chips on the rear rocker panels...

[AtoB]

i noticed on my 04 z that the front of the rear wheel well was getting pretty banged-up from pebbles and debris. i had seen black magnetic protectors on 911s and Z3s.... but found nothing for the Z4... i'm guessing because the area is plastic on out cars. i did however find a company (XPEL.com) that make clear bra kits for bumpers that also had a kit or this specific area, they were the only ones. i've found it to be a great investment in protecting the paint on the bumpers and the rear rockers. the rocker protectors go one very easy, the pieces are small and simple, and the directions are clear.

i hope this is helpful... here is their URL:

https://www.xpel.com/products/paint_...&submodel=2075

[nmulax]

good find.

I've seen a lot of Porsches with the clear film on this area.. makes sense to do it on the Z as well. And that's a good price.

[jmillet]

All clear films used for auto paint and headlight protection are not created equal.
Most installers cut their kits from 3M Scotchgard 6 mil, clear-coated urethane film
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/M...gard-PPF/Home/
while Xpel uses an 8 mil aliphatic polyurethane film of undisclosed origin. It's safe to assume Xpel does not manufacture their film material.
Possibly more important than the manufacturer of the clear film is the pattern used to cut the material and the proficiency of the installer. It is important that the kit pattern provide for enough coverage to include wrapping the film over the body panel edges. This not only makes for seamless coverage it also precludes dirt from entering between the film and paint.
I have not personally used the Xpel product, but have the 3M Scotchgard film on two vehicles installed by Accutint. One kit was installed in 1999 and is still holding up well; the other kit was installed in August 2007.

[AtoB]

well... i had it on my last z4 for three years... no problems, and it worked great!

[ianbiz]

I noticed that my Z had rock chips there also.
The 3M link doesnt work.

[inTgr8r]

I had the entire lower sill front to back, wrapped in 3M clear.