Painter's Tape
 

Has anyone ever used painter's tape on the front of their car to protect them during trips? Any information on the subject would be great. Just put in an offer on a car about 1000 miles away and I won't be able to put a clear bra on it until I return home.

Example:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...a/HPIM1751.jpg

Thanks, I searched Painter's Tape and it didn't return anything. I appreciate the people on here that provide help rather than non-solutions.

FYI, it took about 20 seconds to find paint protection film links in google.. As posted earlier there is already a thread about it.. Wasn't trying to be an A-hole
just some people seem lazy when it comes to researching something.. Maybe your just not internet savvy.. Oh well have fun driving with the blue painters tape for 1K miles..

Great results. Drove from CA to NY. The tape was filthy at the end of the trip. Definitely protected from a million rock chips. And it attracted a lot of attention. Random people kept coming up to me to ask about it.

-RockStar

I guess my gripe isn't specifically for you but a fair amount of people who post nothing more than 'use search' or 'the google' link. Members join this forum to interact with other car enthusiasts to discuss a hobby and way of life they love, cars. And when the interaction you get is comments such as your first one, what is the point of reaching out to one another in a forum setting? Many Z owners on here believe that all BMW owners (I don't have a BMW, but wouldn't mind having one someday) are too snobby to acknowledge one another or anyone else for that matter because they are so much better. I think I would rather have a BMW owner not wave at me as I pass them by, than someone on a shared forum be rude and disrespectful from behind a computer.

Alright, my two cents are out and I am done jacking my own post.

:iagree:

Blue Tape
 

I used it going down to the Z-Con in Franklin Ten. and it worked great but for such a short drive I didn't bother using it coming home. Although for longer trips it might prove to be more valuable. It goes on easy and comes off easy but there was a sticky clear residue that I had to rub out.

An alternative to using painter's tape is to use a temporary clear film similar to something like Tracwrap. Not as visually conspicuous and will not leave as much residue behind like the painters tape adhesive can do.

^Too expensive.

Who cares if you have blue painters tape on your car when you're driving down the road? Not me atleast.

I put the blue 3M tape on my Z while driving home from Colorado. I peeled it off and reapplied it once every 700 miles or so. After a while it gets tattered and can peel off it you don't apply it properly.

It saved my bumper from a bunch of chips and bug scratches... Just don't leave it on toooo long.

It's real good to use on moutain runs. There always seems to be loose gravel up there.

Ive used it in da past drivin long distance to car events and works great peels right off. Its better than tryin to rub off bugs and seen annoyin chips.Ive seen exotic cars B4 with this on aswell..

ill pass on blue tape, and go with green tape:

Shop 3M: Scotch Performance Masking Tape 233+, 26336, 24 mm x 55 m

its kind of specifically made for cars, and goes on and comes off without any residue. blue tape is similar, but theres still a chance it'll leave some residue. green tape is supposed to solve that

yah, there's some 3M blue tape that leave behind residue. found out when i was masking while polishing. it took more time for me to remove the crap along the seams without contaminating the seams than polishing the entire panel. :mad:

I've done blue painter's tape on several long distance trips (500+ miles); one was through a severe storm as well - the tape held up on all occasions, and without residue (after prompt removal). The key is to lay the tape vertically on your hood and the top of your bumper; for the front of the bumper leading to the front wheel wells, lay it horizontally. You should also overlap the tape as much as you can. Good luck on your trip!

when i tape the front i go from the top to bottom horizontally over lapping a little bit. if you do the other way the air catches the tape and it starts flinging off.

:iagree: I have a guy about my age here in town, drives a bmw 330i coupe with some slick rims and he's always waving at me when I pass and I wave back.

uhhhhh, this statement contradicts itself. Did you mean to say "when i tape the front i go from the top to bottom vertically over lapping a little bit" ???

Was looking on the 3M site and read this about the green tape:

"Tape 233+ is better than most conventional masking tapes for sunlight resistance - however, it is still advised that it not be subjected to outdoor exposure or prolonged periods of sunlight as the tape may become difficult to remove"

Here's the page

no you just read it wrong. read it again.

why the hell would i tape my car vertically when it's horizontally longer? if i tape vertically that means i need to worry about drag on both sides of the car which can potentially catch the tape to fling off.

In my experience, the problem with doing it horizontally (even going from top to bottom with overlap ala Kenchan's method) is that if you encounter adverse weather (i.e. a storm or whatever), the tape will loosen up a bit and it'll catch more wind horizontally than vertically (since you're moving forward). Kenchan's method will prevent the tape from mostly flying off, but there will definitely be parts that will lift up/come off and fling about. When I switched to doing it vertically (experimented with starting from the middle, then from the sides), I didn't have a problem with any areas coming off, even in rain. Obviously, the downside to the vertical pattern is that it is more costly, in terms of both time and material.

I wonder if anyone's ever done a weave pattern in blue painter's tape before...

To each his own me personally never had a problem no residue had drivin thru pourin rain for hours.. Just my input..

we should just do the horizontal method, followed by another layer done in verticle method, then finished off in a X pattern method on top of that in a random orientation. :icon17:

yes...i dont think any tape can stand up to that, however, green tape is the go to choice for auto detailers for a reason. its much less likely to stick than blue tape, and easier to work with. its also available locally, maybe not as much as blue tape, but you can find it!

yah, target has a nice section for 3M tapes. ive seen green tape sold there in my area.

I think a cheap-o front mask would be better. You can find them for like $100Just remove it when your home and you can re-use it. Not only that, people won't think your some weirdo using building supplies on your $40k sports car.

You do get residue from the blue tape, but its mostly on anything rubber like the window/glass molding. Happened when I masked the car off to do some polishing.

not necessarily because it can scuff the finish and even cloud the paint if left on in the wet.

i think clearbra would be the ultimate trick for those that do a lot of long distance driving.

I never knew just taping your front end would be so complicated by what everyone's been posting!! Lol

Its the vertically horizontal that makes it confusing. You takes the risk. :icon17: