Has anyone tried Cleartastic or some of the other clear vinyl paint protection option? Just curoius to see what people are using and if they like it.


BTW what does ttt stand for?

Thanks

Jon

 

to the top

 

I have seen lots of post on this, so you may want to try a search. I have not used it my self so I can't coment.

 

I bought a full set, and sent it back. looked like a pain in the @ss to put on and take off. The product itself "looked" like it was thick enough, that it WOULD stop the vast majority of stone chips.

 

I bought a set and installed it prior to a long trip - I moved from Ohio to Texas in June. The kit isn't terribly hard to install, but it does take a little time - about an hour and a half the first time. It goes on fairly well and smoothes out to an almost invisible finish. During my drive down, we had rain one day and I lost three pieces. Both bottom parts of the mirror protection and one from the front passenger side. I was a little pizzed, as I truthfully installed these things exactly as the instructions told me. I guess rain on the highway is too severe of a situation for these to all stay on... Anyway, the pieces that stayed on did a good job of taking the abuse, and I have no doubt they saved me from a few chips and scratches. BUT - the kit was very visible on my LeMans Blue color, and when I took it off to give the pieces and the car a really good cleaning a couple weeks ago, I noticed that the pieces had yellowed quite badly. I'm thinking this wouldn't be such a good thing for a white car. Though I appreciate the protections they gave, I haven't reinstalled them yet.

 

I have used them for 4 years. They are great, saved my paint when I took a trip and got into some road work (tar and loose rock). I put them on for road trips and take them off at the show. After you put them on once or twice it doesn't take long to install. Just a little water and a credit card for a squeege. They can be left on permanently without damage to the paint.

 

I've been struggling with the whole Cleartastic question for a while now, on and off. I bought a set quite a while back and then finally got around to trying it not too long ago. I read the instructions very carefully several times and decided to use my drivers fender as the guinea pig. I went through several trial applications and eventually took the pieces off (there are two overlapping pieces there) because I could never get the air totally out of the overlapped joint.

Now, I am very picky, as Mrs. Patches will tell anyone, and she couldn't find the air line I asked if she could see. But it was there. I emailed Cleartastic and got a reply that basically said try it again with some suggestions - so I did. After a few more trials, I still wasn't satisfied. I continually referred back to the instructions and tried the suggestions Cleartastic sent (use x% of soap vs. water, use Z6, etc.). I painstakingly tried every combo and couldn't get the air line to disappear. I allowed it to dry several days with no improvement. During the first hour or two after drying, I would squeegee the air line to try and eliminate it to no avail. I was tempted to trim it so I had a butt joint instead of overlap. I still have those pieces on.

I'm not complaining about the product because I'm sure it will afford some great protection. The plastic is some substantial stuff. I just don't think I'd want to leave it on permanently if it's going to show obvious signs that it's there. If it weren't for the air line, I would challenge anyone to find it if they didn't know, even if they did, that it was there.

I haven't given up on it yet. I'm going to try other sections and, if necessary, butting the pieces instead of overlapping. Below are a couple of pics of the area I applied it to. There are no obvious signs of the line I described above but it's there. You certainly can't see the where the edges of the plastic are, even if you have this stuff yourself. I'll report my results as I keep trying the rest of the kit.

 

 

I've had it on my last 7 cars.
It's amazing stuff.
I had a blow out in my porsche at 105mph. The tire broke apart (typical Pirelli crap)! Anyway the tire beat the side of the car luckly I had 3m material (Clear bra) on the side. It tore up the clear bra but the paint was perfect underneath.
I am a forever customer!
I have it on my 04 Denali and my new 04 CE Coupe.
Tim

 

I think that C54TIM is talking about the 3M material. I had the Cleartastic on for the first 1000 miles of my new C5. When I took it off and went to the 3M stuff, the Cleartastic had really taken alot of abuse. The big parts that go in front of the rear wheels looked sandblasted. It did it's job, but it did come loose a few times. It also seemed to attract dust around it on my yellow. It is good protection for the $$, but the 3M stuff is the best protection for much more $$. I applied it all myself and it took me about 5 hours. That includes lots of custom cut rocker and inner fender parts. Try www.xpel.com

 

I thought Cleartastic was the 3M material?
It must be thinner? Oh well!! The 3M material is awesome stuff, expensive but worth the money in the long run.

 

I used it on my C4 and now my C5. Saves the paint. I like it.

 

Used It To Go The The Ci This Year, Came Back Missing Half Of Them. I Had Put Them On Pretty Good And They Looked Good When We Started Out, But We Ran Into A Lot Of Hard Rain.

 

I use the Cleartastic and have had great luck with it. I only use it for road trips and remove it at my destination. I find it easy to put on now and my trick is to use 50/50 Z6 and soak the plastic in warm water before applying.