SCRATCH PRO paint protector

I had a sign shop in Cairns for 27 years. We used to sell a 3M product origionally designed for the leading edge of helicopter rotors to protect them from damage. I put some on a Pajero I bought new in 97 and peeled it off before I sold it 3 years later the paint under was perfect. I could rub the edge of a 50 cent piece down the side of the car and it woudn't damage this material not cheap but permanent till you want to remove it and invisible on the car. Far and away the best body protection material I have ever seen. This is a link to my sign shop I sold last year. http://www.cairns.net.au/~signs/bodyguarding.htm If the new owner is not interested I am sure I can still get hold of this product if enough people are interested. * Only buy genuine 3M I tried several others nothing else came close. Cheers Rob

Thanks Rob ,
I checked out a similar product in Sydney and it was over a $1000 to get the sides and bonnet done . If I had a new car though , I would do as you suggest , because I agree , it is brilliant .
But the old girl is 5 years old and already has quite a few scratches so I am going for the cheap alternative .
Did you put it on yourself ? I thought it would need a professional to put it on or it might look like a do-it-yourself tinting job gone wrong .
Cheers ,
Willie .

After having a sign shop for 27 years I would have thought that would make me a professional. I used to supply and fit for the motor trade. Did a lot of road and trail bikes as well. It is not that difficult for a reasonably handy person to fit. I reckon you coud DIY on a Cruiser, Patrol for less than $500. Last the life of the vehicle does not fade, very glossy perfect material for 4wd application. Cheers Rob.

Willie,

I recently went to some pretty nasty country and my son's new cruiser was going to be a bit of a concern.

He obtained from one of his mates in the sign writing business a roll of low tack vinyl which they use for proof work or some-such and we left it off until we arrived at the so called " tiger country"

We then proceed to wrap his vehicle in this stuff, obviously not the front or back, and then cut slits in the rear edge of the doors so we could open and close them.

Not pretty but very effective.

Took about a can of beer and a few jokes to apply it and at trips end another beer with even more jokes to remove. Vehicle was pristine after this little effort tho prior to removal it looked like a dogs breakfast - but thats what we put it there for.

Cheaper than a paint job and piece of the proverbial in terms of effort and not a scratch of any kind tho the other Tojo was a bit trashed.

Good luck

John G

John ,
I had contemplated something like that before I used the Scratchpro last year , but thought it might take my duco off with it after being baked on for two months .
When you say " low tack " do you mean not as sticky as the stuff you put on the cupboard shelves ? No probs getting it off ?
Thanks ,
Willie .

Willie,

Definitely not as sticky as the normal and at times wondered whether it would actually have enough stick to stay stuck so to speak. Have used other vinyl stick on signs for advertisers and they do get a grip and have seen paint removed with them - trick there is to use a heat gun and they then come off easily.

This stuff tho came off easily in about five minutes at the motel car wash and was on for about three weeks all up in the west oz sun, middle of summer.
Last summer that is when it was actually hot - not this cool year.

With all these sorts of vinyls, when you remove them you should peel them back on them-selves and not pull at right angles to the flat surface.

If we made an error it was in cutting down the front of the doors, and not just the back, as the leading edges were starting to peel back by the time we had finished this foray into the scrub.

We certainly didn't bother trying to put it on free of creases either, but literally layed it down the side with a slight overlap and presto - banged it on.
The left over bits where the wheels are we used to make patches for those bits we missed.

Not a rembrandt, more of a dog's breakfast to look at - but who cares?

As I mentioned previously, it was pretty shabby when we finished but the paint underneath was pristine after removal requiring no attention at all, apart from a shampoo type wash, thus saving hours with detergents, solvents and polishes.

The cost I can't help you with as son paid for, it but think $50 odd rings a bell for the roll but that was a mates price methinks. It was plain white with a low sheen but felt to be the same weight as normal stick on stuff.

Hope this helps. Its certainly now a part of our shopping lists for future trips.

Regards

John G

In short - yes! Decided to apply mine before leaving home and promptly got caught in a rain storm. This created some ugly looking stuff but it dried out and worked no problems. The only issue was that as it became soft it oozed into the cracks and that made the removal much harder.

Kind regards

Scott ,
I put it on a week before I left for WA ( from Sydney ) last May and it rained all the way across the Nullabor .
The only places it came off were the ones exposed to the draft at 110 klm/ hour eg mirrors and bumper and front of hood . It was not a big problem and when the rain stopped what was left ( 95% ) dried out and went hard again .
We also got 2" in the Pilbarra which once again softened it , but once again it went hard and did a great job for the rest of the trip .
I would never go on a desert trip without it unless I did not give a rats about my car.
Cheers ,
Willie .

So Willie, can you do a normal 4B with a litre.
Also, I'm heading off for about 4 months. The web site I looked at said it protects for up to 2 months. Does this mean I should remove it and reapply at least once during the trip?

Norm ,
I did both sides of my Cruiser, the bonnet and the bumperbar ( two coats ) with a roller and I still had a bit left . I am not sure if the can was a litre or half a litre - I think they only sell one size .
Cheers ,
Willie .