[Jumbo Jet]

Hey everyone,

Here are the pics of the install today. He got here about 10am and finished around 4pm. Super nice guy and he was nice enough to let me watch and document the process for the forum. There is definetly an art to this and his experience shows from the first piece he installs. The film comes pre-cut on large sheets of a type of wax paper. He started at the top and worked his way down to the bottom by the end of the day. It was truly amazing to watch the film disappear into the paint. The last couple pics are with the bra on and in full sun. It is extremely difficult to see but I guess that is the point.

It comes with a 5 year warranty and is resistant to bugs, road grime and small rocks. He had me try and poke my finger thru a scrap piece and I just could not do it, no matter how hard I pushed. My wife even tried with her fingernail and couldnt even come close to going thru it. Its like a small coat of armor. Here in Florida we have these nasty little critters called Love Bugs that have acid for blood and do a number on a cars paint job if not removed right away. He tells me they will wipe right off the bra even after a weeks time. He has instructed me to apply waxes to it whenever I wax the rest of the truck, but for right now it is as shiny as the rest of the truck.

He applied the 3M film to the hood above the grill, the sides of the front quater panels, the area directly under the headlights, the top of the front bumper and the lower front bumper including the fog lamps, the leading edge of the roof and we had some leftover so I asked him to custom cut the inside of the door sills for me.

I'm super happy with his work and his professionalism. If you live in the Orlando, FL area this is his contact http://www.invincaman.com/default.htm

Total bill with everything was $800. You'll find it difficult to spot the edges in the photos. Worth every penny.

Take care,

Mark

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Also, somebody asked me for larger pics on a post about my detailing. Here they are.

Thanks again,

Mark

 

[mln]

Interesting. I've never heard of this before. Is there a website to learn more about this protective method? I guess I mean besides his website. Something closer to home would be nice.

 

[DJM86]

Nice looking truck. I had the 3M clear bra on my G35 Coupe. It's a great product. :tu:

By the way. In the pic of your interior, what kind of floor mats do you have?

 

[paulphilly]

Mark, looks great! You really made the metallic paint come to life. Very sharp truck!

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Nice looking truck. I had the 3M clear bra on my G35 Coupe. It's a great product. :tu:

By the way. In the pic of your interior, what kind of floor mats do you have?

Those are just the el-cheapo mats from Target. They are made by Rubbermaid and cost me $25. The dealer wanted $90 for the same thing that said "Tundra" on it. I just couldnt see paying that.

I'm really waiting for the "Catch-All" brand mats to come out for the Tundra. They are carpeted mats with a thick plastic backing that doesnt leak thru and custom molded to fit every contour in the interior. I had them in my last truck and they looked great and everyone thought they were factory.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Interesting. I've never heard of this before. Is there a website to learn more about this protective method? I guess I mean besides his website. Something closer to home would be nice.

Try this. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard-PPF/Home/For_the/Consumer/


Take care,

Mark

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Mark, looks great! You really made the metallic paint come to life. Very sharp truck!

Thank you Paul, I appreciate that. The silver really "pops" now and looks wet. I almost bought the Slate Metallic but now I'm very glad I went with Silver Sky. My last 2 trucks were burgundy and I think I've had enough of dark colored cars for a little bit.

Come on buddy, I know its snowing but clean that black up and post some pics. You got some people gettin edgy waitin on this. lol

Take care,

Mark

 

[SC105B]

Just got the identical truck 2 nights ago (Tow mirrors on mine)

Now I know what it's supposed to look like!!:tu: :tu: :tu:

Mine is covered in ice snow and assorted road grime/**** right now.

Everything around here is frozen!!

Hope to clean it up if it warms up tomorrow.

 

[NC2wdTundra]

that guy did a nice job on that.......u can't even tell its on there if u didn't know

nice job on the interior:tu:

 

[2004TundraDC]

Your truck looks great. That color makes me want to change my order to Silver. I'm getting a Salsa Pearl CrewMax in about 2 weeks. I have the 3M on my BMW M3. Love the product.

Thanks for the great pictures:tu:

Cheers

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Congrats!! Glad you live far away, I want to have the only Silver Sky in town for as long as I can. lol

The deep shine is courtesy of Einzettes polishes, Klasse AIO and about 6 layers of Zaino Z2p.

Take care,

Mark

 

[rosskoss]

Wow! Looks gorgeous. I checked out your installer's website and it looks like he's actually one of the best in the entire country! I'll definitely be checking this guy out. Thanks for the info.!

I have a few questions about the entire process. You have to first wash and detail the car as well as you can prior to installation, right? After the 3M bra is installed, can you wash and detail the car like on a car with no 3M bra installed? If not, how do you keep your car looking clean?

Also, does the 3M bra ever wear out after a few years? If so, can you remove it easily?

Congratulations again on the fantastic looking truck! You did a great job detailing it. I'd love to know your detailing process and equipment used.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Wow! Looks gorgeous. I checked out your installer's website and it looks like he's actually one of the best in the entire country! I'll definitely be checking this guy out. Thanks for the info.!

I have a few questions about the entire process. You have to first wash and detail the car as well as you can prior to installation, right? After the 3M bra is installed, can you wash and detail the car like on a car with no 3M bra installed? If not, how do you keep your car looking clean?

Also, does the 3M bra ever wear out after a few years? If so, can you remove it easily?

Congratulations again on the fantastic looking truck! You did a great job detailing it. I'd love to know your detailing process and equipment used.

Thanks Ross, much appreciated. Alan was a great guy and a master at his craft. He is the lead trainer for 3M installers in the country (out of about 4). I just got lucky living a few miles from him.

To prep the truck for him I washed , clayed and polished the area and applied a few layers of Zaino Z2p. When he got here he rubbed the area clean with alcohol to remove any oils or dust. Then applied the film like I mentioned earlier in the initial post. Clean the front real good becuase whatever is on the paint will be forever trapped there.

Yes, you can detail the car like normal once the 3M has cured (24-48 hours in the sun) He asked me to be sure to apply wax to the 3M film whenever I detail to help protect it even more. The warranty on the 3M is 5 years. He said if I ever want to remove it, just work up a corner and peel it back. Its super strong, he had me try and poke my finger thru a spare piece and I just couldnt do it. Then my wife tried and we even tried with our keys and couldnt puncture it. Amazing stuff.

Ok, sorry to bore everyone again, but here is one of my detailing processes for Ross. This particular process I like for lighter colored cars, but it will vary some for darker cars. I posted this somewhere else so I just copied it over to here. Ross, you can PM if you'd like a more detailed explanation or combo I've found to work on different colors. Sorry again everyone.

Take care,

Mark



Here ya go:

Detailing isnt what I do for a living, its more of a passionate hobby of mine to do high end detailing. I got into it years back and have gotten pretty efficient at removing swirls and imperfections. As a rule I never let the dealer touch my cars with their "detailing crews". These guys are usually 18 year old kids working for the summer and spend their days adding swirl marks to unsuspecting new car owners. NEVER let them detail your car upon delivery (or after oil changes for that matter). Take it dirty, it will save you a ton of work later on. But tell them you promise to fill out your survey as "completly satisfied" when you get it. They depend on that survey for bonuses and thats is alot of times the reason they insist on cleaning the car for you. But they'll play ball if you explain it to them.

First thing first, invest about $200 in the basics and you'll be set and ready to run with it. Buy a PC (Porter Cable 7336sp) and a velcro backing plate. Buy some pads, they come in different softness for different applications. And buy microfiber towels, lots of them. NEVER use old bath or beach towels to wash or dry your cars.....espically black. Thats the kiss of death for black.

For washing use 2 buckets, one for soap and one for rinsing. Avoid Dawn washings, its alkaline content is too high and is a redundant step if you are claying. The clay will remove any old wax or sealant you had on prior. For clay I like Clay Magic (blue bar) to remove grit and dirt trapped in the paint. I clayed my new Tundra with 12 miles on it and got a ton of stuff out with the clay. Place your hand in a small sandwhich baggie and rub it over the paint while youre washing it. If it feels like sand paper....you need to clay. Check again afterwards and you'll see a huge difference. It will be smooth as glass. Use your car wash shampoo and water as lube for the clay and use plenty of it. When youre finished washing and claying, use a power blower to dry the car, getting water out of all the mirrors and door jams.

Pull the car inside the garage and polish the paint with your PC. I use Einzettes polishes as I've had the most consistent results with them. Use what ever your comfortable with, but for best results avoid the Wal-Mart junk and spend a few bucks on better polishes such as Einzettes, Menzerna, FK1, Zaino, 3M and other boutique brands. They are well worth the money. http://detailersparadise.com/_system...qryDefault.asp

I set my PC on 5 and used an orange cutting pad with Einzettes Metallic Polish(red can) and did the entire truck. Work each panel for a few minutes or until polish begins to flash over. After buffing off I went to a white pad (which is a light cutting pad) and PC on 4 and applied Klasse AIO(all in one) to the entire truck as a base coat for my sealant. After buffing off I used a black finishing pad and PC set to 4 and applied two layers of Zaino Z2pro, with Z-8 in between each coat. http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc If you choose to skip a base coat and go right to Zaino you'll need to re-wash to remove the carnubas in the polishes. Zaino will not bond to the carnubas.

I have other tried and true combinations that work for a specific job depending on the condition of the vehicle, but for my brand new truck with no scratches I chose to attack it lightly on the polish and focus on the synthetic wax. The polish really brought out the metallic in my Silver Sky. For black though I might finish with a carnuba such as P21S (S100 in the Harley dealers at half the price) as this gives it a much deeper finish, but doesnt last nearly as long as a synthetic. Here in Florida I might get a week in the summer with a carnuba, but 5 months with Zaino and trucked parked outside everyday.

 

[Black Dog]

I notice you took off the TRD Decals off the rear. Did you have any bleed thru as one owner posted in a previous thread?

I have a Silver Sky and am planning on doing the same.
Thanks for the detialing info.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

I notice you took off the TRD Decals off the rear. Did you have any bleed thru as one owner posted in a previous thread?

I have a Silver Sky and am planning on doing the same.
Thanks for the detialing info.

None what so ever. It didnt come off in one piece though like I thought it would, but it came off rather easily once it was started. I had a tiny bit of glue residue on the area which I just removed with a light wipe down with Acrysol. Then re-waxed the area and it looks perfect.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[rosskoss]

Thanks Ross, much appreciated. Alan was a great guy and a master at his craft. He is the lead trainer for 3M installers in the country (out of about 4). I just got lucky living a few miles from him.

To prep the truck for him I washed , clayed and polished the area and applied a few layers of Zaino Z2p. When he got here he rubbed the area clean with alcohol to remove any oils or dust. Then applied the film like I mentioned earlier in the initial post. Clean the front real good becuase whatever is on the paint will be forever trapped there.

Yes, you can detail the car like normal once the 3M has cured (24-48 hours in the sun) He asked me to be sure to apply wax to the 3M film whenever I detail to help protect it even more. The warranty on the 3M is 5 years. He said if I ever want to remove it, just work up a corner and peel it back. Its super strong, he had me try and poke my finger thru a spare piece and I just couldnt do it. Then my wife tried and we even tried with our keys and couldnt puncture it. Amazing stuff.

Ok, sorry to bore everyone again, but here is one of my detailing processes for Ross. This particular process I like for lighter colored cars, but it will vary some for darker cars. I posted this somewhere else so I just copied it over to here. Ross, you can PM if you'd like a more detailed explanation or combo I've found to work on different colors. Sorry again everyone.

Take care,

Mark



Here ya go:

Detailing isnt what I do for a living, its more of a passionate hobby of mine to do high end detailing. I got into it years back and have gotten pretty efficient at removing swirls and imperfections. As a rule I never let the dealer touch my cars with their "detailing crews". These guys are usually 18 year old kids working for the summer and spend their days adding swirl marks to unsuspecting new car owners. NEVER let them detail your car upon delivery (or after oil changes for that matter). Take it dirty, it will save you a ton of work later on. But tell them you promise to fill out your survey as "completly satisfied" when you get it. They depend on that survey for bonuses and thats is alot of times the reason they insist on cleaning the car for you. But they'll play ball if you explain it to them.

First thing first, invest about $200 in the basics and you'll be set and ready to run with it. Buy a PC (Porter Cable 7336sp) and a velcro backing plate. Buy some pads, they come in different softness for different applications. And buy microfiber towels, lots of them. NEVER use old bath or beach towels to wash or dry your cars.....espically black. Thats the kiss of death for black.

For washing use 2 buckets, one for soap and one for rinsing. Avoid Dawn washings, its alkaline content is too high and is a redundant step if you are claying. The clay will remove any old wax or sealant you had on prior. For clay I like Clay Magic (blue bar) to remove grit and dirt trapped in the paint. I clayed my new Tundra with 12 miles on it and got a ton of stuff out with the clay. Place your hand in a small sandwhich baggie and rub it over the paint while youre washing it. If it feels like sand paper....you need to clay. Check again afterwards and you'll see a huge difference. It will be smooth as glass. Use your car wash shampoo and water as lube for the clay and use plenty of it. When youre finished washing and claying, use a power blower to dry the car, getting water out of all the mirrors and door jams.

Pull the car inside the garage and polish the paint with your PC. I use Einzettes polishes as I've had the most consistent results with them. Use what ever your comfortable with, but for best results avoid the Wal-Mart junk and spend a few bucks on better polishes such as Einzettes, Menzerna, FK1, Zaino, 3M and other boutique brands. They are well worth the money. http://detailersparadise.com/_system...qryDefault.asp

I set my PC on 5 and used an orange cutting pad with Einzettes Metallic Polish(red can) and did the entire truck. Work each panel for a few minutes or until polish begins to flash over. After buffing off I went to a white pad (which is a light cutting pad) and PC on 4 and applied Klasse AIO(all in one) to the entire truck as a base coat for my sealant. After buffing off I used a black finishing pad and PC set to 4 and applied two layers of Zaino Z2pro, with Z-8 in between each coat. Zaino Store If you choose to skip a base coat and go right to Zaino you'll need to re-wash to remove the carnubas in the polishes. Zaino will not bond to the carnubas.

I have other tried and true combinations that work for a specific job depending on the condition of the vehicle, but for my brand new truck with no scratches I chose to attack it lightly on the polish and focus on the synthetic wax. The polish really brought out the metallic in my Silver Sky. For black though I might finish with a carnuba such as P21S (S100 in the Harley dealers at half the price) as this gives it a much deeper finish, but doesnt last nearly as long as a synthetic. Here in Florida I might get a week in the summer with a carnuba, but 5 months with Zaino and trucked parked outside everyday.

Mark, thank you so much for the response. I've never received a post this detailed. You basically answered all my questions in one post (what PC to buy, when to use polish etc.). I printed your entire post and filed it and also sent a copy to my email address. I'm going to buy the same products you suggested and I'm going to detail my car with it. Thanks again! You should post some larger photos if possible (1280 resolution) so that we can see your truck up close in detail. It looks brilliant right now!

 

[jmac1391]

I am not familiar with this product but did read the website you posted. Have you had this on any other vehicles? How does it hold up with rocks or do you know?
Thanks
John

 

[07Sport]

Whats the usual cost of the 3M bra?

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Mark, thank you so much for the response. I've never received a post this detailed. You basically answered all my questions in one post (what PC to buy, when to use polish etc.). I printed your entire post and filed it and also sent a copy to my email address. I'm going to buy the same products you suggested and I'm going to detail my car with it. Thanks again! You should post some larger photos if possible (1280 resolution) so that we can see your truck up close in detail. It looks brilliant right now!

Thanks for the kind words Ross, it is very appreciated. My wife and neighbors think I'm insane with my whole detailing obsession, but the wife doesnt complain too much anymore.

The truck is filthy right now because I'm not supposed to wash it until the 3M cures. I'll clean it tomorrow morning.

I tried posting bigger pics for more detailed shots, but this server wont allow any more than a 200kb jpeg.....sorry. But one thing I always try and do is show pictures shot in full sun and not "smoke and mirrors" shots in the shade or inside a garage. Its easy to make a dirty car look clean in the shade.

Ross, there is so much more that goes into my process so if youd like you can PM me your email and I'll either call you or write it out for you (preferably call you, lol). Its always nice to talk with someone else whos as into it as I am. Be prepared, it takes me about 10 hours to do my truck. Dont make any other plans the day you decide to give it a go.

For all your products you can contact Nick at DetailersParadise.com He is my Yoda, he and his wife know everything. And super nice too.

Take care buddy,

Mark