Rating: Expensive, difficult to work with, and not very tranparent.

Car: 1997 GTI VR6

Cost: Approximately $50 from Strictly Foreign.

Required Tools: Chip film, razor, rubber squeegee, heat-gun, spray bottle, soapy solution (water with a teaspoon of baby shampoo.) lint-free towels.

Time: A lot! It is very similar to applying window tint.

Installation:

I only did the front edge of the hood of my car for one simple reason: THE KIT COST $50 AND THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TO DO ANY MORE THAN THAT! Too me, that is way to much for the tiny piece of plastic I received in the mail.

1. Mix a bottle of clean water and a teaspoon of baby shampoo (or any other clear, relatively weak soap.) Spray the area of the car to be covered, and wipe clean with a clean, lint-free cloth.
2. If you are doing a complex shape, you may need to pre-cut the film to fit the shape you are covering. Since I was doing the hood, I chose to cut the film after I had it installed.
3. Spray the hood of your car with the soapy solution. Start to peal the backing off of the film and spray the film as well so it doesn't get stuck to itself.
4. Lay the film on the hood of the car and try to make the top edge 'even' across the hood of the car. Spray over the film to and begin squeegeeing the water out from underneath it.
5. The film will not conform to convex/concave surfaces without some heat. Use your heat-gun to gently heat the areas the continue to bubble up. CAUTION: If you over-heat the film, it will warp or you will dent it with the squeegee!
6. Continue to work the water out from under the film with the squeegee and the heat gun. This stage took over an hour for me. You may have to re-spray the film occasionally in order to get the squeegee to slide.
7. I used the heat gun to contour the edges of the film to the edges of my hood. I then used a sharp razorblade to remove any excess.
8. You're done! I hope you are happier with the results than I was!