Paint Protection?

[giskard]

Not sure of the general quality of LR paint jobs, but I'm sure it's comparable to other new cars.

Just curious as to members thoughts on paint protection. There's a raft of products out there. Two that seem to get a good rap are Ceramic Pro and Opticoat.

Any thoughts or experience with the above or on paint protection in general?

Cheers, G

[Marmoset]

I've never used it, I don't think it's any better than giving your car a good coat of wax once every 6 months, and waxing is a lot cheaper.

The last brand new car I had looked great after 7 years of that, I kept it out of car washes as well- unless my hose had frozen and I really couldn't get in it without getting filthy!

[~Rich~]

Ok the first question is protection from what?

Road usage? ( sap, bird droppings etc)

Off road usage? (. Bush pin strips, Mud and Grit)

Makes a big difference to the answer!

[giskard]

Good point. :) I'm thinking day to day road usage. Kind of figure you can't protect against stones, brush scratches etc...

[jonesfam]

SWMBO talked me into very expensive paint protection, it probably does protect the paint from bird poo & sun fade but I still have lots of scratches from branches & kids mongrel scooters & the stone chips add a certain character.
PS If I bought another new car I would not get PP! I would just enjoy waxing it, a most satisfying job.
Jonesfam

[ozetim]

Read the fine print on the policy. You may have to take it back to them yearly and have stuff re-applied?

[cripesamighty]

I have been using the glass plexin paint protection developed by Boeing for the last 6 or 7 years. It goes on like a polish and bonds to the paint. It is one of the very few protection systems I have seen that has a UV inhibitor in it.

I treated a bright red Hyundai Accent from new and when it got sold nearly 5 years later, the paint exposed to the sun was the same as the internal paint in the boot. None of the bug guts it invariably wore left a mark on it either. Can't ask for more than that.

[giskard]

Thanks cripes. How often do you apply it? Cheers, G

[cripesamighty]

I think they recommend once a year for the full application. It comes with a car shampoo though, which works to 'top up' the protection as it contains some of the active ingredients. It's great stuff, although a little pricey. I think they have moved onto version 2 of it but I have found the original works great, and it's cheaper. I will find the details for you when I get home tonight as I have seen it advertised for outrageous amounts of money.

[cripesamighty]

PM sent

[dav34e]

Has anyone ever used the 3M clear film on a Disco? Or seen it on any offroading vehicle after some good use?

for the Consumer (http://solutions.3m.com.au/wps/portal/3M/en_AU/Scotchgard_Paint_Protection/Film/Products/VentureShield/VentureShield-Consumer/)

I'm still suffering a painful case of pin stripe anxiety on my D4 MY13, to the point where it's keeping me on the tar only!

It's metallic black (bought off the showroom floor, I'm impatient and a sucker for a discount) so even the distant stare from a cranky granny's beady eyes can scratch a white mark into it.

Having seen, and not cared about the paint carnage from dirt walls, lantana clearing and stray branches on older 4B's I'm paranoid about what my D4 will look like after I mis-judge a rut on bend and get thrown sideways, or head 2kms down that clear track to find it's now overgrown and has no turning space...

At 1mm thick is sounds like VentureShield would certainly stop general scrapes reaching the paint, but whats it actually look like afterward?

Does it get visibly scratched up? Edges bubble if rubbed? If dirt gets under can it be wash out and the film still stick back down etc. Can it be polished to hide scratches with it?

It's cheaper than repairs & re-spray, and stronger than polish on protection, but if it's easily destroyed then it's a futile exercise.

The video's and articles on the world wide inter-tube suggest it's a good product, even if you're still vulnerable at edges and areas not covered... just don't want to be pealing it off in a few years, I can't afford to install it more than once.

Anyone got any real world experience with paint protection film? Any horror stories?

Or should I just suck it up and proudly wear the battle scars?

thanks

[giskard]

I'd be interested in hearing about this product as well. I was less thinking about front, back and sides and more around application around door jams where the kids use the area as a step to get in and out...

[dav34e]

On the sills is a great idea.

Just need to consider slip. Could cut some narrow lengths of clear grip tape to stick on top, or mask off some narrow lines on the film with masking tape and try the liquid grip option to have control of the grit level.

Clear spray on grip tape by Lucid Grip - YouTube

Mine's got the LR sill tread guards on there, which the kids aren't scuffing up too bad, though that'll change when they're jumping in and out of wet trails..

Actually I don't think the (overpriced) LR guards have any grip on the surface. No-one's whacked a shin yet. (gotta love access height for the kids)