Spray on 3M film

YzGyz

I had to once again wipe down the car the next morning because it got dark and I was not going to spray this stuff in the dark. I also didn't want to do this with the sun beaming and drying to product before I had the chance to apply the necessary layers. I shook the living hell out of the can prior to using it. I wanted the have as uniform product as possible. I then proceeded to to attach the spray handle and spray as directed. I went left to right, then up and down, then left to right. I did 1/2 of the bumper at a time starting on the left half then the right half. The spray handle is HIGHLY recommended. It's just a lot easier. Be carful spraying. I had my car with hood pointing outwards. I should of went in head first. Any small breeze will make your spray stream go astray. It was so friggin hard to get the 3m to go where you want it. Another biggie is that the spray nozzle sucks booty. due to the viscosity of the product, a foam will build up at the spray nozzle and then splutter everywhere as you spray, not good. At first, I would stop and wipe it off with a clean paper towel. This was not that effective. IT got rid of most the foam but some was just simply pushed into the divit of the spray orifice that which later would be spit back out and onto the car, DOH! 1/2 way through, I started to just simply give it a good blow/puff of air. 1/2 a lung full is plenty. Just be carfull because the the foam will fly everywhere. Also, don't touch the material once it has been sprayed no matter what. Leave the foam bubbles, the run everything. You can't fix it. It's not possible. It will even and level out better then it looks. JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!! After you are done spraying, peel of the 2nd layer of tape. Do not skip this part. If you let the 3m material so dry with the detail tape on, when you peel the tape, the 3m will peel off too. You don't want that. So, peel it off when wet. I then closed the garage door and let it dry. As a side note, make use you wipe down the bottom edge of the garage door before you start. There is lots of dust and junk there. You want want it to dislodge as the door closes and land on your car.

-wash 1hr
-wax- 1hr
-taping 1.5hr (I have only done the bumper so far)
-spraying 25 mins

Over all, I think the project went ok. This product will work and protect your paint some. It's not going to be perfect but imo plenty fine. There will be some runs and unevenness due to the application technique and limitations of a spray bottle. Just try to control as many variables as possible. I do know that 3m stand by there product. I had some spots that could use a thicker film. I called 3M and they told me you can't spray a 2nd layer on a existing dry layer. You will risk "orange peel" look. They asked how many bottles did I use and then asked if I would like to give it a 2nd try with a supposedly "new nozzle." I told them yes and they took my addy and will be sending me a replacement bottle to redo my bumper for free. I think it looks ok but far form perfect. I'm going ot leave it for a little while and see how it holds up.The smaller the area the more even you can apply this stuff ie. side mirrors. When this "new type" spray bottle comes, I will do my side fenders and hood. Until then, imma drive my car.

car tape off


bumper is sprayed and dried, this is to compare the gloss/ finish. It's not bad.


another comparison


overspray line, hard to see, the windsheld side is slightly less glossy then the other


overspray at a different angle. The tape was about where my finger was and goes strait up. You can kinda see the the half closer to the windshield is not as glossy and the other side.

YzGyz

Runs


A "foam" drop that did not clean up 100%


This bottom lip had this run along the length of it. I'm thinking that the spray on the vertical part of the bumper dripped and cause this. DAMN U GRAVITY!!! you can see it but it's not that bad.


here is is again on the other side of the lip. It's not as bad


again


mirrors went well


This is my car after it was completely dry. I jsut wanted to show how much I tape up and still had overspray. GRRRR!!!!


In this pick, you can see where I dragged my hand in a semi circle pattern over the overspray. It start where my finger is and rings around to the side mirror. It shows 2 line then become 3. I have no doubt that these specks will be gone after a few washes.

YzGyz

ohh and don't mind the minor scratches and paint chips here and there. I bought the car 2nd had so they were already there. I'm just trying to protect and take care of what I can

here is another shot but on the side so that you can compare the finish on the sprayed bumper vs the unsprayed hood.


Some orange peel look due to not enough 3m material coverage. This is right under teh "nissan" badge. You can look at the pic above at a further away shot and it's really not that bad.

YzGyz

Waiz

Sub'd

I was wondering about this stuff

bdavis89

I honestly can't see anything in 80% of those photos. Hopefully that's a good thing

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SouthArk370Z

If you click on one of the pics above and then click on the magnifying glass two or three times, you get the full-size pic. Many of the flaws he talks about show up then - but can still be difficult to see in a few cases. For a first try and the conditions he worked under, it turned out amazingly well. With a little more practice and a decent spraying environment (no wind), he should be able to apply it so that it's all but invisible.

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Caustic

If you want to get rid of it after it has been done, or if you want to redo it, does it just peel off?

YzGyz

It's suppose to just peel off. The dried stuff that's dried on the spray can peels right off. Just gonna have to wait until I peel it, whenever that will be.

modme

So I used the product to protect my paint during my cross country drive. You really need to lay this stuff on thick if you want it to peel in one piece. If it's thinly applied, you can use windex and it'll melt the product right off.

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YzGyz

Just a update, I totally think the project is worth it now. The minor runs and minor flaws are barely noticeable. People only notice them if I point them out.

On a side not, the 3M spray was put to the test the other day. I was driving to work when all in a sudden a big chunk of wood flew into my lane and hit my bumper while driving ~72 on the highway. It happen instantly so I was not able to swerve or slam my brake. I estimate the piece of wood to be 10'' long by 2'' wide by 2'' thick. Apparently, the chunk of wood originated from a 4''x4''x 6 that was in another lane. The 4''x4''x6 was beat up good on one end which led to many pieces of wood littered all over the highway.

Anyhoo, if you look at the picture, you can kinda see slight angle that the wood flew at my bumper. The area is opaque and the 3m protect ant has lifted off my bumper. I suspect that there will be minor damage that a good buffing would take care of (after removing the 3m). I will update whenever I plan to redo it in a few months.









It just rained so the scuff don't look to bad.

Winn

I have not heard of this spray on version but I can tell you the shop installed sheet version is great. Can't even see it unless the light is right then you can hardly make out the edge on the hood. They had it installed
and my windows tinted in like an hour. They did the whole front including fender fronts, the sloped front of part of the hood and also the mirror backs.
$500 for the bra.

Bravo Protection Products | Clear Bra and Window Tinting

This worked like a charm because they were 1/2 block from the dealer where I picked the car up, drove it over right then.

The trick to maintaining it and keeping it looking good is to not let bugs cook on it long term. The owner of the company still has his on his truck at 100k miles looking good.