Removeable Trail Armor

[Surfarch]

Anyone use stick on armor to protect the sides from pinstripes? Looking at MEK nano-hold ($698 for custom) and Rhinohide ($1,650). Any others? Can't be magnetic since my '21 JLURxR has aluminum panels. Do they work well? Is Rhinohide worth the added cost?

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[IceBerg]

for that much money I'd rather just pay for vinyl or to repaint.

 

[Surfarch]

for that much money I'd rather just pay for vinyl or to repaint.

Would a vinyl wrap provide any protection against pinstriping? My 2021 TJ looks like a mangled tiger, but its an older Jeep and I am OK with that.

 

[IceBerg]

Yes a wrap would protect it but the vinyl could still take damage and then start damaging the paint. But think of the added weight all this armor is going to be.

For me it's a balance between spending money to prevent damage or just repairing the damage. Some people spend $6k on ceramic coatings and other paint stuff when you could have just used that money to get 2 high quality paint jobs.

It's a jeep and I learned to embrace the scratches on mine. I'll try to avoid them, ill buff the clearcoat or do more drastic things from time to time but at the end of the day I have it for fun and not to baby.

 

[Surfarch]

Yes a wrap would protect it but the vinyl could still take damage and then start damaging the paint. But think of the added weight all this armor is going to be.

For me it's a balance between spending money to prevent damage or just repairing the damage. Some people spend $6k on ceramic coatings and other paint stuff when you could have just used that money to get 2 high quality paint jobs.

It's a jeep and I learned to embrace the scratches on mine. I'll try to avoid them, ill buff the clearcoat or do more drastic things from time to time but at the end of the day I have it for fun and not to baby.

The MEK nano-hold is only 17#. At $700, that's less than a paint job. That is the way I am leaning. Just wanted t see if anyone has used these or similar and what their experience has been.

 

[NorCalJay]

The MEK nano-hold is only 17#. At $700, that's less than a paint job. That is the way I am leaning. Just wanted t see if anyone has used these or similar and what their experience has been.

Yeah if anyone is even considering the cost of a new paint job they'd never go off-road again without any kind of armor. Short of that Mek is also far cheaper than vinyl or PPF because those applications are mostly labor to install - and are a one-time use.

So I'd like to know if someone ever quotes the same side coverage for either. I'm guessing Mek should be less than half of just wrapping the sides - let alone the ridiculous cost of a full vinyl or PPF wrap. Add a custom vinyl design and it adds up - so Mek is even more of a deal if you cutomize it. You can even rattle-can these black, paint color matching, or camo if you change your mind. I did and it holds paint very well!

I also have both vinyl and PPF on my vehicles and quickly realized vinyl has the most limited lifespan - and vinyl is very thin. While PPF actually holds up well and is thicker - it rips with door dings while not protecting against door dings themselves. Whereas Mek's printed substrate is a durable hard plastic layer over a thick gel adhesion layer - and it's removable/reusable.

I've also made my own magnet panels for decades but now I'd only use Mek gel because adhesion is so strong and available no where else as far as I know. I even leave mine on and just clean them when the corners get dirty. Just make sure they're super clean and super dry installing and you'll have zero issues.

Then if you choose to buff out pinstripes it is roughly only 80-90% effective depending on depth vs clearcoat. So with one or two detailing trips you might as well get Mek. No brainer. But my brother in law learned the hard way because he actually also has my first set of Mek but didn't think he needed it for a short trip - and scratched his doors AGAIN right after they were buffed out. Oops.

Sorry for my "TedTalk" reply but once I find a solution no one else really knows about, I like to share my experience so that doesn't happen - at least without a warning

 

[19 JLUR Bright Whit3]

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/mek-magnetic-body-armor-kit.87277/#post-1818859

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