Most liked posts in thread: 3M Paint Defender Spray Film

Well I finally got around to giving the 3M product a try. (Frankly I have time on my hands since the car is down waiting on installation of a new turbo and downpipe).

Like others I checked reviews and watched the official installation videos as well as some customer videos on Youtube. In my opinion your results are very dependent on you and your prep work etc.

I did this with the temps around mid 80's and a little on the humid side.

I followed the instructions and washed the areas and used the included 3m synthetic wax. (I bought the full kit that included the spray handle.) The biggest advice I have is if you think you can do this because you have sprayed your car or some wheels, you will do it wrong. No short strokes like when painting.

My first item was a spare boot handle I had. I wanted to see if I was going to get the spray "snot" others have experienced. I did not. The picture below is after allowing it to dry for 2 hours. 3M says it can take up to 4 days to cure. As part of my test I am going to peel this off in a few days to see how easy it is to remove.



3M instructs you to spray a continuous stream. No stop/start. Spray side-side, up-down, side-side for complete coverage. They also advise to break it down into smaller sections. At no time did I get any drips from the can or snot build up on the spray nozzle.

Next I moved on to the bumper. Since my car is in service mode the bumper is off and it was very easy to rest in on some sawhorses and spray it. Being lazy and not wanting to mask off the lower grill and driving lights, I removed them.

Here is a picture immediately after applying. You can see how it is wet and cloudy.





Like with the boot handle I let it dry for a couple of hours before checking it again. At this point I found a couple of spots where the film had pooled up while it was curing. It didn't feel like I had put it on too heavy and there were no runs at the beginning.

I was a little disappointed at this but decided to let it go to see what happens. After drying overnight it looks like this.


Much better but not perfect. However, I can live with it I think.

In my area a traditional clear bra is about $750 for the full bumper and partial hood. I have $45 dollars in this kit. I didn't use the entire can for the bumper, but I doubt there is enough to do the partial hood so I will be getting another can. That will put my total up to $70 for protection that should last about a year. If so I can do this 10 times before I get up to the cost of a traditional film bra that won't last 10 years. Nothing against the other products but they don't last 10 years.

I don't think that I was too sparing on using the spray and I can't see using 3-4 cans on a MINI for a bumper and partial hood. Full hood maybe a bit more but I still don't think you would use 4 cans.

 

WOW Jeff.... That looks fantastic...

Nice job....

Sounds like you are going to have this MINI for at least a minimum of 10 years....

Classic R56, here we come....

I especially like the fact that this system doesn't let exacto knives get close to the paint.... I've seen some poor film installation jobs where the installer got too aggressive with blade on the body panels and rust starting bubbling up along the cut where the paint was compromised....

 

Great job Jeff. Looks like your going to be the MoM 3M advisor.

 

Another 10 years would be great wouldn't it. Why not right? New turbo, down pipe, IC, valve cover and gasket, walnut blasting. I should be good to go for a while.

I figure if this product holds up for a year and can be replaced over a weekend then why not? Sure is cheaper than having to have my bumper painted yet again. :cornut:

 

Can't wait to see how easy it is to remove.

 

This would be a cool fix, I'd think, for a weekend at the track or that long road trip. Just mask off the nose quickly (it's only gonna be on for a week or so), prep with the wax, spray and let it dry.

With my old painted arches, I might have applied this carefully so that they had a bit of extra protection as well.

 

I think I'm going to slather this stuff all over the front bumper, rear bumper, hood, and side rockers on my JCW CM. It sounds like I probably need in the neighborhood of 4-5 cans. Just need to wash, clay, polish, and wax first. So much detailing, so little time.