Hello, i'm torn with this decision seems to be equal pros and cons, but in general there are strong contradicting arguments from both sides, some say it discolors paint, then other say it is better for the paint etc... anyone have some extra info on this? I live in Calgary so lots of rocks for sure my other car is full of chips after 5 years.

Also if i already picked up a chip, anyone know how to get this fixed?

Thank for the info.

 

I would 3m it. Deerfoot+mitsu crappy paint= your car will look like crap.
If you have a chip, just use touch up paint. I put 3m on my car right away and my front end looks awesome! I drive from the SE to the NE on deerfoot whenever I take the car so that says alot for taking abuse from all the rocks.

 

I live in the Okanagan and we don't get nearly as much snow, gravel etc as Calgary. Anyways I had an 09 GTS for 11 months without a 3M bra and my front end looked horrible after my 1st mild winter. Rock chips EVERYWHERE. So when I got my RA I made sure to get the 3M and it works amazing. Its not too noticable unless my car is pretty dusty then u can see the lines but better safe then sorry. If I were u I get the 3M on the whole front end and half of hood and most importantly the rear dogleg portion of the sideskirts. That is by far the worst area of the car. It will literally look like u sandblasted off the paint after a few months.

 

I've had mine for two years on my 08 gts
two years later it looks like **** lol
but it did it's job
I just have to get it redone

 

+1
may i add mudflaps certainly help in the sideskirts too

 

Oh yeah I put Rally Armor mudflaps on my GTS about 2 weeks after I got it and my side skirts were still destroyed. I put the Rally Armor ones on my RA the day I got it to be safe. Rally Armor Mudflaps + 3M on sideskirts = Paint still on my sideskirts in a few years(hopefully)

 

that's exactally what I did
RA mudflaps + 3M full front & side skirts and re-apply the rear door with bigger piece to up to wheel arch

 

No question you should get the 3M rock guard applied. The downsides are negligible, and it's only cheap stuff that looks like garbage within a few years. I know a few guys in Calgary who do amazing work that I can recommend to you if you want (via pm of course). What some people don't realize, and what you'll need to keep in mind, is that you do need to maintain it - as in waxing it. Some people get it applied and never clean it properly, so within a short period of time it looks cloudy and like garbage. My 05 pearl white Lancer has 168,000km on it now, and the rock guard is only just starting to discolor slightly, you need to be up close to notice it. Oh, and that was with Avery, not 3M.

 

I plan on doing this later down the road! http://www.xpel.com/

 

not a fan of 3m Bras... rock chips will happen.

 

You live in Vancouver, in Calgary it's a different story. It's not just a rock chip every so often. During the winter you will get showered with gravel on the highway. Your front bumper will end up looking like swiss cheese! I didn't put any on my eclipse and it seriously looked like crap.

 

what u don't realize is that those areas are protected, but the rest of the car will still get banged up from idiots opening their doors into your car and the like. spent 1K on clearbra. those areas look wonderful. but i have a 8-10" scratch that runs along my passenger door, 2 door dings where the paint came off, and a scuff mark on the rear door the size of a baseball.