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      08-28-2011, 10:22 PM   #1
evoiii90
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Lamin-X installation problems

Well, after reading a couple of posts about using Lamin-X on some 1Ms and the good experiences some people had, specially Dan Parker, I decided to give it a try by contacting a local installer to install it on my new VO 1M.

After waiting more than a week since the products comes from the east coast and I'm in CA, the local installer here in the greater Los Angeles area called me so I took the car around 9am last Friday.

After taking the whole day to install the front and rear kits, I went to pick up the car around 6pm. When I saw the car I couldn't believe what I was seeing....

What the fu@#$! is this ??. Most of the panels with the Lamin-X had a lot of bubbles and some wrinkles, specially the hood and bumper. I immediately ask for the guy in charge of the shop, he told me that because of the heat, 90-100F most of the day, it was very hard to put the Lamin-X stuff on, so he said the bubbles will go away in less then 30 days because the Lamin-X is somewhat porous and the liquid/water trapped in the bubbles will evaporate.

To me it sounded like a lame excuse so at this point and being a Friday at 6pm I didn't know exactly what to do, so I asked for an additional warranty in written and on the invoice saying that if the bubbles and/or wrinkles don't go, they will fix it.

I have had clear bras on previous cars and this is the first time I've seen this. I just sent an email to Lamin-X with pictures and hope to get an answer tomorrow Monday but nut sure if Lamin-X can help me against a bad installer.

Granted today there were less bubbles but there are still lots of them.

So, have anyone seen this before with Lamin-X or any other clear bra ??

Thanks.
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      08-28-2011, 10:29 PM   #2
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A few bubbles here and there are acceptable and do tend to go away after being in the sun...however, in your case it sounds like a bad installation. Take it back.
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      08-29-2011, 08:44 AM   #3
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Big problems here too

I was going to have lamin-x installed on my VO here in NC but luckily for me another BB mbers car went first. Now I am holding off. Stuff did not fit right being too small and having bubbles and creases. Per installer it was much harder to work with than 3M and cuts were bad.

Think some improvements are needed before I take the leap. On the flip side it sounds as if the installer here amt lamin-x are trying to make it right. Lamin-x is recutting and resending so they will give it another try.

Anyone with good luck or other bad stories on this stuff???
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      08-29-2011, 09:12 AM   #4
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I tried to install some on my headlights and it didn't work. It only creased and stretched. I was in contact with Lamin-x and they did nothing for me, aside telling me they were willing to sell me more. On a personal note, it is comforting to know that even professionals are having problems with it.
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      08-29-2011, 09:56 AM   #5
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I may be incorrect, but I don't believe that Lamin-X uses a proprietary paint protective film.

I believe they have their own templates, but uses the very same film used by other shops.

I'm guessing that the problem is with the installer.

Neil
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      08-29-2011, 04:11 PM   #6
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Bras are for girls...not cars.
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      08-29-2011, 04:15 PM   #7
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As there seems to be some confusion about our products, I would like to take this opportunity to help bring some clarity.

As far as paint protection film is concerned, we do not manufacture our own. We use a paint protection film that is well-known in the industry -3M’s VentureShield. The patterns program used for the paint protection kits is also a product of 3M. However, our colored and clear headlight, taillight, and fog light film is cut from the patterns we create in-house.

@ evoiii90 – As stated in our email reply to you, your vehicle should not have been delivered the way it looked in the supplied pictures. Keep us updated on the situation.
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      08-29-2011, 07:54 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by evoiii90 View Post
Well, after reading a couple of posts about using Lamin-X on some 1Ms and the good experiences some people had, specially Dan Parker, I decided to give it a try by contacting a local installer to install it on my new VO 1M.

After waiting more than a week since the products comes from the east coast and I'm in CA, the local installer here in the greater Los Angeles area called me so I took the car around 9am last Friday.

After taking the whole day to install the front and rear kits, I went to pick up the car around 6pm. When I saw the car I couldn't believe what I was seeing....

What the fu@#$! is this ??. Most of the panels with the Lamin-X had a lot of bubbles and some wrinkles, specially the hood and bumper. I immediately ask for the guy in charge of the shop, he told me that because of the heat, 90-100F most of the day, it was very hard to put the Lamin-X stuff on, so he said the bubbles will go away in less then 30 days because the Lamin-X is somewhat porous and the liquid/water trapped in the bubbles will evaporate.

To me it sounded like a lame excuse so at this point and being a Friday at 6pm I didn't know exactly what to do, so I asked for an additional warranty in written and on the invoice saying that if the bubbles and/or wrinkles don't go, they will fix it.

I have had clear bras on previous cars and this is the first time I've seen this. I just sent an email to Lamin-X with pictures and hope to get an answer tomorrow Monday but nut sure if Lamin-X can help me against a bad installer.

Granted today there were less bubbles but there are still lots of them.

So, have anyone seen this before with Lamin-X or any other clear bra ??

Thanks.
Hello evoiii90,

I am the guy in NC that Rusty Racer is referring to. I feel your pain. It sucks having a car this special and having a problem that you paid someone to install as an enhancement to avoid road rash effects and keep your car looking better not meet your expectations. I have issues but the installer is going to make it right. I will certaintly lose it if my concerns are not taken care but for now I am calm and was told Lamin-x is sending a replacement kit out to redo the front. I have installed one of these type protective bras (Invinci Shield) on my Factory Five Cobra replica and I did a fair job but no way I wanted to tackle the front of the 1M with all the angles and edges. In other words this ain't an easy one to do.

For now I will leave my comments to the installer private to give them a chance to make it right. If they go well I will be on here publically touting the product and the shop doing the install. If not well they will know it, Lamin-x will know it, and many others will too.


Please feel free to pm me or email me at sean6743@gmail.com for any questions. Otherwise I will update when I can, hopefully later this week or early next week when it is redone.

Sean
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      08-29-2011, 10:25 PM   #9
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I had mine done at a local collision centre after I had the front bumper replaced. They had an outside guy come in and do the install at their shop. When I came to pick up the car the first time, I was pretty appalled at the work they did.

This is a good shop, so they told me they'd make it right. Ripped the old one off and called in a different company and when the installer showed up, he said he wasn't even going to try it. So the next day his boss comes out and he took on the job - did a bang-up job too, I must say. A few rough spots here and there, but I was happy.

Moral of the story? That's one hell of a bumper to wrap correctly. It'll separate the men from the boys.
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      09-06-2011, 08:41 PM   #10
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Well, I missed most of the posts here even though I have the "instant email notification" set.... ohh well...

So here is an update.... As the company itself posted above, they did contact me after I sent an email to their "help" email address with a bunch of pictures attached. Among other things they told me: "We recommend you definitely keep an eye on the film over the next 30 days. Exposure to sunlight will help the bubbles evaporate. It will also help to smooth the wrinkles, but depending on the severity, only to an extent."

About 10 days have passed and some bubbles have gone away, but they were so many that there are still a lot, and actually some others have appear on different places, specially side skirts.

There are also some wrinkles specially on the hood, which honestly I don't know if it was an installation issue or a film defect. Maybe the wrinkles appeared after trying too hard to get rid of the bubbles ??, don't know...

I just sent another email to Lamin-X with current pictures so they can see how the film looks after 10 days. I'll keep the forum posted in terms of how are they going to help me here and back up their product...
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      09-06-2011, 08:48 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sean67 View Post
Hello evoiii90,

I am the guy in NC that Rusty Racer is referring to. I feel your pain. It sucks having a car this special and having a problem that you paid someone to install as an enhancement to avoid road rash effects and keep your car looking better not meet your expectations. I have issues but the installer is going to make it right. I will certaintly lose it if my concerns are not taken care but for now I am calm and was told Lamin-x is sending a replacement kit out to redo the front. I have installed one of these type protective bras (Invinci Shield) on my Factory Five Cobra replica and I did a fair job but no way I wanted to tackle the front of the 1M with all the angles and edges. In other words this ain't an easy one to do.

For now I will leave my comments to the installer private to give them a chance to make it right. If they go well I will be on here publically touting the product and the shop doing the install. If not well they will know it, Lamin-x will know it, and many others will too.


Please feel free to pm me or email me at sean6743@gmail.com for any questions. Otherwise I will update when I can, hopefully later this week or early next week when it is redone.

Sean
Hi Sean,

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in this ordeal....

Luckily for you the installer is going to make it right. Not sure if that is going to happen in my case since the installer asked me to wait 30 days, which I think it's ridiculous based on how many bubbles, wrinkles and other defects. If it were just a few, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt...

As you if the installer and Lamin-X make it right, as they should, I'll say it here. If not and like you, I'll let everyone know. This is not a $25 product and/or install we're talking about here and that I can write off just like that because somebody screw up....
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      09-06-2011, 08:55 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1MVO View Post
Bras are for girls...not cars.
x2
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      09-07-2011, 11:24 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1MVO View Post
Bras are for girls...not cars.
The white one won't need a bra, the rest are going to chip up and look sorta bad after awhile unless BMW matches the base coat?

What to do, what to do...
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      09-08-2011, 06:54 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeyegirl View Post
The white one won't need a bra, the rest are going to chip up and look sorta bad after awhile unless BMW matches the base coat?

What to do, what to do...
Do it....specially if you're buying a black car.
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      09-08-2011, 09:57 AM   #15
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Agreed since mine will be black.....

Now where to go, where to go........
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      09-08-2011, 09:58 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeyegirl View Post
The white one won't need a bra, the rest are going to chip up and look sorta bad after awhile unless BMW matches the base coat?

What to do, what to do...
The white one would need a bra. It seems to have extremely fragile clear coat.
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      09-08-2011, 10:02 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeyegirl View Post
Agreed since mine will be black.....

Now where to go, where to go........
Just post up in the regional section. Also, I've found local installer reviews by searching other car forums (vette, mini, lotus, etc). Another idea would be to sign up for a bmwcca membership and ask around....plus they sponsor alot of track day events and offer perks for member. Also, contact your local high end car dealers and ask who they use.
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      09-08-2011, 10:23 AM   #18
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I guess I'm going w/ VentureShield.

Too many horror stories about Lamin-X right here on the forums.
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      09-08-2011, 10:24 AM   #19
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If you lived closer I would recommend the guy that will be doing my car. He's done my last 3 cars and his work is flawless...it also helps that he's as OCD about his work as I am about my car

Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeyegirl View Post
Agreed since mine will be black.....

Now where to go, where to go........
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      09-08-2011, 10:28 AM   #20
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Best films on the market: VentureShield/3M (same company now), Avery Nano, Xpel premium - oh and Xpel just came out with an even better new one that has a self-healing clear coat. Scratches disappear on their own.

Quote:
Originally Posted by b33g33 View Post
I guess I'm going w/ VentureShield.

Too many horror stories about Lamin-X right here on the forums.
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      09-08-2011, 10:30 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b33g33 View Post
I guess I'm going w/ VentureShield.

Too many horror stories about Lamin-X right here on the forums.
Guys, Lamin-X uses VentureShield.

This stuff is only as good as the installer.

Neil
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      09-08-2011, 10:42 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b33g33 View Post
I guess I'm going w/ VentureShield.

Too many horror stories about Lamin-X right here on the forums.
Go to a reputable installer. That's where all the problems are! It's not the product...it's the application of the product. For anyone in NC/SC...I can tell you where to go. Just PM me. I've taken the last 3 of my cars to the same place...and they do AMAZING work; with zero issues. Bubbles...are sort of...eh... If anything, water-ish bubbles are ok, because those will evaporate out. Air bubbles (if they are a little larger than then end of a ballpoint pen) could be an issue. Sounds like your issues are 100% installation issues dude...and that the installer didn't use enough soap/water mixture when applying the film!!
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