Whats going on with 3m Scotchgard pro series

Todd @ Interwest · October 5, 2014

I think it is pretty damn hilarious that 3M is making videos comparing other films against theirs when they cant get their shlt together and consistently produce a good product. The second video against Suntek is laughable. I've never had a warranty claim with Suntek and been installing it since it came out. Yet the ONLY film KNOWN to crack is 3M Scotchguard. So did they not test Scotchguard when it came out??? I get 10-15 people a year who come to me wanting that crap removed and it has completely shattered. Sorry but I am not wasting hours upon hours getting that off. As usual most of these videos are straight hype. I don't believe it until I see it. how many other films have come out making the same claims yet when it starts to turn to crap they are no where to defend their product???

3M has never been a good option down here because right off the bat it has a tremendous amount of orange peel in it. They use a heavy paper backing which is a huge mistake. People want protection without it looking like crap from day one. I can continue going on about that film but no need as they have a new product out. Lets just see how it holds up over time to make sure they are like all the other companies overpromising their films.

Just finished watching the first video... I have never had a scuff on either Xpel or Suntek. Not really not sure what the point of that test is. Again until 3M gets this stuff in my hands and I test it out over time I am not buying into it. I have seen these same tests recently and once I got my hands on the film it turned out to be junk.

Pro-Tect Mobile,

First off please feel fee to call me tomorrow and I will be happy to overnight you a sample of the new 3M Pro Series for you to try. You have some good points that I would like to address and give you some additional perspective on from what I have seen in the industry as a past installer and also from the distribution side.

If we were to look back 20 years ago 3M was the only Paint Protection Film on the market. If we go back about 10 years ago it was 3M and Ricochet. For those of us who have been in the industry for years we all know what happened with Ricochet. So lets go back 5 - 8 years and we see a few more films come out such as Avery, Clear Shield, XPEL, and so on. At the end of the day more and more films will come to market just like the window film industry and each year at SEMA I am amazed with all of the new foreign companies that pop up. My main point is that 3M invented this product and back in the day it had a 3 year warranty on it. For about the past ten years it had a 5 year warranty on it and I can say that in most conditions that it will out perform the 5 year warranty that was given to the product. I just traded in my 2004 F-150 a month ago that had Scotchgard on it from the day that I bought it still looked good while never seeing a garage in its life.

Yes, I do see vehicles out there that the material has gone bad but 99% of the time they are vehicles that are much older than 5 years old. Being in Colorado I will give you this perspective since we have almost a 30% penetration rate of all new vehicles getting some PPF installed on it and warranty claims with 3M have always been less than 1% of all the material we sell. My point is that XPEL offers a 10 year warranty and that Suntek offers a 5 year warranty and neither have been producing film as long as they are putting warranties on their products. Now that doesn't mean that the products won't stand up to what they claim but it is an interesting point as the second video shows a standard OEM test where Suntek does fail. Seeing that the film has only been out for three years it is too early to say what it does in real life conditions.

With 3M Pro Series the warranty was increased to 7 years and that is what 3M is comfortable offering. At the end of the day 3M is a very conservative company and the film could last over 10 years but it also depends on the climate as with any film and how one cares for their vehicle. Because the first video is my own I will add to what you are asking about with the scuff test. Listed below are measured surface energy tests. We all know why we use Teflon coated pots and pans. The basic concept is if it is harder to stick to something then it is harder to stain. Out of the four films shown 3M Scotchgard Pro Series has the lowest surface energy of all thus making things harder to stick and possibly stain the film.

Substrate: Surface Energy (dyne/cm)

Epoxy Paint = 43

Urethane Paint = 43

Polyethylene = 31

Teflon = 18

SGH6 = 36.1

Xpel Ultimate = 38.6

Suntek = 35.7

Pro Series = 30.3

When people talk about Orange Peel I will agree with you that SGH6 (Scotchgard) had more than some of the newer films but you also have to think back as OEM paint has changed over the years and although it may show more on a highline vehicle I can tell you that most paint jobs out there besides exotics have Orange Peel in the factory paint. I would suggest that when you do get a new sample of the 3M Pro Series to put it next to any other film that you have and you will see that it has less than anything I have compared it to.

At the end of the day you will just have to get it in your hands to try but I wanted to give another perspective to some of your good points.

Thank you,

Todd Bergman

Interwest Distribution

3M Authorized Distributor & Training Facility

303-777-4455

todd@interwestdc.com

pro3 · October 6, 2014

So when is it going to be out to try? I hear its not even in production yet.

3M's only form of defence is attack with a video seeming to criticise other films without having anything out there

themselves that compares.

Todd @ Interwest · October 6, 2014

So when is it going to be out to try? I hear its not even in production yet.

3M's only form of defence is attack with a video seeming to criticise other films without having anything out there

themselves that compares.

Pro3,

I can only speak for distribution here in the United States and let you know that it is available. I am sure that the rest of the global market will have the ability to purchase it soon. It will be at the SEMA show in a few weeks and I am sure that will gain more attention and demand from the international market.

Thank you,

Todd Bergman

Interwest Distribution

3M Authorized Distributor & Training Facility

303-777-4455

todd@interwestdc.com

minty · October 6, 2014

Ok then Todd, a couple of questions, If it is available in the US why so much supposition and conjecture on the film, why don't we have more installers shouting from the roof tops about how good (or bad) the film is. I am not interested in rubbishing MMM but they have not given me much cause to believe them, all I want to do is the best for my customers.

And finally how much to get a roll of it to me in the UK?

Steve.

Todd @ Interwest · October 6, 2014

Ok then Todd, a couple of questions, If it is available in the US why so much supposition and conjecture on the film, why don't we have more installers shouting from the roof tops about how good (or bad) the film is. I am not interested in rubbishing MMM but they have not given me much cause to believe them, all I want to do is the best for my customers.

And finally how much to get a roll of it to me in the UK?

Steve.

Good questions. Our company has been selling the first version since the beginning of May. Like you have read in some of the earlier posts by others that the adhesive was sensitive in some climates. The revised version of 3M Pro Series just started to hit the shelf with distribution here in the states within the last few weeks and that is the main reason as many people are just hearing about it being available. I am sure that you will see more posts from installers on their thoughts here in the near future. I wish I could sell you a roll of it but we do have territories here in the states that restrict us from selling outside of our area as well as the country.

Thank you,

Todd Bergman

Interwest Distribution

3M Authorized Distributor & Training Facility

todd@interwestdc.com

pro3 · October 6, 2014

Hi Todd, we were told month after month that the pro series 1st generation was delayed because of extensive testing by OEM's.

So are we to believe that no OEM's picked this up?

And secondly has the new film had the same level of testing?

Sorry not picking on you but always good to hear the story from your side of the world.

Todd @ Interwest · October 6, 2014

Hi Todd, we were told month after month that the pro series 1st generation was delayed because of extensive testing by OEM's.

So are we to believe that no OEM's picked this up?

And secondly has the new film had the same level of testing?

Sorry not picking on you but always good to hear the story from your side of the world.

Pro3,

I will try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge. OEM's and the OEM Aftermarket worlds are entirely different in that specs and contracts with OEM's are a much longer cycle. For example if there are small pieces of film put on a production vehicle then those are built into a contract and forecast that is most of the time more than a year out and those contracts can be for multiple years. With this being the case I am sure that there are talks with OEM's but I would doubt if you would see it on a production vehicle for 12 - 18 months at the minimum. This is one reason why SGH6 (Scotchgard) will still be around for many years as a film that is still produced.

Every OEM will have different specs on their requirements depending on the placement of the film. The most standard is a weather test which the video on this thread shows. Additional test are based on adhesive bond strength, edge peel, stain resistance, car wash cycles and many others. I'm not an OEM spec expert but I have been around some of the process and it is a long drawn out process. There are some film programs that happen at the vehicle ports but that as well has different requirements then the actual OEM.

To my knowledge all of those tests have been done as part of the standard process with 3M and that is also why they feel good about increasing the warranty on Pro Series to seven years. I am happy to see it now come to the OEM Aftermarket as I had my hands on test film almost a year and a half ago. It has been a long wait but I think it was also worth it.

I hope this helps and let me know if you have other questions that I can try to answer.

Thank you,

Todd Bergman

Interwest Distribution

3M Authorized Distributor & Training Facility

todd@interwestdc.com

pro3 · October 6, 2014

I really hope the film turns out to be good and a winner but your understand the scepticism of dealer/installers to rush to install a completely new film to the PPF market.

This gives the others who have good tried and tested products out there a big advantage until the new film proves itself in the hands of the installers on more technical work.

I hope we receive trial rolls to try before we buy.