[jmardy]

I hope I got a prototype
It might be OK for Ford pickup trucks with flat surfaces and no curves but it was impossible to get all but 4 pieces of the kit to work. The pieces that go on the outside of the headlights fit OK but even with those, one had a square cut at the bottom and the other side had an angled cut. The pieces that go on the inside of the headlights are mathematically impossible to fit.

Some pieces looked like they were cut by hand.
The piece that goes on the top of the rear bumper doesn't fit at all, maybe it's for a Cooper.

I'm uploading a picture of the piece that goes on the roof at the top of the windshield is typical of the installation.

Needless to say I am calling Invinca-shield tomorrow and asking for a refund. Hopefully they will get these problems sorted out before anyone else wastes an afternoon trying to make this stuff work.

Off to the pub for a pint now.
Cheers
-John

[jmardy]

roof strip, no way to get that material flat:

[Tobes]

Must admit it looks like a dog's breakfast!

Good luck with the refund

[chiph]

Chip H.

[boohblu]

Last month, my area Porsche Club hosted a tech session featuring this guy. I did not stay the whole time but was able to observe how he joined/mated two pieces and I must admit, it was seamless by sight. You'll have rub your palm against the surface to feel the joint. As you can see from the pictures (WARNING: DO NOT OPEN UNLESS YOU HAVE HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION - very high resolution in attempt to show detail), not only are the bumper covers of the Porsches more round but also has more nooks and crannies than the MINI. Check out this link - [url=http://www.smiley.net/boxster/invinca3.htm].

Good luck.

[jmardy]

Quote:

Originally posted by boohblu
Last month, my area Porsche Club hosted a tech session featuring this guy. I did not stay the whole time but was able to observe how he joined/mated two pieces and I must admit, it was seamless by sight. You'll have rub your palm against the surface to feel the joint. As you can see from the pictures (WARNING: DO NOT OPEN UNLESS YOU HAVE HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION - very high resolution in attempt to show detail), not only are the bumper covers of the Porsches more round but also has more nooks and crannies than the MINI. Check out this link - [url=http://www.smiley.net/boxster/invinca3.htm].

Good luck.

Thanks for the link.

The problem I found wasn't with convex surfaces like the Porsche has but concave ones like the area between the headlight and hood scoop and the indentation around the fog light.

Having to trim is inexcusable in my opinion
This crap is expensive, it should fit without trimming.
I'm supposed to talk to the kit designer tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes.

[noahe]

The moment I saw this stuff, I thought the claims of an easy self-install were way off base. Regardless of brand, this stuff looks like it needs a professional installation. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and there is no way I would have the patience or composure to pull it off.

I'm sorry the install went so horribly bad. Nipping off to the pub for a pint seems like a really rational, calming approach to take. I think I'd be tearing my hair out, or throwing things.

[lugnutz]

I too had a similar problem doing my own install. That is why I posted a thorough caution about self-installs of this material. While I f@%&#& it all up, a professional (who took a lot of time) did a perfect job of it. Go figure.

I found the company stood behind its product. i hope you have similar luck. Get new pieces, pay someone to do it. You'll be happy once its done.

[MINIAC]

Quote:

Originally posted by lugnutz
I too had a similar problem doing my own install. That is why I posted a thorough caution about self-installs of this material. While I f@%&#& it all up, a professional (who took a lot of time) did a perfect job of it. Go figure.

I found the company stood behind its product. i hope you have similar luck. Get new pieces, pay someone to do it. You'll be happy once its done.

Did Invinca-Shield replace the pieces you messed up for free?

[jmardy]

Quote:

Originally posted by MINIAC

Did Invinca-Shield replace the pieces you messed up for free?

I still haven't been able to reach the right guy, we're trading voicemail. I'm hoping they will re-examine their kit first but I do still like the idea of having this on my car.

Regardless of the installation difficulty, I am convinced that some pieces are just cut wrong.
For example, the left headlight, look at the seem at the bottom:

and the right:

[MINIAC]

Definitely shabby.

The kit Clear Armor Inc (Mountain View CA) installed on my 'S' has only 1 piece for the hood (excluding the scoop), while the Invinca-Shield kit uses 4 pieces.

[jmardy]

Quote:

Originally posted by MINIAC
Definitely shabby.

The kit Clear Armor Inc (Mountain View CA) installed on my 'S' has only 1 piece for the hood (excluding the scoop), while the Invinca-Shield kit uses 4 pieces.

Any pictures?
Thanks for your help.

[MINIAC]

There's a link to photos in this post:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...mor#post104744

[Ottawa Guy]

I had an experience with the Rogue Engineering Shadow Stripes. I received the stripes in good condition but unfortunately had to pay an extra $66 Canadian for brokerage fees and taxes. (Not Rouge's fault).

After reading the instructions I figured that maybe this was not a do-it-yourself type job for a beginner. So, I searched the Internet for a local company who does that kind of work. I found a sign company that had some great pictures of a vinyl decal job they had done on a new VW. Figuring they could handle my small job, and after talking to the owner on the phone and giving him a link to the Rogue site so he could see what the job entailed, I made an appointment.

The guy they assigned to the job started with the rear. After he put them on, I noticed bubbles and dirt (they worked outdoors) under the stripes and that the stripes were not vertical. At this point I told him to call the owner and I explained that the stripes were to make the car look good and instead it looked awful. The owner told the guy to quit where he was and he came and finished the job himself. The owner then applied the front stripes and, using the extra front stripe supplied with the kit, replaced all the rear elements. Even the work done by the owner however, was sub-par with small bubbles and dirt and untidy/ragged trimming (especially around the trunk handle and hood scoop).

I am more than happy with the Rogue stripe kit (it looks fantastic from ten feet or more). I just wish I'd picked someone more professional to install them -- I'm sure I could have done it better myself.

[lugnutz]

jmardy, it looks like you you might have received 2 pieces for the right outer hood/light area?? Is that possible? I can't believe that the piece would be that far off.

[jmardy]

I talked to the kit designer today, nice guy.
Bottom line is that they are going to send me free replacement pieces to replace the ones I screwed up (and the one piece in the pics above that was mis-cut.)

It sounds like this requires more experience and patience than I have.

The designer gave me some really good tips so I might give it another try or I could see if maybe the clear bra folks woudln't mind installing it for me.

I'll let you all know how it works out.
Cheers
-John

[kshapiro]

I dunno guys...my "S" has 2,500 miles on it and not a nick yet. Sure, it'll get some, but I'd rather have a few small nicks rather than yards of clear contact paper all over my baby. This is just my opinion, but I've never seen an "invisible" application of this stuff. And when your Saran Wrap gets nicked, you've got a much biggger problem than touching up a paint nick.

[noahe]

Good point. Just a little over 6,000 km's on my S, and not a blemish.

[MINIAC]

Quote:

... I've never seen an "invisible" application of this stuff. And when your Saran Wrap gets nicked, you've got a much biggger problem than touching up a paint nick.

A film 6-9 mil thick, even if it's clear, is going to leave seams that are noticeable. 3M ScotchCal is hardly Saran Wrap. The Clear Armor on my 'S' is warranteed for 3 years to pay up $1,000 for any paint damage to protected areas.

You can see the seams but you have to be real close.

[jmardy]

You're probably right.
If I had it to do over, I'd do something else with my $240...