How agressive can on get - Tips/Tricks on Clear Film

P

pingable

New member
Working on older 3M Clear Film that has seen better days. 5-6 years old. It's on all the rocker panels and boy have they protected the paint.....but the film is beat up. Just short of a light polish to buff the top layer of grime off....the film does have quite a bit of scratches. I know these scratches is not something I can cure.





What other tips/tricks do ya'll use on clear film.



I recall a thread on how a fellow pro was using a heatgun for small quick period on clear film to remove bird bomb etches.



I am just wondering how agressive or not I can go on the fim...
 
If you haven't done the heatgun trick, I wouldn't try it on a customer's car without asking. "I'm going to use a heatgun to remove some imperfections, I think the film should be replaced anyway, but I might melt the film. Do you want me to try?" You can polish fairly aggressive, but no cutting compounds. Anything more aggressive than SIP and you'll be putting swirls in the plastic that you can't remove. If you know a good local installer, why not try to upsell a new mask?





John
 
Hi John -



This is on a personal car. I don't intend to replace the film. Probably keeping this car another 9-12 months. I've never gone anything more aggressive then SIP and white pad.
 
I have used a rotary with a soft black pad and a final micro polish, nothing aggressive at all and gotten out swirl marks, but not serious scratches. Not sure if it can be truly fix.



Let us know what you find out.



Josh
 
I work on a lot of clear film given the area I live in. A finish polish (M205 is what I use) by hand on a foam applicator seems to work best. I've tried various pads, polishes, and machines and just can't seem to get consistent results unless it's by hand. I have also had good luck using larger black pads on my DA with M205.



Heat seems to be the enemy....obviously being applied differently than a heat gun. That one I have never tried.
 
I've yet to still grasp- digress- digest- understand how in the Other Threads....how the heat source was used as a tool to remove the bird etching...
 
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