Armourfend

[frostie]

I'm thinking of replacing the horrid chip protection film/tape they put on the 550's wheel arches with Armourfend as the factory stuff yellows badly and looks awful on a silver car ( it even looks yellow when new ! ).

Has anyone had an experience of putting armourfend on themselves ? Is it easy to work with ? Is it easy to cut ? I will need to buy a small sheet and tailor myself.

Also has anyone removed the factory stuff themselves ? According to Maranello's bodyshop it should come off without paintwork damage if you heat it first ( hair dryer suggested ) and provided its not damaged in any way.

Frostie

[paulbellis]

Frostie,
Armourfend is an excellent product. Doesn't 'yellow' and gives superb protection. However it is an absolute nightmare to put on. Once it touches the body it is very difficult to reposition and very hard to put on with no air bubbles under. I would leave it to one of their agents to place if you want a good result.
If you do decide to place it yourself use plenty of fluid to allow you to slide the film on the body. Don't worry about any small bubbles in the fluid as they will disappear, but make sure there are no large air blows as they won't and look awful.
The factory stuff on my 996 came off really easily after heating with the girlfriend's hairdryer, but make sure you get it really warm / softenned before peeling off

>> Edited by paulbellis on Monday 25th November 21:10

[456mgt]

Mark- I agree with Paul in that it is an excellent product that really does work. However, I would not even *think* about applying it yourself; they give you a 'difficulty score' for applying the various pieces, and yes you've guessed it, the front bumper (which is where you'll need it) scores a 10/10. They're based in Nazeing and will either come out to fit it or you can go to them- they're on an industrial estate.
www.armourfend.net
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Postal address: Unit 33, Hillgrove Business Park, Nazeing Road, Nazeing, Essex, England, EN9 2HB
Email: [e-mail]

PS- I have no connection whatsoever with this company (having read the posting rules etc!)

[frostie]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Don't worry Kev I am only going to replace the factory stuff in the arches as this is horrid, so its only very small area and out of sight. Would never attempt the bumper or anything like that !

The film is actually made by 3M and far far cheaper if you buy in the U.S. - found suppliers from 3M's site.

As an example in the UK its £20 for 2ft x 1ft sheet. In the US its $6.50 !!!!!!

Just seen a good application video. If you get the right application solution it should be fairly straightforward for the area I intend to do.

Frostie

>> Edited by frostie on Monday 25th November 22:41

[456mgt]

Aaahh. Fair enough, that bit's easy. When I watched them putting it on, the key ingredient was something they called "slip", which they sprayed on to the car and allowed them to locate the piece properly.

[bif]

The "slip" which I have seen used before is a small dash of washing up liquid ! I was told this does something to the the surface tension of the water !? seen it done regularly and it does work ! its the same principle fitting as fitting laminates to glazing.