3M Paint Defender (Spray-on Clear Bra) Review

[af90]

I will be updating this as it dries.

3M states it takes 2-4 hours to dry and 1-4 days curing time for it to be water repellent, I believe mine will be done at the minimum if not before as this was done at 90 degrees and the car is parked outside in the sun.

So for this I did a control the driver's side rocker panel was sprayed with the spray film and the passengers side was cleaned and clayed at the same time but left exposed to the elements.

Beginning out here's the kit, I just ordered the spray-can only



It included the spray-can and 1oz of wax to assist in removal.


For the following areas here's the recommendation of cans needed

Leading Edges - 1 can
Full Hood - 2 cans
Front Bumper - 1 can
Mirrors - 1/4 can
Rear Bumper - 1 can
Trunk Lid - 1 can
Rocker Panels - 1 can

You can pick up a kit which includes a microfiber towel and plastic sheeting for $12 but I decided just to go to Home Depot and pick up the sheeting on my own, it was located in the paint section.

Here's what I picked up and it worked quite well.





Much cheaper than the kit.

In total here are all the items I personally used to accomplish this.



A list:

1 bottle with ONR mixed in clay lube/QD solution
2 Microfiber Towels (One for washing, one for buffing the wax)
Clay
Foam Applicator for wax
Plastic Sheeting
Painter's Tape for the sheeting
Knife
Spray Film
Wax

For prep I used ONR and cleaned both panels followed by using ONR as a clay lube.



A bit of dirt on the clay, but not too bad overall, the car was washed a week prior.

Wax:



The wax was extremely easy to apply, but 3M gives you WAY too much, I barely used a 1/4 of the pack and also directs you to not let it dry to a haze, only to apply then buff off. Unfortunately it's not resealable so it was thrown away after use. That was how much product I used and was probably overkill as well.

Now time to tape up the vehicle and sheet it up.





Especially make sure you tape up the creases, near the door, etc…

Here it is sprayed on



30 Minutes After Application



I will update it as it dries after a few hours, and in a couple days once it's cured. That area on the bottom right, is part of an Xpel clear bra and I will be using that to compare the 3M Spray film too as well.

Overall though:

Application was super easy, prep was as easy as it can get, wash, wax, prep, spray. Already though I can see a few high spots but I expect them to level out as it dries. It also is very thin, nowhere close to a plastic clear bra, so for front bumpers it won't handle up to the repeated rock chips, but for lesser traffic areas like mirrors, the roof (specifically front half), rear fenders It's definitely an option, and I think better than taping it up for the drag strip.

Thanks for reading!

[swanicyouth]

A little confused. This stuff only lasts 2-4 days ?

[bootstrap]

I'm interested in this as well

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[af90]

It lasts a year according to 3M.

Sorry for the confusion, I cleared it up, 3M says it takes 2-4 hours for it to dry and 1-4 days of curing time before it's water repellent.

[BobbyG]

Subscribed!

[KillaCam]

Dang that's a lot of orange peel, hopefully it goes away like they say..

[Chris's FX4]

Subscribed. Can't wait to see how this holds up.

[MadMerc]

Subscribed!
I was hoping that somebody would try this before me! Lol!
Thanks for doing this!

[Hoytman]

I seen another thread about this 3M product on this forum about a week, or two, ago.

I just came from Wal-Mart and noticed that ArmorAll has a similar product for sale for $12 and change.

[SYMAWD]

Have you used Plasti-Dip before? Why should I use this over clear Plasti-Dip with glossifier, or is this basically the same thing?