TomPierce
09-30-2009, 01:15 PM
Brand: Duplicolor Shield
Price: $7
Purchased From: (URL) www.summitracing.com but available online from multiple sources
Installation: Product installation is easy - surface prep is moderate
Installation Time: 90 minutes
Any Installation Tips You Have: Mask as for painting
Quality of Part: 5
Product Performance: 4-6 (depending)
Would you Recommend to Others: No
Any Other Comments:
First the Company Propaganda:
Shield, from Dupli-Color, provides temporary spray-on protection for your vehicle where bugs and road grime can do damage. It’s ideal for the front end, rear quarter panel and rocker panels. Spray on Shield as a temporary bra for long road trips, quick mud flaps or as a bug guard. Shield sprays on easily and dries in less than a minute. And best of all, it stays on until you wash it off. You can power wash it off or use soap and water. Rain, snow or moisture in the air won’t affect it. This product leaves no residue on a vehicle’s paint. Give your vehicle the protection that it deserves with Shield.
My experience:
I was preparing for a trip from Atlanta along the Gulf Coast to New Orleans. I had seen this product and decided to try it out, since the bugs there can be amazing depending upon the time of year.
Surface Preparation:
This is the hardest part. You need to mask off the headlights, side markers, and upper and lower grills before you spray on the product. I used blue painters tape and newspaper since that is what I had on hand. I will suggest that you mask more area than you think you need to, since the product application is so haphazard.
Product Application:
The product comes in a spray can similar to a spray paint can, but there the resemblance ends. The stuff comes out of the can almost as a fog (like an insect fogger) and not at all like a spray paint ( a fog instead of a fan-shaped spray pattern). It is difficult to control where is goes, since the fog hangs in the air for a long time before settling on the surface. Even though I was inside a garage I had a problem with overspray. And I wound up using the entire can (you'll see why in a minute).
As the product drys, it still remains slightly tacky. It is hard to tell when it is dry by touching it. In the following photos, the stripe above the front arrowhead is where I touched it repeatedly to see if it had set.
Product Performance:
Here is a shot of the completed application. As you can see, it is almost exactly the same color as a MGM G8. It was hard to tell if I covered all the area I wanted to, so I probably used more product than I needed.
http://forum.grrrr8.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3636&stc=1&d=1254343730
Here is a shot as I was filling up somewhere in Ms. I just could not resist filling up at this station for some reason. :)
http://forum.grrrr8.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3637&stc=1&d=1254343730
Product Removal:
I used a spray car wash to remove the product. Again, on a MGM car it was hard to see how easily it came off (especially once the surface was covered with soap) but it all came off cleanly with no residue.
Evaluation:
The problem with this product is: it works, but not any better than a heavy coat of wax. Rain will not take it off, but if you touch the surface it will wipe off.
The other part of the problem is people like us who take care of our cars: Shield does not seem to want to adhere well to a waxed surface and can be removed by any sort of touch (like maybe a bug).
This product is more valuable to a person who does not care for their car and simply wants some quote protection unquote. But someone who does not take care of their vehicles is not likely to use this product.
Bottom Line:
too much prep time
hard to control spray
ineffective on waxed and maintained surfaces
impact protection is zero
manufacturer recommends to leave on no more than 72 hours
heavy coat of wax would probably work as well
if you need more protection use another product or blue painters tape
Price: $7
Purchased From: (URL) www.summitracing.com but available online from multiple sources
Installation: Product installation is easy - surface prep is moderate
Installation Time: 90 minutes
Any Installation Tips You Have: Mask as for painting
Quality of Part: 5
Product Performance: 4-6 (depending)
Would you Recommend to Others: No
Any Other Comments:
First the Company Propaganda:
Shield, from Dupli-Color, provides temporary spray-on protection for your vehicle where bugs and road grime can do damage. It’s ideal for the front end, rear quarter panel and rocker panels. Spray on Shield as a temporary bra for long road trips, quick mud flaps or as a bug guard. Shield sprays on easily and dries in less than a minute. And best of all, it stays on until you wash it off. You can power wash it off or use soap and water. Rain, snow or moisture in the air won’t affect it. This product leaves no residue on a vehicle’s paint. Give your vehicle the protection that it deserves with Shield.
My experience:
I was preparing for a trip from Atlanta along the Gulf Coast to New Orleans. I had seen this product and decided to try it out, since the bugs there can be amazing depending upon the time of year.
Surface Preparation:
This is the hardest part. You need to mask off the headlights, side markers, and upper and lower grills before you spray on the product. I used blue painters tape and newspaper since that is what I had on hand. I will suggest that you mask more area than you think you need to, since the product application is so haphazard.
Product Application:
The product comes in a spray can similar to a spray paint can, but there the resemblance ends. The stuff comes out of the can almost as a fog (like an insect fogger) and not at all like a spray paint ( a fog instead of a fan-shaped spray pattern). It is difficult to control where is goes, since the fog hangs in the air for a long time before settling on the surface. Even though I was inside a garage I had a problem with overspray. And I wound up using the entire can (you'll see why in a minute).
As the product drys, it still remains slightly tacky. It is hard to tell when it is dry by touching it. In the following photos, the stripe above the front arrowhead is where I touched it repeatedly to see if it had set.
Product Performance:
Here is a shot of the completed application. As you can see, it is almost exactly the same color as a MGM G8. It was hard to tell if I covered all the area I wanted to, so I probably used more product than I needed.
http://forum.grrrr8.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3636&stc=1&d=1254343730
Here is a shot as I was filling up somewhere in Ms. I just could not resist filling up at this station for some reason. :)
http://forum.grrrr8.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3637&stc=1&d=1254343730
Product Removal:
I used a spray car wash to remove the product. Again, on a MGM car it was hard to see how easily it came off (especially once the surface was covered with soap) but it all came off cleanly with no residue.
Evaluation:
The problem with this product is: it works, but not any better than a heavy coat of wax. Rain will not take it off, but if you touch the surface it will wipe off.
The other part of the problem is people like us who take care of our cars: Shield does not seem to want to adhere well to a waxed surface and can be removed by any sort of touch (like maybe a bug).
This product is more valuable to a person who does not care for their car and simply wants some quote protection unquote. But someone who does not take care of their vehicles is not likely to use this product.
Bottom Line:
too much prep time
hard to control spray
ineffective on waxed and maintained surfaces
impact protection is zero
manufacturer recommends to leave on no more than 72 hours
heavy coat of wax would probably work as well
if you need more protection use another product or blue painters tape