NEW R8 on Sunday, need advice!!

[RB10]

Hi to you all,

Im a newbie and this is my first post!

Firstly, can I just say this forum has been a great help, as I've been reading for the last couple of weeks, so good job to all of you members, keep it up!

I ordered my White R-tronic R8 about a month ago and I was lucky enough to get a cancelled order and thus, the beauty is being picked up this Sunday!!! sorry to rub it in for all those who waited months or are waiting, Im a lucky B****** i know!!

Its an Ibis white R-tronic with carbon sigma sides, interestingly its got the new full LED headlight, a rediculously expensive option I feel, but I had no choice in the extras and took the car on as I'm impatient and didnt want to wait 9 months.

I basically wanted advice on a couple of issues:

1) from what Ive read, getting the paint protection film is a good idea, I know most ppl who have had it done seem to fully stand by it, its just that being a white car, any users experienced discolouration? or the yellowing that seems to be a negative point of these products ventureshield/paintshield?? Ive spoken to Tom at paintshield due the good reviews Ive heard and he said its unlikely to happen but wanted to see if any white car owners share his view? and also, how about problems washing the car with the film on it?

2) GAP insurance?? dont want to get it from the dealer, so any recommended company as there are so many around?? also will return to invoice gap (which I want to go for) cover the extra ~£15K of extras on the car?? or is it just the standard equipment??

3) last but not least, any other tips/advice for me after i pick up the car?? things i must do? lol i know that sounds vague, but really excited about this and dont want to miss anything that I will regret later! eg. when to wash it first, first wax etc. etc. (i know there are loads of threads on this and believe me I have read most of them but a made for idiot guide would be much appreciated)


Looking forward to your suggestions and will post pics up as soon as I get my hands on the new ride! also pre and post paintshield photos!!

[resonate]

First of all~ Congrats~ !! I waited 5 months for mine, and even that seemed short compared to most of the guys in here. Here is my opinion on some of your questions.

1) Paint protection film - If you are going to get it, get the full kit. Not partial protection. Especially on white cars. If you get partial, you will see a difference in color. The film saved my ass several times already.

2) Can't really answer this one. I'm in a different country.

3) If you think the R8 is a bit too quiet, disable the valve control. Instructions on how to do it is posted in the performance modifications.

Enjoy your R8~ !!

[RB10]

thanks resonate,

i was thinking of going for the full front at least. the whole body might not be worth doing as the front on its own is costing around £1400! so dont know...

will look into the valve control, as yeah I do think it's a bit quiet personally, specially after i drove the 911 turbo. any issues with warranty etc regards to the valve control?? is it easily reversible?

also wanted to see if anyone had pics of a white R8 with either titanium/black wheels or bling bling chromes, im toying with the idea! i know i know dont shoot me down please!!

[desperado]

I also have Ibis White with Carbon Fiber Sideblades. Regarding the film: 1. Make sure you do get it! 2. Make sure you do wax it. If unwaxed, the bugs are much harder to remove. The truly stubborn ones can discolor the film which shows up clearly against the white paint. Also, trying to get the bugs off of unwaxed film is difficult and you can scratch the surface of the film by rubbing too hard. Advantage: The scratches don't show up much against the white paint; Disadvantage: By rubbing too hard I did a put a pretty good smudge in the small film piece on the black grill insert (where the front plate would go) and it's quite noticeable - black car owners beware! I'll need to get that piece of film replaced.

My film is too new (3 months) for me to know if it will discolor, but I assume it will eventually. I had it on an airplane, and the exhaust stained it very quickly, but I suspect it will do much better on the R8 since the exhaust is not at the pointy end

I have 1/2 of the hood covered, and the good news is the line is barely noticable. I wish I'd had them cover the entire hood, I'm going to ask if they have large enough sheets to do so.

I have had some adhesive seep at the edges (I guess the film shrinks slightly since they have to stretch it into position over the curves in the body) and the resulting dirty streak, while narrow, does attract dirt which really shows up against the white. Make sure your applicator agrees to clean this up after a few weeks, once the film has done it's initial settling in. I've tried cleaning it with mild car products and they won't touch the adhesive.

[Maverick]

Hi
I too have a white with carbon blades R8, the best colour IMHO. I have paintshield cover on the car and would recommend it, it saved me already from a bike rack falling in the garage on the bonnet. No damage to paint but i had to replace the paintshield. I did have a problem with yellowing, could have been wax used or just white paint which Paintshield said may have chemicals in it when new that discolours the shield. They replaced it free after 3 months, no questions so a very positive on customer service.

I have a Milltek non resonated exhaust and pagid blue pads on the brakes for light track work and better grip than stock (they don't squeal on road either). Car is very loud now but sounds awesome, looks great. Love it.
Cheers
M

[wedouglas]

Take a picture with the head lights on, please. I'd like to see how they look. Thanks.

[wolfie]

Note that certain film manufacturers advise against use of any wax on the film (e.g. venture) and suggest that you only use a plastic spray cleaner/polish available from installer. 3M films on the other hand can typically be cleaned and waxed in the same manner as the unprotected paint. Be sure to ask your installer.

[RB10]

thank you for the replies. some great advice there.

from what you all have said and what I've already heard, will definitely get the paintshirld, specially as it seems to have a no questions asked 4year warranty. Im going to get the full front done so shouldnt have problems in terms of joints etc. but will see if they can bend the edges round under the hood etc to prevent the dirty streak scenarios which Deperado has experienced.

Maverick did you by any chance hear a Milltek resonated? I am really interested in increasing the car noise, but dont want to over do it, as Im not really going to do much if any track days.

any comparisons based on the disabling the valve control or getting a Milltek? (i imagine price, but what about warranty with disabling the valve control and noise etc?)

wedouglas, will defo put pics up after sunday, dont u worry!