How to put on your kit

• Fender pieces, left and right: the front 18–24 in of each fender
• Hood piece: the front 18–24 in of the hood
• Headlight pieces, left and right
• Mirror cap pieces, left and right
• Front bumper piece

Read the whole guide first. Read it once before you start and keep it open while you work. Plan on an afternoon and give the bumper the most time.

• Your kit and its placement map
• Two spray bottles (about 1 quart each), one labeled SLIP and one labeled TACK
• An applicator squeegee
• Johnson's Baby Shampoo (or Dawn dish soap)
• Isopropyl alcohol, 70% or 99%
• Distilled or filtered water
• Wax and silicone remover
• Clay bar or clay mitt with lubricant
• Paper towels and clean microfiber towels
• Scissors
• A heat gun or hair dryer

Where to work. In a garage or full shade, out of the wind. The paint should be cool to the touch: hot panels dry the solution before you've placed the film, and dust in the air ends up under it.

Go easy on the soap. A few drops is all it takes. With too much soap the film never grabs and the edges keep lifting for days. Shake the bottle before each use.

1. Wash the car. Wash every panel that gets film, including the panel gaps and edges where wax and dirt collect. Dry it completely.
2. Clay the paint. Clay each panel. Any grit left on the paint shows as a bump under the film, for as long as the film is on.
3. Remove wax. Wipe the panels and headlights with wax and silicone remover. The film must go on a clean, wax-free surface.
4. Let it cool. Move the car into the shade and wait until the panels are cool to the touch.

Fresh paint. If a panel was painted recently, ask your body shop how long the paint needs to cure before film goes on. 30 to 90 days is common.

1. Match each piece to the map. Find each piece on the placement map. Hold it up to its panel with the backing liner still on and check that the edges and cutouts line up.
2. Cut shared sheets apart. If several pieces share one backing sheet, cut them apart with scissors in the gap between them. Don't cut into a piece.
3. Keep the rest flat and dry. Store the pieces you're not using yet flat, in a clean, dry place, with the liner on.

1. Spray the panel. Spray the whole panel generously with slip solution.
2. Wet your fingers, peel the liner. Spray your fingers with slip so they don't leave prints on the adhesive. Peel the backing liner and spray the adhesive side as it comes off. Don't let the adhesive fold onto itself.
3. Place and slide. Lay the film on the panel and slide it into position. Line up the edges and cutouts, not the middle. If it won't slide, lift it and spray more slip underneath.
4. Anchor. Squeegee a strip about 4 in wide in the middle of the piece, lightly at first, then firmer, until that strip holds. This is your anchor.
5. Squeegee out. Spray the top of the film so the squeegee glides. Push the solution from the anchor out to the edges with firm, overlapping strokes.
6. Finish the edges. Work the edges last with firm pressure. If an edge won't stay down, lift it, mist a little tack solution underneath and squeegee it again.

• Overlap every stroke so no water or air is left in a strip between them.
• Hold the squeegee at about 45° and push, don't drag.
• Re-wet the top of the film whenever the squeegee starts to drag. A dry squeegee scratches.
• Wrap a paper towel around the squeegee for the last pass. It soaks up the water that comes out at the edges.

Slip or tack?. Film won't move? More slip underneath. Film won't stay down? A mist of tack underneath. Never the other way round.

1. Line up the front corner. Spray the fender, peel and wet the piece, and line up its front corner with the front corner of the fender. A small gap elsewhere is normal at first.
2. Tack the corner. Lightly squeegee the front corner to tack it down, using firmer strokes until it holds.
3. Stretch to fit. Work back along the fender, lining up the rest of the edges. Some cars need a gentle stretch for the piece to reach.
4. Squeegee the rest. Squeegee the remaining film with firm, overlapping strokes until no bubbles or water are left. Repeat on the other side.

1. Spray and place. Spray the whole hood with slip. Peel the piece while spraying the adhesive, and lay it just above its spot.
2. Position it. Slide it into place from the front edge of the hood, centered between the fenders. The side edges may not line up yet: they come into place as you stretch.
3. Anchor the center. Squeegee straight down the middle, front to back, with gradually firmer pressure until a strip about 4 in wide is clear of solution.
4. Work to each alignment point. Find the first alignment point beside the anchor, such as a corner or the edge of a cutout. Gently pull the film to it, then squeegee from the center out to that point. Repeat for each point along that side.
5. Body lines and grooves. If the hood has a groove or crease, squeegee up to the edge of it first, then down into the groove.
6. Do the other side. Repeat the same steps for the other half of the hood. Fix any lifting edges with a little tack solution and a paper-towel-wrapped squeegee.

1. Clean the lens. Wipe the headlight with wax and silicone remover, then spray it with slip.
2. Place the piece. Peel and wet the piece and slide it into place. Line it up with the outline of the lens, not the middle.
3. Anchor the middle. Squeegee a strip across the middle of the lens to hold it.
4. Squeegee out. Work from the middle up and down, then out to the ends of the lens, with overlapping strokes. On a strongly curved lens, warm the film slightly so it follows the curve.

1. Wet the mirror. Spray the mirror cap with slip solution so the piece can move freely.
2. Position the piece. Line it up around the edges of the cap. On most mirrors the film stops a little short of the edges because of the shape. That's normal.
3. Tack the inside edge. Squeegee along the inside edge, nearest the window, to tack it in place.
4. Stretch and squeegee out. Spray a little slip under the loose part and dry the top with a paper towel. Gently stretch the film to take out wrinkles, then squeegee from the inside edge to the outside edge.
5. Smooth the wrinkles. Push out any remaining wrinkles from the center outward with firm pressure, using a paper-towel-wrapped squeegee to soak up the solution.

1. Spray and center. Spray the bumper with slip. Center the piece with its top edge about ⅛ in below the top edge of the bumper.
2. Tack the center. Lightly squeegee the middle of the piece to hold it.
3. Left side, top. Lift the left side and spray tack solution underneath to wash out most of the slip. Leave a little slip so you can still adjust it. Hold the left side and stretch it slightly up to follow the curve of the bumper, then squeegee the top from the center out.
4. Left side, bottom. Squeegee the lower part from the middle outward, in short 1–2 in strokes, until the whole left side holds.
5. Right side. Repeat both steps on the right side.
6. Finish. Smooth down any fingers or loose edges with a paper-towel-wrapped squeegee and a little heat.

1. Lifting edges. Warm the edge with a heat gun or hair dryer and squeegee it again to push out the moisture underneath. Repeat until it holds. Keep the heat moving: hold it in one spot too long and the film can wrinkle.
2. Fingers. Fingers are small raised ridges where the film bunches on a tight curve. Warm the film, then press them down slowly from the inside out with a paper-towel-wrapped squeegee.
3. Bubbles. Small water bubbles and a slight haze are normal and fade over one to two weeks as the moisture dries out. If a bubble is still there after two weeks, prick it with a fine pin and press it flat.

• Don't wash the car for 48 hours, so the film can fully stick.
• Never aim a pressure washer nozzle at the edges of the film. It can lift them.
• Don't use car waxes that contain naphtha or kerosene on the film.
• Wash normally after that, with ordinary car soap.