Has any one here ever used some 3M adhesive film? I am refering to using it to protect hoods, headlights, mirrors ect…from rock chips.
I would like to do my headlights, if it looks good, to protect them since there is alot of gravel on the roads come spring time, and replacing silvia projector headlights isn’t very cheap!
Anyone know where you can get it?
Or the proper way to use it?
I know very little about the stuff!
Best idea is to get it professionally done. Sorta like tint. lol.
I know Ziebarts in Edmonton does it. It will have to be done by hand, as there are not pre-made kits for the silvia headlights (although they are not complicated).
It isn’t terribly expensive, but at the same time, it isn’t dirt cheap either.
I had it done By European Auto Tint on my Renault. They browned after about 3 years didn’t look very nice.
Well…if there is a chance it will just brown out, or look bad after a few years, then all the more reason to save some money and try it my self! I am pretty good at stuff like that that takes patience and a steady hand.
So that leads to the question: Where can you just buy it?
i’ve used it before, for fog lights and headlights, hoods, find the amount you need, the adhesive is quite strong, but the good thing about 3M is that you can put water on the sticky side and fix/reposition it, then use some hard thin plastic to squeeze out the water. wash it/scrub it as mcuh as possible, over time it will become yellowish brown if you don’t.
I put it on our Subaru when we first got the car.I most of the front bumper and 12" on the hood.If you do decide to do it yourself add Johnson’s baby shampoo to the water that you will be using to spray on the film.It helps alot.With regards to browning, I have never had a problem,just make sure that you wax it regularly.
I heard that when the “pro’s” do headlights they add a layer of insulating film under the protective film. Maybe that is why your healights changed colour??
I also heard Crappytire sells a film kind of like this. However, it is unknown if it is really crappy like most of the other stuff they sell!
And I am leaning towards doing it my self, or at least attempting it! So any advice you can give me for instalation or maintanence of the film would be appreciated!
Thanks nissanz32
Well when they did mine they layed a huge peice on with water. Got all the bubbles out with a plastic blade and the cut around the head lamp. I don’t recomemnd doing this if you have those little nipples on your headlaps. But you could always pre cut the nipples. :E
i know dave from garage works does this all the time,and he also can do it in different colors for your headlights.(blue,yellow.etc). i would definatly take it to him, and if it browns in a couple of years chances are that your gonna wana replace it anyway because of the rock chips,etc that will be in it.
I will warn you it can be a difficult task.When I did it I had a pro watching me and helping me out.You will need a heat gun,the film,razor blade,and a rubber squeege.It is also usefull to have a needle on hand to suck out any water that becomes trapped in little bubbles.The actual 3M film is quite expensive so unless you feel extremely comfortable doing it I would let a pro do it or at least see if they can give you a hand.Also make sure that you mix up some paint and perform all the touch ups on the area where you will be placing the 3M.It wil look a lot better if you do.Good luck woth the project.
Do not put it on your fog lights if you have them on all the time. The heat that they produce will turn it yellow or brown very fast.
I am not looking to install any film over any painted body parts, but thanks for the advice.
I will only be putting this over my headlights, if I get any at all!
And I was told by a 3M film installer that it isn’t the heat of the lights that turns them brown, it’s just dirt penetrating into the film. Don’t know if it’s true…just what he said!!
Anyone have any info on whether or not you apply a inslulating film under the protective film when putting it on headlights?
Me and a friend did my headlights, the 3M headlight tape is thicker than the regular hood tape. It’s about 1 mm thick or so.
We didn’t use any insulating layer, the heat from the headlights won’t melt the 3M tape unless the lights are abnormally hot.
Here’s what we did:
Mix up a bottle of soapy water, dish soap works fine.
Heat up your headlight lens, we used a halogen lamp and moved it every couple of minutes to warm up the entire area of the headlight.
Spray the soapy water all over the light, then apply the lens tape.
Use a piece of hard plastic with a rounded edge, or even a piece of extra baseboard material from the house, and smooth out the bubbles underneath the tape and press out the soapy water. THis takes a while, and some of the water will dry rather than be pressed out, but that’s fine.
Once it’s set in place, carefully cut the excess edges off so it fits the headlight nicely.
Hope that helps 8)
That helps alot! Thanks qualthar! What car did you do that on? How did it look?
and about how soapy do you want your mix of soapy water to be? are we talking like a little squirt, or half the bottle or what do you think? Thanks for the info!
Apparently the headlight fim is 2mm thick and the hood film is .7mm thick.
And I have been talking with 2 3M film installers and neither of them have any idea what this insulating film is, they have never heard of it. Both of them said you just apply the one layer of headlight specific film. And the stuff is available in clear, yellow, light blue, light purple, smoke. I really want to get ahold of some dark blue, not for coving the headlights, but apparently it isn’t available.
Ohh, and it was confirmed to me that they don’t yello/brown out from the heat. Apparently the film is a porous material and little bits of dirt get into the film and miss-colour it. Regular waxing is supposed to help prevent this.
We did it on the Skyline, and you can’t even tell the film is there unless you’re looking for it. You’ll be able to take a look at it once it’s out of hibernation this spring :E