Anthony O.
New member
Ron (Dent's & Detail's) and I on Saturday did an Xpel (clear bra) install on a 2005 Silver Porsche GT3.
We had previoulsy installed a kit on this clients 2002 Guards Red 911 so when he bought this new beast he wanted it detailed and a full kit installed to protect it also.
We begin the install with a hand wash. Ron rinses and washes the Porsche while I tackle the wheels and tires.
After the washing the car is dried. While Ron uses forced air to dry the car I go around with a WW MF and dry. Because we use RO water we can pretty much let the car air dry but the temps were rather cool and we didn't want any water running out while installing the clear bra.
Next comes a complete wipe down of all the areas where we are going to apply the 3M film. We use a wax remover for this step from Hi-Temp.
Just like car washing, where you start from the top and work your way down, we apply the film from the top and work our way down. Up first are the side view mirrors.
The side view mirror is thoroughly wet down with our slip mixture. The slip mixture allows the film to be easily moved about until the desired position is found. Then we have out "hot" soulution which activates the adhesives on the film to bond with the paint. Here is a picture of Ron getting the side view mirror into position.
The film is "set" or "tacked" by applying the hot solution to an area then using a squeegee, the excess moisture is driven from underneath the film. This of course sounds easy in explanation but to actually perform it is a whole different story:shocked Not to mention that much of the film must be literally strectched to fit or better, "conform", to the areas curves and lines.
After the side view mirrors comes the hood piece. This is a singal piece of film that covers the width of the Porsche front deck lid and goes up 24in. This is the easiest piece to apply. Spray the slip solution, tack the middle, squeegee out the excess moisture and pray you have no debris trapped underneath!
Now comes the front fender pieces (no pics of that) and then headlights. Since there is a slight kit modification for this year GT from the previous ones we don't yet have a template for them so we have to install them at a later date.
Now comes the headache.....the bumper kit, which is a single piece of film that is a bear to deal with, even for two people, let alone one! We apply the slip solution, tack one edge (temporarily) and unroll the kit onto the bumper. After aligning the kit we CAREFULLY tack the center and begin to stretch the kit.
After some chaotic moments, a few tantrums and some curse words, the bumper kit is finished! Now all that's left is cleaning up some stubborn edges that refuse to lay down. This is done with various tools, like a hair dryer, steamer and here, compressed air. This drives out moisture which allows the adhesive to bond.
And now the finished product
We did not detail the car this day but will return in a few days to check the kit out and then give it a full detail. We did though wipe the car down with Optimum before we left.
Thanks for reading,
Anthony
We had previoulsy installed a kit on this clients 2002 Guards Red 911 so when he bought this new beast he wanted it detailed and a full kit installed to protect it also.
We begin the install with a hand wash. Ron rinses and washes the Porsche while I tackle the wheels and tires.
After the washing the car is dried. While Ron uses forced air to dry the car I go around with a WW MF and dry. Because we use RO water we can pretty much let the car air dry but the temps were rather cool and we didn't want any water running out while installing the clear bra.
Next comes a complete wipe down of all the areas where we are going to apply the 3M film. We use a wax remover for this step from Hi-Temp.
Just like car washing, where you start from the top and work your way down, we apply the film from the top and work our way down. Up first are the side view mirrors.
The side view mirror is thoroughly wet down with our slip mixture. The slip mixture allows the film to be easily moved about until the desired position is found. Then we have out "hot" soulution which activates the adhesives on the film to bond with the paint. Here is a picture of Ron getting the side view mirror into position.
The film is "set" or "tacked" by applying the hot solution to an area then using a squeegee, the excess moisture is driven from underneath the film. This of course sounds easy in explanation but to actually perform it is a whole different story:shocked Not to mention that much of the film must be literally strectched to fit or better, "conform", to the areas curves and lines.
After the side view mirrors comes the hood piece. This is a singal piece of film that covers the width of the Porsche front deck lid and goes up 24in. This is the easiest piece to apply. Spray the slip solution, tack the middle, squeegee out the excess moisture and pray you have no debris trapped underneath!
Now comes the front fender pieces (no pics of that) and then headlights. Since there is a slight kit modification for this year GT from the previous ones we don't yet have a template for them so we have to install them at a later date.
Now comes the headache.....the bumper kit, which is a single piece of film that is a bear to deal with, even for two people, let alone one! We apply the slip solution, tack one edge (temporarily) and unroll the kit onto the bumper. After aligning the kit we CAREFULLY tack the center and begin to stretch the kit.
After some chaotic moments, a few tantrums and some curse words, the bumper kit is finished! Now all that's left is cleaning up some stubborn edges that refuse to lay down. This is done with various tools, like a hair dryer, steamer and here, compressed air. This drives out moisture which allows the adhesive to bond.
And now the finished product
We did not detail the car this day but will return in a few days to check the kit out and then give it a full detail. We did though wipe the car down with Optimum before we left.
Thanks for reading,
Anthony
