Discussion
No doubt everybody has this problem. My cars not long been painted, the front spoiler, front clam not to bad thankfully, and rear wheel arches are already peppered with stone chips. Other than not take her out which is never going to happen the only solution I have found is wrapping those areas in clear wrap to protect it. I have found a company who for £300 will cover those parts plus the side skirts and wrap the mirrors gloss black which I think is a very good price.My question is, has anyone done this and did it help solve the problem?. Is there a better solution?
Any help guys would be appreciated cheers.
Any help guys would be appreciated cheers.
david.mt said:
It's a car - they tend to get chipped when driven. Personally I would avoid the cling film which looks tacky and worse than stone chips and just get it touched up or resprayed when it was bad enough.
The one i saw is clear and if fitted correctly should not notice hardly. At this rate i would be painting her every 6 wksThis is what my car is wearing.
http://www.armourfend.com/
They're only in Hainault too, you could walk there
http://www.armourfend.com/
They're only in Hainault too, you could walk there
If it's done well, it works and doesn't show too much,even the polish residue can be got off. I was sceptical, (mine came with it already fitted)but it was probably money well spent by the original owner. Mine's at 27,000 miles now Azure blue,and is still O.K.the only problem is when stones hit the Armourfend, although the paint is protected the mark it leaves can look like a stone chip anyway!
Edited by sjc on Friday 7th May 10:21
Blu3R said:
This is what my car is wearing.
http://www.armourfend.com/
They're only in Hainault too, you could walk there
Rob any chance to see how yours looks?http://www.armourfend.com/
They're only in Hainault too, you could walk there
The devil said:
I have just ripped mine off the car. yes it does a job but you tend to get a line showing around the edge and also if you polish the car up that bit dont shine like the rest
That was one of my worries, once its polished does it look the same as the parts not covered, and does it scratch easy. Still not convinced. sundance02 said:
Blu3R said:
This is what my car is wearing.
http://www.armourfend.com/
They're only in Hainault too, you could walk there
Rob any chance to see how yours looks?http://www.armourfend.com/
They're only in Hainault too, you could walk there
I've got stone chips all over the car.
Even on the top of rear clam where some stone has bounced off it.
How much does it cost to Armourfend?
I have enough to just leave it then respray once I can be bothered. I mean it is not going to rust is it?
Personally I think you would notice the armourfend more from a distance than a couple of stone chips.
Even on the top of rear clam where some stone has bounced off it.
How much does it cost to Armourfend?
I have enough to just leave it then respray once I can be bothered. I mean it is not going to rust is it?
Personally I think you would notice the armourfend more from a distance than a couple of stone chips.
I'm not going to lie, its not pretty. You can see where it has been pulled and stretched to make the various curves that the Noble has. Also, the pieces don't quite meet the edges of any panel which is intentional so you don't have loose edges lifting after a few washes, but that does mean that you can end up with perfectly straight lines of stone chips where there is no protection. This of course emphasises the line that the armourfend leaves at its edge.
Mine has (fitted from new) the whole front end kit (most noticeable by only covering the front half of the flat section of front clam) as well as side skirts, rear 1/4 intake mouths, rear arch guards, filler cap surround plus rear clam area where a lot of cars I've seen have had self inflicted chips from lack of care when at the pumps.
The issue of polish residue getting stuck into the lines of the edges can be simply wiped away with any decent quick detailer so absolutely no need to see any of that. A quick 5 mins round the car following a polish is all that needs.
The main problem I have with it is as mentioned, when you polish/wax for a very high gloss finish there's nothing you can do about the areas covered by armourfend. It is how it is. How those areas will age compared to the areas that I'm able to treat and care for I don't know yet.
Finally, would I have paid for it initially? Well my receipt says it was over £1k to supply and fit so the answer is no but I certainly won't be pulling it all off unless the paint begins to fade underneath or it starts to go milky (supposed to be UV resistant but no plastic ever truly is) like plastic can do.
Mine has (fitted from new) the whole front end kit (most noticeable by only covering the front half of the flat section of front clam) as well as side skirts, rear 1/4 intake mouths, rear arch guards, filler cap surround plus rear clam area where a lot of cars I've seen have had self inflicted chips from lack of care when at the pumps.
The issue of polish residue getting stuck into the lines of the edges can be simply wiped away with any decent quick detailer so absolutely no need to see any of that. A quick 5 mins round the car following a polish is all that needs.
The main problem I have with it is as mentioned, when you polish/wax for a very high gloss finish there's nothing you can do about the areas covered by armourfend. It is how it is. How those areas will age compared to the areas that I'm able to treat and care for I don't know yet.
Finally, would I have paid for it initially? Well my receipt says it was over £1k to supply and fit so the answer is no but I certainly won't be pulling it all off unless the paint begins to fade underneath or it starts to go milky (supposed to be UV resistant but no plastic ever truly is) like plastic can do.
Thanks for the advice guys. The wrap i have found is not as thick as the amour fend and i am only covering a small area was kinda hopping it wouldnt notice to much and £300 not alot to spend. But now im worried how it wears compared to the not treated and if you take it off has it worn different to the rest which means you got to paint it anyway. 
Wait and See how Robs looks.
Wait and See how Robs looks. Mine has Armourfend on it - I think it might have been fitted from new, but certainly was already there when I got the car (April 2006). It's not that noticeable, and I'm happy with the job it does preventing chips. Then again I'm not obsessive about polishing/shining the car to the nth degree. I also don't do enough miles, but it's now covered 16k including a few airfield days and still looks good. There's a slight scratch in it where a large stone hit it, but it still looks ok and I reckon that stone would have taken a sizable chunk out of the paint, and probably the bodywork too.
It's covered across the front (halfway up the bonnet), front lip of the front spoiler, fronts of the wheel arches, front edges of the side scoops, and front face of the mirrors.
I think whoever put it on did a good job as there are no obvious stretch marks, creases, or bubbles in it. I have no idea how much it originally cost to do.
Not sure if it helps, but the following are links to some photos on Flickr.
March 07
larger version
The white line on the right is a flagpole reflection, but you can just see the edge of the Armourfend continuing from the flag across the front of the car.
June 08
larger version
You can see the edge at the bottom of the front wheel arch.
July 08
larger version
Cheers,
Conrad.
It's covered across the front (halfway up the bonnet), front lip of the front spoiler, fronts of the wheel arches, front edges of the side scoops, and front face of the mirrors.
I think whoever put it on did a good job as there are no obvious stretch marks, creases, or bubbles in it. I have no idea how much it originally cost to do.
Not sure if it helps, but the following are links to some photos on Flickr.
March 07
larger version
The white line on the right is a flagpole reflection, but you can just see the edge of the Armourfend continuing from the flag across the front of the car.
June 08
larger version
You can see the edge at the bottom of the front wheel arch.
July 08
larger version
Cheers,
Conrad.
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