Stongard / Xpel Worth It vs Klasse SG?

[jazee]

I`m thinking of having one of these 3M `clear bra` products applied to my new Volvo S60R. I live in the Northwest so I rarely have to deal with sand on the roads. I took a look at my 2002 Acura TL-Type-S with 30K miles and the chips on the hood and bumper are really not too bad for over three years worth of driving. Of course the car was always detailed with Klasse protectant which could have helped?

Anyway, one thing I noticed is that the nicks on the plastic bumper appear to be fewer or definitely less noticeable then the ones on the hood. The nicks on the hood expose the white primer where the nicks on the bumper are black. (The car is a dark-medium `Agean` blue metallic.)

The design of the S60R is unique in that to give the hood a much lower profile, the bumper comes way up and curves to meet the edge of the hood unlike most cars where the hood curves down quite a bit to meet the edge of the grill.

The Stongard piece for the bumper is $309! It`s a super complicated piece, so add professional install to that and that`s just one of the pieces!

So I`m thinking is this stuff really worth it? Especially when the film is going to gets nicks in it itself anyway? If the bumper because of the flexible clear coat protectant is already tougher than the hood, Stongard seems like overkill. Stongard is of course going to save some nicks but during resale, people expect nicks on the bumper and hood anyway. Some skilled use of touch up paint and a little wet sanding can take care of any large noticeable nicks.

I think it is definitely a good idea to put the stuff on the lights since they cost so much to replace. That leaves the hood. Do I really want a line of plastic film going across my hood, especially when it appears it`s the bumber that is going to take most the beating on this car?

Seems like just putting a couple of coats of Klasse SG every 6 months or so may be a better way to go than having this plastic film all over my car?

Thanks for your input.
http://www.crist.com/images/front.jpg

[RacerX]

Understnad your concerns with putting clear film over the front of the hood. I am actually surprised that the bumper looks better-may happen to be the way aerodynamics push debris past the surface of your car. My wife drives a 92 Old Bravad & the rear quarter panels in front of the wheel well are beat to a pulp(black paint) and the clear cost is now white from all the debris pouding these things. I am looking at $1,000 to repaint these spots and another $300 to apply the 3M film. Coming from someone whp learned the hardway-I suggest you pay the $300. On a hood related issue-my `94 325is was hit by a rock on the bend in the hood last fall in between my 2 month wax habit. I spot painted it etc-but due to debris it broke out in December and now I have a nice rust bubble under the paint and it actually rusted through. I wasn`t overly worried as i am expecting to put on a CF hood on it in the summer, but had I installed the 3m film I can guarantee you my hood would not be ruined. $1200 to put on a new hood if I buy OE and have it painted & installed. The lesson here-there is no guarantee that nicks and rust won`t happen, but the film definitely improves your chances of the paint surviving the daily grind! Car care products`s can`t protect impacts at 80mph!

[agentf1]

In no way is any polish going to protect your paint from rock chips. Go with the 3m film it is great stuff and really protects and is pretty invisible

[Nickc0844]

I think our fellow DC member Shotime does a bit of this, hopefully he will chime in here to this thread.

[emetzger]

Does anyone have any pics with the film installed?

[shotime]

Yes I am a dealer for X-Pel and will become factory authorized at the end of next month. I refuse to sell anything that doesn`t work so I had mine on for a year before I actually decided to become an authorized dealer. I live in WNY so I`m bombarded by salt/sand 5 months out of the year. As of last weekend when I last washed my truck, I have ZERO chips in the front. Compare that to my rocker panels which I thought about putting it on but never did, I now have to spend $500 to repaint them they`re sand blasted so bad. That is with only 11000 miles. What I`ve found in observations of other cars, it`s not the big chips you have to worry about, they`re fixable. It`s the thousands of little ones that add up that creates a haze.
I also assume that those headlights are HID`s on the Volvo. Check with parts and see how much a replacement is. The headlight kit retails for $50 before instalation. I bet that`s no where near how much a replacement is.
As for the quality of the company. I had a warranty claim for peeling that was due to the customers neglegence and the CEO personally took care of it for me. You rarely ever have customer service like that these days. I`d compare it to Aaron at Edge pads for quality.
I would definatly get one. The website will list factory trained dealers in your area. This is very difficult to work with and the bumper looks especially hard so this is not for do it yourselfers.

I finally have access digital camera and will post pics of my truck tonight when my brother gets home.....it`s his and the software is on his computer.

[shotime]

Pics!

First one is the line you get. This hasn`t been cleaned out since last year, so it gets some wax build up. It`s gets cleaned out with alcohol and a Q-tip.

Second is the headlight film. It`s really not visible at all on the headlights.

Third and Fourth are just some pics I tossed in. Natty`s/Trade Secret X2
The fender has film covering the front of it. From 5 feet away you can`t even tell there`s anything on there.