This is my first experience with paint protection film so I don't really know if it's supposed to look like this or not. The way people go on about it on the interwebs makes it sound like it usually looks just fine.
Anyway, I thought I'd give it a try so I went to the highest rated place in town and the only place listed on 3M's website as an authorized installer. They've been in business for 40 years and do all the work for the local Lamborghini, Bentley, Ferrari etc. dealerships so they seem pretty legit.
They charged a tear-jerking sum of money and needed the car for 2 full days to do just the front bumper, nothing else - no headlights, hood, fenders, mirrors, etc. I requested 3M film although they said XPel would be a little cheaper, is there any way to know what film I actually got? My receipt just says "bumper".
Anyway, does this look normal? The most noticeable blemish is the splotchyness on the top of the bumper which looks like minor collision damage in person but is hard to photograph. The cluster of small bubbles seems to be some gravel that got between the film and the paint and is really lumpy but not in a very noticeable location. They bashed in the tow hook cover a little but didn't bother to put any film on it. Anyone know how to pull it back out flush with the bumper? I'm guessing they pushed really hard on the driver's side of it rather than pulling on the passenger side and probably bent the plastic backing.
I'm kinda bummed that I paid so much money for something that really doesn't look much better than a thousand rock chips and really isn't any cheaper than repainting the whole bumper every few years. They told me to bring it back on Monday if the issues didn't "resolve themselves" but actually I don't even know what to have them do about it. Is it even possible to remove/replace it? I worry that after all the time they spent burnishing the stuff on under a blistering heat gun that the paint will just peel right off along with the film.
Anyway, I thought I'd give it a try so I went to the highest rated place in town and the only place listed on 3M's website as an authorized installer. They've been in business for 40 years and do all the work for the local Lamborghini, Bentley, Ferrari etc. dealerships so they seem pretty legit.
They charged a tear-jerking sum of money and needed the car for 2 full days to do just the front bumper, nothing else - no headlights, hood, fenders, mirrors, etc. I requested 3M film although they said XPel would be a little cheaper, is there any way to know what film I actually got? My receipt just says "bumper".
Anyway, does this look normal? The most noticeable blemish is the splotchyness on the top of the bumper which looks like minor collision damage in person but is hard to photograph. The cluster of small bubbles seems to be some gravel that got between the film and the paint and is really lumpy but not in a very noticeable location. They bashed in the tow hook cover a little but didn't bother to put any film on it. Anyone know how to pull it back out flush with the bumper? I'm guessing they pushed really hard on the driver's side of it rather than pulling on the passenger side and probably bent the plastic backing.
I'm kinda bummed that I paid so much money for something that really doesn't look much better than a thousand rock chips and really isn't any cheaper than repainting the whole bumper every few years. They told me to bring it back on Monday if the issues didn't "resolve themselves" but actually I don't even know what to have them do about it. Is it even possible to remove/replace it? I worry that after all the time they spent burnishing the stuff on under a blistering heat gun that the paint will just peel right off along with the film.