Someone's sig caught my eye -- they mentioned venture shield. Found out what that is (forum search )

What i can't find is -- how do these films affect the look of the car? I'm guessing, the parts of the car that get film applied have all wax / sealant stripped off before applying the adhesive directly to the cars clearcoat. So how do the rest of the car panels look when polished / sealed / waxed vs. the film covered panels?

I'm guessing cleaning the film covered panels is normally just a hose down, maybe some light shampoo mix occassionally?

Guess im just looking for real world experience of these. £400 buys a lot of megs / autoglym products instead, if the film only lasts a year then looks naff!

A 4th option in your poll would be:

£200 on Car Care product.

Save the rest for a holiday

VAG paint is pretty strong...Just wash and protect it and youll save money in the long run

£200 on Car Care product.

Interesting ! Do you have a specific product(s) in mind? Or just generally well commended sealer + layers of wax etc?

cheers!

A good pressure washer and Snow foam lance to start with

2 buckets

Microfibre wash mitt

Meguiars NXT Car Wash

Some light polish..Autoglym Super Resin Polish is excellent

Sealer..I use Bilt Hamber Autobalm

A good wax.

Collinite is the best bang for buck

Foam applicator pads

MF Buffing cloths

Wheel sealer..Poorboys is good

Tyre gloss..Meguiars Endurance

Oh....almost forgot....Read this:

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/seek-advice.html

Edited 22 February, 201016 yr by ChrisRs

Oh....almost forgot....Read this:

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/seek-advice.html

Top link cheers for that

If you already have stone chips then fitting ventureshield is a waste. It should cost about £300 and is best done at the dealers before the car hits the road.

I tried it as an experiment on the 350 zed, the bumper needed a respray after I caught the splitter. I was very impressed as prior to the respray the flatish front of the zed & my driving style had collected numerous chips. After around 12 months all was lookingh good until I hit a pheasant at around 90, the Nismo front bumper is Fibreglass & it was very badly smashed but the Ventureshield actually held all the bits together & I was able to get it repaired, (you dont need to ask how much a new Nismo bumper would be)

Needless to say the repaired bumper was done again & we have just had the whole front Mirrors, Cills etc done on the Abarth.

It does protect from all the minor chips & scratches but it depends how much it worries you, I know a couple of people who have had complete cars wrapped & quite a few race teams use it.

Research it carefully as like with most things theres different grades of film & a lot of the finish is down to who does it so seek recomendations.

'Filming' cars is quite popular nowadays along with 'wrapping' and I have to say I like the idea of both however unless it's a completely brand new motor, untouched then it's pretty pointless........... :no:

There are however a lot of detailers offering filming and wrapping services as part of a package detail...........

I would say that cars are meant to be driven and used so some sort of damage is inevitable, for me I would just spend the money on 'detaiing' goodies to keep it looking as good as possible..........

I have to say I like the idea of both however unless it's a completely brand new motor

Mine isn't even born yet, build week sometime in middle of April :-( it's torture waiting...

Mine isn't even born yet, build week sometime in middle of April :-( it's torture waiting...

All the best with the new motor then mate and having detailed a couple of brand new one's from Skoda, your best to get the dealer to leave all the transport film and wax on and then get it prepped or do it yourself, very few defects in the paintwork I have seen direct from Skoda........

very few defects in the paintwork I have seen direct from Skoda........

That's reassuring

Thanks for all the replies guys. Seems the foil / film stuff isn't all that well regarded here and elsewhere :no: :p

I'll pass on paying £300-400 for it. I've found a mail order supplier that will send me enough of the 3M version of the product and adhesive to have a go at the front of the car & wing mirrors, myself for £60 delivered.

For less than a tank of petrol, i'll give it a whirl see how it goes other than that i'll just stick to the tried and tested method - TLC !

Thanks again Guys

That's reassuring

Thanks for all the replies guys. Seems the foil / film stuff isn't all that well regarded here and elsewhere :no: :p

I'll pass on paying £300-400 for it. I've found a mail order supplier that will send me enough of the 3M version of the product and adhesive to have a go at the front of the car & wing mirrors, myself for £60 delivered.

For less than a tank of petrol, i'll give it a whirl see how it goes other than that i'll just stick to the tried and tested method - TLC !

Thanks again Guys

Adhesive !!!!! Check what you are buying, normally just on a roll with a backing.

Do some research on fitting & allow loads of time. You need a large dust free, heated & clean garage. Really clean / prep the car before you start, any blemishes or dirt are sealed under the film. Profesionals pay for patterns & cut the film to a basic shape before fitting & then just tease it with what are heavy duty hair dryers to stretch it round with loads of soapy water under it. The big DONT is dont be tempted to trim it on the car witha scalpel or modeling knife, I have seen jobs done by so called profesionals where there are cuts in the paint. To get surplus water out from behind when bubbles form you can eaither try & push them to the edge or use a syringe with a small needle to draw the water out, use the needle at a very shallow angle so as not to touch the paint. The hardest thing may be getting a syringe in these safety concious days.

Let us know how you get on