VEIL G4, initial impressions
Still difficult to apply :p but OMG has optical clarity improved :eek::cool::).
I think it now makes my car look good - accenting the dark trim pieces I've added, as well as picking up on the overall blue hue of my car's finish. ;)
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...9-1920_img.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...9-1922_IMG.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u...9-1923_img.jpg
My CCFL "DDE halo rings" "burn through" with no problems, and even in daylight, I currently have no safety concerns for the turn-signals/hazards/side-markers. My CCFL DDEs are "white," but now, they look ever so slightly bluer. No objections.
I still have to see what things look like in the dark, though, before making final assessment. This may take a few days.
Also, although initial application results look good, I know from experience that I need to wait until things fully dry-out before saying that things "look right." The problem with my car is that it's decently waxed, so I might "bubble-out," later, and might need to Perfect-It the polycarb housings. I'll have to see how things look in the AM.
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Looks great, I can't wait to be ready to do mine :D
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Trim pieces: did you put those there yourself? Like at the top of the light to make it look like a beamer? They look sweet
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Thanks, guys. :o:)
Yes, those are JDM "eyelines" - true carbon fiber pieces, from Stanza Development Labs, a well-regarded JDM Subaru aftermarket dress-up parts manufacturer.
Yep, they were added by me - Ricey, yes, but heck, I've always admitted to being Ricey. :)
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TSi+WRX
Thanks, guys. :o:)
Yes, those are JDM "eyelines" - true carbon fiber pieces, from Stanza Development Labs, a well-regarded JDM Subaru aftermarket dress-up parts manufacturer.
Yep, they were added by me - Ricey, yes, but heck, I've always admitted to being Ricey. :)
Ricey your crazy, i want to add those to my car. And i'm anything from being ricey. Heck when designing a car around here i try to make sure that it doesn't look like gangster (best way i can describe it)
And a subaru isn't ricey, and us talking about rice burners a little bit ago the only car that i think that one of those rice mufflers look good on is the WRX sti, its like they were meant for that. But i wonder if i could modify those.
JDM, makes the mini stuff right?
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
^ I dunno....maybe a company called "JDM" specializes in Mini aftermarket parts, but what I meant by "JDM" is, instead:
(J)apan[ese] (D)omestic (M)arket. :)
Sorry for the confusion! :o
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"First-glance" night-time thoughts:
Headlight output, with my current "single-coat," is noticeably decreased, although not enough to be a concern to me - YMMV, though, and here's why:
I'm currently using a slightly overwattage (65W) solution to my standard H7 55W application. Based on the recommendation of Daniel Stern, I'm using the Osram Hyper +65.
What I perceive, now, through my single coat of VEIL G4, is that my low-beam is now somewhere in-between what I saw before, with standard 55W H7s, and my +65 solution. It's more than sufficient for safety, IMveryHO, under *all* conditions, and at least with the single coat of G4, I don't perceive any undue "blue/violet shift" that would make my headlights stand out in a negative manner for lighting-code enforcement (i.e. "illegal HIDs").
My HIR-1 application high-beams effectively burns right through. No noticeable difference. I'll have to check the headlight housing temperatures, though, after prolonged running, as the HIRs specifically make-use of otherwise "wasted" infra-red via conventional lighting. I thus do not know if the end-result of this kind of pairing may be detrimental to my headlight's polycarb outer lens, or, alternatively, internal electrical components (including lighting capsules, as well as my CCFL DDEs).
With respect to the DDEs, they're less "defined" than before - they look a bit more "fuzzy," more like the conventional BMW "angel eyes" LEDs, but as my car is not a show-car, but a daily driver, this is more than acceptable as an aesthetic compromise, as it is indistinguishable from more than 3 ft. away.
Speaking of "fuzzy," I've noticed that my cut-off is not as clearly defined as before, but again, it is far from unacceptable, even at longer distances.
Side-marker/turn-signal/hazard brightness seems unaffected.
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I'll also make a note here to say that I did *not* dress my fog-lamps.
This is something I chose to do, myself, as I reserve my fogs, which are an amber bulb, specifically for foul-weather illumination.
As they are already of lesser "brightness" than comparable "white" lights, I could not risk further degrading their lighting output.
I am currently considering switching to a brighter amber/selective-yellow bulb, and applying VEIL G4 to further reinforce this select weak-point.
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
^ Thanks, bro, but to be honest..... :o
Upon inspection this AM, I was pleased to find that there were no "bubbles," as I'd originally feared. Apparently, my soap (auto) and water pre-clean, followed by two vigorous scrubbings using clean microfiber towels and Stoner's was able to remove the worst of the waxy buildup. :)
Unfortunately, from anything closer than 5 ft., it's far from perfect - there's visible streaks throughout. No, not "run lines" in the vertical plane, but rather, horizontal streaks, which indicated that I tried to manipulate the drying solution too much, in my efforts to work around the highly complex curvatures of this outer lens (people actually have trouble even applying RockBlocker/ClearGuard film to this surface, due to its contours). Total "operator error," I'm embarrassed to admit, as this is not the first time I've applied VEIL. :p
Neverthelss, from typical "road" distances, it does look GREAT. I'm throwing all of my modesty and humility out the window by saying this, but boy, does that bit of additonal "darkness" and "blueness" to the hue of the lights help make this car look so much better..... :)
For now, I'm going to keep this application as-is. She's not a show-car, and as the application doesn't impair nigh-time vision, I'm more than satisfied to just let it go, for now.
Later this Fall, I'll likely re-apply. Mostly this is because we are currently in NE-Ohio's summer storms season, and getting a full 48-hour cure is all but impossible (I've lucked out, so far, this weekend). Also, ambient temperatures still routinely climb above 80 deg.F., and my garage (detached from the house) typically gets 10 to even 20 degrees hotter, still, and makes for sub-optimal curing conditions.
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Hmmm...now I'm definitely encouraged to use the airbrush. In fact, if you'd like, I'll apply it to your car next time you take a roadtrip to Miami :D
Re: VEIL G4, initial impressions
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JDS
Hmmm...now I'm definitely encouraged to use the airbrush. In fact, if you'd like, I'll apply it to your car next time you take a roadtrip to Miami :D
^ I'll treat you to a meal, if/when that happens! :)