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3M film and rock chips question

lonegunman

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I've had my GT350 for a couple of months and it is going to be driven regularly during spring and summer. I gave it a wash yesterday and noticed a nice collection of tiny rock chips in front of the read wheels. A few years of this and the car will be paintless.

I've never had protective film on a car and was wondering about how it looks and how well is stays on without edges peeling up or looking like crap. I know it looks fine on cars that sit in garages, But I'm planning on 5-6K miles a year, maybe an occasional track day and road trip across the state. Will it hold up?

What can you expect to pay for the lower half of the car, front end and hood? Any issues or problems to look for? This is new to me.
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meterman

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I paid $1800 for Xpel and had the front clip, hood, 1/2 fenders, mirrors, rocker panels, in front of rear tires (where you said you see all the chips now) and behind the rear wheels lower section. I had this same product on my 07GT500 and never had an issue with it peeling off or anything else. Now, I didn't drive, nor will I, the amount of miles you are going to be driving but I put it on my 350R because it lasted 10 years on my GT500 without any signs of wear and tear.
 

lenFeb

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I have PPF with SunTech done on my entire front-end and mirrors when I purchased the car(12/2019) for $1700. Then I noticed chips on A-Pillars, front edge of the roof and rear quarters (where you noticed rock chips). I went to the same installer and he covered all that areas for $200. I have 4500 miles and no pilling so far. You need to find good experience installer, it's very important. BTW, this car painted very cheaply so PPF is a must.
 

Shift

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I cant speak about rock chips from track days, but I have 25k miles on my car with just a front end clear bra + rock guards in the front wheel well (https://zl1addons.com/products/mustang-gt350-deluxe) and I have no rock chips on the rear quarters. I took the risk because having a patch just on the rear quarter panel would look ugly, and I didn't want to shell out $6k for a full coverage of the car, so that was my compromise.
 

lenFeb

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I cant speak about rock chips from track days, but I have 25k miles on my car with just a front end clear bra + rock guards in the front wheel well (https://zl1addons.com/products/mustang-gt350-deluxe) and I have no rock chips on the rear quarters. I took the risk because having a patch just on the rear quarter panel would look ugly, and I didn't want to shell out $6k for a full coverage of the car, so that was my compromise.
I have same zl1 addons installed on my since I bought it. Still rock chips on rear quarters, I noticed with Cup2 tires more than later replaced with PSS. I don't know what color your car, but on my white the rear quarters are fine to look at when it's clean :). IMO, I rather wouldn't have a paint chipped than worried about look, besides the look is not too bad anyway.
IMG_0560.jpg
 

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Yes, its worth it, but don't trust your car to just anyone. There are good installers and bad ones. You should ask to have the edges wrapped. To do this, the installer will add length to each piece before it is cut from a template supplied by Xpel. Not many installers use sheets and cut each piece manually. If they do, it will generally cost more money because it takes more time to do so. Usually, the standard templates are not long enough to wrap edges. If you don't wrap the edges, they film wont completely cover areas that should be covered. For instance, the front fender Xpel template doesn't wrap around into the wheel well. So... as the wheel spins and throws sand and rocks, your painted portion of the fender inside the wheel well will get sandblasted over time.

At a minimum, I would Xpel, the whole front end (to include the full hood), A pillars, roof, rear bumper, rocker panels, and side impact area (front of the rear wheels). If you do a partial front hood and partial roof, you will see line where the Xpel stops.

The stuff doesn't come off very easy. In fact, the Xpel usually requires a heat gun to remove the film if needed. Typically, the film should be removed and reapplied every 5 years. If you leave it on there, it is very difficult to remove.

How much will it cost? Go to the Xpel website and look at the parts and pieces that Xpel will sell you for DIY installation. Add up all the pieces and that is generally what an installer will charge.

My triple yellow R has full Xpel. My oxford white base R and avalanche grey R have full Xpel minus the doors and rear quarter panels.
 

pilotgore

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I've had my GT350 for a couple of months and it is going to be driven regularly during spring and summer. I gave it a wash yesterday and noticed a nice collection of tiny rock chips in front of the read wheels. A few years of this and the car will be paintless.

I've never had protective film on a car and was wondering about how it looks and how well is stays on without edges peeling up or looking like crap. I know it looks fine on cars that sit in garages, But I'm planning on 5-6K miles a year, maybe an occasional track day and road trip across the state. Will it hold up?

What can you expect to pay for the lower half of the car, front end and hood? Any issues or problems to look for? This is new to me.
I paid $2,000 for 3M film, Front bumper, lights, hood, front fenders, mirrors, A-pillars, 12 inches above windshield, rocker panels, under door handles, rear quarter panels, and a strip on the rear bumper where wear happens when loading/unloading things from the trunk. My installer told me he and other installers call this a "track package" since these are the areas most effected while on track (save the trunk strip... that was his idea and a good one to boot.). From an aesthetic standpoint, it looks great. If the installer did their job correctly, you'll barely be able to tell its there when looking closely, and won't be able to tell from >5 ft away.

I agree with everyone else, pick a good installer whose been in business for a long time and you think will stay in business a long time. My installer has a 12 year warranty on the film and any lifting around edges. I've been detailing cars on a professional level for 15 years or so, and I can tell you that I view the PPF as necessary for the impact areas of this car if you plan to track it (or tailgate for that matter). The paint thickness is half as thick on the mustang as any of my other cars (measured with a paint thickness tool), so theres less room for error when polishing. Also thinner paint typically doesn't stand up as well to impacts as thicker paint does.
 

lenFeb

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I paid $2,000 for 3M film, Front bumper, lights, hood, front fenders, mirrors, A-pillars, 12 inches above windshield, rocker panels, under door handles, rear quarter panels, and a strip on the rear bumper where wear happens when loading/unloading things from the trunk. My installer told me he and other installers call this a "track package" since these are the areas most effected while on track (save the trunk strip... that was his idea and a good one to boot.). From an aesthetic standpoint, it looks great. If the installer did their job correctly, you'll barely be able to tell its there when looking closely, and won't be able to tell from >5 ft away.

I agree with everyone else, pick a good installer whose been in business for a long time and you think will stay in business a long time. My installer has a 12 year warranty on the film and any lifting around edges. I've been detailing cars on a professional level for 15 years or so, and I can tell you that I view the PPF as necessary for the impact areas of this car if you plan to track it (or tailgate for that matter). The paint thickness is half as thick on the mustang as any of my other cars (measured with a paint thickness tool), so theres less room for error when polishing. Also thinner paint typically doesn't stand up as well to impacts as thicker paint does.
Man, $2K for 3M and that much of a coverage is a steal. Can you share who and where is your installer?
 

pilotgore

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Man, $2K for 3M and that much of a coverage is a steal. Can you share who and where is your installer?
You bet. Darrings Detail in Indianapolis. Rod Derring is a great dude and does great work. I just looked back at my receipt, I paid $2059. I got a ~10% cash discount. I think I'm the 3'rd GT350 he's done.
 

pilotgore

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You bet. Darrings Detail in Indianapolis. Rod Derring is a great dude and does great work. I just looked back at my receipt, I paid $2059. I got a ~10% cash discount. I think I'm the 3'rd GT350 he's done.
I didnt realize this till I was looking for the Facebook post, but I guess that portion of his business he calls Indy Bra. https://www.facebook.com/pg/IndianapolisclearBra/posts/?ref=page_internal

He has a post from 2/12/20 with my car with TONS of pictures
 

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UXXR

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Iā€™m going with these. Watch the video, plenty of science going into the design.
BTW...Iā€™m sure others work just as well but I like to support the little guys.

https://www.auto-fanatic.com/product/shelby-gt350-shelby-gt350r-front-track-splash-guards-pre-order/

I have these. They've been on for 3-4 months now. I haven't checked lately, but I don't think I have one single rock chip on rear fenders - infront of rear wheels.

I also echo others as get PPF for the front portion of the car. I matched the rock guards with front bumper, front fenders, hood, headlights, and mirrors Xpel'd for a little below $2K. Have piece of mind now, I have taken all the reasonable precautions. The rest is enjoying the car.
 

CANTWN4LSN

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I see you're in eastern WA. Drove over from MT to Benchmark Auto Salon in Lynnwood, WA north of Seattle for Suntek 3 years ago, guy does a great job. Agree with full hood, front, in front of rears, rockers, door edges, under handles, and rear plastic on trunk lid. Have 1/2 fenders on a avalanche gray and barely noticeable edge. Excellent protection no peel for 25k miles on a 2017 (don't drive it in winter).
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