NEVERL8

I have MS Z with VS and am very happy with the results overall.

In contemplating the choice of films (3M or VS) my decision was influenced by the following.

1. VS has about 4 times the tensile strength of the 3M film. This did not mean much to me until I took a piece of each and attempted to tear it. The 3M film stretched and separated. The VS film was far tougher and could not be torn. The film is not as soft as the 3M and will resist dents over time.

2. The VS film has a lifetime warranty.

3. The VS film has significantly less orange peel. A significant consideration if installed on a darker car.

4. If there is a warranty issue the Venture Shield company is FAR more responsive than the monolithic 3M. What takes hours or days to resolve with VS may take months with 3M.

Finally, as stated in several previous posts, the key to either is an expert installer. It is truly an art to put this stuff on. A poor installer will make either type of film look horrible.

Minkster

I also have MSM Z, but after some research went with 3M mainly because there is a factory trained installer in my area. He is there all the time, and easy to access if needed. In reference to the points above:

1. Right after I had the 3M installed, I took the car to the dealer for the roof recall. While it was there, they drove a 4X4 truck into the front bumper . Needless to say, I was somewhat upset, but they fixed all the damage. Point is, the front bumper was pushed in and broken on one side, but the 3M did not tear or rip even though it had been pulled off by the truck tire. So I would say it does a great job of protecting the paint, which is the intention of these clear shields.

2. 3M has a 5 year warranty, but the installer extended that to lifetime. Again, the installer is the key here.

3. I also have the 3M on my M3 which is Carbon Black. It is very hard to tell the diff in the paint and the 3M, and many people have commented on how invisible it looks. There is some slight orange peel, but you have to look hard to see it. The stuff is as shinny as the paint too. Again, this is an installer thing, if done right, it really looks near invisible.

4. As mentioned before, the installer is local, and if I have a warranty issue (I had him replace the 3M after the dealer fixed the front bumper), I take it up with him, not 3M. He is the one that deals with 3M if needed. So as far as I am concerned, warranty response is immediate.

So as mentioned before, with these clear bras, the installer is the key to whether it is right or not. I've had some big hits from rocks and stuff on the front, and not a mark remained other than some dirt or a scuff which cleaned right up. No clear urethane shield is going to protect from a hit that will cause structural damage, so don't kid yourself there. Find a good installer and you will be happy with whatever you purchase.

jimman

This is the second application for dull finish, 20k miles.

cobbyh2

I was going to put one or the other product on my 07 Black Z, But after seeing those pics on the black car NO F''''''''''''KIN WAY. But thanks for posting pics, saved me 7-8 C-notes

Minkster

As I stated earlier, the 3M Clear Bra on my Carbon Black M3 doesn't look like this at all, it's near invisible. Looks like the wrong fluid was used to apply the film or something .

jimman

Was done twice and fluid as described, beats the hell out of me. I also looked at a red Z done by someone else and it looks dull too but the red doesn't show as bad.

Nanook

Funny this thread posts just after I do 3m.Install was virtually flawless and undecernable. The issue I really hope to avoid is sandblasting to the headlamp/foglight lenses and rear brake intakes.Time will tell and if it performs to even 50% of it's claim I'm a happy guy.
When it shows wear or scuffs it's a simple fix..off it comes and new goes on...

gilly6993

did you have that removed?

jimman

Not yet, currently in Cleveland in route back to San Diego. It looks good when it's first put on but dulls in less than a month. Not sure if it's wear do to heat from engine, I do drive a lot. If it holds up if you don't drive it why bother.

jimman

If it scuff's, simple fix, yeah $550 simple. Repaint is 500 do the math.

Nanook

Nope..free replacement for 3 years...

HIRISC

Hey Jim,

I'm not saying that your material didn't dull, but I don't think that the 'dulling' of the material is a common problem at all.

My VentureShield is perfect (ly clear) at this point.. I'm expecting it to stay that way or I'll count on the lifetime warranty to kick in

Hope your situation gets resolved to your satisfaction.

jimman

Not that simple, wear and tear is not a warranty issue and this stuff is soft plastic not stainless steel. I have a lifetime on mine, that is if it peals off or has some defect, bug marks and stone dents aren't cuttin it.

Minkster

They have templates for the headlights and foglights that will prevent any sandblasting to the lenses. I also had my installer put thin pieces of material around the rear brake inlets after I had the new GM trim pieces installed at the dealer. Also had a piece put just below the front brake ducts from the rocker panel up to where the duct diverges out from the fender.

Tamulinas2

One of the things my Venture Shield installer recommended was
regular cleaning with Plexus Plastic Cleaner. The film has pores
in it and fill with dirt etc if not cleaned. Use cleaner with ONLY
microfiber towels and it will have an incredible shine. Plexus has
some wax in it to fill the pores. The stuff also removes bug guts better than any tar and bug remover I've used.

Invisiguard

Ive installed 3M, Venture, Llumar, and Avery Dennison films over the last 6 years. Without a doubt, Venture was the WORST film I had ever used. It did looked good when first installed, and its also cheaper and its easier to install (which makes it popular with the rookies) problem is after about a year the finish would begin to dull and no amount of wax would bring back the finish. 3M has always incorporated a clear coat top layer, which makes it a bit more expensive and a bit more difficult to install, but I can look at my 3M installs from when I started and the finish still looks great.

Even worse, their lifetime warranty only covers a material credit, unlike 3Ms material+labor credit, and Venture only credits you to use the SAME crappy film you just took off!! Yeah Ive had it out with those guys a few times Anyhow, they redesigned their film last year and say they made it closer to 3Ms, but I have no reason to trust them anymore, they put out a product with alot of promises and no testing and we installers got screwed, Hopefully they get it right this time but I'll just keep using 3M, theres just no reward for being an early adopter in my line of work.

HIRISC

Of course, as an installer of clear-bra's, your opinion carries more weight than the average Joe's.

What is interesting to me is that I heard the almost the exact same concerns from my installer about 3M.

With no disrespect to you, I hope you're wrong about the VS. Their website directly 'responds' to the concerns regarding yellowing/dulling/etc. and also calls out the 'polished' surface prep of the 3M material specifically and why its a negative:
VentureShield Warranty:
VentureShield uses some fairly aggressive promotional language regarding their products on their website:
I hope for their sake that their promise doesn't bite them in the **** down the road, but I for one will continue to expect that my film stays 'optically clear'. Any meaningful degredation in clarity (aka optical performance/dulling) will have me waiving the flag of warranty and my expectation, as I'm sure others will have, will be a full removal/re-install. The re-install is implied in the warranty, but not called out specifically. That could be an issue if a claim went into litigation.

The stated promises on their website do appear to differ slightly from their 'warranty' card published on their site. That is a little disturbing. What VS may end up finding out is that when you imply a quality/warranty on your website, that generally is enforceable as a defacto 'guarantee'.

I've copied the product page in HTML and in hard copy for my own protection - should any haggling over warranty become necessary.

One thing to note for all VS customers/potential customers is that the 'Lifetime Warranty' is NOT transferrable to new owners.

http://www.ventureshield.com/pdf/VSh...ranty_Card.pdf





3M's Warranty:
While apparently not limited to the original owner, it's very vague - nothing about dulling is mentioned in their FAQ/Warranty section of their website:I'm not sure which is worse (or better) - a very broadly defined/non-transferrable warranty or a very thinly defined one that will transfer??

Time will tell, and again no slight or arguement with you per se, but I do hope that the recent VS purchasers on this Forum have a different experience than you suggest they might.

Ok, storms past - back to bed

Invisiguard

oh not at all, matter of fact I really hope their third try works out! Up till now Ive been replace their old dull film with 3M out of my own pocket just to save my reputation, but Im not going to use their film again till its been in use for at least a year so I can see how its been holding up. So far it sounds much better, so I think I'll be stopping by to see Bret at the Venture booth at SEMA this year to see if they are gonna make good on all the new film they owe me

flatout vette

The installer of my ventureshield used to install 3m. He said he switched to the better product. It turned out great.

gilly6993

well, the reviews seem pretty mixed....I think I'm going to go braless for now....