kungfutea
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I just installed a Lamin-X rear bumper guard on the Mach E and I thought I should share my installation experience and a quick review of the product.
I have two young kids and always hauling a bunch of stuff, so rear bumper protection is a must. There are two choices in the market for the Mach E, the OEM version for 80 and the Lamin-X for 35. Normally, I'd go with the OEM parts and accessories, but the guard is basically a strip of film so I went with the Lamin-X. And btw, there are no reviews and no real-world images, so I really don't know what I'm getting.
Here is the short version of the review if you don't want to read on: It's great. In fact, it's better than OEM in my opinion.
The film was nicely packaged with a small sprayer bottle and a squeegee. One look at the film and I thought, oh no, it's the wrong film because I was expecting a sheet that lays flat on the bumper like the OEM version, but this film has wings on each side on the bottom. I then realize this protector actually wraps the edge. Score!
I've never installed a film before, but it was fairly straightforward. I first made sure the bumper was spotless. Then I filled the spray bottle with soapy water and sprayed my hands, the bumper, and the film. I then lay the film on the bumper and start playing with it. I started in the middle and work towards the sides with my hand, and for the last step, I use the squeegee to get the bubbles out.
The end result was pretty good. There are some tiny bubbles on the very top edge but it's not noticeable. Here are some installation tips:
1. Keep the area and your hands clean, perhaps wear gloves. I had some contamination at the edges because I had something on my hands.
2. The film covers the edge including part of the license plate, I had to scramble to get a screwdriver to remove the plate after wetting the film. So you should remove the plate before you start.
3. Make sure you have plenty of time. It took me about an hour, and the sun was setting, so I wasn't able to see the smaller bubbles. So start early or stay in a lighted area.
I have two young kids and always hauling a bunch of stuff, so rear bumper protection is a must. There are two choices in the market for the Mach E, the OEM version for 80 and the Lamin-X for 35. Normally, I'd go with the OEM parts and accessories, but the guard is basically a strip of film so I went with the Lamin-X. And btw, there are no reviews and no real-world images, so I really don't know what I'm getting.
Here is the short version of the review if you don't want to read on: It's great. In fact, it's better than OEM in my opinion.
The film was nicely packaged with a small sprayer bottle and a squeegee. One look at the film and I thought, oh no, it's the wrong film because I was expecting a sheet that lays flat on the bumper like the OEM version, but this film has wings on each side on the bottom. I then realize this protector actually wraps the edge. Score!
I've never installed a film before, but it was fairly straightforward. I first made sure the bumper was spotless. Then I filled the spray bottle with soapy water and sprayed my hands, the bumper, and the film. I then lay the film on the bumper and start playing with it. I started in the middle and work towards the sides with my hand, and for the last step, I use the squeegee to get the bubbles out.
The end result was pretty good. There are some tiny bubbles on the very top edge but it's not noticeable. Here are some installation tips:
1. Keep the area and your hands clean, perhaps wear gloves. I had some contamination at the edges because I had something on my hands.
2. The film covers the edge including part of the license plate, I had to scramble to get a screwdriver to remove the plate after wetting the film. So you should remove the plate before you start.
3. Make sure you have plenty of time. It took me about an hour, and the sun was setting, so I wasn't able to see the smaller bubbles. So start early or stay in a lighted area.
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