Dar-Dar
Mordorator
- 19,329
- 9,901
- Vehicle Model
- Civic Si
- Body Style
- Fiji Blue Pearl Coupe Coolest Member Since: May 15, 2011
The 3M Paint Defender is a spray-on film that protects your paint for at least one year.
Test subject: 2007 Honda Civic Si (Hood)
Temp: 65-70 degrees
Humidity; 0%
Difficulty: Easy
Application time: 30min-45min
Total time: around 12 hours
So this DIY is for applying 3M Paint on your car's hood. This will also give you a basic idea on applying 3M Defender on other exterior panels.
**Do not attempt this DIY during cold temps unless your garage is heated**
These are pretty much all you need to do this DIY.
-1x 3M Paint Defender Spray
-1x 3M Spray can trigger (or other spray can triggers)
-1x Your favorite sealant/wax or the provided 3M synthetic wax
-1x Your favorite sealant/wax applicator
-1x Your favorite microfiber cloth
-1x Respirator
-1x Painter's tape
-2x large garbage bags
Here's a little 'preface' or pre-DIY to the DIY if you will. It will give you an idea of what your up against.
There are some flaws in their DIY that you should avoid that will be mentioned.
I created this DIY so the chances of getting runs and orange peel will be low.
Step one:
-Wash the car (or just the hood) and drive it inside a garage to keep debris/dust/leaves/pollen from hitting the surfaces. Make sure the area is enclosed and ventilated. You wouldn't want bugs flying around and landing on the sprayed area. They will get stuck.
I used a box fan that exhausted the air out to keep any dust minimal.
Step two:
-When the car is nice and cool, cover up the exposed areas that you don't want to get sprayed on using the garbage bags. Keep the hood ajar. I cut the two bags so that they became large sheets. I then cut one bag into two equal sheets. Use the Painter's tape to hold the sheets in tact.
The large sheet was used to cover the entire top section above the hood.
And the two small sheets are used to cover the front end and the front fenders. The two sheets are sitting diagonally, like shown in the pic below.
Make sure the sheets tuck underneath and are barely touching the hood.
Step 3:
-Wax the entire hood of your car. You can also use clay bar beforehand to make the surface as smooth and clean as possible.
Step 4 (What 3M should have mentioned):
-Soak the 3M Defender Spray can in hot tap water (not boiling) for about 10-15min. If it's hot to the touch, it's ready to spray. You can wipe the wax off while waiting for the can to warm up.
Do not spray the can when the can is cold. This is how people get bad results. And they complain in the reviews section that they get runs and orange peel.
Step 5:
-When the can is ready to spray, attach the spray can trigger and you can start spraying. 3M states that you have to apply three coats without stopping. Don't do that. You can wait for at least 1-2 minutes between each coats. The nozzle will not dry/clog when you wait between coats since the film has a very long time dry time to begin with. Waiting for a few seconds in between coats will also help prevent runs. I also placed two large cardboard by the front fenders to reduce overspray.
Don't forget to put your respirator on!
Spray 3 even coats or as even as you can make it.
-1st coat: Horizontal
-2nd coat: Vertical
-3rd coat: Horizontal
You can pretty much follow the directed speed (3 ft/sec) and distance to the surface (8"). I managed to have some left over in the spray can. According to 3M, the entire can should cover up half the hood.
The sprayed surface should look like this:
Step 6:
-Remove the sheets of garbage bags and be careful not to touch the sprayed area. Let the film dry for 12 hours or more.
Step 7:
-Wax the treated area and your car's hood (Or whatever you spray) is now protected.
Test subject: 2007 Honda Civic Si (Hood)
Temp: 65-70 degrees
Humidity; 0%
Difficulty: Easy
Application time: 30min-45min
Total time: around 12 hours
So this DIY is for applying 3M Paint on your car's hood. This will also give you a basic idea on applying 3M Defender on other exterior panels.
**Do not attempt this DIY during cold temps unless your garage is heated**
These are pretty much all you need to do this DIY.
-1x 3M Paint Defender Spray
-1x 3M Spray can trigger (or other spray can triggers)
-1x Your favorite sealant/wax or the provided 3M synthetic wax
-1x Your favorite sealant/wax applicator
-1x Your favorite microfiber cloth
-1x Respirator
-1x Painter's tape
-2x large garbage bags
Here's a little 'preface' or pre-DIY to the DIY if you will. It will give you an idea of what your up against.
There are some flaws in their DIY that you should avoid that will be mentioned.
I created this DIY so the chances of getting runs and orange peel will be low.
Step one:
-Wash the car (or just the hood) and drive it inside a garage to keep debris/dust/leaves/pollen from hitting the surfaces. Make sure the area is enclosed and ventilated. You wouldn't want bugs flying around and landing on the sprayed area. They will get stuck.
I used a box fan that exhausted the air out to keep any dust minimal.Step two:
-When the car is nice and cool, cover up the exposed areas that you don't want to get sprayed on using the garbage bags. Keep the hood ajar. I cut the two bags so that they became large sheets. I then cut one bag into two equal sheets. Use the Painter's tape to hold the sheets in tact.
The large sheet was used to cover the entire top section above the hood.
And the two small sheets are used to cover the front end and the front fenders. The two sheets are sitting diagonally, like shown in the pic below.
Make sure the sheets tuck underneath and are barely touching the hood.
Step 3:
-Wax the entire hood of your car. You can also use clay bar beforehand to make the surface as smooth and clean as possible.
Step 4 (What 3M should have mentioned):
-Soak the 3M Defender Spray can in hot tap water (not boiling) for about 10-15min. If it's hot to the touch, it's ready to spray. You can wipe the wax off while waiting for the can to warm up.
Do not spray the can when the can is cold. This is how people get bad results. And they complain in the reviews section that they get runs and orange peel.
Step 5:
-When the can is ready to spray, attach the spray can trigger and you can start spraying. 3M states that you have to apply three coats without stopping. Don't do that. You can wait for at least 1-2 minutes between each coats. The nozzle will not dry/clog when you wait between coats since the film has a very long time dry time to begin with. Waiting for a few seconds in between coats will also help prevent runs. I also placed two large cardboard by the front fenders to reduce overspray.
Don't forget to put your respirator on!
Spray 3 even coats or as even as you can make it.
-1st coat: Horizontal
-2nd coat: Vertical
-3rd coat: Horizontal
You can pretty much follow the directed speed (3 ft/sec) and distance to the surface (8"). I managed to have some left over in the spray can. According to 3M, the entire can should cover up half the hood.
The sprayed surface should look like this:
Step 6:
-Remove the sheets of garbage bags and be careful not to touch the sprayed area. Let the film dry for 12 hours or more.
Step 7:
-Wax the treated area and your car's hood (Or whatever you spray) is now protected.
Last edited by a moderator:
I've been looking into doing this to my 2014. The paint is just as thin as the 2012 and the bras/deflectors offered are ugly and over priced for what they are.
