Series II VE SSV UTE

[Leon.]

My Ute

Future mods would include suspension and eventualy some power upgrades.

[TinSnips]

Nice ute mate. The black bars are a nice touch with the yellow.

need to punt that bonnet protector before it does any more damage though.

[Cameron P]

looks good mate!! love the black on yellow look!

needs to be a bit lower and maybe a hard top cover.. not sure if they fit with the bars?

and yeah what tinny said about the bonnet protector, needs to go.

[HUX 90]

Nice mate very nice, and also agreed with tinny remove the bonnet protector.

[Tommo_27]

a hard top cover.. not sure if they fit with the bars?

I read somewhere a couple of days ago that Holden have released a new hard cover that fits with the bars. Looked good. Will try and find.

Ute looks great btw.

[Leon.]

Thanks, but the bonnet protector stays for now, it may look a bit odd but it serves a purpose. The daily route to work has left some nasty chips in the vy's bonnet.

How easy or difficult is it to remove and replace the hard cover.

[TinSnips]

I'd rather a few stone chips than a sand-papered bonnet... just my opinion though.

[Leon.]

What do you mean by sand-papered bonnet??

[TinSnips]

Because of the gap between paint and protector, they're a massive grit trap. From what I've experienced, they pick up everything. The only way to clean under them properly is to constantly remove the protector, then replace it when you're done - which will also damage the bonnet. Even the mounting brackets will do damage. The other problem is that because the plastic protector is semi-flexible, they have a habit of buffeting at highway speeds - so any grit that is trapped in it is getting slapped around between the paint and the protector, working like sand paper and marring or even scratching the paintwork. Even the protector itself can smack against the finish.

I'm not intending to come across as an arsehole (I have a habit of doing that at times apparently) - I've just seen this style of bonnet protector do significant damage to the paintwork, which is often more noticeable and harder to repair (barring a respray) than the odd stone chip. Don't get me wrong - they are quite effective at deflecting stones - often straight into the windscreen, which can also cause problems - but for me, they're just not a good thing to fit to your car.

There are other options if your car is being bombarded by stones on loose surfaces - for instance you can get clear adhesive protectors which form a tough and thick, but transparent layer directly on the paint, which means that nothing can be trapped under it. They're also flexible enough to absorb the impact of stones rather than deflecting them, so you don't tend to get the same change of impact zone to the windscreen. There are pre-cut kits available for VE which cover sections of body work, but you could also get a custom wrap done to cover whole panels, like the bonnet or front bar or both (Lamborghini have this this as an option for instance).

Another option is the various products in the new range of protective, semi-permanent paint coatings. Unlike waxes and sealants that last weeks or months, these coatings are applied to bare, fully corrected paint and cure to form a protective coating which is significantly harder and more durable than the car's clear coat. I've not used them yet, but from what I've heard from others who have applied them and from testing in the states, depending on the brand, they can last from 2 years up to almost outlasting the paint on the car. These coatings are applied to the whole car (except glass), and are essentially the same concept as dealer-added paint protection, except they work and are a genuine quality product. They have the added benefit of being completely chemical resistant - the only way to remove them is through use of harsh abrasives (should you get the need to correct any swirls that might appear, this can be done without removing all of the coating) - and they won't oxidise or etch.


Food for thought.