About the service
Stone damage is predictable, and that is the whole idea behind this job. Before anything is cut, I walk around the car with you and point at the zones that really take the hits: the front bumper, the leading edge of the hood, the mirror caps, the headlight lenses, the lower edges of the doors, the sills and the arch entries right behind the front wheels. If the budget is limited, we start there. A full body wrap looks impressive on paper, but the roof and the trunk lid almost never see a chip, and money spent on them buys you nothing.
The work begins with washing, not with film. The car gets a proper wash, a clay pass where the paint feels rough, and then every panel is degreased twice, because film bonds to the clear coat and not to what was left on top of it. On most cars I remove a few parts — mirror caps, door handles, lamp trims, sometimes the bumper grille — so the edge of the film can be tucked behind the panel instead of ending somewhere in the middle of a visible surface. A tucked edge stays clean and stays down; an edge cut in the open collects dirt and lifts at the car wash sooner or later.
Plotter patterns are fast and accurate on common shapes, and I use them where they fit. On deep bumper curves, on repainted panels and on anything with unusual geometry I cut the piece on the car from a blank, so it follows your body lines rather than an average template. The fitting is wet: slip solution under the film, water squeegeed out from the centre, gentle heat on compound curves, then the edges are set and the panel is left to dry. Polyurethane is elastic and self-healing — fine swirls and light wash marks close up with warmth, which is why it still looks honest after a couple of seasons.
Be realistic about what it does. Film absorbs stone chips and light scratches and keeps the factory paint underneath untouched, and that difference is visible when the car is sold. It is not armour. A serious impact, a parking knock or a deep gouge goes straight through it and the panel will still need bodywork. Anything applied near glass or lights has to keep light transmission and the appearance of the car within your local road rules, and I say plainly what I can and cannot cover.
What is included:
— walk-around, zone plan and a written list of what gets covered;
— wash, decontamination and double degreasing of every panel;
— removal and refitting of the parts needed for tucked edges;
— pattern cutting or on-car cutting, wet installation and edge sealing;
— drying time, final inspection under light and care instructions.
Aftercare is short and simple: no washing at all for the first two days, no high-pressure lance aimed at the edges for the first week, and no automatic brushes while the adhesive is still setting. A good polyurethane film lives five to seven years and comes off with heat without pulling factory paint with it. Timing: a front kit takes one to two days, a full front end three to four, a whole car up to a week and a half depending on how much has to come apart.
The work begins with washing, not with film. The car gets a proper wash, a clay pass where the paint feels rough, and then every panel is degreased twice, because film bonds to the clear coat and not to what was left on top of it. On most cars I remove a few parts — mirror caps, door handles, lamp trims, sometimes the bumper grille — so the edge of the film can be tucked behind the panel instead of ending somewhere in the middle of a visible surface. A tucked edge stays clean and stays down; an edge cut in the open collects dirt and lifts at the car wash sooner or later.
Plotter patterns are fast and accurate on common shapes, and I use them where they fit. On deep bumper curves, on repainted panels and on anything with unusual geometry I cut the piece on the car from a blank, so it follows your body lines rather than an average template. The fitting is wet: slip solution under the film, water squeegeed out from the centre, gentle heat on compound curves, then the edges are set and the panel is left to dry. Polyurethane is elastic and self-healing — fine swirls and light wash marks close up with warmth, which is why it still looks honest after a couple of seasons.
Be realistic about what it does. Film absorbs stone chips and light scratches and keeps the factory paint underneath untouched, and that difference is visible when the car is sold. It is not armour. A serious impact, a parking knock or a deep gouge goes straight through it and the panel will still need bodywork. Anything applied near glass or lights has to keep light transmission and the appearance of the car within your local road rules, and I say plainly what I can and cannot cover.
What is included:
— walk-around, zone plan and a written list of what gets covered;
— wash, decontamination and double degreasing of every panel;
— removal and refitting of the parts needed for tucked edges;
— pattern cutting or on-car cutting, wet installation and edge sealing;
— drying time, final inspection under light and care instructions.
Aftercare is short and simple: no washing at all for the first two days, no high-pressure lance aimed at the edges for the first week, and no automatic brushes while the adhesive is still setting. A good polyurethane film lives five to seven years and comes off with heat without pulling factory paint with it. Timing: a front kit takes one to two days, a full front end three to four, a whole car up to a week and a half depending on how much has to come apart.
