just received my stongard headlamp "film"... let me tell ya... it ain't no film! this thing is about 2mm thick! what the heck? Herman, how thick was your Xpel film? i just about fall off my chair when i first opened the package. O_O

My X-pel film was slightly over 1mm. I guess the expression "film" has been broaden, eh??
Does the Stonguard film have the 3M logo on the back sheet as well?
Is it 100% transperant... hold it up in the window and move it back and forth from your view. Mine was 100% transperant.

yeah, its marked with 3M logos on the backing paper (it reads 3M scotch, industrial specialty adhesive). so i guess its not a 3M film? as for transparency... its hard to till now since the instruction says it is normal for it to be a little bit cloudy. once the adhesive cures, it will clear up. so i can't really say as of yet.

It said exactly the same on my film. That glue is absolutely no joke when it comes to hold strength!!! I cut a test piece off and attached it to some lexan cutoff, and you really need a lot of force to remove it. Almost destructive force!!! Both surfaces looked like an alien had been there and goofed it up with sticky slime!!! I learned that once you put it on, that's it, don't even try remove it.

ah crap... i was going try sanding and buffing my lense, clearcoat it with duplicolor engine clear... if that works (like my crappy beam on wall from the last meet), i will then stick the stonguard on. but i'm not sure how long the clearcoat is going to last before it oxidize again. if its short term fix... i'll have to get new headlamps and stonguard again... ouch. the cheapest i was able to find was from a club member, he could get it shipped to me for us$80 each. i've not been successful in finding cheaper (even from my buddy at the chrysler dealer).

hey Herman... wondering if those gts covers turn yellow over time if not protected? if so, did the xpel's uv inhibitors preserve yours for long term?

Acrylic plastic does not degrade like polycarb does because of sunlight. What remains then is pollutions (salt, oil, grease, paint wax, paint cleaner, etc), and as long as X-pel sheet is there, the outside protected pretty well.

acrylic is better resistant to aging than poly-carb?
thought it was other way around?

i was wondering about that too. i'm confused now. o_O

anyways, the reason i'm asking is becuz i'm gonna use the sand/buff method to renew my front lense. i'm just wondering if my stonguard will have sufficient uv inhibitors built-in to protect the now unprotected plastic (sanding is going to remove the protective coating). is my headlamp gonna oxidize under the stonguard? apparently stonguard and xpel (the one Herman is using) is similar (both have 3M logos on the back)? long story short, if it doesn't work out... i'm gonna buy a new headlamp. so instead of investing in the new headlamp now and junking my current one... might as well test it to see if it is salvageable. before i lay down the cash for those headlamps. any verdicts?

Acrylic is not great in headlight (see http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/tools-materials.htm for details ), but UV resistance is good. Byron, the 3M film will not block any UV rays.

i ve got clear xpel film on my headlights and yellow weathertech stoneguard film on foggies.I like both, but a problem is that after a few years it gets crack and completelly difficult to remove those films from the lamps.Any suggestions how to remove it?

Sounds to me that you should use the the X-pel warranty that comes with it to replace your headlight(s). I don't remember for how long they are warrented and for how much, but its probably worth looking into.

There is no chance at all to replace an old X-pel film. The glue used is of industrial strength and is permanent.

if that's the case, i think i'm better off testing it out on my old lense (sand and buff it clear). if the stonguard yellows in a few years, then i will buy new headlamps. a new headlamp should last me quite a while longer than a few years.. .and having a yellowing film will deminish the life too quickly.

wow Herman... you were right man! after i got rid of my oxidation (even if it was just a slight amount)... my light output was definitely better. my cutoffs are sharper too! my vision however seem to have gotten shorter... probably due to the sharp cutoff and no bleeding over it. will be putting on the stonguard shortly. once this headlamp goes to shot (since i used sanding/buffing method), i will buy a new set and redo the mounting structure in the back. need something better so i can easily remove the projectors and not loose the adjustments.

thanks for the pointer man Herman!

- now i just need to find a dark road with the current gen bmw 5 series and compare beam intensity again. :P

Your intensity should be on par or better than E55. Reflectors on E55 is intensionally slightly cloudy, and yours should be as clear as your bathroom mirror.

I also got a better camera so I can take better pics for another TO meet in the spring.

wow Herman, i didn't realize the extend of my oxidation eating up light. my beam when reflected back to me via the shiny ass of the car in front or window was very blue purple. it rivals the new maxima's hid... O_O

and so far, i've been able to compare intensity with what looks like a current gen 3 series. similar intensity. now where's those new 5 series when i need them??? lol!