roadfrog

Did i mention have an Obsidian LS? I've been detailing cars for nearly 35 years and even had a side business going on before it got too much to handle and had no time for myself. I use a PC random orbital buffer and the appropriate color pads etc. I clay bar once/yr and the do a mild compound swirl remover with a white pad followed up with Klasse AIO and Klasse Sealant glaze followed up with several coats of hand applied Carnauba. there's no worry about the amount of paint removes, since it's the clear coat that will burn through first. Clear coat is about 3 mil - or almost double the thickness of the paint....give or take. My products are not aggressive. Of all the products I've used ( a ridiculous amount), Klasse holds up best and provides the deepest shine I've ever seen. When I said I did a 4-step process, it's kind of a misnomer, but you get my drift....AND I digress...

I'd be curious to see how your product looks in person, but it sure looks good in the pics! You're right about the 3M stuff I had and know that the newer products are far more appealing. Further, you're right about the 1/4 application to the hood. That's where the ***** and corruption used to accumulate and frustrated me. Is it fair to say that the job you had done was well into the 1g dollar range? I will admit that this is the first black car I'v ever owned (and never wanted one due to the full-time job of keeping it look good), and that if I considered a mask/bra this is the car I'd do it on.

SW17LS

I thought you were talking about a 4 step compound/polish regimen. You don't want to not worry about paint burn through because of the claarcoat. If you burn through the clear you're still going to need a repaint. I've seen paint burned through with a PC. Sounds like you're keeping it mild though.

Yeah it really does look good. I was a little worried because while the 3M looked okay on the silver, you could see silvering and such in bright light, I didn't quite know what it would look like on a dark color. My installer stopped using the 3M films entirely and only uses SunTek and Xpel now for that very reason. Like anything else, technology is always advancing.

Cost was $1,400.

roadfrog

It looks worse on a black car. I could see tiny little bubbles and other defects where the film had healed itself.

SW17LS

3M film isn't self healing. The self healing films are pretty new. It also has to do with the quality of the installer, you put artifacts and things in the film if you have to pull it up and put it back down, etc...

I saw an install he had done on a black Tesla there, he had wrapped the whole car and it looked awesome. You'd never know.

DiggerJim

I thought the Obsidian Black LS had no clearcoat (or is that just the LS600).

SW17LS

Lexus black has had no clear coat in the past, not sure about the 460. I know on other Lexus models the modern ones do have a clear coat on black.

NickTee

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...otection-Film/

Unless 3M is lying, their film is self-healing.

SW17LS

That's the new pro series. What Roadfly had on his car and what I had on my GS was NOT self healing. That pro series film is very new.

3M Scothguard:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...293812581&rt=d

3M Ventureshield (what my GS had on it):

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...293812585&rt=d

No self healing.

NickTee

I am perfectly aware that they make films that are not self-healing, and the Pro series has been out for a year. However, you phrased your sentence in such a way that it states that 3M does not make self-healing film. What you should say is that some of their films are not self-healing.

roadfrog

Obsidian black (212), is 2 stage (clear-coated) on both the LS460 and LS600. Easiest way to figure it out is to take a rag and apply some polish or compound. You'll see the rag has no black rediue, hence, clear-coated.

SW17LS

I was referring to the film that roadfrog had on his car, seeing that he bought it over a year ago and the film had been on for years before that time...it was not a self healing film.

As for the new 3M Pro series film, nobody here offers it. They either offer the old 3M films, or they offer Xpel, SunTek, etc. I think 3M kind of let themselves get left behind when it comes to technology...

You phrased your reply in such a way that states 3M only makes self-healing film, when in reality the vast majority of film that 3M sells and is installed on vehicles is not self healing...so spare me.

What he's thinking about I believe is black onyx, the black Lexus used before Obsidian which was a single stage paint.

caha14

Correct, Obsidian (212), has always been clear-coated. Black Onyx (202) used to not be, but that - too - changed a long time ago. LX black is actually Black Onyx, and it is clear-coated.