Thread: Paint Protection?

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

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

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.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NuoSyz_eEk]Clear spray on grip tape by Lucid Grip - YouTube[/ame]

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)