First mistake, ALWAYS wear gloves second, get a proper squeegee and fabric sleeve over the squeegee, third, soak both the car and the backside of the chip guard , forth, pay extra for quality material (3M) is fine, lightly place decal in position applying very little pressure, use your squeegee and start from the center out lightly. Lots of solution will allow the decal to theoretically float on the liquid, as long as there is plenty of liquid there can’t be air too. As you make light passes from the the center out, each time applying slightly more pressure than the last pass forcing the water to the edges in exchange for the decal to take the waters place allowing no air to be trapped! Making pin holes to release air will only cause problems later on when heat causes decal to shrink and expanding the pin holes to larger holes! Gloves, lots of solution, and squeegee w/fabric sleeve are the 3 most important tools to a flawless application!!
Hey CF, I'm replacing all of the original 3M clear bra from the front end my 09 C2S, and just used your suggestion of the clothes steamer - it worked great, much better than the method that the so-called professional used to remove some other parts of the bra from my car. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. The video was very helpful. Made my own from a 3M clear PPF roll. Used the steamer but didn’t help much with adhesive. Some Rubbing Alcohol and elbow grease. Looks great!
Very helpful! Sadly, my 14 year old guards had no ability to pull, so i scraped it off with a trim tool, then went through multiple soaks with adhesive removers and a credit card. Finished it up with a DA polisher to get the last bits of adhesive. All day project just for removal, but will be happy to get the new guards on.
Great Video! In the "show more" section you mention that the film is 8 mil thick, but in the reply to rooz32 you state that it is 6 mil. Which is correct? I'm wondering if 6 mil or 8 mil is holding up, and how it compares with the previous factory 12 mil. Thanks.
I believe it was 8 mil. I replaced this when I had my clear bra done. However it is also 8 mil. I have one tear through the film, so 12 mil is a better bet.
That's actually not true. There have been several reported instances of this happening on older vehicles when the paint is less soft and the ppf is hard.
+arainla yeah, agreed that is the easier and cheaper route once you factor in how much time it takes. I wouldn't buy the OEM ones though because they'll likely turn yellow after a couple of years. Xpel makes a set for about $90, which should hold up for a long time.
First mistake, ALWAYS wear gloves second, get a proper squeegee and fabric sleeve over the squeegee, third, soak both the car and the backside of the chip guard , forth, pay extra for quality material (3M) is fine, lightly place decal in position applying very little pressure, use your squeegee and start from the center out lightly. Lots of solution will allow the decal to theoretically float on the liquid, as long as there is plenty of liquid there can’t be air too. As you make light passes from the the center out, each time applying slightly more pressure than the last pass forcing the water to the edges in exchange for the decal to take the waters place allowing no air to be trapped! Making pin holes to release air will only cause problems later on when heat causes decal to shrink and expanding the pin holes to larger holes! Gloves, lots of solution, and squeegee w/fabric sleeve are the 3 most important tools to a flawless application!!
If you live in Houston or Austin, I would pay you to remove and reinstall mine!
Hey CF, I'm replacing all of the original 3M clear bra from the front end my 09 C2S, and just used your suggestion of the clothes steamer - it worked great, much better than the method that the so-called professional used to remove some other parts of the bra from my car. Thanks for sharing!
Very awesome. Glad it helped!
Good work guy. So glad your talking stuck to the job at hand. I think I can do this myself.
Thank you. The video was very helpful. Made my own from a 3M clear PPF roll. Used the steamer but didn’t help much with adhesive. Some Rubbing Alcohol and elbow grease. Looks great!
Thanks for the video....I did this yesterday. Looks WAY better. Keep posting. I also did the gundo hack.
Great video, thanks for showing such a careful set of techniques from start to finish!
Very helpful! Sadly, my 14 year old guards had no ability to pull, so i scraped it off with a trim tool, then went through multiple soaks with adhesive removers and a credit card. Finished it up with a DA polisher to get the last bits of adhesive. All day project just for removal, but will be happy to get the new guards on.
Sounds terrible. What were they like when you tried to remove them? Brittle?
@@CarFanatic rubbery, but flaky, would not tolerate even a mild rug
@@tegraphile I'm assuming you tried using a steamer?
Great video! I could surely DIY this myself, I just question whether I would have the patience. Turned out great!
Nice and thanks, I have to due the same project this coming spring...
Hi CF where you buy the 3m material you have a link ? Thanks
Great job!
What if I want to make one for my Boxster that doesn't have the PPF in front of the rear tires?
Where did you buy that laminate man
You make it look easy!
+Michael Bath that's because I cut out all the difficult parts lol!
Most helpful - thanks! (y)
Can you use a heat gun?
Great Video! In the "show more" section you mention that the film is 8 mil thick, but in the reply to rooz32 you state that it is 6 mil. Which is correct? I'm wondering if 6 mil or 8 mil is holding up, and how it compares with the previous factory 12 mil. Thanks.
I believe it was 8 mil. I replaced this when I had my clear bra done. However it is also 8 mil. I have one tear through the film, so 12 mil is a better bet.
Can you use a hair-dryer instead of a steamer.
It helps but you dont get the same effect.
Thanks
Protection film cannot peel paint off by pulling on it.
That's actually not true. There have been several reported instances of this happening on older vehicles when the paint is less soft and the ppf is hard.
thanks!
I need for my CLS
Removing ppf should be a profession of it's own. The callouses ain't worth it
What is the name of your car colour?
+espencert meteor gray metallic
For $88 I'd buy the OEM.
But nice to see how it's done.
+arainla yeah, agreed that is the easier and cheaper route once you factor in how much time it takes. I wouldn't buy the OEM ones though because they'll likely turn yellow after a couple of years. Xpel makes a set for about $90, which should hold up for a long time.
Please , do not ever install one of these
Ugly for an expensive car, why don't do on the entire panel ?
That's how it is stock so I replaced it in the same way. But now the car is wrapped, so most of that panel is covered.
Car Fanatic Oki nice
How long do you keep these clear bra ?
I m thinking about to put one, but i m afraid when i retire it, it remove the paint...