After reading the many posts, both pro and con, regarding putting Stongard Light on my S2000 headlights, decided to order it from Stongard. Put it on 2 days ago and have some white patches in the glue layer under the lens. The white patches appear like lots of very minute air bubbles. Called Stongard on Friday and they confirmed that these should go away in a few days. But they don't seem to be going away. Would those of you that have installed the Stongard on your lights comment on whether this is normal and should go away. Thanks for your help!

 

Ok I can take a shot at this, a few days is a very relative term. I put mine on exactly 1 week before Asheville and as Scot and a few others can attest it was still present during Asheville. I can tell you from my experience it takes a good 3-4 weeks before all the tiny bubbles/white patches disappeared (became unnoticable).

 

Thanks Dan, that's reassuring. It's been on my car for 2 days. Anybody else have a similar experience?
I'm a new owner of the S2k and this forum is really helpful!

 

Did you do a dry install or did you use RapidTac? A dry install is more likely to leave small bubbles. A wet install with RT requires you to 'squeegie' out the fluid along with the bubbles. If you have too many bubbles that do not go away with time you will have to remove the film (with heat) and assuming you don't leave any of the adhesive behind, you might be able to re-install (wet) it. Any large bubbles will not go away and you have two choices: 1) remove and re-install or 2) put a single small needle hole in the middle of the bubble and work the air out of it from the edges to the hole.

 

A dry install, never heard of the other.

 

Professional installers of 3M film, window tint, decals, etc. use a fluid called RapidTac. It's sort of a solution of mild detergent but is specifically designed for this type of job. You spray the area to be covered with RT and you also spray the sticky side of the film as you peel off the backing. You then place it onto the surface of the car. It allows you to move it around so you can position it the way you like. You now use a plastic or rubber squeegie (with about a 3-4" edge) and "work" out the fluid and air from the centre of the "sticky" to its edge. Use a cloth to absorb the fluid that comes out. If at anytime you run into problems, just peel the stuff back a bit and respray, try again. Let stand for about an hour in warmth to fully dry. This method gives higher chance of a perfect install.

 

Thanks for the info on the RapidTac. Stongard instructions/salesman never mentioned it. What would you suggest I do now? As I mentioned, I only installed one side and it's been 2 days.

 

As said by a previous poster, give the installed one a week or two and see what happens. As for the other side, try the wet install. Get some RapidTac from an installer (they'll usually give you a small amount for free - take a bottle with you). Put it in a sprayer. If you cannot find RT, take some mild dish soap (ivory?) and dilute it (4-5 drops to 2 cups of clean water (room temperature), mix slightly and put in spray bottle. When done, rinse the area with clean water and dry so you don't leave the soap on the car. Compare this install with the other. You can try to remove and re-install the bubbled one later or just get another piece cut. Good Luck! (Soon you'll get so good at this you'll do you own clear film nose bra install.)
ps. Stongard pattern may be slightly smaller than the actual lens so you may be required to stretch it a bit to cover the whole lens but this may be a sore point with previous experience. (see "Stongard ruined my lenses")

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Also if they don't disappear, call StonGard and explain that the bubbles are still there and they will send you replacements. I still have some bubbles on the top of mine but its not that visable. Plexus cleaner/polish makes the lens look even clearer.