K2 Crystal clear protector

wanab5150 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-23-2010, 08:31 PM

Anyone have any experience with Crystal Clear 2K Chip Guard.

Or, know anyone in the SF area that does 3M clear Bra on Superformance?

wrogers55 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-24-2010, 09:51 AM

Had my Backdraft done by a guy named Steve who does the high end BMWs and others for dealers and individuals. He works out of the San Jose area. Perfect job in all respects a year and a half later. Used the high grade 3M with urethane top coat bonded in. Really can't tell where it is on the car, except for where it ends and paint only begins. Also had him cover the top of the doors where your arm rests, no watch scratches. Polished the whole car including 3M covering with Zaino. Looks like a mirror and zero road damage. Not cheap. PM me if you want me to dig up his card and number. Not sure of the advertising restrictions on the board.

289fia_cobra · #3 (**permalink**) 10-25-2010, 09:13 PM

Try Premier Clear Bra. They have a facility in Fremont CA and have done just about every car you can imagine; from a Veyron, to a Ford GT and everyday cars like BMW's and Lexus.

http://www.premiermobilegroup.com/

The "gallery" is a good way to see what cars they cover; in "Other vehicle" it appears they wrapped a 289 Cobra; might have been an ERA (forward 3-rd leg on the roll bar). If they're trusthing quater million to million dollar cars with their covers, I'm guessing they're worth looking into.

Good luck.

badrich · #4 (**permalink**) 11-04-2010, 01:28 AM

But then you'll never get the patina of speed...

wanab5150 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-04-2010, 09:46 AM

It's in the shop now and I've opt for the Dominion Crystal Clear 2K clear seal. that's a mouth full. Ken's customs in Yuba City has been using this product for several years and says its been flawless so far.

I'll post with a photo when it's done.

wanab5150 · #6 (**permalink**) 11-18-2010, 10:32 AM

Got the car back. Overall the paint looks crystal clear with no orange peel and the K2 on the front looks good....much better than the 3m clear bra ever did. Ken Pike (the paiinter) said this is about the 40th car he's used it on and he's very satisfied with the results. He has seen no yellowing and it seems to take a harder hit with less damage than clear bra. Makes sense as clear bra is nothing but plastic. And, K2 can be touched up and buffed out if there's an issue.

I asked about waxes and he said wait till Feb to do any waxing or applying the numbers back on the fender. He also does not like any of the SEALING type topicals as they don't allow the paint to breath. This is exactly what the DuPont and PPG reps always told me when I spoke tho them about paint when I was in the business.........Oh, he recommended Mothers wax as (just like the reps say) it has Carnuba, which is the only real wax....not a topical sealer. There are many other waxes with Carnuba, but this is his personal favorite. There are many with a Carnuba base.

Anyway looks good as his reputation and the car looks great.

Got the Bug · #7 (**permalink**) 11-18-2010, 12:35 PM

I asked once before...what's the ballpark price?

wanab5150 · #8 (**permalink**) 11-18-2010, 11:56 PM

I had the right front fender painted which entailed blending all the way back to the rear wheel well just behind the door. Along with that the windshield had to come off and the regular clear was blended into the white stripe across the dash and out on the cowl. It came out glassy and perfect.

The total was $1900 including the K2 on the front. I removed all the front end parts and touched up everything so there was no painting on the nose where the K2 was sprayed.

You can touch up everything you need to with basecoat and a detail gun because the clear K2 will provide the gloss when he applies it.

I had a few pits so I sanded them out and did the paint (base coat) and drove it straight over to him a few days later.

wanab5150 · #9 (**permalink**) 02-03-2011, 10:52 AM

After 3 months the clear developed a bubble about 1/4 inch in diameter. everything else looked flawless but the car has been sitting all winter.

The paint lifted under the bubble which it shouldn't do under any circumstances regardless if it was hit by a rock or had contamination under it from the get go.
The painter said he's never seen anything like it and aid it shouldn't have done it. If it chips then there would be "just a chip" not a raised bubble.

Ken volunteered to re do the clear without hesitation. I hope there's not a repeat. I've seen this product on other cars and it looks a good today as it did 3 years ago.

Bxx1 · #10 (**permalink**) 02-03-2011, 07:26 PM

That's one thing about Ken, he seems honest and totally stands by his product/service. Glad he is taking care of your car. No wonder people travel from all over CA and beyond for his paint jobs. Keep us informed of the repair.

wanab5150 · #11 (**permalink**) 02-03-2011, 10:56 PM

Well Ron it's turned into a $500 redo and he said it was a rock chip so it's not going to be a warranty fix. He said the bubble was all 4 layers of the K-2 clear Protector, 2-3 coats or factory clear, and 2-3 coats of base coat. If it got a rock chip I have no idea where it came from. I cleaned and detailed the car top to bottom when I got it back from Yuba so it didn't happen on the highway. It's a mystery.

I have to take him the paint tomorrow. Maybe I should mail it and stay off the road.....maybe better, I should stay in bed with the covers over my head!

Bxx1 · #12 (**permalink**) 02-04-2011, 12:36 PM

Keep the damn thing in the garage with a 3 layer car cover over the car and sleep in it. That should keep things well protected! AND never drive it!

wanab5150 · #13 (**permalink**) 02-07-2011, 11:26 AM

No kidding Ron.................

Well, Ken was right. The paint broke loose from the primer making a crater from all the layers of paint and K-2.

This is not the first time he's seen this issue of paint not sticking to the primer on Superformance. Along those lines, I removed the 3M protector from my drivers side rear wheel well to replace it and upon peeling it off, a chunk of paint (down to the primer) came off with the tape.

It was an easy fix that time because I just sanded and painted with base coat with no clear because the 3M over the top covered it. With the tape on the top you can't tell it wasn't cleared and it doesn't matter unless you decide to remove the tape to expose the paint. I will probably use the K-2 in place of the tape when the tape starts to decay.

Ken is going to try and fix the spot before a complete re clear. If it can't be noticed over 5 feet away the fix will suffice. if it shows, then he'll re-coat the front end.

wanab5150 · #14 (**permalink**) 02-11-2011, 09:43 PM

I got the car back today and I saved the $500 that I was going to spend on the re-do. Ken did a touch up with the paint I took him and some of the K-2 clear on top. It's not perfect but it's only about 3/8 of an inch and filled in pretty good. Truthfully, no one else will ever see it unless they look where I point. It will work until I have it painted on it's sixth anniversary makeover.

Thanks for the fix Ken