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StarShield saves the day

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DrComputer

TeslaClubLA President
Jan 29, 2009
1,222
725
Sherman Oaks, CA
I was an unhappy camper when I looked at my Roadster's front bumper and hood today and I noticed there was a huge scrape mark that went from the tip in the bumper up the hood to the first louver piece. At first I thought it was just dirt from driving in the rain but when I went to wipe it off I saw that it wasn't dirt at all but a big scrape mark from what I assume was an SUV or truck that must have backed into my car, and my hood went under their bumper. I was really happy I had the factory StarShield installed because I peeled off the two pieces that cover the bumper and hood and found that it just scraped the StarShield and left the bumper and hood underneath in perfect condition. The flexible plastic bumper and CF hood piece showed no deformation. I went by StickerCity which does Clear Bra installation down the street from my house and they are going to replace the entire front section about about $480. If I had not had StarShield on the car I'm sure it would have been much more expensive to get the bumper and CF hood piece repainted, let alone get the colors to match. So, for anyone that doesn't have StarShield on their car it's a great investment for those unavoidable moments when your gets "kissed" by a fresh SUV.
 
Pros and cons to both.

If the starshield protects the original paint, that's a good way to go. I'm not a big fan on re-paints myself. I'm sure some people do a good job on it but its very tough.

However I never saw paint armor that I liked, possibly on a white Roadster was the best, it always seemed to distort the original paint job and filter the out the brilliant sparkles.

If I did ever add it I would do so under the doors to protect all those nicks from rocks and cinders. The 3rd week I had the roadster the road crew resurfaced a highway and failed to clean up the surface. Sucked... but ohh well, its a car, and well cars are ment to be driven and get nicked and dinged I figure. On the bright side it could have been some random road debris or a 5 gallon paint bucket filled with bright pink enamel.
 
The next time your starshield gets scraped, after you clean it off, you can "repair" it surprisingly well using a clean towel and some rubbing alcohol. It is as if the material has a memory and the alcohol softens up the film and allows it to smooth out.

I had an SUV back onto the nose of my roadster leaving a nasty set of marks, and some damage as well that did require a body shop visit. But prior to that I was able to dramatically improve the maks in the surface. If it had not damaged the body panel, it might have looked as good as new.
 
The next time your starshield gets scraped, after you clean it off, you can "repair" it surprisingly well using a clean towel and some rubbing alcohol. It is as if the material has a memory and the alcohol softens up the film and allows it to smooth out.

I had an SUV back onto the nose of my roadster leaving a nasty set of marks, and some damage as well that did require a body shop visit. But prior to that I was able to dramatically improve the maks in the surface. If it had not damaged the body panel, it might have looked as good as new.

Good to know. Thanks. I want to get some starshield installed in a couple of places that were not done originally. You can buy pre-cut replacement pieces for the Roadster if you want to DIY and I'm also going to cover some additional areas.