Review:Armor All Invisi-Shield on my New 50i

[Austindrvr]

Recently picked up a '13 X5 50i (titanium silver) and am loving it. I do 90% highway driving (about 4K a month) and am OCD as much as I can be for a daily driver. I wanted to try and avoid the rock dings in the fender flares, rocker panels, mirrors etc. While, I looked at the clear bra types, I couldnt justify the cost. I came across the new Armor All invisi-sheild the other day and for $15 thought it was worth a try. Yes, there is clear plasti dip, but this was an "impulse" buy, so I won't argue one vs. the other superiority, rather just my experience with this.

First, I knew that it was going to go on with a matte finish, fortunately Titanium Silver hides that extremely well. Second, it does peel off extremely easy if you do the 3-4 recommended coats. I tested it on my rental car while traveling. I can't speak to the durability yet, but they claim it can last "up to 3 months." I will update again as I go through the coming rain season and frequent hand washings.

Application: Just a simple 10 minute tape job with blue painters tape (for the rear fenders, rocker panels and mirrors). I used the painters tape to create the edges and filled in the remainder with poorly taped kitchen trash bags. Also, used some of the "stretch and stick" saran wrap. The blue tape left zero residue, but the saran wrap left adhesive behind, even if only left on for a few minutes. Fortunately, it does come off with a little elbow grease and quick detailer, but I would just use painter tape and trash bags next time.

Also, be sure you have a fresh coat of wax on the paint before hand. It makes removing overspray extremely simple with a microfiber and quick detailer. The overspray on the rental car was a pain to remove as it had no underlying barrier for the paint. It did come off, just took a lot more rubbing.

I did 4 coats, each within about 3-5 mins of each other. I have probably 1/2 to 3/4 can left, after coating the rear splash panels, rear fender flares and mirrors. Also, knowing this was going to be peeled off in 3 months or sooner, I didn't go overboard on perfection with taping or spraying. The coats went on similar to a spray paint, but I found the nozzle would start to clog a bit during the 3rd and 4th coats. This was because I didnt clean the nozzle between coats. Not a huge issue, but it consequently sprayed in an uneven pattern. Once I cleaned the nozzle, everything worked fine. When you are doing your final coat, be sure the pull the tape off when it is still wet. I was able to get my best fine lines when it was still wet. Any pull up can be tapped back down with your finger, but its a lot easier when its still wet.

The finish drys to a rubber cement style consistency. I did the minimum coats, so if you want more rock protection, you might consider additional layers. At this point, it was worth the $15, as I can see how this "might" protect against sand/small rocks, bugs, etc. I can't say in the long run how durable it will be, but it's basically invisibile on my paint and was peanuts compared to a clear bra. For those that don't do a lot of daily highway driving, I think this would be still be useful for any long distance trip, if not for the protection, than for the ease of cleaning when you get home.

At this point, I'd give it a tenative two thumbs up as it did what was advertised, just not sure of the durability yet. Will update as I put more miles on it...

PS - No laughing at the garage decor, while I was born in the 70's, I wasn't decorating back then

[virjose]

Very cool idea. Looking forward to your report on how it holds