Ventureshield?
Discussion
I'm considering getting a new Exige and know from previous experience how susceptible Elises/Exiges are to stone chips.
What is people's experience with Ventureshield? How discreet is it? Does it 'yellow' with age? Is it effective against stone chips?
What areas would benefit from covering?
Thanks
Jason
What is people's experience with Ventureshield? How discreet is it? Does it 'yellow' with age? Is it effective against stone chips?
What areas would benefit from covering?
Thanks
Jason
I have Mastershield on mine and think its very good.
Without it the front end would look like it had been pebble dashed(especially being black)!
I believe the stuff they use these days is much better,so no yellowing or taking paint off should it need removing.
I would definately use it again,only difference being i would have the full length of the outer sills done rather than just the rear wheelarch,that area takes a pasting.
Without it the front end would look like it had been pebble dashed(especially being black)!
I believe the stuff they use these days is much better,so no yellowing or taking paint off should it need removing.
I would definately use it again,only difference being i would have the full length of the outer sills done rather than just the rear wheelarch,that area takes a pasting.
My Europa has the front end done, not sure how long its been on the car. Previous owner had Lotus repaint the front bumper then apply it. I'm not sure what brand of film it is, just that its the genuine Lotus supplied stuff. My car is immaculate, you barely notice the film and it polishes up as nice as the rest of the car. Thoroughly recommended. If you are starting out with a brand new car or after a bumper/front end repaint it seems daft not to spec it.
Do it! The fronts are extremely susceptible to stone chips. Afer 30,000m the front of my car is terrible. I saw a car with Armourfend (same type of stuff) that looked great but the one part of the car where it was missing was as bad as mine. I've seen enough on other threads to convince me too.
Yes I would also do it. My Exige is my daily commute and its covered in chips, some of which are pretty unsightly. I had someone go into the back of me in a car park and had the rear clam resprayed - I had the sills done too and venture shield put on the rear arches. No stone chips to date 3k miles later, but it will guarantee that stones will miss the venture shield and get the paintwork anyway!
footsoldier said:
Tucker1 said:
My car is immaculate, you barely notice the film and it polishes up as nice as the rest of the car. .
That's the bit I haven't been sure about - do you just polish it like the rest of the car, and it doesn't look "dull" over time?dont polish the film - polish is slightly abrasive (unlike a wax) and will end up making the film milky over time
hence when people see old film thats yellow, milky etc, its usually not been looked after properly over the years
get as much as you can done by someone that does custom Elise kits ....not really worth doing though unless youve had recent paint e.g. dont put it on top of stone chipped/imperfect paint ..
hence when people see old film thats yellow, milky etc, its usually not been looked after properly over the years
get as much as you can done by someone that does custom Elise kits ....not really worth doing though unless youve had recent paint e.g. dont put it on top of stone chipped/imperfect paint ..
You must polish the film, you treat any area's with film as you would if it was still just paint. If you do not polish the film it is easier for particles of dirt, tar etc to stick to it. Do not use a polish like T cut, you just want to make sure the film has a nice sheen on it, smooth to the touch, if you run your finger over it & it bites then it needs some polish on. Do not use anything abrasive on the film or any chemicals.
Polish you can use Mr sheen if you like, as long as it gives the film a sheen then that will be fine.
Not all polishes are abrasive, if you use some on any film, best to get one that does not dry to white powder as this will show along the edge of the film, easy enough to run your finger along to remove that though but easier to avoid.
As for all films being the same, they certainly are not.
Some people who sell films have 3M or Ventureshield that they re-brand themselves, some have introduced their own & some advertise normal clear film used for signmaking as paint protection film eg KPMF.
Ventureshield is used at Lotus, our Aston dealers we deal with get new cars in from Aston with the 3M on, we are then paid to go in, remove that film & replace it with Ventureshield, VW have now signed up to have Ventureshield as their sole supplier of this product which you can read at www.invisiblepatterns.com , all as it is the market leader & comes out top in independant testing.
Not all polishes are abrasive, if you use some on any film, best to get one that does not dry to white powder as this will show along the edge of the film, easy enough to run your finger along to remove that though but easier to avoid.
As for all films being the same, they certainly are not.
Some people who sell films have 3M or Ventureshield that they re-brand themselves, some have introduced their own & some advertise normal clear film used for signmaking as paint protection film eg KPMF.
Ventureshield is used at Lotus, our Aston dealers we deal with get new cars in from Aston with the 3M on, we are then paid to go in, remove that film & replace it with Ventureshield, VW have now signed up to have Ventureshield as their sole supplier of this product which you can read at www.invisiblepatterns.com , all as it is the market leader & comes out top in independant testing.
I have a black s160 and the first owner specced ventureshield on the car out of the factory - very glad he did - 10 years and 52k later it still looks great. Comparing it to cars without makes me cringe...
Go for the full v-shield kit if you can, as noted above the rear wheel arches take a pounding just outside the v-shield.
Go for the full v-shield kit if you can, as noted above the rear wheel arches take a pounding just outside the v-shield.
All my last 5 or so cars have been black, I always have film on them, which works great and so Ive learnt the lesson re the white powdery polish and wax 
I find the Meguires chrystal wax does the trick without leaving powder, and some synthetic Gtechniq polymer I have had done works a treat too....
I was just pointing out a warning to others though, after seeing peoples cars with film thats got a light scoured effect after 3 years of monthly "polishing" - be careful that you use "polish" thats really a wax - check on detailingworld or such like, they used to have abrasion charts etc showing the real content of products, abrasion level, filler content etc...
of course some owners will say "the film is just crap" "its gone smeary over the years" "you can see the film and the white lines around it" ...most of the time its down to how its been looked after, rather than anything wrong with the film itself....
theres so much confusion out there with these products these days - a true "polish" by its nature has to be abrasive in order to work ...you know remove a layer of crap off your paint and make it look shiny again...hence its not recommended you do it weekly with the machines that are becoming so popular, otherwise your paint is going to get thin over the years LOL
I find the Meguires chrystal wax does the trick without leaving powder, and some synthetic Gtechniq polymer I have had done works a treat too....
I was just pointing out a warning to others though, after seeing peoples cars with film thats got a light scoured effect after 3 years of monthly "polishing" - be careful that you use "polish" thats really a wax - check on detailingworld or such like, they used to have abrasion charts etc showing the real content of products, abrasion level, filler content etc...
of course some owners will say "the film is just crap" "its gone smeary over the years" "you can see the film and the white lines around it" ...most of the time its down to how its been looked after, rather than anything wrong with the film itself....
theres so much confusion out there with these products these days - a true "polish" by its nature has to be abrasive in order to work ...you know remove a layer of crap off your paint and make it look shiny again...hence its not recommended you do it weekly with the machines that are becoming so popular, otherwise your paint is going to get thin over the years LOL
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