Unilat Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 I finally found an installer locally that applies paint protection films. While I was looking for folks familiar with Stongard or Rockblocker (the only two I am familiar with), by the time I drilled down from Stongard to a local disrtributor to several businesses that apply the product, I ended up talking to a guy about Llumar. The gentleman (John of Accurate Window Tint) seems to be impressed with the product - he stated that it is clearer than the 3M products and that it has a lifetime warranty against tuning yellow, cracking, peeling and bubbling. I'll be swinging out there in the next day or so to see the product. FYI Matt / OH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccorry Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Let us know, Matt.....and the price.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 [quote name='Unilat']I finally found an installer locally that applies paint protection films. While I was looking for folks familiar with Stongard or Rockblocker (the only two I am familiar with), by the time I drilled down from Stongard to a local disrtributor to several businesses that apply the product, I ended up talking to a guy about Llumar. The gentleman (John of Accurate Window Tint) seems to be impressed with the product - he stated that it is clearer than the 3M products and that it has a lifetime warranty against tuning yellow, cracking, peeling and bubbling. I'll be swinging out there in the next day or so to see the product. FYI Matt / OH[/quote] Matt, I will chime in here and let you know what I found from testing the LLumar film. It is clearer right of the box compared to the last generation of 3M ScothCal. The new generation that 3M came out with in June is now called ScotchGard and you are hard pressed to see a difference. The reasons why I havent changed over are for several reasons. Some are the back end and some are the front end. For the front end reasons is that I installed it on a buddy's white Escalade which is a tough color for a film like this to look completely white. First impression was pretty good. He is very picky and never lets it even get dusty for the most point since he owns a detail shop. After three months it was more yellowish looking than the last version of 3M right after install. That has me concerned and do not feel that the product has been around long enough in real life tests to say lets switch. The warranty for the LLumar film is 6 years not lifetime. If he wants to extend the warrnty to lifetime then more power to him. That is what we offer on our films. I am not trying to discourage you from using it since he can do an install for you and he might only want to use his product. Just trying to point at some things I have noticed since this is what I do for a living. Maybe he would install our product for you since I dont think he can match this great price on the kit? Just a thought. Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unilat Posted September 29, 2004 Author Share Posted September 29, 2004 Rockblocker, I was going to talk to him about that very thing tomorrow - I have no idea if he has any non-compete deals with his llumar distributor, but it's worth a try. Just in the past day I've learned quite a bit. mccorrey, FYI, $550 for the Llumar installed (similar kit to Rockblocker's full) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unilat Posted September 30, 2004 Author Share Posted September 30, 2004 Chad, thanks for the feedback earlier. I spoke to John at Accurate Tinting today, got a good feel for his work ethic, etc. - seems to be a strait shooter. He will apply either Llumar or 3M, depending on the customer's preference, but prefers Llumar. I asked if he would install a kit from a third party (Rockblocker), but declined as he is loyal to and doesn't want to burn any bridges with his distributor. I have to respect that. He will be installing Llumar on another car within the next week and promised to give me a call to take a look at it before the owner picks it up. I would really like to see this applied prior to making a decision about it having it done (3M or Llumar). Locally, the Llumar warranty is better than 3M's as John doesn't extend the warranty like Chad does. Llumar's manufacturer warranty as described in their brochure covers yellowing, cracking, peeling, bubbling and that it "will retain high luster and gloss" for as long as I own the car. This for the most part covers my concerns about that film (namely that it starts to look dirty after time), though I would rather it stay shiny than have to hassle with a warranty claim later! All that said, I'm still looking for other applicators so I can get some other viewpoints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B4GT Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 Guys, I was thinking about applying some kind of protection film at some point. I'd like to hold off that until I educate myself more on these as this will be the first time I've used it. In the mean time, I'm wondering if I should go ahead and wax my car, given that I just got the car last week, I'd like to at least put some kind of protection by waxing it. The question is, if I were to install the film later, is it a good idea to install it over the wax? I would assume it's better to install it onto the bare paint, correct? Appreciate any input. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unilat Posted October 2, 2004 Author Share Posted October 2, 2004 Waxing won't impact a later installation of the film - the installer should use a cleaner that strips waxes, bugs, etc. before applying the film. Like you implied, applying over a unclean surface would cause adhesion problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B4GT Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 Great, that's what I needed to know. Waxing is a GO! :) Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 [quote name='Unilat']Waxing won't impact a later installation of the film - the installer should use a cleaner that strips waxes, bugs, etc. before applying the film. Like you implied, applying over a unclean surface would cause adhesion problems.[/quote] Not all customers like that thought. The truth is as long as the wax is not a silicone or teflon based wax the product will adhere with wax there just fine. An installer just would want to strip that wax along the edges where they need full adhesive grip to make sure it stays put. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unilat Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 I learn something new about this every day... thanks for the input, Chad. I read the actual Llumar Warranty today; that document does not warrant the retention of high luster and gloss as I had indicated above (cracking, yellowing, etc. are covered though). The comment that frequent washings and waxing are recommended leave me wondering if these films require more maintenace that the paint they cover. Any comments along those lines Chad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 They need the same as your paint at least with 3M. The Llumar I dont see enough from day to day and personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 I have to agree Unilat, the films do seem like high maintenance. Ive seen a few 3M applications here in Australia which have looked great. On a HSV British Racing Green, looked really good. Even after 2 years, it looks brand new and from a small distance you couldnt even see it. Not sure that the owner really did anything special to the film when washing etc so that gave me the idea of putting it on. Here is a quick but good question. If you dont like the application, how hard is it to remove and does the film cause any damage on removal ? Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 [quote name='agctr']I have to agree Unilat, the films do seem like high maintenance. Ive seen a few 3M applications here in Australia which have looked great. On a HSV British Racing Green, looked really good. Even after 2 years, it looks brand new and from a small distance you couldnt even see it. Not sure that the owner really did anything special to the film when washing etc so that gave me the idea of putting it on. Here is a quick but good question. If you dont like the application, how hard is it to remove and does the film cause any damage on removal ? Adam.[/quote] Adam, I hate to say it but from I have learned and understand only the U.S. has the newest version and all other countries have version 3 from 3M. That could very well be the reason why you are seeing it differently than us in the U.S. It can be removed without harming the paint to answer your question. Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Thanks for the information Chad. So what are you saying there, that the version we have is no good and the US is better or the other way around. Im sure that Oz will get the new edition within the coming months, we are usually a few steps behind in that regard. And thanks for the removal answer too, was just curious. Thanks Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockBlocker Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 The US version is newer than the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Thanks again Chad. Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unilat Posted October 9, 2004 Author Share Posted October 9, 2004 [quote name='Unilat']<snip>He will be installing Llumar on another car within the next week and promised to give me a call to take a look at it before the owner picks it up.[/quote] John from Accurate is doing this install this Sunday in Dublin, Ohio. He is going to call me so I can take a look - if anyone else in this area is curious, I can let you know when h hour arrives... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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