[ducati955]

i know, don't hate me, if a pro is installing it are both kinda the same?

venture shield gets lifetime warranty, 3m gets a 5 yr waranty

the installer reccomends 3m... i still have no clue...

its gonna cost around 600.... if anyone near long island knows a pro installer please pm me or post... thank you

this is going on an alpine white 335i coupe

[msinfo_us]

3M

[droptop335]

never heard of a venture shield..guess I'll have to do a search to find out what it is...

[Ryan323i]

here's some info i have gathered from doing some searches on here.

3M: thinner, maintains factory orange peel, scratches in film can be buffed out.
VentureShield: thicker, slightly more resistant, scratches in film can't be buffed out, better warranty

I believe both will allow the paint to breathe and therefore the paint under the bra shouldn't fade any slower than the rest of the car. However I think any clear bra will yellow over time on white.

[Geoff]

I have the 3M on my car

[bartman32]

I have Avery on mine. I know you are trying to narrow down to one but I thought I'd throw you a third option. BTW: The guy that installed mine said he does 40% Avery, 40% 3M 20% Venture Shield

[ducati955]

you know what, there are so many opinions out there, i just want the installer to do a good job, and i'll be happy, its gonna cost 700$$ sux!

[msinfo_us]

Originally Posted by ducati955

you know what, there are so many opinions out there, i just want the installer to do a good job, and i'll be happy, its gonna cost 700$$ sux!

Or you can DIY http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62059

[Ryan323i]

any of the mentioned brands should be good. the key is the installer, make sure you go to one that has lots of experience putting these things on!

[Spazdoc]

I have 3M full kit on the car (front end, door edges, door handle cups, rear bumper) and did ventureshield on the painted splitters. I will let you know if there is a difference.

[lyjw88]

I have venture shield on my front bumper, front end of hood, and side mirrors and my car is AW. I is quite thick, so very protective. I once hit a wall while I was parking, and with the venture shield, there was no scratches on my front bumper at all!!

[ducati955]

sounds great guys, thanx again,

[ATD1]

If you are going to wrap your front end you better do it with 3M. The biggest reason why is that its guaranteed to not yellow, crack, fade, cloud, peel...etc. for 5 years (other brands claim lifetime but look like shit after 1 year or less!) They're the only company that has been able to make their film have that subtle orange peel effect of factory paint so it blends into the paint finish much better. They are the only manufacturer that has been able to incorporate a strechable clear coat on the surface of their film which can be treated just like paint (don't polish it...only hand wax). By having a stretchable clear coat it won't cloud when you install it. The film inevitably needs to be streched in some areas while installing it and other brands will cloud from stretching...3M will not (kinda like when you stretch a black trash bag and it turns white). Other manufacturers simply did away with CC all together to avoid the clouding but their film offers no protection from staining caused by bugs, tar and road debris which will can now impregnate itself into the film and stain it permanantly...whats worse stains or rock chips. One other key feature is that 3M film is one of the thinnest so its difficult to make out the edges. Thinner doesn't mean less protection it just means a better engineered product...remember its supposed to be an invisable bra.

Bottom line is BMW's OE film protection is 3M but that doesn't mean your local dealer isn't using some outside vendor to do it cheaper so he can make a buck...how will you know the difference once its applied. Any brand film will look decent for about 6-12 months but 3M will hold up for years. The only way you can guarantee you are getting 3M film is to be present during install and look at the backing on the film before it gets peeled off. If its 3M film it will have a ton of mini 3M logos printed in red on the film backing (very visable and obvious)...other brands film backing is simply white with no logo. Otherwise once applied its hard to know what you really got since the pattern you got has nothing to with the film you got (seperate company does patterns...so all films can be cut the same but they are all flawed except the 3M product). And yes I've had them on my past vehicles so I have 1st hand experience.

Afterall were talking about the company that invented just about anything that sticks. I'm fairly certain that their R&D dept has more knowledge and a few more bucks to spend on research then these other small companies claiming to have an equal product.

[msinfo_us]

Originally Posted by ATD1

They are the only manufacturer that has been able to incorporate a strechable clear coat on the surface of their film which can be treated just like paint (don't polish it...only hand wax).

Very informative post but I do have one question -- why are you saying don't polish? Wet sanding, compound polish -- anything harsh I understand you don't want to do ... Searching other detailing sites and speaking to a local pro very light polishing is actually OK and used to polish post installation swirl marks, help to hide the edge on the hood and to create an overall monolithic look with the rest of the car. Light polishing is done after curing time (about 30 days or so) and followed by wax/sealer of your choice. I did polish my 3M clear bra using PC at up to speed 4 with minimum pressure and Menzerna Intensive polish and I am very happy with result.

[ATD1]

Originally Posted by msinfo_us

Very informative post but I do have one question -- why are you saying don't polish? Wet sanding, compound polish -- anything harsh I understand you don't want to do ... Searching other detailing sites and speaking to a local pro very light polishing is actually OK and used to polish post installation swirl marks, help to hide the edge on the hood and to create an overall monolithic look with the rest of the car. Light polishing is done after curing time (about 30 days or so) and followed by wax/sealer of your choice. I did polish my 3M clear bra using PC at up to speed 4 with minimum pressure and Menzerna Intensive polish and I am very happy with result.

I've always stayed away from the polishing of the bra (seems a little much). If scratches appear usually a quick wipe down with alcohol will get rid of them. I then follow up with wax. My installer always completes his installs with a final alcohol wipe down.

[msinfo_us]

Originally Posted by ATD1

I've always stayed away from the polishing of the bra (seems a little much). If scratches appear usually a quick wipe down with alcohol will get rid of them. I then follow up with wax. My installer always completes his installs with a final alcohol wipe down.

Yes, alcohol wipe is a standard practice after install and helps with some of the post installation swirls. Polishing helps to get rid of more swirls and as far as I know can be done ONLY with 3M films.

[fragadellic]

Originally Posted by ATD1

If you are going to wrap your front end you better do it with 3M. After all were talking about the company that invented just about anything that sticks. I'm fairly certain that their R&D dept has more knowledge and a few more bucks to spend on research then these other small companies claiming to have an equal product.

+1

A warranty is only as good as the company that stands behind it.