Carbon owners take heed

[outnumbered]

So you're not going to put Any Protection on the front end at all?

Nothing.

[outnumbered]

Maybe so, but where I live I hate to say it but I don't think the aero is going to help when you have Dump trucks or Wood haulers passing you everyday on the road!

I have the same situation here in NC. I think our state symbol is the orange barrel.

[outnumbered]

How long did you have it installed before removal? I had the same hood piece installed on my car about 6 months ago. The rest of the car is also wrapped.

Since the car was new. I have had some of the smaller pieces replaced within the last couple of years. I new there was a difference once I removed those pieces, but not to the extent that the hood is showing. I thought about your car when I made the post, but I thought the entire car had been wrapped.

[outnumbered]

With bras, the real rule should be, wrap the entire vehicle, every square inch or don't wrap at all. I never wrap any of my vehicles. I'll take stone chips over "the line" which has been the after math I have seen on every vehicle that has had them.

Since you are repainting anyway, you can get aggressive on trying to fix. The joys of matte paint.

It certainly has it challenges, but I don't regret it. It's the easiest finish I have ever had to clean, and it doesn't show fine scratches--typically present in a traditional clear. Not to mention the exclusivity of the color. My issue is that I love rubbing on the car, which really should not be done.

[outnumbered]

Outnumbered you’re awesome for letting everyone here know about a major issue. A lot of people don’t have the balls to admit a mistake they made even if it was unknown to them at the time they made it. I would not put a clear bra on your car the next time and wear any rock chips as a badge of honor!

I guess "protection" is in the eye of the beholder, but I'm in agreement. Because I didn't do a full wrap, I was always irritated with the slight variance that I could see with where the wrap started and stopped. On normal paint, it's not nearly as noticeable. At the end of day, I would rather be dealing with rock chips.

[viperguy69]

If there is any shine on the other paint use Windex, seriously. I asked the guys at Conner and Prefix back in spring of 2017 during a plant tour what they suggested for finger smudges and any other oil surface contact. They told me just use "good old Windex" to get that dull/satin luster back.

[outnumbered]

If there is any shine on the other paint use Windex, seriously. I asked the guys at Conner and Prefix back in spring of 2017 during a plant tour what they suggested for finger smudges and any other oil surface contact. They told me just use "good old Windex" to get that dull/satin luster back.

That's good info, and much cheaper than the matte cleaner I have been getting.

[ViperDC]

i dont know why people wrap their cars in all this crap. besides for the absurd cost, it usually ends up looking worse than a few rock chips in the end

[Dr.Ron]

I'd think since it's still paint with clearcoat that traditional detailing steps should remedy this. Did you try claybar/compound/polish?

[Martin]

Definitely looks like UV discoloration rather than adhesive residue. The Suntek wrap has a UV block in it, which is good and bad... If you wrap the whole car, it'll stay factory new from the start. If you only wrap part of it, there will definitely be some discoloration. It's kind of like putting a rug over part of new hardwood floors - when you move the rug, you notice exactly where it was by the "ghost image" it leaves.

If it were me, I'd probably drive it around for a while and see what happens. I don't know about the carbon matte paint, but most paints discolor naturally in the sun. Nobody really notices it because it is so gradual and even across the whole car.

Honestly, this was one of those things that I was super worried about before deciding to wrap the car. I was originally just going to do the critical parts, but then I thought about the discoloration problem and decided to just fork over the extra few grand to have the whole thing done. Not sure I'd do it again, but what's done is done. It definitely is super easy to keep clean, and the Suntek wrap is outstanding at avoiding swirl marks and scratches. On my Gen IV, I had swirl marks on the black centerband that I spent hours trying to get rid of, and eventually just gave up. Even just removing the car cover would put micro-scratches in it. Definitely not so with the Suntek.

[outnumbered]

i dont know why people wrap their cars in all this crap. besides for the absurd cost, it usually ends up looking worse than a few rock chips in the end

Lesson learned.

[outnumbered]

I'd think since it's still paint with clearcoat that traditional detailing steps should remedy this. Did you try claybar/compound/polish?

You can't do any of those things with matte. The clear is extremely rough, which is what creates the dull finish. Any traditional method only makes the dull appear shiny.

[BlueAdder]

If there is any shine on the other paint use Windex, seriously. I asked the guys at Conner and Prefix back in spring of 2017 during a plant tour what they suggested for finger smudges and any other oil surface contact. They told me just use "good old Windex" to get that dull/satin luster back.

Glass cleaner works great on satin paint. I use that on my Challenger and so do a lot of people that own the T/A (hood, roof and deck lid are all satin). As long as you're gentle and don't use circular motions, your paint will be fine.

[ViperGeorge]

You can't do any of those things with matte. The clear is extremely rough, which is what creates the dull finish. Any traditional method only makes the dull appear shiny.

Does that imply that the car might only need to be re-cleared?

[outnumbered]

Does that imply that the car might only need to be re-cleared?

I suppose that would depend on whether it's the clear or base that has been affected by the UV rays.

[ViperJon]

i dont know why people wrap their cars in all this crap. besides for the absurd cost, it usually ends up looking worse than a few rock chips in the end

Agree. I put it on the front bumper and little strips behind all four wheels. Five cars and have never got a chip anywhere. It’s almost as absurd as 4K ceramic coating so you don’t have to wax the car every few months. Because that’s such a burden...

[swexlin]

I have the front fasica, wheel wells, rockers, and rear quarters done in Xpel. Hood already had a small chip when I bought it, and has acquired another due to a careless individual at a show 3 years back. Oh well....patina....!

[Martin]

i dont know why people wrap their cars in all this crap. besides for the absurd cost, it usually ends up looking worse than a few rock chips in the end

I dunno - it really depends on the paint and someone's tolerance to damage. I really didn't care too much with my Gen IV, or my Gen II for that matter, because I have a really good paint shop in town that did a phenomenal job of fixing transport dings. Color match is perfect, and texture is perfect.

With some of the other hard to match paints (like the Stryker colors) there seem to be two options - go with a full wrap to protect the paint as much as possible, or be ready to send the car back to Prefix for a full re-spray eventually. In my particular situation, I'm really glad I have the wrap on the car. The County just re-graveled every road around me with that nasty tar and crushed (and sharp) rock that flies up through the vents like nobody's business. Even going really slow, the sound is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. So far, I've been stuck with the fresh road gravel for months and there's no damage anywhere. That, and the dust that flies around sticks to everything. I'm personally glad I have the car wrapped and the clear film on the windshield. One less thing to worry about.

[outnumbered]

I dunno - it really depends on the paint and someone's tolerance to damage. I really didn't care too much with my Gen IV, or my Gen II for that matter, because I have a really good paint shop in town that did a phenomenal job of fixing transport dings. Color match is perfect, and texture is perfect.

With some of the other hard to match paints (like the Stryker colors) there seem to be two options - go with a full wrap to protect the paint as much as possible, or be ready to send the car back to Prefix for a full re-spray eventually. In my particular situation, I'm really glad I have the wrap on the car. The County just re-graveled every road around me with that nasty tar and crushed (and sharp) rock that flies up through the vents like nobody's business. Even going really slow, the sound is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. So far, I've been stuck with the fresh road gravel for months and there's no damage anywhere. That, and the dust that flies around sticks to everything. I'm personally glad I have the car wrapped and the clear film on the windshield. One less thing to worry about.

I despise that tar and gravel crap. They love putting it on country roads around here as well.

[Simms]

I could be way off, but is it possible the part protected stayed factory finish and the areas not covered actually changed from multiple cleanings and the product used?

BTW, one of my favorite colors/finishes.

[outnumbered]

I could be way off, but is it possible the part protected stayed factory finish and the areas not covered actually changed from multiple cleanings and the product used?

BTW, one of my favorite colors/finishes.

I think that's very plausible. I actually wondered about that. But either way, I have a mismatch.

And thanks.

[Simms]

I think that's very plausible. I actually wondered about that. But either way, I have a mismatch.

And thanks.

Maybe Prefix can do a simple sanding and just reshoot the matte/clear. Let us know how it turns out.

[Matt Dillon]

Outnumbered you’re awesome for letting everyone here know about a major issue. A lot of people don’t have the balls to admit a mistake they made even if it was unknown to them at the time they made it. I would not put a clear bra on your car the next time and wear any rock chips as a badge of honor!

Lol. yep kinda like wearing a SCAR as a Badge of Honor! SMDH

[Anton28]

FUDGE. Now I'm going to take my hood piece off and mirrors sections to see whats up. Only having this stuff on my car for 6 months I'm hoping I don't see much discoloration. I'll then redo the entire hood afterward. I was trying to avoid the ugly seems that's why I did the lower portion but I rather have those then worry about rock chips. The rest of the car is wrapped.

At one point I did think about running this thing bare as the paint looks so much better without the protective film. Even though the film is matte, it reflects more light then the paint and creates a different effect when looking at the car. Most will never be able to tell but as a carbon owner, you do.

[outnumbered]

FUDGE. Now I'm going to take my hood piece off and mirrors sections to see whats up. Only having this stuff on my car for 6 months I'm hoping I don't see much discoloration. I'll then redo the entire hood afterward. I was trying to avoid the ugly seems that's why I did the lower portion but I rather have those then worry about rock chips. The rest of the car is wrapped.

At one point I did think about running this thing bare as the paint looks so much better without the protective film. Even though the film is matte, it reflects more light then the paint and creates a different effect when looking at the car. Most will never be able to tell but as a carbon owner, you do.

Your last paragraph is spot on. In a lot of cases, a clear film on a traditional clear coat can very very difficult to detect. Not on the matte paint. Which really begs the question, is the matte film really intended for matte paint, or is it designed to take a normal color/clear and make it look matte?

What makes the anodized carbon matte so unique (as I see it) to other matte finishes is the amount of pearl that is in the paint. I think that is what creates the very impressive sheen that you see in certain lights. I noticed that aspect of the paint was diminished after the film was applied.

Knowing what I know now, I would rather see the intended look of the paint, with the random rock chip/conceal attempt, rather than the much more obvious aesthetic degradation look of the wrap.