I got the Rock Blocker full front kit, headlight kit, and sunroof kit installed today at Envisage Design Labs in Torrance today. I got their name from the 3M website and from a RockBlocker rep (Jake). They were very friendly and very good. No air bubbles and they've been around a while (7yrs). I'll be going back when I get the turn signal kit RockBlocker forgot to send.

Onto the kit. The hood, fender and headlight pieces went on with no drama. Nice fit. They had a little trouble getting the overlap around the edge to stick, but they made it happen.
The wind deflector piece was cut to fit and went on smoothly. The other two panels were bulk sheets and had to be trimmed on site. They did an outstanding job trimming. The nature of the material has blurred the outside view somewhat, it has an orange peel effect, but it's not a big deal for me. If I want a clear view, I'll open the sunroof.
The outside mirror pieces were not what I was expecting. It didn't follow the cut lines of the turn signal. But it does cover the frontal area.

Now the Bumper! It took them longer to do the bumper than all the other pieces. It also had some problem areas. The lower corners of the upper grill and the lower corner of the airdam where it curves in then flares out had some problems sticking. It took some stretching and another set of hands, but they got it. The guy had to put a small cut in the lower passenger side of the grill to get it to stay down, but you really can't see it unless you're really staring at it, so no big deal there.

The lower corner "intake scoops" were another source of headaches. After all the stretching needed to make the piece align correctly with the grills, it deformed the cutout for the scoops leaving a small but vunerable portion that was supposed to be covered, open for impact. Thankfully, those guys were nice enough to take some of their own material and fill in the gaps. You can see the two seams where the extra material is. They made the passing comment of it would've been easier if RockBlocker had left that area uncut so they could cut it themselves. RockBlocker might want to call them and see about that. Just a suggestion.

Now, because of the stretching and the curves of the bumper, the upper passenger side of the piece (they worked from the drivers side to the passenger) didn't line up perfectly with the trailing corner of the headlight like it was supposed to. There was nothing they could do about it.

I called a couple other places and they said they could not warrantee the install because it wasn't "their" material. These guys said if I had any problems with it peeling or cracking, bring it in. As I said, nice guys.

The orange peel effect on the material is very noticable if you're looking at a reflection. But this isn't a show car, it's a commuter car. And I'll take an orange peel effect over paint chips anyday.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably go through the installers in getting the material. That way if there was any fitment problems, they could recut and refit. Bringing in the RockBlocker stuff, they had to work with what they got. I purchased it because their 4th of July sale was too good to pass up! That being said, I will commend RockBlocker on their outstanding customer service! They returned my phone calls quickly, shipped the stuff out immediately, and answered my questions directly and politely. They forgot my turn signal kit, but that was rectified the day I notified them, so I should be getting them soon. Maybe the fitment problems were because they never installed on a tC before? Any other tC owners out there with installation stories/issues? I would HIGHLY recommend pro installation if only for the bumper.

Finally, can someone host my pictures? I have 11 pictures totaling 11.9MB. My pix are too large for photobucket.com. Imagestation.com requires people to sign up.

Thanks for reading!

 

I've seen this. It goes by another name, or there's similar products out there that does exactly the samething. It's basically giant PDA screen protector sheets for your car. I'd just get a hood bra if I wanna protect rocks/debris from scratching the paint.

 

There are a bunch of companies doing this. And yes, it is like a giant PDA screen protector for the car. I don't like the traditional hood bras because I've seen too many cars that have been scratched up by them. I belive you have to take them off when it rains too. And most importantly, I think they're ugly and screams "stuck in the 80's" I may as well pop in my Top Gun soundtrack and find some Don Johnson/Miami Vice era loafers.

 

If you want real protection from chips and such, this is the only way to go. I wish I could afford it for my car, but I'm poor. As for the black bra things... omg. I would never even consider one of those things on any vehicle I ever own. If you have one and like it, that's cool, I just think they're the ugliest thing you could ever put on a vehicle.

Except maybe a super duper ricer wing...

 

Regular bras are horrible. I would never even consider one for my car.

I too have the RockBlocker kit on my car and I love it! I've had it on for about 6 months now and I don't know what I would do without it.

 

Did your installers have any fitment problems? I everything lined up perfectly?

 

rockblocker rocks!!!

 

Everything is lined up but there were small issues getting it to stick inside the curves where you were talking about. Not sure what the issue is with that spot but Chad worked his magic and it fits fine.

 

Thank you very much for th write-up and comments. Envisage guys are pretty good guys and have done work for us in the past through referrals. From what is sounds like maybe they hadnt done a tC before. The first time I personally did one i had some of the very same issues that you were describing the installer was having. But as you do more you become better at working with the same body and curves so the mistakes or problems are rectified before you start. I take it that you didnt ask how many tC kits they have installed??

If you want us to host the pics please send them to us, we would be glad to do that for you.

Thanks again

Chad
sales@rockblocker.com

 

I just received the side marker covers today. I'll probably have them installed this weekend. I'll try to remember to ask them how many tC's they've done. I didn't think to ask them the first time because I didn't know it would be that tricky for a trained person to install. Oh well. Like I said, it's not a show car and the few problem areas there are, are hidden in the corners and you would see them at first glance.

I have 11 pictures that are 1-1.5MB each. Should I send them to customerservice@rockblocker.net?

Thanks for your support of this community!

 

That email will be just fine. I am sure you can install the side markers yourself. vey easy to do.

 

The pix have been sent.

Thanks!

 

Here are some of the pics. I had to resize them so we dont blow up someone's puter trying to view them.

Thickness of a penny versus the film


As you can see from this picture it does not line up quit right. A lesson to the wise never stretch before you know where it goes.


Same issue on the other side


Can you see it


Stretch to far which is not hard to do since the film is thinner in width there so the material stretches easier.


Not a bad job overall and I am sure the install would go a lot better the next time they did another tC. The first one of a particular model is always the hardest especially when pre-cut.

I saw there was a comment about leaving some areas uncut, but the problem with that would be you would have to risk cutting the paint as you are cutting out the area you need.

Once we finish our car we will get around to taking hi-res pics of the all the pieces we have installed on it. Mostly custom and extreme, but cool nonetheless.

Have a great day.

 

On the hood pic, it looks like the protected part is a little blurry, compared to the rest.

Other than that, it looks really good (minus the fitting issues). The penny shot is nice... I was curious to the actual thickness of it. Looks good.

 

I will agree on the hood. That is from a couple of reasons.

The angle of the light and the fact the film hasnt finished curing yet.
It can take up to 4 weeks depending on climate and weather.

I believe this kit hasnt even been installed a week yet. I could be wrong, but it was recent.

 

Post a pic of before and after when it has finished curing. I want to see if you can still see a difference.

THANKS!

 

After curing

 

nice.

 

do you have any pictures of it on a SSM? I was over at my dad's house the other day and got to talking to his neighbor that lives across the street. He has ClearBras on all 4 of his cars, and showed me 2 of them. One's on his brand new Carrera 4 S and one's on his Lexus... both cars are silver-ish in nature and of a lighter shade than say FM or IIP.

I noticed on his, that they weren't noticeable at all from a distance but up close the paint looked a bit duller and you could see a black line across the hood. Still overall, would've rather had that than all the gigantic rock chips all over the front of my car now. I don't think he had RockBlocker either, I don't know what brand it was.. he said it was RoadBlock or something. I'd just be curious to see your product on a lighter colored tC though.

 

What about the hood in direct sunlight looking down, is there still a blurr there or is it prefectly clear?