[subiesailor]

Depends on where you live the roads you drive on etc. By the way $700 should get you real 3M film developed for Army helicopter blades - which is bought by the roll and cut by the install shop on a computer run plotter. They should be covering your front bumper - your hood - your mirrors and in some cases they will cut a template for the pillars driver and passenger side. $700 seems a tad high know my high end custom car shop in CA charges from $600 and up pending how much you want them to cover the $600 fee is bumper - hood and mirrors on most cars.

 

[subiesailor]

Just out of curiosity. Does anyone know how much a new painted hood costs?

It might be best to just buy a spare hood at those prices. Or, wait and buy one off a parts car if needed and get it repainted when the time comes.

Otherwise, definitely get a hood protector protector for your hood protector. I hate it when I get dings in my hood protector.

Hood is not cheap - the paint matching effort is even more costly. Heck just the flimsy plastic rear bumper cover will run you $1000 for the cover and another $1000 for paint match

 

[subiesailor]

I guess it depends where you are. I am presently in LA and had to drive over an hour to a certified 3M installer of which there are TWO listed on their website within 100 miles of New Orleans. So at first he was trying to get me for over a thousand dollars... NO WAY!

But in California for example there is a ton more competition there so the prices should be lower.

That is why I cannot wait to leave this dump and get back to California so I can have other parts of my car done.

LOL - Even in CA the number of custom car shops that actually have plotters and do the real deal are rare today. Though still probably easier to find in CA vs LA

 

[subiesailor]

The cheap non brand films you can buy pre cut - might work for a while but don't expect them to be the same level of protection as the real 3M product. For the right price the cheaper stuff might be OK for headlights but you might be disapointed if your hood gets mucked up because it didn't really protect it.

 

[subiesailor]

Whats funny is all my cars I've purchased used have had additional 3M clear bra type stuff put on them. But I never pay to have it put on my new cars. I keep cars a long time for the most part my primary cars anyway.

I've found that people who spend all that money on added protections like this in many cases never own their cars long enough to even really enjoy the results of having done this sort of thing LOL. For the record my Ob at 40K does not have it. I sadly know a bunch about it due to a good friend who runs a high end shop has a plotter and a roll of it. He has cut some of it for me to use in other applications like protecting the front of my $8000 carbon mast where the clew from the jib strikes the front of the mast. We put two layers of 3M product on it vs a clumsy looking pad held in place with velcro straps. Amazing stuff it took one **** of a beating over two years from a metal stainless shackle on the jib clew and not a single mark on the pretty carbon mast.