With 1650 mile on my 2K2, I had the 3M ScotchCal installed. For those interested, I have included some of my comments and links to .jpg pictures below.

After talking with the people at Stonegard, XPel, Armourfend, and my installer (Matt Zakarian at Detailing Dynamics in LI, NY), I decided to use the Armourfend product. I made the decision based on a few factors:

1. Armourfend leaves extra material on their kits to allow the installer to pull/stretch the material over the car's body parts without leaving lots of finger prints or marks on it.

2. The Armourfend hood piece is wrapped around the the hood in front and on the sides which should provide better protection and also look better.

3. The Armourfend hood piece was custom made to my specs so it goes up the hood (towards the windshield) farther than the Stonegard or Xpel products which offers better protection.

4. The material offered by Armourfend is a special version of the 3M ScotchCal product which is imported from Europe and as a result is both thicker and glossier than the similar offerings from Xpel or Stonegard.

5. Matt Zakarian was highly recommended to me by the people at XPel and at Stonegard and I had a very good experience with him. If you are in the NorthEast and want to have 3M ScotchCal installed I highly recommend him. Just let him know that you were referred by me (Andy S.) so that he can give you a special deal for Maxima owners. Matt uses a special bay, with a lift, for installing the product. His bay has about 10-12 eight foot flourescent fixtures all around. These lights help him and the other installers really "see" what they are doing as the clear material is installed on their customer's cars. Just to give you an idea of the level of quality Matt provides, while I was at the shop, I saw at least 4 Porsche owners come in to pick-up/drop-off their cars for various work including the installation of ScotchCal.

Here are the pics from the install in the order I took them. I had the following items installed: side mirror covers, hood cover, front bumper cover(s), top of front fender covers, wheel arch/fender flare covers, fog light cover and door cup covers. In many of these pics it is possible to see the ScotchCal before it's installation was finalized. Now that the install is complete, it is virtually impossible to detect that the material is even on the car except for a barely noticable line about 18" up the hood.

Enjoy!


Washing the car.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic1.jpg

Armourfend hood cover on the bench.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic2.jpg

Custom Mirror cover pre-install test fit/sizing.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic3.jpg

Upper fender cover after install.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic4.jpg

Spraying fender flare cover just prior ot the install.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic5.jpg

Fender flare cover install.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic6.jpg

Door handle cup after install (hard to see).
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic7.jpg

Fog light covers after install.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic8.jpg

Prepping the hood for install with solution.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic9.jpg

Corner of hood mid-install (Note that the material wraps around edge) this excess material was trimmed down later . . . The hood insulation was hanging down because I also had a ding removed from the hood while I was there . . .
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic10.jpg

Top view of hood after the ScotchCal was installed. If you look closely you can see the "line".
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic11.jpg

Another pic of the hood post install.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic12.jpg

Front bumper mid-install. You can see the 3M material wrapped around the edge of the bumper and also temporarily covering the fog light.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic13.jpg

Close up of front bumper install
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic14.jpg

Front shot of car after hood and bumper install waiting for final clean-up/trim of excess material.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic15.jpg

Pic of mirror cover, post install, but prior to trimming.
http://users.bestweb.net/~andy29/pic16.jpg

 

looks good.. do you own a shop or something?

 

Looks good. What was the price to have the various pieces installed?

Jeff

 

Nope, I do not own a shop - I am just a regular guy who read all about the paint chips on Maximas and chose to have this work done before I ran into problems with the paint. I thought everyone might like to see what's involved in doing this install so I took pics while I waited for my car. . .

The total cost for the parts and labor was about $650. The bulk of the cost was for the front bumper which was actually three parts and totalled about 380. The hood cost 160. Mirrors were 40. Wheel arches were 30. Fog lights were 30. I was not charged for the upper fender covers or the door cups.

Since my car was the first 2K2 Maxima to get an install I think it took a little longer to complete the job (the first one is always the hardest). I would expect that the installation cost would drop as the time required to do the job decreases. You would have to talk with Matt at Detailing Dynamics to verify that though.

 

Looks very nice, very professional install. If I bought a new car I think I would do that even before I went to the tint shop.

 

but is sucks to have to do this because of paint that can't take the abuse of the road. Bring back big chrome bumpers!

Looks good! Maybe they can do custom work to fit my AE kit.

 

theMax,

I believe they do custom work but I think it may depend on the exact piece you want to have covered. You could try contacting Matt and see what he says

 

Could you give me a phone number or address for them, I am afraid I don't know where they are.

 

This post was great. It is an example of the value of this forum when people aren't bragging about how fast they drove their Maxima. The pictures tell everything. I am located on Long Island NY, and I will likely check this place out, thanks to you. I am supposed to pick up my 2K2 some time in January (yeah, right!).

I have two questions though. How far up the hood does the product go? I couldn't see the line (I guess this is good). And you mentioned that the hood piece was designed to your specs - does that mean there isn't a "kit" for the 2k2 Max? Or do they just apply product to the vehicle without needing a special "kit"?

How were you able to custom design the hood piece?

Very interesting.

 

Were exactly is the location? thanks for the good info.

 

this stuff is just vinyl that is applied like window tint (but its thicker)

3M makes kits for cars that are already cut out. The maxima kit (I am only sure up to 2001) is not that good. It only covers the area's that face front.

The stuff comes on a roll and can be used to cover anything. The KEY is a good installer. The pics shown are an excellent job!

The 2K2 here has the entire front bumper covered and a piece on the hood. They also did his lights and door handle cutouts. Great....but comes at a price. The 01 Max kit you can get for about $300.

I hope they can do some majic on my AE to include the front skirt.

 

Looks good. Your car is very shinny too!! Were you powerwashing the car in the first picture? Is that alright for the paint?

 

Looks good! Btw, if anyone is interested i got a quote from a local tint shop (Peformance, along Westheimer in Houston) for $480 on the whole thing (hood, bumper, mirrors, etc)

Might be worth checking out. I just can't afford that kind of dough right now so i opted for my $20 Carflector hehehe

 

How does this film react to waxes and polishes?

I'm not sure if the something coated with Armourfend will shine as good as a car that doesn't have it.

What's your experince so far, ABS? As far waxing and polishing it?

 

Wow!! What a response. Let me try my best to answer everyone's questions. . .

Dufrane, the installer is named Matt Zakarian and he runs a shop called Detailing Dynamics. It is about 3-4 miles north of the LIE off exit 36. I believe this area is called Port Washington on Long Island, NY. His phone number is: 516-944-4024.

GregP, the line on the hood is not extremely noticable, but when you get close, it can be seen. The material goes up the hood approximately 18" from the lowest point of the hood (the two little points on either side of the grill). This is much taller than the hood covers available from XPel or Stoneguard which only go up 8"-10". I had this piece "custom made" by a competitor of both XPel and Stonegard called Armourfend. Armourfend is very big in Europe but has a US office. Armourfend also provides some extra material so that the hood is comletely wrapped on all sides except for the top. This is different than XPel and Stonegard in that they only go to within 1/8" of the edge of the hood.

theMax, you are correct. This material is some type of special clear vinyl that is applied in a way similar to window tint. However, the installation is often much more difficult. This is true because of the "compound curves" found on body parts and not found in/on windows. In many cases the tough material has to be stretched to fit. Knowing how to stretch the material and where to stretch the material is a big part of a good install. After having spent a day watching Matt work on my car, I'm glad that I spent the extra money for him to do it. The hood cover alone costs over $100. I'd hate to destroy the ScotchCal while doing the install myself . . . The material comes from 3M in 12" and 24" tall rolls. In most cases it is pre-cut by a manufacturer such as XPel or Armourfend and then sold to the installer. The material is expensive and most manufacturers prefer to use the cheaper narrow rolls. Also, larger pieces are harder to install properly . . .

Greg's2KGLE, the first picture shows Matt Zakarian power washing my car. He did get the car sparkling clean before any of the Scotchcal was installed. Actually, I had just finished waxing my car the week before I brought it in and the cleaning job was so good that all my wax was removed. This is a really good thing since the ScotchCal doesn't stick to wax very well. I watched Matt the whole time he cleaned the exterior and he was both extremely thorough and careful the whole time. The paint was not damaged in any way.

Maximawanabee, from what I have been told, the ScotchCal can be waxed at the same time and with the same products as the rest of the car. It is very glossy to begin with, but I am sure it will be even more so once I've waxed it with some Klasse. I have not done this yet so I really can't tell you first hand how it looks. The Armourfend is supposed to be more glossy than the XPel or Stonegard products. Unfortunately I had work today and it also was raining/sleeting here today . I expect there will be some difference in the shine between the regular paint and the Armourfend. In fact, this is probably one of the few ways to tell that the car has the Armourfend on it. However, I believe that this is a relatively small price to pay for the security of knowing that the front of the car can not get chipped. Also, in my opinion (this is not meant to be an insult), the Armourfend looks far superior and is far less noticable than a "wind deflector" or a "bra".

I hope this answers everyone's questions. Please let me know if you have any more and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

GregP, I realized after my last post that I really hadn't answered your questions - sorry!

Anyway, here are the answers:

I physically went to the Armourfend manufacturing facility in CT to have my hood and bumper measured. This was performed by the owner, an individual named Joe. These measurements were then digitized by Joe and the new hood part was produced. I say it was made to "my specs" because it goes up higher on the hood than any other one readily available in the marketplace. At this time, all three companies, XPel, Stonegard and Armourfend provide 2K2 kits. It is my understanding that the hood is the same for all 5 Gen Maxima's including the 2K2 (I could be wrong though). The bumper is what changed. The exterior shape of the head-lights is also the same.

 

So...

If I were to desire the Armourfend kit, how would I go about getting the one that you had prototyped? I assume that yours is the only one in existence right now? Will all future Armourfend kits for the 2k2 Max be based on the one made for your car?

Thanks and sorry for all the questions!

Greg

 

I do not believe that the hood kit I prototyped is the de-facto standard from Armourfend since they also have a complete kit for 2000 and 2001 models with a shorter hood cover. However, if you contact Armourfend, they should be able to supply the taller/prototyped part to you or your installer. Here is their British web page:

http://www.armourfend.com

I dealt with Joe from the U.S. branch. Here is the U.S. website with contact info:

http://www.armourfendamerica.com/Contact/index.html

I did pay about $35 more for the larger hood part but I felt it was worth the money. I just couldn't (and still don't) understand why all the kits weren't made like the one I had installed. I do not know if all future Armourfend kits will be prototyped from my car.

To the best of my knowledge, I am the only 5th Gen Maxima owner with a ScotchCal hood cover that goes up as far on the hood as the one I had installed. As a side note, I would have covered the whole thing if it were possible! Unfortunately, the tallest ScotchCal is only 24" and then you run into the problem of having multiple pieces and seams on the hood - yuck! Oh well . . .

Good luck with whatever you decide to do! If you have any more questions, feel free to fire away.

 

Depending on the temperature, you should wait a couple of days to a week or more before using Klasse, Zaino or even wax on the 3M film. Give it time to dry and let the trapped layer of water out. IME the surface of the normal ScotchCal looks very dimply before drying and will flatten out with time, but never quite reach the same shine as a good clear coat. A good synthetic polish works wonders as normal waxes leave a whitish line that is hard to totally remove.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. Any thoughts on the Klasse vs. Zaino question when applied to the ScotchCal? The ScotchCal on my car doesn't really look "dimply" I would say it is just a little dull looking compared to the normal paint. . . .

 

Never tried Klasse, but I'll be trying Zaino next week (or month). My rock guard was just put on yesterday so I too must/should wait, especially up here at -10c in an unheated garage.

I put 3M on my last car and made the mistake of trying to polish it before it dried and I think that screwed up the clear coat finish. It never did get the shiney look that some other cars had even after it had dried and smoothed out.

 

Just wanted to chime in and say Matt and his crew at Detailing Dynamics did another awesome detailing job for me last week. If any of you are wondering...the Armourfend kit that was installed for me by Matt (Sept 2000) still looks brand new.

Andy