joeyg

I am looking for some feedback from those of you who had this film installed on your Maximas.

1. Does it do the job it says it will?

2. Does it look obvious that you have the film installed on the car?

3. Do the corners/edges start to lift after awhile & you catch your towels on it when drying the car?

4. How long does last before it needs replacing?

5. Any Canadians who have purchased this film...what dealers carry this product?

Thanks in advance.

Joe

bigbadboss101

Never seen it, but the Nissan guys said it would be good to put some on the fog lenses. Some customization shops should have them eg. tinting shops.

akrus

iTrader: (1)

I, too, have thought about getting this installed on my car. I remember seeing it at the local KarRite shop in Kitchener a couple of years ago. I had them do the tint on my Lincoln LS and they did a great job, so I would have no problem with recomending them for this work. It's not cheap, from what I remember (~200 or 300 CDN$) I'll go there tomorrow if I have the time, and let you know what I come up with. You've got me thinking about this again. Grrr at you!!!! LOL

Albert

Garfield

u can goto http://www.xpel.com/paint/applications.html

joeyg

Thanks Albert

Joe.

ABS

I want to get this also - to prevent chips - does anyone know if the kits from Expel or Stonegard are available for the 2K2 Maxima and which is best?

emax02

iTrader: (1)

I bought the hood/mirror piece from expel for my 02 max. It's listed under 00-01 Maxima but will fit a 02. I have not been able to find a front bumper or headlight/fog light piece, so I am using a nissan bra for now.

Colonel

Yes, I have it and HIGHLY recommend it.
Yes, it does the job.
You can see it, it is not invisible. You will see the hood line and the edges, especially when dirty.
Edges have not lifted yet. I have had it since March and wash at least once a week.
Have no idea.
Go to xpel.com and look up installers.

akrus

iTrader: (1)

As I said, Joe, I would look into the matter today. Well, I did that. I stopped into KarRite in Kitchener and the guy told me that they had the StoneGuard version of the product. They had it in 4" and 12" versions. By that, I mean the distance from leading edge of the hood towards the windshield. Obviously, 4" doesn't cover much. With the curvature of the hood, it barely covers the end of the hood on the Max. I actually decided to go for the 12" and they did the car while I waited. It took about 1/2 an hour and was done very much the way they do tint on a car. I'm not sure what people are talking about when they say 'kit', because the StoneGuard stuff that the guy put on my car was just a 12"x72" piece of clear film. He used a heat gun to get the edges to 'roll'. It seemed really simple to do. I will take some pics tomorrow and post them so you can see what happened. BTW, the 4" version was $130 and the 12" was $230, all prices without taxes and in CDN dollars.

As a side note, when I went to put the snows on the girlfriend's car, there was a 2002 BMW M3 sitting in the lot. He had the same stuff on the leading edge of his hood, fenders, behind the rear tires and covering his ENTIRE bumper. His headlights and foglights were covered with something quite a bit thicker. I talked to the owner for a while, but didn't find out anything about the head/fog lights. Was way too impressed by his car

Albert

jefferdy1

The headlight and fogs are the same stuff only thicker. Guess they feel they take more of a beating than the hood. Either way I'm getting it in the next few weeks for my car.

Jeff

akrus

iTrader: (1)

As promised, I went out and took some pics of my Max with the StoneGuard treatment applied to the leading edge of the hood. I have the 12" version. It's hard to see the stuff on the car in person, but if you look hard enough, you'll see it in some of the pics.

Go to http://www3.sympatico.ca/akrusvar/StoneGuard to see them.

Albert

see5

Albert,
Thank you for the informative post.
I am inclined to install myself when my Max arrives. I did my Pathfinder myself (6"X 60" Xpel~$18) but that was easy compared to the Maxima hood shape. Did installers wrap the material around the edges to the underside or just up to the edge?
Thanks,
Bruce

akrus

iTrader: (1)

Bruce:

The installer trimmed the material with a razor blade about 1/2 inch longer than the hood, but following the shape of the hood. This part was done after he squeegeed the bubbles out of the rest of the hood. The guy then used the heat gun and his fingers to shrink/roll the excess under the lip of the hood. He did a very good job in my opinion. I wish I had my camera with me when I got it done. I could have gotten pictures of the install as well as the BMW. The stoneguard treatment on that car was incredible.

Good luck with your install when you do it.

Albert

mattattax

akrus--
thanks for the post, i have a 2k2 grey lustre that i think i'm gonna get done now, i wish it was really invisible, oh well, thanks

ABS

Wow, this really firms up my decision. I've never seen either Stonegard or Expel installed, but it sure looks better than a bra - I just wish a full front kit, including the bumper, hood, side mirrors, fenders and all lamps was available. I guess I'll just have to wait for the 2K2 kit to come out, but start with the 2K1 hood and mirror pieces . . .

Does anyone know a good installer in downstate NY?

akrus

iTrader: (1)

I still haven't seen the 'kits' that people are talking about. Everyone I talked to had the same sort of setup that I have - generic sheet of 3M material that is trimmed to fit. Very simple to so, so it seemed as I watched the guy do mine. I would definitely attempt to do it myself next time. The only real trick seems to ensure that it and the hood are moist. You might want a friend to help with one side of the hood while you place the other side, but it definitely can be done solo.

Try tint shops, just make sure they don't sell you tint, as the stuff on my car is definitely thicker than tint.

Albert

Igal

I had the hood done with the 12" 3m tape for $100 Cdn (cash, no tax). The installer works for Don Valley Lexus Toyota and does this on the side. You can page Sal at (416)424-8039.

mike-777

I recently saw this stuff on an Audi 4. there is a clearly visible line where the 3M stops and the paint begins. Also the color seemed a little darker under the film, and this was on a silver car.

If you live where a lot of road debris gets kicked up it would probably be a good idea. Personally, I didn't much care for the looks.

ABS

I finally called both vendors to get a better understanding of their products since I may want to use this stuff on my 2K2 Grey Luster. Here's what I learned. They both use the 3M material although some "other" vendors don't. Neither vendor's kit has cuts in it to help get around bends, instead the installer is expected to be trained and to gently stetch the material into place.

Xpel just completed their 2K2 kits and the listing will be up on their web site by the end of this week. The Xpel hood piece is cut from the 12" material. Xpel has at least two kits: one which includes the hood, side mirrors and front fenders and a second which incluedes the bumper/grill areas. There may be a third available which would cover all the lights.

Stoneguard does not yet have their 2K2 kit ready although someone posted that the hood and mirror pieces are the same from 2001 to 2002. Of special importance here is that the Stoneguard hood piece is made from the 24" 3M strips, not the 12".

I had a conversation with an installer here in NY who "may" be able to install the Stonguard hood piece with the Xpel bumper. He should be giving me pricing tomorrow. I'll post an update once I have the info!

mattattax

thanks ABS, i have a 2k2 grey lustre also and would like to see how it looks before getting it done--keep us posted

emax02

iTrader: (1)

Cool, looks like I will have to call up Xpel tomarrow and order a bu,per kit.