Loads of discussion and opinion about this on the FB page - no doubt they'll all pile in here shortly

 

FB page?

 

Had it on a number of cars and it does a good job. Aim to get the 3M venture shield as this is the best stuff.

Have usually paid between £400 and £650 for it just to cover the main frontal areas (half the bonnet / wings headlights, front bumper and wing mirrors). The film itself is fairly cheap but it is a pig to fit so labour makes up most of the cost. Frontal areas usually take a day to fit....

Is it any good ? It will save your paint from big stone chips, however after too many big hits a section will need replacing. On my current ICE car (Audi S3) it has been fitted for 3,000 miles since new and not a mark. Pot luck really with stone chips. On some cars it's been a waste of money and on others it has saved me heartache. If you are doing a ton of miles and want to keep the paint chip free I think it's good a good thing to have.

Would suggest getting it fitted before you take delivery or soon after. Main reason is this is when the lacquer clear coat is usually fairly new and contaminate free. Leave it too long and it can struggle to sit on the paint and can "lift" around the edges.

Oh and you can't really use a jet wash / automatic car washes with it. It tends to "lift" the edges too. Hand washing is best.

 

@Tallulah - yes I'm yet to have mine done due to scheduling and already suffering for it. I do a fair amount of miles so with 5.5k on it since late September I already have a couple of nasty chips on the front that look pretty bad on the blue paint. The Tesla paint seems quite soft.

When I actually get my schedule to align with my preferred installer I'll have the Suntek paint protection film and GTechniq coating if its not too late and the gritters are out in force at which point I'll need a respray at this rate!

 

@Tallulah - yes I'm yet to have mine done due to scheduling and already suffering for it. ...

Who are you going to of this @PaulMorris ? Anyone local to Brizzle or one of the obvious suspects in the south east?

 

Some earlier discussion about this here:

Paintwork protection

 

Shh... secret

UK owners group nudge nudge wink wink

 

Yes but that forces me to discard my core beliefs around the ethics of that man and his company. Perhaps an odd stance from someone in the mobile tech industry but I'm maintaining my objectionate abstention from FB.

 

Thank you all for your input. I am now a little confused whether the finish is a film or a coating or if there are two different ones. Can anyone clarify? Also, is it worth paying extra for the 'de-luxe' job? There is a company near us who do the 'lesser' job.

 

"film" is a stick on protection layer that protects against scratches, chips, scuffs and UV damage. It looks very much like a thick cling film before it's installed. This is the full fat way of ensuring your paint stays damage free....

Coatings (usually ceramic based) like G-techniq are advanced treatments (applied directly on to the car lacquer) to keep the paint finish looking "fresh" and to protect it against the elements. Does provide (some) protection against chips and scratches as they can harden the lacquer. Think of it as a super, super hard wax....

 

http://revolutiondetailing.co.uk

This guy i can highly recommend for protection film. Based in Yate near Bristol.

Think he can do home visits as well.

 

Hmmm. Perhaps I need to have a chat. Very very close to me.

@Pulp84 what work did you have done with them, and when?

 

Thanks Pulp.

 

Interesting @Pulp84, thanks. Close (relatively) for me too.

I've been trying to understand the relative merits of the film approach vs Gtechniq, but don't have enough info to go on. Would appreciate any experience or opinions. Presumably there is a cost difference? What about durability?

 

Gtechniq = keeps car shiny, makes washing easy. Doesn't offer much protection against impacts. Can treat glass, alloys, paint etc to keep them looking clean, shiny and generally fab. Covers whole car. Cheaper

Clear film = good protection against stone chips. Usually only cover high impact areas. More expensive.

As I'm doing a lot of motorway miles and already picked up two quite noticeable chips I'll be taking the film + a Gtechniq coat over the top because I hate washing cars!

 

Thanks. I've just been on the RevolutionDetailing site and they seem very competent, although the prices seemed higher than some of the other places on a first glance. They have a good explanation of the film and coatings, I see the benefit of the film on the front of the car. Will have a chat to them and see what they say.