Anyone have this?
Brian
Full Version: Does Anyone Have Armourfend?
Getting Armourfend (3M invisible film) fitted to my car front end, mirrors etc shortly to protect it from stone chips and junk. Seems very good - a known person fitting it so not just a company selling me bum!!
Anyone have this?
Brian
Anyone have this?
Brian
[quote name='Diesel Do Nicely Brian' post='367651' date='Jul 19 2006, 04:22 PM']Getting Armourfend (3M invisible film) fitted to my car front end, mirrors etc shortly to protect it from stone chips and junk. Seems very good - a known person fitting it so not just a company selling me bum!!
Anyone have this?
Brian[/quote]
How invisible is it really? I've seen it in magazines but it must surely leave a faint line where it ends and the 'naked' car starts again. That would gather polish/dirt etc I'd think.
Be interested to hear your views when it's fitted.
Anyone have this?
Brian
[/quote]How invisible is it really? I've seen it in magazines but it must surely leave a faint line where it ends and the 'naked' car starts again. That would gather polish/dirt etc I'd think.
Be interested to hear your views when it's fitted.
I enquired abput paintshield but wasn't over impressed with the responses and for £450 + vat I would want to see a car the fitter has done.
[quote name='Diesel Do Nicely Brian' post='367651' date='Jul 19 2006, 04:22 PM']Getting Armourfend (3M invisible film) fitted to my car front end, mirrors etc shortly to protect it from stone chips and junk. Seems very good - a known person fitting it so not just a company selling me bum!!
Anyone have this?
Brian[/quote]
A friend of mine in the States has it fitted to his Black 350 and swears by it. It isn't really noticable unless you look down the bonnet from either of the front door positions and you can see the end line of the film. You can still get marks in it from flying stones/grit, just doesn't get to the paint. If it gets badly marked I guess you just get it re-applied. I'll try and get some pics but may be difficult to see anything.
Anyone have this?
Brian
[/quote] A friend of mine in the States has it fitted to his Black 350 and swears by it. It isn't really noticable unless you look down the bonnet from either of the front door positions and you can see the end line of the film. You can still get marks in it from flying stones/grit, just doesn't get to the paint. If it gets badly marked I guess you just get it re-applied. I'll try and get some pics but may be difficult to see anything.
i have it, i bought a kit for the old IS direct from the states for about £40 from x-pel about 6 years ago and I have 1 stone chip but that went thru the plastic, other wise its fine.
yes after time dirt etc will collect along the edge but you remove this with a detailing brush/scraper, when it is new you can not see it on the car unless you stand directly above it and look hard then you see the line, over the years you notice it, mine is 6 years old and I can notice it, but a lot of people do not see it on my car. it also depends what thickness of material it is as there is such a wide range.
go to the 3M website, it is thier product regardless of what x-pel,paintshield,armourfend etc say and you will get all the info there.
the working life is about 4 years BTW.
you have to make 100% sure how high up the bonnet it goes, on the old IS it went up about 16" ( i have found a company that will do the complete bonnet but they are here in Switzerland)
if you pay £450 for the bonnet you are getting bent over a fence and raped with a big rough stick
yes after time dirt etc will collect along the edge but you remove this with a detailing brush/scraper, when it is new you can not see it on the car unless you stand directly above it and look hard then you see the line, over the years you notice it, mine is 6 years old and I can notice it, but a lot of people do not see it on my car. it also depends what thickness of material it is as there is such a wide range.
go to the 3M website, it is thier product regardless of what x-pel,paintshield,armourfend etc say and you will get all the info there.
the working life is about 4 years BTW.
you have to make 100% sure how high up the bonnet it goes, on the old IS it went up about 16" ( i have found a company that will do the complete bonnet but they are here in Switzerland)
if you pay £450 for the bonnet you are getting bent over a fence and raped with a big rough stick
The £450 + vat I was quoted was for bonnet front, bumper and mirrors.
I will be paying noweher near that, it will be the new non degrading 3M film being used and I trust the quality of the workmanship the person will do. The car will also be kept well detailed and cleaned so for me it will be worthwhile.
Nice to hear some positive reviews from people who actually have it (or similar).
Brian
Nice to hear some positive reviews from people who actually have it (or similar).
Brian
[quote name='Steve ( West Mids )' post='367742' date='Jul 19 2006, 08:07 PM']The £450 + vat I was quoted was for bonnet front, bumper and mirrors.[/quote]
ok, still excessive I think check how high up the bonnet it goes, does it cover ALL of the bumper and same for the wing mirror (old IS only had the middle part covered)
and important one - what is the thickness of the material as there are loads
ok, still excessive I think check how high up the bonnet it goes, does it cover ALL of the bumper and same for the wing mirror (old IS only had the middle part covered)
and important one - what is the thickness of the material as there are loads
[quote name='fluff34567' post='367907' date='Jul 20 2006, 10:57 AM'][quote name='Steve ( West Mids )' post='367742' date='Jul 19 2006, 08:07 PM']
The £450 + vat I was quoted was for bonnet front, bumper and mirrors.[/quote]
ok, still excessive I think check how high up the bonnet it goes, does it cover ALL of the bumper and same for the wing mirror (old IS only had the middle part covered)
and important one - what is the thickness of the material as there are loads
[/quote]
Hi guys had to jump in on this as there are a number of serious inaccuracies on this thread
Firstly There are not loads of thiicknesses there are only two standard thicknesses of the 3M consumer films .008 and.012 the .012 (12 mil) is not yet available in the new SGH in Europe. There are various thicknesses of other non consumer (OEM films) but these are not designed for large area coverage of cars.
Pricing: you can not get an XPEL kit for £40 this is nonsense (check their website and find out (www.xpel.com) Bear in mind Shipping and Import duties and VAT (you will pay VAT eventually) our prices for pure kits are + - 10% on Kit prices only. As for being raped with a stick, please! coming from the land of the 10 Pound Lager and £5 coke thats rich!
Our installed prices are very close to the equivalent mid range pricing in the US. Also buying from the US means no warranties, whereas we provide the Warranty support in the UK (and Europe) also there are variations between US and European Vehicles (we are the XPEL Euro design Centre) so a kit purchased from the US may not even fit a Euro Spec Car (mainly it is the bumper that is affected).
Although the writer is correct in the statement about it being 3M film, it is the only part they are close to being correct. Although 3M make the raw material they do NOT provide designs or pre-cut film and will not sell you film by the foot (we buy it 20 rolls at a time) also to be blunt we (and Armourfend) know far more about their product than they do (ring them up and ask them if you want), because we install it every day.
On coverage this is determined by Price we can (and have) wrap the whole front of the car forward of the A pillars like everything you get what you pay, certainly however no-one is being turned over as the writer states on a quality install at the stated price on that vehicle. You need to check what degree of coverage you are getting when a price is being sought as the writer is right in the inference that different designs from different companies do give different levels of protection. I know of several instances where competitors have underbid us apparrently, only to find later that the bonnet coverage was a 6" leading edge strip where we were pricing on a a nearly two foot deep bonnet piece and matching wing ends.
Sorry Mods, not meaning to sell on the board (I have lurked in here for Ages) however some of these innacuracies needed clarifying
Cheers
Tom
The £450 + vat I was quoted was for bonnet front, bumper and mirrors.[/quote]
ok, still excessive I think check how high up the bonnet it goes, does it cover ALL of the bumper and same for the wing mirror (old IS only had the middle part covered)
and important one - what is the thickness of the material as there are loads
[/quote]
Hi guys had to jump in on this as there are a number of serious inaccuracies on this thread
Firstly There are not loads of thiicknesses there are only two standard thicknesses of the 3M consumer films .008 and.012 the .012 (12 mil) is not yet available in the new SGH in Europe. There are various thicknesses of other non consumer (OEM films) but these are not designed for large area coverage of cars.
Pricing: you can not get an XPEL kit for £40 this is nonsense (check their website and find out (www.xpel.com) Bear in mind Shipping and Import duties and VAT (you will pay VAT eventually) our prices for pure kits are + - 10% on Kit prices only. As for being raped with a stick, please! coming from the land of the 10 Pound Lager and £5 coke thats rich!
Our installed prices are very close to the equivalent mid range pricing in the US. Also buying from the US means no warranties, whereas we provide the Warranty support in the UK (and Europe) also there are variations between US and European Vehicles (we are the XPEL Euro design Centre) so a kit purchased from the US may not even fit a Euro Spec Car (mainly it is the bumper that is affected).
Although the writer is correct in the statement about it being 3M film, it is the only part they are close to being correct. Although 3M make the raw material they do NOT provide designs or pre-cut film and will not sell you film by the foot (we buy it 20 rolls at a time) also to be blunt we (and Armourfend) know far more about their product than they do (ring them up and ask them if you want), because we install it every day.
On coverage this is determined by Price we can (and have) wrap the whole front of the car forward of the A pillars like everything you get what you pay, certainly however no-one is being turned over as the writer states on a quality install at the stated price on that vehicle. You need to check what degree of coverage you are getting when a price is being sought as the writer is right in the inference that different designs from different companies do give different levels of protection. I know of several instances where competitors have underbid us apparrently, only to find later that the bonnet coverage was a 6" leading edge strip where we were pricing on a a nearly two foot deep bonnet piece and matching wing ends.
Sorry Mods, not meaning to sell on the board (I have lurked in here for Ages) however some of these innacuracies needed clarifying
Cheers
Tom
Good reply Tom,
The Armourfend film was fitted last week to the following places:
Complete front bumper (one piece)
Bonnet (about 14 inches deep)
Wing ends to match bonnet line
Wing Mirrors
Side skirts
Headlights
Foglights
Top of rear bumper
A technician friend has looked at it and agrees it is the best job he has seen. It was fitted by a friend and Armourfend dealer and trainer. Aside from a few minor bubbles, and other tiny notieable things it is virtually invisible under normal looking, will hopefully protect the car over the many miles miles it will do and can then be removed if need be in 4 or 5 years to reveal a MUCH better condition car underneath.
You get what you pay for - Armourfend designed the film kit for my car - the first they had done, I travelled round trip of 500 miles to get it done by the right person at the right price and I think it was an investment. They did say it was very difficult job to do, the one piece bumper kit made it harder. It took around 3 1/2 hours to fit.
Armourfend can do the whole car if needed and MANY people get this done on cars like Ferrari's Porsche, Lamborghini etc where paint repair costs far exceed the cost of the film. Also, Aston Martin are now offering this as a factory option too.
Brian
The Armourfend film was fitted last week to the following places:
Complete front bumper (one piece)
Bonnet (about 14 inches deep)
Wing ends to match bonnet line
Wing Mirrors
Side skirts
Headlights
Foglights
Top of rear bumper
A technician friend has looked at it and agrees it is the best job he has seen. It was fitted by a friend and Armourfend dealer and trainer. Aside from a few minor bubbles, and other tiny notieable things it is virtually invisible under normal looking, will hopefully protect the car over the many miles miles it will do and can then be removed if need be in 4 or 5 years to reveal a MUCH better condition car underneath.
You get what you pay for - Armourfend designed the film kit for my car - the first they had done, I travelled round trip of 500 miles to get it done by the right person at the right price and I think it was an investment. They did say it was very difficult job to do, the one piece bumper kit made it harder. It took around 3 1/2 hours to fit.
Armourfend can do the whole car if needed and MANY people get this done on cars like Ferrari's Porsche, Lamborghini etc where paint repair costs far exceed the cost of the film. Also, Aston Martin are now offering this as a factory option too.
Brian
[quote name='Paintshield' post='373165' date='Aug 9 2006, 12:41 PM'][quote name='fluff34567' post='367907' date='Jul 20 2006, 10:57 AM']
[quote name='Steve ( West Mids )' post='367742' date='Jul 19 2006, 08:07 PM']
The £450 + vat I was quoted was for bonnet front, bumper and mirrors.[/quote]
ok, still excessive I think check how high up the bonnet it goes, does it cover ALL of the bumper and same for the wing mirror (old IS only had the middle part covered)
and important one - what is the thickness of the material as there are loads
[/quote]
Hi guys had to jump in on this as there are a number of serious inaccuracies on this thread
Firstly There are not loads of thiicknesses there are only two standard thicknesses of the 3M consumer films .008 and.012 the .012 (12 mil) is not yet available in the new SGH in Europe. There are various thicknesses of other non consumer (OEM films) but these are not designed for large area coverage of cars.
Pricing: you can not get an XPEL kit for £40 this is nonsense (check their website and find out (www.xpel.com) Bear in mind Shipping and Import duties and VAT (you will pay VAT eventually) our prices for pure kits are + - 10% on Kit prices only. As for being raped with a stick, please! coming from the land of the 10 Pound Lager and £5 coke thats rich!
Our installed prices are very close to the equivalent mid range pricing in the US. Also buying from the US means no warranties, whereas we provide the Warranty support in the UK (and Europe) also there are variations between US and European Vehicles (we are the XPEL Euro design Centre) so a kit purchased from the US may not even fit a Euro Spec Car (mainly it is the bumper that is affected).
Although the writer is correct in the statement about it being 3M film, it is the only part they are close to being correct. Although 3M make the raw material they do NOT provide designs or pre-cut film and will not sell you film by the foot (we buy it 20 rolls at a time) also to be blunt we (and Armourfend) know far more about their product than they do (ring them up and ask them if you want), because we install it every day.
On coverage this is determined by Price we can (and have) wrap the whole front of the car forward of the A pillars like everything you get what you pay, certainly however no-one is being turned over as the writer states on a quality install at the stated price on that vehicle. You need to check what degree of coverage you are getting when a price is being sought as the writer is right in the inference that different designs from different companies do give different levels of protection. I know of several instances where competitors have underbid us apparrently, only to find later that the bonnet coverage was a 6" leading edge strip where we were pricing on a a nearly two foot deep bonnet piece and matching wing ends.
Sorry Mods, not meaning to sell on the board (I have lurked in here for Ages) however some of these innacuracies needed clarifying
Cheers
Tom
[/quote]
hi Tom many thanks for the reply however i have some comments myself:
"Standard" thicknesses may be as you said however in our workshop we have 4 different thicknesses of protection film on large rolls hence why I said "loads of different thicknesses"
I ordeder an X-pel bonnet and mirror kit MYSELF for £40 many years ago and had it sent to a friend in the US who posted it on marked as gift so no VAT so no it is not rubbish, and as the cost was nothing to worry about I wasnt concerned about a warranty. The kit fits perfectly as the bonnet is the same on the US car. you are correct about the bumper tho but nearly everyone on here knows the bumper is larger on the US car.
How much is your kit, it is not openly stated on your site? kit only BTW
Beer here is CHF 8 ( £3.42 at todays exchange) and a coke is about CHF4 ( £1.70) - even in ski resorts the prices are only slighty higher so I really hope you didnt pay the amounts you mentioned
I said it is a 3m product, i would have assumed people had the sense to know it was the raw material i was talking about and that any patterns need to be cut but I suppose you have to cater for everyone and spell it out.
Of course you have to check what you are paying for and make sure you know exactly what sections of the car will be covered and by how much eg a 15cm strip on the front of the bonnet is nearly worthless, and obviously a deeper strip is far better, people have to do their homework.
[quote name='Steve ( West Mids )' post='367742' date='Jul 19 2006, 08:07 PM']
The £450 + vat I was quoted was for bonnet front, bumper and mirrors.[/quote]
ok, still excessive I think check how high up the bonnet it goes, does it cover ALL of the bumper and same for the wing mirror (old IS only had the middle part covered)
and important one - what is the thickness of the material as there are loads
[/quote]
Hi guys had to jump in on this as there are a number of serious inaccuracies on this thread
Firstly There are not loads of thiicknesses there are only two standard thicknesses of the 3M consumer films .008 and.012 the .012 (12 mil) is not yet available in the new SGH in Europe. There are various thicknesses of other non consumer (OEM films) but these are not designed for large area coverage of cars.
Pricing: you can not get an XPEL kit for £40 this is nonsense (check their website and find out (www.xpel.com) Bear in mind Shipping and Import duties and VAT (you will pay VAT eventually) our prices for pure kits are + - 10% on Kit prices only. As for being raped with a stick, please! coming from the land of the 10 Pound Lager and £5 coke thats rich!
Our installed prices are very close to the equivalent mid range pricing in the US. Also buying from the US means no warranties, whereas we provide the Warranty support in the UK (and Europe) also there are variations between US and European Vehicles (we are the XPEL Euro design Centre) so a kit purchased from the US may not even fit a Euro Spec Car (mainly it is the bumper that is affected).
Although the writer is correct in the statement about it being 3M film, it is the only part they are close to being correct. Although 3M make the raw material they do NOT provide designs or pre-cut film and will not sell you film by the foot (we buy it 20 rolls at a time) also to be blunt we (and Armourfend) know far more about their product than they do (ring them up and ask them if you want), because we install it every day.
On coverage this is determined by Price we can (and have) wrap the whole front of the car forward of the A pillars like everything you get what you pay, certainly however no-one is being turned over as the writer states on a quality install at the stated price on that vehicle. You need to check what degree of coverage you are getting when a price is being sought as the writer is right in the inference that different designs from different companies do give different levels of protection. I know of several instances where competitors have underbid us apparrently, only to find later that the bonnet coverage was a 6" leading edge strip where we were pricing on a a nearly two foot deep bonnet piece and matching wing ends.
Sorry Mods, not meaning to sell on the board (I have lurked in here for Ages) however some of these innacuracies needed clarifying
Cheers
Tom
[/quote]
hi Tom many thanks for the reply however i have some comments myself:
"Standard" thicknesses may be as you said however in our workshop we have 4 different thicknesses of protection film on large rolls hence why I said "loads of different thicknesses"
I ordeder an X-pel bonnet and mirror kit MYSELF for £40 many years ago and had it sent to a friend in the US who posted it on marked as gift so no VAT so no it is not rubbish, and as the cost was nothing to worry about I wasnt concerned about a warranty. The kit fits perfectly as the bonnet is the same on the US car. you are correct about the bumper tho but nearly everyone on here knows the bumper is larger on the US car.
How much is your kit, it is not openly stated on your site? kit only BTW
Beer here is CHF 8 ( £3.42 at todays exchange) and a coke is about CHF4 ( £1.70) - even in ski resorts the prices are only slighty higher so I really hope you didnt pay the amounts you mentioned
I said it is a 3m product, i would have assumed people had the sense to know it was the raw material i was talking about and that any patterns need to be cut but I suppose you have to cater for everyone and spell it out.
Of course you have to check what you are paying for and make sure you know exactly what sections of the car will be covered and by how much eg a 15cm strip on the front of the bonnet is nearly worthless, and obviously a deeper strip is far better, people have to do their homework.
If you were talking about widths rather than thickness than you would have been correct as untill recently the only widths generally available were 6" 12" 18" and 24" however the film is now available in 30" and 48" widths to allow for pre-cut kits for full wings and full bonnets other thicknesses are not consumer products and are designed for OEM use only (excluding Headlight protection which is a special .020 thick Film)
As for the Beer and Coke prices I guess like most countries the message is Screw the tourist then
I have just done my price analysis from 3 Years ago and the price was higher than you state by about 35% I can only assume there was some discounting going on for some reason I cannot trace as for the VAT well you cant get away with that now as UPS and Fedex Etc collect the VAT and import duty at the door now when they deliver
We do not openly price or run a webcart on our website for two reasons one I have no wish to have customers run price comparisons without speaking to us to understand what they are getting for their money, plus as this is almost impossible for the average person to install alone (Let alone to a decent standard).
I prefer to take the ethical approach and not mislead people into thinking "buy this on line and you can install it" Which is unfortunately too often the case these days people if they really want can ring us up and get a kit only price after I advise them how hard this is is to do themselves then they dont end up tossing a bunch of money on the garage floor!!! It costs me business but at least my customers now EXACTLY what they are getting into up front!
Cheers
Tom
As for the Beer and Coke prices I guess like most countries the message is Screw the tourist then
I have just done my price analysis from 3 Years ago and the price was higher than you state by about 35% I can only assume there was some discounting going on for some reason I cannot trace as for the VAT well you cant get away with that now as UPS and Fedex Etc collect the VAT and import duty at the door now when they deliver
We do not openly price or run a webcart on our website for two reasons one I have no wish to have customers run price comparisons without speaking to us to understand what they are getting for their money, plus as this is almost impossible for the average person to install alone (Let alone to a decent standard).
I prefer to take the ethical approach and not mislead people into thinking "buy this on line and you can install it" Which is unfortunately too often the case these days people if they really want can ring us up and get a kit only price after I advise them how hard this is is to do themselves then they dont end up tossing a bunch of money on the garage floor!!! It costs me business but at least my customers now EXACTLY what they are getting into up front!
Cheers
Tom
[quote name='Diesel Do Nicely Brian' post='373168' date='Aug 9 2006, 11:59 AM']Good reply Tom,
The Armourfend film was fitted last week to the following places:
Complete front bumper (one piece)
Bonnet (about 14 inches deep)
Wing ends to match bonnet line
Wing Mirrors
Side skirts
Headlights
Foglights
Top of rear bumper
A technician friend has looked at it and agrees it is the best job he has seen. It was fitted by a friend and Armourfend dealer and trainer. Aside from a few minor bubbles, and other tiny notieable things it is virtually invisible under normal looking, will hopefully protect the car over the many miles miles it will do and can then be removed if need be in 4 or 5 years to reveal a MUCH better condition car underneath.
You get what you pay for - Armourfend designed the film kit for my car - the first they had done, I travelled round trip of 500 miles to get it done by the right person at the right price and I think it was an investment. They did say it was very difficult job to do, the one piece bumper kit made it harder. It took around 3 1/2 hours to fit.
Armourfend can do the whole car if needed and MANY people get this done on cars like Ferrari's Porsche, Lamborghini etc where paint repair costs far exceed the cost of the film. Also, Aston Martin are now offering this as a factory option too.
Brian[/quote]
Hi, yes Armourfend do typically do a good job and we have a good relationship with them (I do miss old Bob though now he has gone to california), I am glad you are happy with it, yes any good design house can do full cars (We have 15 to do for a collecter in France) a cautionory note though doing a full car ain't cheap so dont turn up with an Is300 and expect it to be done for 500 quid, a full car covered would be between 3-5K from anyone decent, (other than a maniac with a Stanley Knife and a roll of film) <shudder> they do exist ,check out why paintshield on our website if you think I am Kidding (its the owner on there who has asked us in to do these cars having learned a bitter lesson about what low bid really means)
Cheers
Tom
PS I am certain that your decision will pay dividends Brian, even though you went to Harley central (oh can't call it that now that Bobs emigrated)
The Armourfend film was fitted last week to the following places:
Complete front bumper (one piece)
Bonnet (about 14 inches deep)
Wing ends to match bonnet line
Wing Mirrors
Side skirts
Headlights
Foglights
Top of rear bumper
A technician friend has looked at it and agrees it is the best job he has seen. It was fitted by a friend and Armourfend dealer and trainer. Aside from a few minor bubbles, and other tiny notieable things it is virtually invisible under normal looking, will hopefully protect the car over the many miles miles it will do and can then be removed if need be in 4 or 5 years to reveal a MUCH better condition car underneath.
You get what you pay for - Armourfend designed the film kit for my car - the first they had done, I travelled round trip of 500 miles to get it done by the right person at the right price and I think it was an investment. They did say it was very difficult job to do, the one piece bumper kit made it harder. It took around 3 1/2 hours to fit.
Armourfend can do the whole car if needed and MANY people get this done on cars like Ferrari's Porsche, Lamborghini etc where paint repair costs far exceed the cost of the film. Also, Aston Martin are now offering this as a factory option too.
Brian
[/quote]Hi, yes Armourfend do typically do a good job and we have a good relationship with them (I do miss old Bob though now he has gone to california), I am glad you are happy with it, yes any good design house can do full cars (We have 15 to do for a collecter in France) a cautionory note though doing a full car ain't cheap so dont turn up with an Is300 and expect it to be done for 500 quid, a full car covered would be between 3-5K
from anyone decent, (other than a maniac with a Stanley Knife and a roll of film) <shudder> they do exist ,check out why paintshield on our website if you think I am Kidding (its the owner on there who has asked us in to do these cars having learned a bitter lesson about what low bid really means) Cheers
Tom
PS I am certain that your decision will pay dividends Brian, even though you went to Harley central (oh can't call it that now that Bobs emigrated)
[quote name='Paintshield' post='375189' date='Aug 16 2006, 10:51 AM']If you were talking about widths rather than thickness than you would have been correct as untill recently the only widths generally available were 6" 12" 18" and 24" however the film is now available in 30" and 48" widths to allow for pre-cut kits for full wings and full bonnets other thicknesses are not consumer products and are designed for OEM use only (excluding Headlight protection which is a special .020 thick Film)
As for the Beer and Coke prices I guess like most countries the message is Screw the tourist then
I have just done my price analysis from 3 Years ago and the price was higher than you state by about 35% I can only assume there was some discounting going on for some reason I cannot trace as for the VAT well you cant get away with that now as UPS and Fedex Etc collect the VAT and import duty at the door now when they deliver
We do not openly price or run a webcart on our website for two reasons one I have no wish to have customers run price comparisons without speaking to us to understand what they are getting for their money, plus as this is almost impossible for the average person to install alone (Let alone to a decent standard).
I prefer to take the ethical approach and not mislead people into thinking "buy this on line and you can install it" Which is unfortunately too often the case these days people if they really want can ring us up and get a kit only price after I advise them how hard this is is to do themselves then they dont end up tossing a bunch of money on the garage floor!!! It costs me business but at least my customers now EXACTLY what they are getting into up front!
Cheers
Tom[/quote]
when i say thickness i mean thickness not length or width
as for vat, its easily solved if its sent with usps and as a gift!
As for the Beer and Coke prices I guess like most countries the message is Screw the tourist then
I have just done my price analysis from 3 Years ago and the price was higher than you state by about 35% I can only assume there was some discounting going on for some reason I cannot trace as for the VAT well you cant get away with that now as UPS and Fedex Etc collect the VAT and import duty at the door now when they deliver
We do not openly price or run a webcart on our website for two reasons one I have no wish to have customers run price comparisons without speaking to us to understand what they are getting for their money, plus as this is almost impossible for the average person to install alone (Let alone to a decent standard).
I prefer to take the ethical approach and not mislead people into thinking "buy this on line and you can install it" Which is unfortunately too often the case these days people if they really want can ring us up and get a kit only price after I advise them how hard this is is to do themselves then they dont end up tossing a bunch of money on the garage floor!!! It costs me business but at least my customers now EXACTLY what they are getting into up front!
Cheers
Tom[/quote]
when i say thickness i mean thickness not length or width
as for vat, its easily solved if its sent with usps and as a gift!
[quote name='fluff34567' post='379974' date='Sep 5 2006, 12:25 AM'][quote name='Paintshield' post='375189' date='Aug 16 2006, 10:51 AM']
If you were talking about widths rather than thickness than you would have been correct as untill recently the only widths generally available were 6" 12" 18" and 24" however the film is now available in 30" and 48" widths to allow for pre-cut kits for full wings and full bonnets other thicknesses are not consumer products and are designed for OEM use only (excluding Headlight protection which is a special .020 thick Film)
As for the Beer and Coke prices I guess like most countries the message is Screw the tourist then
I have just done my price analysis from 3 Years ago and the price was higher than you state by about 35% I can only assume there was some discounting going on for some reason I cannot trace as for the VAT well you cant get away with that now as UPS and Fedex Etc collect the VAT and import duty at the door now when they deliver
We do not openly price or run a webcart on our website for two reasons one I have no wish to have customers run price comparisons without speaking to us to understand what they are getting for their money, plus as this is almost impossible for the average person to install alone (Let alone to a decent standard).
I prefer to take the ethical approach and not mislead people into thinking "buy this on line and you can install it" Which is unfortunately too often the case these days people if they really want can ring us up and get a kit only price after I advise them how hard this is is to do themselves then they dont end up tossing a bunch of money on the garage floor!!! It costs me business but at least my customers now EXACTLY what they are getting into up front!
Cheers
Tom[/quote]
when i say thickness i mean thickness not length or width
as for vat, its easily solved if its sent with usps and as a gift!
[/quote]
Yeah its not like customs havent heard that one before, Ask StevenG off the Celica Forum what happened to him once with this "wriggle" the days of floating general products through as Gifts are pretty much gone, they will bill you and if customs see a lot of this (they do keep records apparrently) they present you with a large bill. anyhoo anyone want to take the risk knock yourself out.
As for the thickness discussion I stand by my comments, there are only TWO standard consumer thickness of 3M PPF, all the rest will be aerospace product or OEM only product.
Not that I know what I am talking about having been a 3M Wholesaler for over 3 years
Maybe Switzerland gets special dispensation from 3M germany to sell some of this stuff to consumers, but elsewhere in Europe (and in the US) only these two thicknesses are ever sold by the Aftermarket Automotive Divisions for consumer use. Heck even I have to make a special request to get this stuff for special requirements and they get a ton of money out of me every year (minimum order 20 rolls at a time)
Cheers
Tom
If you were talking about widths rather than thickness than you would have been correct as untill recently the only widths generally available were 6" 12" 18" and 24" however the film is now available in 30" and 48" widths to allow for pre-cut kits for full wings and full bonnets other thicknesses are not consumer products and are designed for OEM use only (excluding Headlight protection which is a special .020 thick Film)
As for the Beer and Coke prices I guess like most countries the message is Screw the tourist then
I have just done my price analysis from 3 Years ago and the price was higher than you state by about 35% I can only assume there was some discounting going on for some reason I cannot trace as for the VAT well you cant get away with that now as UPS and Fedex Etc collect the VAT and import duty at the door now when they deliver
We do not openly price or run a webcart on our website for two reasons one I have no wish to have customers run price comparisons without speaking to us to understand what they are getting for their money, plus as this is almost impossible for the average person to install alone (Let alone to a decent standard).
I prefer to take the ethical approach and not mislead people into thinking "buy this on line and you can install it" Which is unfortunately too often the case these days people if they really want can ring us up and get a kit only price after I advise them how hard this is is to do themselves then they dont end up tossing a bunch of money on the garage floor!!! It costs me business but at least my customers now EXACTLY what they are getting into up front!
Cheers
Tom[/quote]
when i say thickness i mean thickness not length or width
as for vat, its easily solved if its sent with usps and as a gift!
[/quote]
Yeah its not like customs havent heard that one before, Ask StevenG off the Celica Forum what happened to him once with this "wriggle" the days of floating general products through as Gifts are pretty much gone, they will bill you and if customs see a lot of this (they do keep records apparrently) they present you with a large bill. anyhoo anyone want to take the risk knock yourself out.
As for the thickness discussion I stand by my comments, there are only TWO standard consumer thickness of 3M PPF, all the rest will be aerospace product or OEM only product.
Not that I know what I am talking about having been a 3M Wholesaler for over 3 years
Maybe Switzerland gets special dispensation from 3M germany to sell some of this stuff to consumers, but elsewhere in Europe (and in the US) only these two thicknesses are ever sold by the Aftermarket Automotive Divisions for consumer use. Heck even I have to make a special request to get this stuff for special requirements and they get a ton of money out of me every year (minimum order 20 rolls at a time)
Cheers
Tom
of course customs know all the tricks, if it is on a regular basis it is only time before you get the bill from UK customs, i assume people would have the common sense and not try to import boxes and boxes of items marked as gift 
but for the single item the chances of getting charged are minimal, but anyway you take your chances and should add in this possible cost. ( BTW CH customs have a initial duty free limit of 300CHF before any taxes are applicable - a far fairer system IMO)
i mentioned the different thicknesses because different thicknesses are produced, there may well be 2 that are openly available on the consumer market and because i know there are different thicknesses ( my workshop has 3 or 4 thicknesses available) and once when making enquiries at a local outfit for complete bonnet coverage they had 1 quite large roll that was thicker than the standard bonnet kit thickness, so thought it best to let people know about it, dont think that there is any harm in that?
For those that were at JAE a few years ago some may remember I had a roll of thick film and gave out quite a lot of it, does anyone still have it?
but for the single item the chances of getting charged are minimal, but anyway you take your chances and should add in this possible cost. ( BTW CH customs have a initial duty free limit of 300CHF before any taxes are applicable - a far fairer system IMO)i mentioned the different thicknesses because different thicknesses are produced, there may well be 2 that are openly available on the consumer market and because i know there are different thicknesses ( my workshop has 3 or 4 thicknesses available) and once when making enquiries at a local outfit for complete bonnet coverage they had 1 quite large roll that was thicker than the standard bonnet kit thickness, so thought it best to let people know about it, dont think that there is any harm in that?
For those that were at JAE a few years ago some may remember I had a roll of thick film and gave out quite a lot of it, does anyone still have it?
Hi All
Just been reading this thread and wanted to add that I have two Lexus now (LS430 and 400) and have been appointed as an approved Armourfend installer (Protectacar) based out of my three garage centres in Watford, Romsey and Southampton and would be happy to work with any members if they require our services!
Great banter on the board I am sure either Tom or I would be pleased to support a demonstration of the product and our services if appropriate anytime.
Yes I do have Armourfend 3m on my Lexus as demo vehicle (also on my smart car too!)
Murph
Just been reading this thread and wanted to add that I have two Lexus now (LS430 and 400) and have been appointed as an approved Armourfend installer (Protectacar) based out of my three garage centres in Watford, Romsey and Southampton and would be happy to work with any members if they require our services!
Great banter on the board I am sure either Tom or I would be pleased to support a demonstration of the product and our services if appropriate anytime.
Yes I do have Armourfend 3m on my Lexus as demo vehicle (also on my smart car too!)
Murph
[quote name='Diesel Do Nicely Brian' post='367651' date='Jul 19 2006, 03:22 PM']Getting Armourfend (3M invisible film) fitted to my car front end, mirrors etc shortly to protect it from stone chips and junk. Seems very good - a known person fitting it so not just a company selling me bum!!
Anyone have this?
Brian[/quote]
Theres a new firm cald Mastershield International and they are doing the bomb introduction prices, i found them on google and they use Avery Dennison clear film give them a call your save a fair bit.
[quote name='Diesel Do Nicely Brian' post='367651' date='Jul 19 2006, 03:22 PM']Getting Armourfend (3M invisible film) fitted to my car front end, mirrors etc shortly to protect it from stone chips and junk. Seems very good - a known person fitting it so not just a company selling me bum!!
Anyone have this?
Brian[/quote]
Anyone have this?
Brian
[/quote]Theres a new firm cald Mastershield International and they are doing the bomb introduction prices, i found them on google and they use Avery Dennison clear film give them a call your save a fair bit.
[quote name='Diesel Do Nicely Brian' post='367651' date='Jul 19 2006, 03:22 PM']Getting Armourfend (3M invisible film) fitted to my car front end, mirrors etc shortly to protect it from stone chips and junk. Seems very good - a known person fitting it so not just a company selling me bum!!
Anyone have this?
Brian
[/quote]
Full Colour Version: Does Anyone Have Armourfend?
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