 03-26-2010, 10:41 AM

Related question for those that know more about this stuff than I do - I need to remove a couple pieces of clearbra, switching to a vinyl overlay in flat black in a couple places. What is the best way for a novice to remove this stuff. Heat gun then peel?

rbratton · 03-27-2010, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schrute

Related question for those that know more about this stuff than I do - I need to remove a couple pieces of clearbra, switching to a vinyl overlay in flat black in a couple places. What is the best way for a novice to remove this stuff. Heat gun then peel?

No heat gun! Lift an edge, grasp and pull firmly at a low angle toward the edge you lifted. The tension will pull the film from the panel. You should not peel toward the edge opposite of the lifted edge to minimize risk of pulling paint. Pulling paint is however uncommon. Remove any adhesive residue with goo gone or the like.

AutoPaintGuar · 03-27-2010, 06:19 AM

Hello. I've been with Xpel for going on 10 years now. Know the manufacturer that makes the film and have done some r&d with the adhesives. They make awesome patterns as well as Proform. Great company, hopefully the stock will turn around soon.

zlance · 03-29-2010, 10:04 AM

Hey, AutoPaintGuar did my clearbra last week on my new Pearl White 370Z. He is a perfectionist - can't really see where it is. Although he advised Clearshield in my case, he gave me all options and I viewed a truck that had several manufacturer's products on it (the truck was white also). I chose the Clearshield.

It was raining this week so I couldn't get any pictures out in the sun, so all I have are the installation pictures - using my daughter's camera. At least you can see the process.

I highly recommend you get someone who has a lot of experience installing these. If you are in the Tampa/SW FL area I highly recommend using Ryan from Auto Paint Guard. As he stated he has been doing it for 10 years.
Auto Paint Guard Inc. Tampa Florida Clear Bra 3M Paint Protection Film Car Bras

If you go to Ryan, tell him Zlance sent you - he will do it right!

I got the bikini cut 24 inch hood (got it rolled under also), and full bumper, Mirrors, pillars, front roof. I also got the rocker panels covered, although Ryan didn't think I needed them done.

Now I feel safe!

XwChriswX · 03-29-2010, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zlance

Hey, AutoPaintGar did my clearbra last week on my new Pearl White 370Z. He is a perfectionist - can't really see where it is. Although he advised Clearshield in my case, he gave me all options and I viewed a truck that had several manufacturer's products on it (the truck was white also). I chose the Clearshield.

It was raining this week so I couldn't get any pictures out in the sun, so all I have are the installation pictures - using my daughter's camera. At least you can see the process.

I highly recommend you get someone who has a lot of experience installing these. If you are in the Tampa/SW FL area I highly recommend using Ryan from Auto Paint Guard. As he stated he has been doing it for 10 years.
Auto Paint Guard Inc. Tampa Florida Clear Bra 3M Paint Protection Film Car Bras

If you go to Ryan, tell him Zlance sent you - he will do it right!

I got the bikini cut 24 inch hood (got it rolled under also), and full bumper, Mirrors, pillars, front roof. I also got the rocker panels covered, although Ryan didn't think I needed them done.

Now I feel safe!

Cost?

I'm looking to do this soon myself, just wondering what that amount will cost... roughly. So I can get myself a ballpark. I'm looking at:

Front Bumper
Front Fenders
Hood
Mirrors
A Pillars/Roof (Optional)
Doors/Sideskirts (Optional)

03-25-2010, 04:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
HTP AutoWorks Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: DFW Posts: 124 Drives: G35, Jeep SRT-8 Rep Power: 0	So I guess it makes sense that you would install 3M and ClearShield on your daily drivers since they also warranty the labor involved on removing and replacing the film. I am curious though on the yellowing you speak of. I have used VentureShield and their Ultra line for quiet sometime now. I have never had one come back from yellowing... or any reason for that matter. I do my fair share of "garage queens" and a lot of cars that are daily drivers and even some that hit the track often. Yet no warranty issues in well over 5 years. I'm pretty sure I get the same heat/humidity here in East Texas as you do in Florida. We also have love bugs here... and still no problems with that either. To be fair though I do give a bottle of sealant out with every install which prevents and bugs, bird droppings, or road tar from staining the film. If it is so "weak" and turns yellow then how is it one of the top two films on the market in regards to sales... even if installers know up front they are not going to be paid to remove and replace film??? I would think installers would shy away from it seeing how the installer is out a lot of time and money by dealing with constant warranty issues from yellowing and fading. I mean it is a lifetime warranty they are standing behind... You are also the FIRST installer... of many I have met over the years that actually promotes ClearShield, otherwise known as Bekeart. Bekeart from my first hand experience is terrible... so much so that I wont tough the stuff anymore. It kind of explains why Bekeart only holds about 5% of the paint protection film market. If they are so good and dont yellow then why doesnt it sale more? People overall are fairly knowledgable about PPF especially in the larger cities... so I would think if the film was good it would sale itself. 3M I can understand because well... it's 3M. They are huge company that recently bought out ventureShield. (If you cant beat them buy them out, LOL.) But Bekeart is simply a terrible film... in many regards. Anyway thats just my .02. I will continue to offer VentureShield Ultra sine my clients are VERY happy with the results. If a better film comes out... and Avery Dennison has a new film that uses the topcoat throughout it... I will go with it. I actually have some Avery on order and will test it for a while first before offering it... since I have to pay for my own removal and re-application if the film goes bad. By the way, post some photos of the 8C when you get done. There arent too many of those running around and I am sure everyone in here would love to see the car... and photos of your work. Last edited by HTP AutoWorks; 03-25-2010 at 04:04 PM.

03-26-2010, 10:41 AM	#11 (permalink)
schrute Track Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: utah Posts: 781 Drives: my z every day Rep Power: 18	Related question for those that know more about this stuff than I do - I need to remove a couple pieces of clearbra, switching to a vinyl overlay in flat black in a couple places. What is the best way for a novice to remove this stuff. Heat gun then peel? __________________ my journal \| 2009 370z touring \| 6mt \| platinum graphite \| my album second skin \| mr works \| fast intentions \| ssr \| eibach \| hotchkis \| spc \| toyo \| bluebatmobile \| v-led \| jwt \| ventureshield \| tinted tails

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03-24-2010, 12:55 PM	#8 (permalink)
steveg78 Track Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: MD Posts: 569 Drives: 09 370Z PG M6 +Sport Rep Power: 18	Here's pics of the 3M .5mil product that was installed on my Z last weekend. As you can tell, depending on the angle, it is sometimes very hard to find the seams. Check my album for more pics. Sorry if the image quality isn't top-notch, I used my blackberry during lunch.

03-25-2010, 05:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
steveg78 Track Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: MD Posts: 569 Drives: 09 370Z PG M6 +Sport Rep Power: 18	Damn that's a bad *** lookin car. Looks great and this thread should be made a sticky!

03-27-2010, 06:19 AM	#13 (permalink)
AutoPaintGuar Base Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tampa Posts: 8 Drives: SUV Rep Power: 16	Hello. I've been with Xpel for going on 10 years now. Know the manufacturer that makes the film and have done some r&d with the adhesives. They make awesome patterns as well as Proform. Great company, hopefully the stock will turn around soon.