Verdict on Nano Fusion Protective Film (pics!)
04-12-2010, 09:07 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Verdict on Nano Fusion Protective Film (pics!)
Last week I posted a thread here asking about opinions/experiences with a relatively new protective film called Avery Nano Fusion. There were some good reports on it, but mostly people said that it was too new to know for sure about the film. Well, I had a recommendation from another Forum member for a really excellent installer in Dallas, and the installer is really enthusiastic about this new film. So, after talking to him and getting the recommendation from JoshVette, I decided to go for it...and I'm so happy that I did.
I had the install done by Norm Schilling at Invisibra in Dallas (www.invisibra.net). Let me tell you guys, Norm is the real deal. He's a super nice and honest person who takes real pride in his work. I hung around the shop for a good portion of the time he was working on the car, and was super impressed. Norm was extremely careful with the car and super meticulous about everything he did to it. His attention to detail was beyond anything I expected. Norm does not use precut kits, but instead likes to custom cut the film to fit the car so that he could avoid having visible lines around the lights, grilles, emblems, etc. He did an amazing job at that. There are no lines or exposed areas around my lights or grills, and I actually removed the Corvette emblem from the nose so that he could cover right over that area and avoid any trimming around the emblem. It just came out great.
And this Nano Fusion film is really impressive too. It is super slick and glossy, with absolutely no orange peel look to it at all. Norm had several different types of films in the shop (and installed on his own car) that I could view for comparison, including 3M, Xpel, and VentureShield. The Nano stuff was glossier and slicker than any of them, and on Norm's car there really was no comparison. The Nano Fusion film just looks and feels like really slick paint, where the others looked and felt like film over paint. I was totally impressed.
I took a few pictures this afternoon to show you the results (below), but I'll try to get some better ones on a sunnier day when I get a chance.
Oh yea...and before I forget to say it...YELLOW IS THE FASTEST COLOR!
No trim lines around the indicator lights or the wheel arch opening. Norm carefully trimmed around the lights and tucked the film right in around the edges of the lenses. And, he took the fender liner loose so that he could run the film right round the corner of the wheel opening. He also removed the black spoiler from below the bumper so he could run the film right around the bottom of the bumper and tuck it under the spoiler. No trim lines!
Closer view of indicator light area
Foglamp area...still no trim lines.
No trim lines or gaps around the headlights either..
And the wider view...no difference in gloss or texture when compared to the hood/fenders.
So, my summary is...if you are thinking about adding a protective film to your car, you won't be disappointed with the looks and feel of the Avery Nano Fusion. And, if you live in the DFW area, you'd be crazy not to let Norm Shilling over at Invisibra do it for you.
I had the install done by Norm Schilling at Invisibra in Dallas (www.invisibra.net). Let me tell you guys, Norm is the real deal. He's a super nice and honest person who takes real pride in his work. I hung around the shop for a good portion of the time he was working on the car, and was super impressed. Norm was extremely careful with the car and super meticulous about everything he did to it. His attention to detail was beyond anything I expected. Norm does not use precut kits, but instead likes to custom cut the film to fit the car so that he could avoid having visible lines around the lights, grilles, emblems, etc. He did an amazing job at that. There are no lines or exposed areas around my lights or grills, and I actually removed the Corvette emblem from the nose so that he could cover right over that area and avoid any trimming around the emblem. It just came out great.
And this Nano Fusion film is really impressive too. It is super slick and glossy, with absolutely no orange peel look to it at all. Norm had several different types of films in the shop (and installed on his own car) that I could view for comparison, including 3M, Xpel, and VentureShield. The Nano stuff was glossier and slicker than any of them, and on Norm's car there really was no comparison. The Nano Fusion film just looks and feels like really slick paint, where the others looked and felt like film over paint. I was totally impressed.
I took a few pictures this afternoon to show you the results (below), but I'll try to get some better ones on a sunnier day when I get a chance.
Oh yea...and before I forget to say it...YELLOW IS THE FASTEST COLOR!
No trim lines around the indicator lights or the wheel arch opening. Norm carefully trimmed around the lights and tucked the film right in around the edges of the lenses. And, he took the fender liner loose so that he could run the film right round the corner of the wheel opening. He also removed the black spoiler from below the bumper so he could run the film right around the bottom of the bumper and tuck it under the spoiler. No trim lines!
Closer view of indicator light area
Foglamp area...still no trim lines.
No trim lines or gaps around the headlights either..
And the wider view...no difference in gloss or texture when compared to the hood/fenders.
So, my summary is...if you are thinking about adding a protective film to your car, you won't be disappointed with the looks and feel of the Avery Nano Fusion. And, if you live in the DFW area, you'd be crazy not to let Norm Shilling over at Invisibra do it for you.
04-12-2010, 09:45 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
04-13-2010, 10:22 AM
#6
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Thanks alot. I'm real happy with it so far, but like you said, the real story will be the durability of it. I think its going to hold up well, but only time will tell.
04-13-2010, 01:49 PM
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Rant Warning!!!
In theory, I really like the idea of these clear bras, but my one and only experience with venture shield was an absolute nightmare!!! I bought a new Escalade Platinum edition which is an 80K vehicle. I wanted to protect it so I did some research and contacted a company that goes by Protective Solutions and/or Invictashield. They are Venture shield installers that work out of MA and NH.
The guy's name is Dave Diminico and he works mostly out of Rockland Ma. I called him and his company applied the venture shield. Within 2 hours the covering was bubbling and peeling. I immediately texted Dave pics of the problem. Dave did not stand behind his work or his product and had the gall to accuse me of causing the problem. I asked him to explain the reasoning for me to ruin a $500.00 job I just had done on an $80K vehicle. Of course he couldn't think of a logical reason, but still denied doing anything wrong.
I told him that since he was not willing to stand behind his product or it's installation, I wanted the venture shield removed and he came to do that 2 days later.
When Dave finally looked at the job, he finally admitted that there were some "installation issues". When he removed the venture shield, it exposed all the deep razor cuts that were put into the paint of my brand new black car during the installation his company did. The installer apparently cut the plastic while it was on the car, causing damage to the hood, both front fenders, and front bumper cover. The cuts were all way too deep to be buffed or polished out.
Prior to the installation Dave had touted venture shield as being better than all the other competitor's products because the pieces were pre-cut and didn't need to be cut on the car. They probably figured I would never have the shield removed, and therefore would never see the damage they caused.
After removing the venture shield, Dave jumped in his car and took off as fast as he could. I called him on his cell phone several times as he was driving away, and he wouldn't answer. I even text messaged him once. I pleaded with him to come back and inspect the damage on my vehicle. Dave did not return and did not return any of my messages. Instead he had his father Tom call me an hour later to stick up for him. Tom Diminico told me to sue them because "at the most, they were looking at a small-claims court case".
I can't stress enough how terrible my experience with dealing with venture shield and Dave and Tom Diminico has been. In my opinion, one would be very wise to stay clear of the Diminico's, their company, their products, and their "services".
As much as I would love to have a clear bra for my new GS vert, I'm not going to go through that again. I'm just going to rejex the sh*t out of it and hope for the best.
Your car looks incredible, by the way.
The guy's name is Dave Diminico and he works mostly out of Rockland Ma. I called him and his company applied the venture shield. Within 2 hours the covering was bubbling and peeling. I immediately texted Dave pics of the problem. Dave did not stand behind his work or his product and had the gall to accuse me of causing the problem. I asked him to explain the reasoning for me to ruin a $500.00 job I just had done on an $80K vehicle. Of course he couldn't think of a logical reason, but still denied doing anything wrong.
I told him that since he was not willing to stand behind his product or it's installation, I wanted the venture shield removed and he came to do that 2 days later.
When Dave finally looked at the job, he finally admitted that there were some "installation issues". When he removed the venture shield, it exposed all the deep razor cuts that were put into the paint of my brand new black car during the installation his company did. The installer apparently cut the plastic while it was on the car, causing damage to the hood, both front fenders, and front bumper cover. The cuts were all way too deep to be buffed or polished out.
Prior to the installation Dave had touted venture shield as being better than all the other competitor's products because the pieces were pre-cut and didn't need to be cut on the car. They probably figured I would never have the shield removed, and therefore would never see the damage they caused.
After removing the venture shield, Dave jumped in his car and took off as fast as he could. I called him on his cell phone several times as he was driving away, and he wouldn't answer. I even text messaged him once. I pleaded with him to come back and inspect the damage on my vehicle. Dave did not return and did not return any of my messages. Instead he had his father Tom call me an hour later to stick up for him. Tom Diminico told me to sue them because "at the most, they were looking at a small-claims court case".
I can't stress enough how terrible my experience with dealing with venture shield and Dave and Tom Diminico has been. In my opinion, one would be very wise to stay clear of the Diminico's, their company, their products, and their "services".
As much as I would love to have a clear bra for my new GS vert, I'm not going to go through that again. I'm just going to rejex the sh*t out of it and hope for the best.
Your car looks incredible, by the way.
04-13-2010, 02:24 PM
#12
Melting Slicks
In theory, I really like the idea of these clear bras, but my one and only experience with venture shield was an absolute nightmare!!! I bought a new Escalade Platinum edition which is an 80K vehicle. I wanted to protect it so I did some research and contacted a company that goes by Protective Solutions and/or Invictashield. They are Venture shield installers that work out of MA and NH.
The guy's name is Dave Diminico and he works mostly out of Rockland Ma. I called him and his company applied the venture shield. Within 2 hours the covering was bubbling and peeling. I immediately texted Dave pics of the problem. Dave did not stand behind his work or his product and had the gall to accuse me of causing the problem. I asked him to explain the reasoning for me to ruin a $500.00 job I just had done on an $80K vehicle. Of course he couldn't think of a logical reason, but still denied doing anything wrong.
I told him that since he was not willing to stand behind his product or it's installation, I wanted the venture shield removed and he came to do that 2 days later.
When Dave finally looked at the job, he finally admitted that there were some "installation issues". When he removed the venture shield, it exposed all the deep razor cuts that were put into the paint of my brand new black car during the installation his company did. The installer apparently cut the plastic while it was on the car, causing damage to the hood, both front fenders, and front bumper cover. The cuts were all way too deep to be buffed or polished out.
Prior to the installation Dave had touted venture shield as being better than all the other competitor's products because the pieces were pre-cut and didn't need to be cut on the car. They probably figured I would never have the shield removed, and therefore would never see the damage they caused.
After removing the venture shield, Dave jumped in his car and took off as fast as he could. I called him on his cell phone several times as he was driving away, and he wouldn't answer. I even text messaged him once. I pleaded with him to come back and inspect the damage on my vehicle. Dave did not return and did not return any of my messages. Instead he had his father Tom call me an hour later to stick up for him. Tom Diminico told me to sue them because "at the most, they were looking at a small-claims court case".
I can't stress enough how terrible my experience with dealing with venture shield and Dave and Tom Diminico has been. In my opinion, one would be very wise to stay clear of the Diminico's, their company, their products, and their "services".
As much as I would love to have a clear bra for my new GS vert, I'm not going to go through that again. I'm just going to rejex the sh*t out of it and hope for the best.
Your car looks incredible, by the way.
The guy's name is Dave Diminico and he works mostly out of Rockland Ma. I called him and his company applied the venture shield. Within 2 hours the covering was bubbling and peeling. I immediately texted Dave pics of the problem. Dave did not stand behind his work or his product and had the gall to accuse me of causing the problem. I asked him to explain the reasoning for me to ruin a $500.00 job I just had done on an $80K vehicle. Of course he couldn't think of a logical reason, but still denied doing anything wrong.
I told him that since he was not willing to stand behind his product or it's installation, I wanted the venture shield removed and he came to do that 2 days later.
When Dave finally looked at the job, he finally admitted that there were some "installation issues". When he removed the venture shield, it exposed all the deep razor cuts that were put into the paint of my brand new black car during the installation his company did. The installer apparently cut the plastic while it was on the car, causing damage to the hood, both front fenders, and front bumper cover. The cuts were all way too deep to be buffed or polished out.
Prior to the installation Dave had touted venture shield as being better than all the other competitor's products because the pieces were pre-cut and didn't need to be cut on the car. They probably figured I would never have the shield removed, and therefore would never see the damage they caused.
After removing the venture shield, Dave jumped in his car and took off as fast as he could. I called him on his cell phone several times as he was driving away, and he wouldn't answer. I even text messaged him once. I pleaded with him to come back and inspect the damage on my vehicle. Dave did not return and did not return any of my messages. Instead he had his father Tom call me an hour later to stick up for him. Tom Diminico told me to sue them because "at the most, they were looking at a small-claims court case".
I can't stress enough how terrible my experience with dealing with venture shield and Dave and Tom Diminico has been. In my opinion, one would be very wise to stay clear of the Diminico's, their company, their products, and their "services".
As much as I would love to have a clear bra for my new GS vert, I'm not going to go through that again. I'm just going to rejex the sh*t out of it and hope for the best.
Your car looks incredible, by the way.
Wow thats a crazy story. Just curious what ended up happening? Did you just let it go or did you pursue this business and get refunded plus damages?
James
04-13-2010, 02:47 PM
#13
Le Mans Master
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04-13-2010, 02:56 PM
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I reported the company to the BBB and the MA AG's office. I share my horrible tale whenever I get the chance, and hopefully that saves someone else from having their car butchered by these hacks. In fact, I know it has, because guys on different forums that were considering using their services have thanked me for warning them in advance so they could get it done elsewhere.
04-13-2010, 09:34 PM
#16
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Wounded Warrior Escort '11
I got my uncashed check back, and my "syndicate" got me a brand new hood. The fenders and bumper were buffed to no avail. I didn't want to get in to paintwork, etc. I was just so friggin' pissed-off!! I live with the damage.
I reported the company to the BBB and the MA AG's office. I share my horrible tale whenever I get the chance, and hopefully that saves someone else from having their car butchered by these hacks. In fact, I know it has, because guys on different forums that were considering using their services have thanked me for warning them in advance so they could get it done elsewhere.
I reported the company to the BBB and the MA AG's office. I share my horrible tale whenever I get the chance, and hopefully that saves someone else from having their car butchered by these hacks. In fact, I know it has, because guys on different forums that were considering using their services have thanked me for warning them in advance so they could get it done elsewhere.
04-13-2010, 10:25 PM
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Just thought I'd introduce myself & answer a few questions that have popped up here... 
I'm not a site sponsor, so I'm not trying to advertise here, just addressing & clarifying a few things for you guys!
First, SilverBullitt.
Thank you so much for the very kind words sir! I try VERY hard to satisfy each & every customer no matter what they drive, or who they are. Again, ANY issues or questions, I'm here to back up my work, so just let me know.
dgrant3830 is correct, that when it comes to whatever paint protection film is used, 90% of the job is the installer. I've been in this business for over 16 years. Starting in Colorado, where it really got it's start! It took almost 10 years before anyone even had computer cut kits, & as most have seen, kits rarely if ever line up just right every time, on every day. I've seen jobs where the left side of the hood had a 1/4" gap, & the right side of the hood had a 1/2" gap. In fact, Here is a picture (below) of a vett' that was at one of the local dealerships. Please try not to
!
motorcop71 - Dude, I feel your pain. I will say that it's installers like that who are ruining the market for good installers like myself. In most cases, you will see a few water pockets in the materials for the first few hours after the initial installation, just like window tint. The film is applied with a 'slip' solution, which means a thin film of moisture is trapped under the film after install. That film is then pushed into water pockets that then evaporate through the film, usually overnight. It is best to avoid parking in direct sunlight on that first day of installation, just to keep the water pockets from turning to steam & becoming air pockets, which will NOT go away by themselves.
The cuts in the paint are a direct result of not enough experience. Plus, whenever possible, I trim the material IN THE AIR. I trim the hood section about 1/2" beyond the edge of the hood, & then roll the material over the edges & attach underneath. This makes less edges, to collect wax buildup, etc.
cmonkey713 - Unfortunately, pretty much every film on the market will leave a line across the hood, IF it's installed across the hood. I've done quite a few FULL hood/fender/bumper installations, where you would not know it had film applied unless you were told. My G37 has everything from the windshield forward covered, so no line on the hood.
FILMS:
3M: Invented the stuff. Aggressive adhesive, causing 'working lines' if the material has to be re-positioned during installation. Lot's of orange peel. Some complaints about pre-mature yellowing. 5 year warranty
Venture Shield: Purchased by 3M a couple years ago. Weaker adhesive (Too weak in my opinion). More than average flaws in the film, as if stamped into it at the factory. In other words, you will see a similar problem every 2 feet, for many feet in a roll. IF the roll is good, then this is a really nice looking film after installation. Durability is not bad. Lifetime warranty. (No, it won't last your lifetime... They are playing the numbers game that you will sell your car before it needs to be replaced, thereby getting them off the hook)
Xpel: Used to make the patterns for 3M, before making their own brand of film & going independent a few years back. 2 levels of film. Standard, with plenty of orange peel, & Premium that is very smooth. I find this film to be a nightmare to install. Too much to go into here. I won't use the stuff any more.
Llumar: This is a very nice looking film installed. Not sure about durability. Low to no orange peel. I like installing this film also. I think 7 year warranty...
Avery Dennison: Nearly perfect adhesive.. Not too strong, not weak at all. Almost no orange peel. 2n'd generation film, designed to address ALL the issues previous films have had. Lifetime warranty (Again, nothing will last a lifetime in the sun, but I feel really good about this film's durability) This film does one more thing that NO other film on the market can. I can take a Sharpie permanent marker, & sign my name on it, then wipe it off with a dry paper towel. I've done this same test with everything else, & they are instantly & permanently stained, even using solvents & alcohol, etc to try to clean them. VERY impressive.
Sorry to have written a book guys, but these are my personal observations, & don't even get close to the full story on each film, or installer qualities.
I'm not a site sponsor, so I'm not trying to advertise here, just addressing & clarifying a few things for you guys!
First, SilverBullitt.
Thank you so much for the very kind words sir! I try VERY hard to satisfy each & every customer no matter what they drive, or who they are. Again, ANY issues or questions, I'm here to back up my work, so just let me know.
dgrant3830 is correct, that when it comes to whatever paint protection film is used, 90% of the job is the installer. I've been in this business for over 16 years. Starting in Colorado, where it really got it's start! It took almost 10 years before anyone even had computer cut kits, & as most have seen, kits rarely if ever line up just right every time, on every day. I've seen jobs where the left side of the hood had a 1/4" gap, & the right side of the hood had a 1/2" gap. In fact, Here is a picture (below) of a vett' that was at one of the local dealerships. Please try not to
!motorcop71 - Dude, I feel your pain. I will say that it's installers like that who are ruining the market for good installers like myself. In most cases, you will see a few water pockets in the materials for the first few hours after the initial installation, just like window tint. The film is applied with a 'slip' solution, which means a thin film of moisture is trapped under the film after install. That film is then pushed into water pockets that then evaporate through the film, usually overnight. It is best to avoid parking in direct sunlight on that first day of installation, just to keep the water pockets from turning to steam & becoming air pockets, which will NOT go away by themselves.
The cuts in the paint are a direct result of not enough experience. Plus, whenever possible, I trim the material IN THE AIR. I trim the hood section about 1/2" beyond the edge of the hood, & then roll the material over the edges & attach underneath. This makes less edges, to collect wax buildup, etc.
cmonkey713 - Unfortunately, pretty much every film on the market will leave a line across the hood, IF it's installed across the hood. I've done quite a few FULL hood/fender/bumper installations, where you would not know it had film applied unless you were told. My G37 has everything from the windshield forward covered, so no line on the hood.
FILMS:
3M: Invented the stuff. Aggressive adhesive, causing 'working lines' if the material has to be re-positioned during installation. Lot's of orange peel. Some complaints about pre-mature yellowing. 5 year warranty
Venture Shield: Purchased by 3M a couple years ago. Weaker adhesive (Too weak in my opinion). More than average flaws in the film, as if stamped into it at the factory. In other words, you will see a similar problem every 2 feet, for many feet in a roll. IF the roll is good, then this is a really nice looking film after installation. Durability is not bad. Lifetime warranty. (No, it won't last your lifetime... They are playing the numbers game that you will sell your car before it needs to be replaced, thereby getting them off the hook)
Xpel: Used to make the patterns for 3M, before making their own brand of film & going independent a few years back. 2 levels of film. Standard, with plenty of orange peel, & Premium that is very smooth. I find this film to be a nightmare to install. Too much to go into here. I won't use the stuff any more.
Llumar: This is a very nice looking film installed. Not sure about durability. Low to no orange peel. I like installing this film also. I think 7 year warranty...
Avery Dennison: Nearly perfect adhesive.. Not too strong, not weak at all. Almost no orange peel. 2n'd generation film, designed to address ALL the issues previous films have had. Lifetime warranty (Again, nothing will last a lifetime in the sun, but I feel really good about this film's durability) This film does one more thing that NO other film on the market can. I can take a Sharpie permanent marker, & sign my name on it, then wipe it off with a dry paper towel. I've done this same test with everything else, & they are instantly & permanently stained, even using solvents & alcohol, etc to try to clean them. VERY impressive.
Sorry to have written a book guys, but these are my personal observations, & don't even get close to the full story on each film, or installer qualities.
04-13-2010, 10:29 PM
#18
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Yeah, like I said I like the idea of a clear bra.I didn't have ventureshield long enough to comment on the product, but my installation was a nightmare for sure!!
04-13-2010, 10:46 PM
#19
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
I didn't have the bottom part of the hood done. I just had the bumper and the side mirrors done. I may yet go back and have Norm do part of the hood, but I wanted to see how I liked the film before I did that. Now that I see how smooth and slick it is, I'm much more likely to add more film to other areas of the car. However, like Norm said in his post above, any film that partially covers the hood is going to leave some kind of line, and I'm sure Nano Fusion would too.
04-13-2010, 11:29 PM
#20
If you look for the line, you can find it but it doesn't stand out because the clarity and high gloss matches the paint better.
Also, putting a slight curve across the hood and fenders will help, your eyes will pick up a straight line quicker than what's known as a bikini cut.
As far as holding up, I got a few bits of film back last summer, enough to cover my mirrors. Maybe five thousand miles of bug splat that wiped right off makes me happy, I kown what they do to other films.