I have this clear protectant on the bottom sectiosn of the body. I've never seen it on other people's FCs in pictures. Was it an option? And how do I remove it, because my car is going to get repainted soon, and obviously I dont want to paint of it. thanks!

 

are you sure you are not confusing the lower body rubberized coating that is under the paint, (to reduce the road noise and damage from rocks and chips) with your "clear protectant"

 

I am pretty sure. Look at my picture. Where I painted the picture yellow(yes, I'm asian) is where the clear plastic thing is. I've seen it on another FC too, it was a S5 vert

 

Is it that bottom bumpy layer which is exactly where SwitfTone painted on his car with photoshop?

Is that also there to help protect against rust? I just heard that somewhere.

 

I think its called stoneguard, for obvious reasons. Mine was stoneguarded when I bought it, and we redid it when it went in for paint.

 

How do you take it off, just take it off as if it was a giant sticker? was the paint diff color underneath(as in faded/non faded)

 

no if it's what we think it is, then it's sort of paint. It's sorta like clearcoat, except with a different purpose.

 

No, stoneguard is like a really thick paint. Kind of like POR15. It would take a lot of sanding/grinding to get it off.

 

it also bonds much better than regular paint... and i've heard that you need some REALLY good paint stripper to get it off..

 

are you painting your car or a body shop? if its a body shop they will take care of it when they sand off the old paint

 

A body shop told me it was really hard to get off, and i can paint over it if I wanted to. I was like wtf.

 

my car also has that.. previous owner backed up into a tall curb and did some damage.. barly scratched that stuff... but dented the metal...

 

There is a coating under the paint on all FCs there.

 

If it's like you describe, a clear plastic film ON the paint, kinda like a sticker or vinyl, then maybe a previous owner had that 3M StoneGuard (maybe called ChipGuard?? I cant remember) stuff put on, I know a lot of cars that have it along the bottom and some wrap it around the nose of the car too... It's clear and goes on just like vinyl or a sticker but it's strong enough to prevent rocks from chipping through... And it is a bitch to get off, or at least that's what a guy I know who puts it on told me.

 

The protective film - Much of that stuff applies & removes just like window tint.

 

That same coating is on FC's, FB's and even the 300Z's I have. It is a pita to get off. What I found works best is a stripping wheel made by 3M. You chuck it in your drill, or in my case a die grinder, and grind away. I don't know the part # is but it looks like reddish brown scotch-brite pad, in wheel form. They can be found in the Wal-Mart paint section and some auto parts stores. They run 7-9 bucks. I use these wheels a lot when prepping for paint, especially in tight places like the steeped levels around door jambs. Zips the paint right off.

As a safety note, they are limited to 4k rpm and can come apart if run across a sharp edge in the wrong direction.