Front protective film

[DrDaveCA]

Starting sometime before my '05 was manufactured WRV started putting a protective film on the front of the coaches. I actually have the original "window sticker" from our coach and it says we have 3M Film Front Rock Guard. I called 3M and they tell me that is what they now call Scotchguard Protective Paint film. When the coach was delivered to us new in June '06, during the PDI they told me there was nothing special to be done with the front end, just wash it so I have been using your average dishwashing liquid to wash the whole coach (if it's good enough for Madge's hands, it's good enough for me). I have noticed those pesky fine lines have started to appear, I see streaks (like run off from the roof) and we have a dull finish where this film is (it looks bad next to a freshly waxed rest of the coach , you can quess what I did last weekend).

Is anyone else having these problems and if so what have you done about it? I would rather not have the old film removed and new installed, but it is starting to look like that might be my only choice.

[OldForester]

If you use a good car wash product, like Griot's Garage Car Wash, or any major brand with water spot remover you won't remove the wax like you will with dishwashing soap. You will also have fewer of those finer lines.

Here's a link on what I use, and it works very well:

Car Wash - Cleaners - Car Washing - Car Care - Griot's Garage

[Jim A]

My '04 has the same problem. A few others I know have similar problems with it. But I have not done anything about it yet. A few places I have asked about it have said it is difficult to remove, and removing it may damage the paint. Eventually I will probably have it removed and the front end repainted. I will likely not put the film back on and will just take my chances with the "unprotected" paint at least looking as good as the film does now.

I will be interested to see your experiences.

[Wayne R]

*
Mine is full of hairline cracks, scratches or what ever they are called. I have waxed mine several times a year and always use Maguires car wash soap.

[OldForester]

Ours must be a different brand of shield. it still looks like new after 5 years and 49,000 miles and I just wash it, and didn't start waxing it till last year.

[Old Rv'er]

All - I'm with OF, ours looks fine on the 07, however, one owner a year or so ago, had the same issue. He took his MH to one of those spray in bed liner places, and had that area sprayed with that material. It looks well different in a kind of good way. He now does not have to worry about rock chips, nor waxing. The black does fade over time a bit, and they also make it in colors, most likely able to match the factory paint scheme. I had the same stuff in my PU, I used Protect All on it, that helped to keep it looking black. Lot of work to do that. I am not going to worry about it, until it really becomes an eye sore, and starts to drive me nuts. Regardless of the fix, that is going to be money. It does however keep the rock chips down. Bugoff, will clean it real good, when the bugs are terrible, but be right there with the rinse hose, as that stuff will leave streaks. I wash it with BO, then re wash it with the Maguires car wash soap and rinse the heck out of it. I don't know if waxing will help it or not, I know for the plastic stuff on the jeep, I use the protect all and it works better than wax, metal parts get wax.

[Wayne R]

Old's I hope yours is different, mine started to deteriorate about 1 1/2 years ago. Or yours may be just a few months from starting to deteriorate. My 04 Toyota has it and it really looks bad.

[Jim&MaryJo]

I decided to tackle mine, first with a thorough cleaning using a microfiber rag and alcohol, until I was confident that the next step wouldn't swirl debris and cause more scratches.

Then I used an orbital polisher with car polish. This removed the hazy spots and discolored areas pretty well, so I stepped up to a rubbing compound and really worked it (i.e. applying more pressure).

After the rubbing compound, I stepped back down to the polishing compound and applied lighter pressure for a final polish, then I waxed it.

Mine looks significantly better than before. On close inspection, many or most scratches were still visible, but at a distance the finish looks much nicer.

YMMV!

[Wayne R]

I have tried a similar process several times and it only looks better for a month or so.

[texnet]

We recently purchased a 2003 Monaco Dynasty that had the 3M film installed at the factory, which makes it about 8 years old. The film was crazied to the point that it looks like the finish you see on antique pottery! Someone had started trying to remoeve the film and had used a razor blade scrapper which had taken the paint down to the primer in several places. I used the 3M adhesive remover (8950) and the 3M eraser wheel to remove the rest of the film. No matter how careful you are you will remove some paint! I then sanded the entire front end and primered it. The paint shop charged me a little over $1000.00 to put final paint on the front and now it looks like new! I figure I had between 60 and 80 hours of manual labor and over $400.00 worth of materials to get the front end to primer. The adhesive remover runs about $35.00 a spray can (used 4 cans), the eraser wheels are about $40.00 each (used 3 of them).

1. If you have 3M film and it is under 5 years old get it checked. I understand it comes with a 5 year warranty and 3M will pay to have it removed, repainted and new film installed if the film has failed.

2. After what I went through to remove the film and repaint, I wll NEVER have 3M film installed on anything i own. It would have been much less work and a lot less money just to sand out the rock chips, spot primer and repaint.

[takepride]

This product was specifically recommended on several blogs and 3M agrees:

Amazon.com: Clear Seal Gloss Enhancer & Protectant SUPER DETAILER (16oz) NEW!: Automotive

$10.95 plus shipping

[C & R]

We have been installing paint protection films for quite some time now (all automotive 12 yrs). The biggest misconception is that it is a permanent addition to the vehicle. We have used all top 3 major brands. All of them have a shelf life of 3-5 years. 3M was a 3yr warranty and by far the most poplar. Recently, their have been new films produced that are polyester based. They have almost twice the life expectancy. Llumar is one of those we really like. Also, it is perfectly smooth. No orange peel. We recommend removing the film at a 3-4 year time frame. Of course, this is dependant on where in the Country, time in the sun etc. This makes the removal process much easier. When it starts to crack, it's going to be a long battle. Their are also several "tint removal" chemicals sold online. That used with the sun and a black trash bag are a huge help as well. If it does need to be scraped, we use plastic panel poppers commonly found at harbor freight. They wont scratch the paint.