Tips on working with the film.
Peel off the precut parts from the clear protective
liner. Tip: slip the knife blade between the clear liner and the part to
start.Removing the white liner
exposes the adhesive. You will not perform this step until you have properly
prepared your vehicle, pre-made solutions, etc and you are ready to begin
installation. Applying a small piece of clear packaging tape to the white
liner at a corner and picking the urethane with a finger or blade will aid in
the start of liner removal.
Film preparation
1. Keep hands, material, and liner dry while handling.
2. Open package and remove material.
3. Being careful not to crease or separate material from the liner, unroll
material face down on a clean, flat, dry surface. A large table or kitchen
counter works well. Do not lay on the floor - static will attract lint,
dust and hair.
4. Wait 5-10 minutes for material to relax.
5. It may be necessary to roll material in opposite direction and let sit 5-10
minutes for material to relax.
6. Unroll the material and lay flat on a flat surface.
7. With film facing up (clear liner down) determine shape and location of pieces
on liner.
8. Using scissors you can carefully separate parts by cutting slightly larger ,
not damaging the part.
9. Match pieces to body parts of the vehicle (mirrors, hood, etc).
Vehicle Preparation
1. Do not work in direct sunlight or in dusty or windy
conditions. It's best to be inside a well lit and ventilated garage.
2. Make sure vehicle is at room temperature. (65-85
F)
3. Make sure vehicle is clean and dry and free of wax.
4. Clean area twice as large as that being covered.
5. Clean around edges of hood, between body panels, around emblems and hood
ornaments.
Material Installation
1. Remember, material is very elastic and can stretch.
2. Practice with scrap material i.e. door edge guards.
3. Keep material dry until ready to install. If the liner
is wet too long it can be difficult to separate from film.
4. Lightly wet flat surface (i.e. the hood) and place the part face down
(with white liner facing you).
5. Separate and peel white liner while spraying
soap solution liberally. Use plenty of this solution!
6. Be careful not to let exposed adhesive side
get in contact with another section of the film. You do not want it
sticking to itself as it can be hard to separate. The more soap solution used
the better as it tends not stick near as much.
7. Flip film over onto body part and center.
8. With wet hands continue to position & align evenly while smoothing out
large bubbles much like putting pizza dough in a pan, the less large bubbles and
the more even the film initially, the easier it is to squeegee.
9. Working from center out, squeegee the part in the center from top to bottom
to tack firmly in place. Areas with large pucker bubbles or fingers are
stress areas and should be addresses first by stretching and evening out the
material while squeegeeing flat (center out). The solution of alcohol and water
sprayed under the bubble will make the adhesive more aggressive aiding in the
squeegee flattening process.
10. Many parts are designed to utilize the materials flexible charactoristics to
stretch it into place (up to 20% before damaging film). If your part appears to
small by design, body contour, contraction due to temerature, atmospheric
conditions etc. then gently stretch material from the center out to the edge.
Keep this in mind before you have squeegeed the film flat completely to the edge
or you may find yourself short with not enough material to stretch. If
this happens, gently pull film back up while wetting the adhesive side and lay
back down into the correct position.
Appearance after application
1. Immediately after installation film my be hazy, cloudy
or have an orange peel appearance until the drying process is complete (up to 30
days). Usually, in warm weather, it clears right up in a day or two.
2. Large air or water bubbles left by improper squeegeing can be
minimized by piercing at edge of bubble with a straight pin and pressing out air
or water toward the pierce hole.
3. Many cosmetic imperfections will dissipate
with time as the natural curing process takes place.
Important Tips
1. Be sure to overlap squeegee strokes to avoid trapping air and wetting
solution. These will not just pass through the film and if not removed, will
eventually cause bubbles.
2. Bubbles will tend to form most often at sheet
metal bends and curves, so be sure to squeegee these areas carefully.
3. Use soapy water solution to aid the
positioning of large pieces. The film may be peeled back from the vehicle if
necassary to reposition or remove bubbles. Always re-wet the film and the
vehicle surface before squeegeeing. The will prevent a dry adhesive
surface from prematurely sticking. Let the film relax before reapplying.
4. use alcohol solution to aid in holding the
material firmly in place. This is useful when stretching is required by
anchoring film at one point and stretching it to another point.
5. Final edge sealing is a good practice
immediately after installation. Spray alcohol solution around all exposed
edges of film. This solution will work its way under any loose areas of
film. With a soft paper towel wrapped around a semi-rigid piece of plastic
(included in install kit) you canblot out alcohol solution from approximately
1-4 inches to the edge rotating towel maintaining its absorbancy.
Always make sure you hands are clean wet when touching the adhesive side of a
part because it may pick up dirt or fingerprints.
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