SMARTGUARD

[MVERRAN]

Hi guys i am new to this forum having viewed it for several weeks i have found it very informative anyway i have just traded my boxster S for a new 996 40th aniversary car and am looking to give it some protection from the dreaded stone chips,i have contacted a company that advertises in porsche post called smartguard based in maidenhead they use a 3m protection film,has anybody used this company and if so what level of sevice did you receive and did the film fitted offer reasonable protection,any comments gratefully received.

[domster]

Presumably this is the same or similar to armofend 3m film. A clear plastic covering that is applied over the paint. Good for preventing stonechips. I am not sure whether it yellows with age, as some films I have seen have gone off-clear after a decade or so.

Not sure about the company in maidenhead. Never heard it mentioned before. If you're the guinea pig let us know how you get on.

Oh, and welcome to PH

[MVERRAN]

The guy in maidenhead appears to be a franchisee within the smartguard group a guarantee is offered against yellowing which is good because the process of covering everthing that is normally attacked by stones e.g. bumpers sills valances mirrors etc is expensive ie £750.00 plus vat fitted but if it works it could prove relatively cheap in the long run.

[domster]

Sounds pretty good at the price. I normally buy s/h cars with their fair share of chips already, but if buying a new or newish one this would appeal.

[veewhy]

Sounds £ucking expn£ive to me!, I don't care if it's on a Porker, Ferrari or Bernie's Sunseeker, it's still a few metres of plastic film from 3M, nothing special about it apart from it being another 3M 'proprietary' item and consequently hideously overpriced. I thought Armourfend were expensive but this lot take the biscuit, still I guess you’re paying for his nice shiney liveried van that the Franchise Company insisted he had to buy before he could buy their film, etc. I had this done by Armourfend on my then pristine 993, and then went and had ‘an incident’ with an Almera; upshot: total respray of front end, All the amourfend had to come off, When I asked Amourfend for a discount price on a replacement set, they refused. Which funny enough had the effect of waking me up to the futility of the idea in the first place, I figured that even if I did have it refitted, it wouldn’t ‘weather’ any better than the first application, which after a while began to look pitted and sliced in places, So the berk at Amourfend lost a punter and now I just live with the occasional chip until I can’t any longer, at which point I will just get it resprayed, which for the money 3M and their mates are asking will not be much more to do. If anyone is wondering what I mean by 'proprietary', just try and buy the stuff direct from 3M…

[phelix]

Have a look at www.invincashield.co.uk

[veewhy]

phelix said:

Have a look at www.invincashield.co.uk

Now you're talking..., a lot less money and no need to contribute to the Franchise company's pension fund...