armourfend or not to armourfend !!!!!!!

armourfend or not to armourfend !!!!!!!

Author
Discussion

lady topaz

Original Poster:

3,855 posts

255 months

Friday 28th February 2003
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Was advised not to put armourfend on as spoils looks but now told respray could be 1200 squids just to cover up stone chips any comments?

Alf Essex

1,467 posts

262 months

Friday 28th February 2003
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Lady,

Well my new car will have armourfend over it for that very reason...worthy investment to mitigate any high costs later!

Most of the advice I got on here was to armourfend so took the advice.

Alan.

lady topaz

Original Poster:

3,855 posts

255 months

Friday 28th February 2003
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WHAT DO YOU RECKON ABOUT LOOKS ALF COS SAW A LOT AT LE MANS LAST YEAR AND FRONT WAS STILL BADLY SCARRED EVEN WITH PROTECTION. HOW LONG DO THEY RECKON PROTECTION WILL LAST?

Alf Essex

1,467 posts

262 months

Friday 28th February 2003
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Got me there Lady....I have to say I've never asked how long it would protect the paint work. Surprised then to hear that you've seen 'BADLY SCARRED' cars with protection. Hope I haven't wasted loads of money...When I saw the protection on the demo car at Castle...I only say a line of film across the bonnet no more than that. Looked ok to me.

Alan.

21TVR

655 posts

257 months

Friday 28th February 2003
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mrs topaz you've been putting in some posts over the last few days!!! ...worse than me

aND WOT's ALL THIS SHOUTING THEN ? shift key stuck ?

me only jokin me julie!

armourfend ? I don't think it's worth it myself, the bodywork looks odd with it. You're going to get stone chips - sorry but that's the way it is! With the crystal topaz i think they will be less noticeable

just enjoy it - and then get it re-painted (huh, easy for me to say!)

sp

lady topaz

Original Poster:

3,855 posts

255 months

Friday 28th February 2003
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ok - whispering now! Loads of log-in's as it's all sooo very interesting.....
Anyway, I heard armourfend invalidates paint warranty - as paint sweats under the seal and then paint lifts if pulled off.

mad-dot

341 posts

259 months

Saturday 1st March 2003
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Dunno about sweaty underpaint, but every one I've seen looks like someones taken a Stanley knife to it!

apache

39,731 posts

285 months

Saturday 1st March 2003
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armourfend seems to look less conspico, cons, obvious on lighter paint, which is a bummer cos stone chips look less obvew, ob conspicuous on lighter paint too

BCA

8,626 posts

258 months

Saturday 1st March 2003
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You could always use the same method as 21TVR

Only slightly more visible than armourfend (see the airfield day thread piccys

Nick Elliott

2,396 posts

282 months

Saturday 1st March 2003
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The first Tuscan I seen with armoufend looked like some one had keyed the service bonnet it put me off having it fitted on mine.After two years went for a front end re-spray instead which was FOC courtesy of The Isle of Man bus company & their numpty driver

Nick


flasher

9,238 posts

285 months

Saturday 1st March 2003
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apache said: armourfend seems to look less conspico, cons, obvious on lighter paint, which is a bummer cos stone chips look less obvew, ob conspicuous on lighter paint too


You've been drinking again, haven't you apache?



mad-dot

341 posts

259 months

Saturday 1st March 2003
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flasher said:

apache said: armourfend seems to look less conspico, cons, obvious on lighter paint, which is a bummer cos stone chips look less obvew, ob conspicuous on lighter paint too


You've been drinking again, haven't you apache?


....magic



shorts!

684 posts

255 months

Sunday 2nd March 2003
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I've always thought armourfend looks worse than stonechips. Nothing looks worse than stonechipped armourfend though. Armourfend can't prevent all stonechips though the big ones may be smaller. If you really must avoid stonechips drive everywhere slowly, don't do trackdays and generally use the car as little as possible. Don't spoil your beautiful car by wrapping it in clingfilm.

tuscan_s

3,164 posts

274 months

Sunday 2nd March 2003
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Also, water collects around the edges and and can stain which makes a nice dirty line across the edges.

Also, if the fitment is a bodge job you are screwed.

Hence I haven't gone for it. PS I have driven for 2,020 miles and haven't got any chips!

21TVR

655 posts

257 months

Sunday 2nd March 2003
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tuscan_s said:


PS I have driven for 2,020 miles and haven't got any chips!


Steve, that's a long way to drive looking for a take-out that's open !!

tuscan_s

3,164 posts

274 months

Monday 3rd March 2003
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Very good...

damo m

165 posts

263 months

Monday 3rd March 2003
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I think that the decision as to whether to amourfend or not comes down to 2 things:

1) How much is the respray?
2) Can you see it (the armourfend that is)?

In the first instance, as my car is painted in a cascade colour, when I insisted that the car was blown over to get rid of the stone chips (and it had quite a few) the dealer complained that the paint cost nearly £500 per litre. They used 1 1/2 litres, quite a sum given that the labour and preparation costs would not be cheap either.

As far as the visibilty is concerned, I personally think that the armourfend is less visible in lighter coloured cars. It seems to be more visible in the blues, blacks and dark greens. Also, the cleaner your car the less visible it seems to be so keep buffing!

I put it on mine at the cost of about £800 and nobody has spotted it or made any comment so on balance I am pleased that I did it. Since having it done I have covered 2500miles and there are no stonechips whatsoever.

Hope this helps!

Mr Freefall

2,323 posts

259 months

Monday 3rd March 2003
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I've had amourfend on both my TVR's and I must say I wll have it again.

My tuscan is Pearlised Azure blue, quite a deep blue and it looks fine, no distorsion of colour on the bodywork, and when you come to sell the car it helps.

Amorfend can also take their pannels off and put new ones on which is a dam sight cheeper than a re-spay.

Looks like im the only fan of Amourfend on this post

Alf Essex

1,467 posts

262 months

Monday 3rd March 2003
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I agree with Damo also.

I just picked up mine which is a 'Cascade Copper' at £500 litre. Its a small price to pay to add amourfend me thinks in this case. It doesn't show up on mine at all until you get close to the car and even then its not that visible.

As Damo says, it depends what colour you go for as to whether you feel you need to protect your investment.

Alan.

ehasler

8,566 posts

284 months

Monday 3rd March 2003
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I had it on my GTS Blue Griffith, and although you could see a faint line (especially after polishing if you weren't careful to wipe away all the polish from the edge), you did have to look pretty closely.

I ran the car for 3 years, and didn't pick up any noticeable single stone chips. I was so impressed, I even got it fitted to my race Westfield for those gravel trap moments!

I'd definitely get it on my next TVR.