Paint protection film (NW England)

dbm · Feb 3, 2017

Hi folks,
I'm about to pick up a new motor (won't jinx it by saying what) and I'm looking to get paint protection film added. I've had PaintShield on my last two cars and it's great, but the dealer is a couple of hundred miles from where I live so I'm considering alternatives.

Can anyone recommend a company to apply paint protection film in the NW England area? Anywhere around Manchester or Preston areas, ideally. Happy to go as far as Lancaster or Stoke-on-Trent, otherwise it's Peterborough!

Cheers!
Dan

Sandra · Feb 3, 2017

dbm said:
Hi folks,
I'm about to pick up a new motor (won't jinx it by saying what) and I'm looking to get paint protection film added. I've had PaintShield on my last two cars and it's great, but the dealer is a couple of hundred miles from where I live so I'm considering alternatives.

Can anyone recommend a company to apply paint protection film in the NW England area? Anywhere around Manchester or Preston areas, ideally. Happy to go as far as Lancaster or Stoke-on-Trent, otherwise it's Peterborough!

Cheers!
Dan

You could try Nathan at kowalski details in Salford.

dbm · Feb 17, 2017

So, I decided to go with Signature in Stoke. They are just a mile down the road from the Audi garage, so very easy to find.

Originally, I planned to go with half the front protected, like I had on my 8P. They have done a full 8V before, so they persuaded me to go for 'full front' which gives you the front of the car, bonnet, front wings and side skirts protected.

Stage 1, decontamination:

Next a proper clean to prepare the car for the film:

The film is applied. All cutting is done off the car:

Job done, now leave overnight to harden:

The next day, collection and reveal:

Honestly, the application is so good I had to ask if they really had done it!

Very, very close inspection showed that it did, indeed, have the protection film on it.

I'm super impressed, and very pleased to protect my new baby!

Wifeb4Life · Feb 24, 2017

Very nice mate, looks great and very professional, should concider this and this company for mine if i get the existing paint chips sorted.

How much did it cost if you dont mind me asking?

dbm · Feb 24, 2017

List price was £1500+vat, but they did knock me a bit off that.

It's not cheap but in my experience (this is the fourth car I've had film on) it pays for itself multiple times over during the life of the car.

Buck · Feb 27, 2017

@dbm that looks superb.

What happens when you get a stone hit the film, say on the bunper or bonnet? Does it get a mark in it similar to a stone chip in paint or is it more of a graze that can be polished out?

dbm · Feb 27, 2017

The film tends to absorb or deflect a lot of impacts, based on past experience, with no visible mark.

If the film is damaged by a stone then it can actually 'heal'. When it gets hot it attempts to reshape back to the original, smooth surface (yes, this is Star Trek stuff!). Since the film is mostly on the bonnet, normal operating temperatures can cause it to heal with no intervention.

On the one time I've had a more serious mark (leaving a visible track on the film) it was repaired during the process of having the car detailed, with no special tools or methods needed. Just a kettle of hot water.

So, in my experience of about 10 years and about 170k miles driving cars with this protection, stone chips are a non-issue.

Search

Search

Paint protection film (NW England)

dbm

Registered User

Sandra

Administrator

dbm

Registered User

Wifeb4Life

Guest

dbm

Registered User

Buck

Registered User

dbm

Registered User

Similar threads