Altapac & Installation of Clear Bra

[buddah51au]

I have just travelled from central Queensland to Newcastle to have a ventureshield clear bra fitted to my CU2. what a major disappointment this turned out to be.

Prior to choosing Altapac I did a lot of research on the product & while there appears to be little difference between Ventureshield & 3M, all my research indicated to me that they would be the best choice for the following reasons. There is a company in Brookvale that uses the 3M product & they indicated they would need 6 hours to do the job. There is another company on the Central Coast of NSW that uses Ventureshield & come to your home to do the installation, This didn't sound right to me as any dust particles in the air would find their way between the clear tape & the paintwork. On the other hand Altapac do their fitting in a sealed booth (similar to a spray painting booth) & ask to keep the car overnight so the installation can be checked the next morning. That process was the deciding factor for me as I believed it was a good idea to check their work the following morning.

In my research I found the major problem with installing a clear bra is the experience of the installer

So I dropped the car off last Monday morning & arranged to pick it up on the Tuesday. I also confirmed with them if it would be alright to travel immediately after picking the car up. Naturally I thoroughly inspected the job before paying for it & was totally happy with the way it had turned out.

So I paid the bill, and made for the highway with my first stop being Narrabri, some 400 odd km from where the installation was done. While having a break there I went over the fitting again only to find that a section about 1/2 inch wide & 3/8 inch deep had lifted and was black underneath with road grime. I immediately rang Altapac to complain & all they could say was to bring it back which was totally unfeasable as I was more than 400km away & on a schedule to be back home for Xmas, let alone the round trip of over 800km to get back to where I was. Than to make matters worse, by the time I got to Moree, my overnite stop, the clear bra was lifting in 4 areas. Total disappointment after traveling so far to get something done that I had wanted for a long time

All I can suggest is for those who wish to have a clear bra fitted is to go ahead, but choose your installer with care & choose someone other than altapac.

My only option now is to wait until I clean the car, get a sharp blade & try to trim the effected areas, but i hate putting a sharp blade near paintwaork.

[sodhi90]

mate i feel for you , i hate that sink in the stomach feeling u get when u find something wasn't done right or don't at all!! i can definitely relate

[tony1234]

I have just travelled from central Queensland to Newcastle to have a ventureshield clear bra fitted to my CU2. what a major disappointment this turned out to be.

Prior to choosing Altapac I did a lot of research on the product & while there appears to be little difference between Ventureshield & 3M, all my research indicated to me that they would be the best choice for the following reasons. There is a company in Brookvale that uses the 3M product & they indicated they would need 6 hours to do the job. There is another company on the Central Coast of NSW that uses Ventureshield & come to your home to do the installation, This didn't sound right to me as any dust particles in the air would find their way between the clear tape & the paintwork. On the other hand Altapac do their fitting in a sealed booth (similar to a spray painting booth) & ask to keep the car overnight so the installation can be checked the next morning. That process was the deciding factor for me as I believed it was a good idea to check their work the following morning.

In my research I found the major problem with installing a clear bra is the experience of the installer

So I dropped the car off last Monday morning & arranged to pick it up on the Tuesday. I also confirmed with them if it would be alright to travel immediately after picking the car up. Naturally I thoroughly inspected the job before paying for it & was totally happy with the way it had turned out.

So I paid the bill, and made for the highway with my first stop being Narrabri, some 400 odd km from where the installation was done. While having a break there I went over the fitting again only to find that a section about 1/2 inch wide & 3/8 inch deep had lifted and was black underneath with road grime. I immediately rang Altapac to complain & all they could say was to bring it back which was totally unfeasable as I was more than 400km away & on a schedule to be back home for Xmas, let alone the round trip of over 800km to get back to where I was. Than to make matters worse, by the time I got to Moree, my overnite stop, the clear bra was lifting in 4 areas. Total disappointment after traveling so far to get something done that I had wanted for a long time

All I can suggest is for those who wish to have a clear bra fitted is to go ahead, but choose your installer with care & choose someone other than altapac.

My only option now is to wait until I clean the car, get a sharp blade & try to trim the effected areas, but i hate putting a sharp blade near paintwaork.

I've had a clear bra on my car for 3+years and in that time have had no lifting at all.Had it installed at a place in Rydalmere(Sydney)i believe it's 3M product.Only thing i've noticed lately is the texture of the material is not as "smooth" as it was when 1st.installed but for $260 i'm happy with the result.

[buddah51au]

I've had a clear bra on my car for 3+years and in that time have had no lifting at all.Had it installed at a place in Rydalmere(Sydney)i believe it's 3M product.Only thing i've noticed lately is the texture of the material is not as "smooth" as it was when 1st.installed but for $260 i'm happy with the result.

Hi Tony, good result for you. I am just trying to make others who want this done to be aware & choose the installer with caution. The products from both 3M & Ventureshield have changed a lot over the last 3 years & I understand that 3M now owns both companies.

The upsetting thing for me is that the cost of traveling down there to get the job done cost more than the $600 it cost for the installation.

We all live & learn.

[felixd]

sorry for ya mate but good best of luck trimming the lifting the affected area just musk tape the side n detail prep it b4 u cut it off

[aaronng]

Hi Tony, good result for you. I am just trying to make others who want this done to be aware & choose the installer with caution. The products from both 3M & Ventureshield have changed a lot over the last 3 years & I understand that 3M now owns both companies.

The upsetting thing for me is that the cost of traveling down there to get the job done cost more than the $600 it cost for the installation.

We all live & learn.

Nope, 3M does not own Ventureshield. Ventureshield is a 3M direct competitor.

Did the installer apply the film on and then fold it under the bonnet? That is the proper way so that it does not lift when driving against the wind. If they did not, then it is a very poor installation


It sounds like your paintwork was not prepped to remove silicone before the clear bra was applied, hence the adhesive not sticking onto the paint and lifting when driving at freeway speeds. Definitely get the installer to either redo it or get a full refund and go to another installer that has more experience.

[buddah51au]

Nope, 3M does not own Ventureshield. Ventureshield is a 3M direct competitor.

Did the installer apply the film on and then fold it under the bonnet? That is the proper way so that it does not lift when driving against the wind. If they did not, then it is a very poor installation


It sounds like your paintwork was not prepped to remove silicone before the clear bra was applied, hence the adhesive not sticking onto the paint and lifting when driving at freeway speeds. Definitely get the installer to either redo it or get a full refund and go to another installer that has more experience.

Sorry to disagree with you aarong, but 3M has brought out ventureshield, although they remain different films. I do remember reading about it when I was Researching clear Bra's.

It is a bit difficult to get the installer to redo it when they are 1300km away......lol

Yes, it is folded under the bonnet, that is not the problem area. The problem areas are the edge where it folds in next to the left hand fog light recess - (this is the worst), the leading edge of the left front guard above the headlight & the outer edge of both door mirrors.

[aaronng]

Sorry to disagree with you aarong, but 3M has brought out ventureshield, although they remain different films. I do remember reading about it when I was Researching clear Bra's.

It is a bit difficult to get the installer to redo it when they are 1300km away......lol

Yes, it is folded under the bonnet, that is not the problem area. The problem areas are the edge where it folds in next to the left hand fog light recess - (this is the worst), the leading edge of the left front guard above the headlight & the outer edge of both door mirrors.

You're right. Just checked and they are a subsidary of 3M now. So the products are still different. Looking at the specs, I would go with the Ventureshield which has better optical clarity. However the 3M film has better adhesiveness, so if your installer didn't prep the surface properly, you will still get the issue with the Ventureshield.

At the fog light section, the foglights should have been removed and the film folded in behind the fog light cavity. Same for the fender and door edges. They should all have been folded in. If they are folded in and they still don't stick, then it could be caused by silicone on the paint surface.

[albii]

Buddah, looks like all that polish and waxing has come back to bite you on the ass.
That's the downside to paint care, nothing sticks to it when you want it to.

[tony1234]

Hi Tony, good result for you. I am just trying to make others who want this done to be aware & choose the installer with caution. The products from both 3M & Ventureshield have changed a lot over the last 3 years & I understand that 3M now owns both companies.

The upsetting thing for me is that the cost of traveling down there to get the job done cost more than the $600 it cost for the installation.

We all live & learn.

You are right.Proper surface preparation and installation is very important.Not sure what recourse you have as they are doing the right thing by you and offering to replace it for you but if you're 1300kms away going back to get it replaced is out of the question.

[buddah51au]

You are right.Proper surface preparation and installation is very important.Not sure what recourse you have as they are doing the right thing by you and offering to replace it for you but if you're 1300kms away going back to get it replaced is out of the question.

You are right Tony, it is not feasible to go back there at all, It would work out cheaper to save my pennies again & go to the Gold Coast, have everything removed & start from scratch again. That is taking into account the cost of fuel and accommodation, let alone taking into account wear & tear.

the gold coast is about 1200km return with 1 nights accommodation, compared to about 2700km return to Newcastle with a minimum 3 nights accommodation.

I am just so pi..ed off over this, it is not as though their application failed after several weeks, or months, but a matter of about 5 hours after picking the car up. Actually it would have been less than that if I had stopped earlier.

[felixd]

pics im curious how bad is the job .