My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

We pulled an all-nighter to squeeze the Q5 in, but the 3M Stone Guard kit is now on to save my paint. I'm sure some of you will be cringing, but I debadged her last night while my buddy at CAS was applying the 3M. Helping to continue to pass the time I plugged in the VAG-COM tool to have a poke around. I was able to add the "convenience window" feature that is deactivated for North America (allowing me to roll down windows, roll up windows and close the sunroof with unlock and lock buttons on the key.) I also disabled the "winking" LED (LED DRL turning off when signal light is used) that is activated for North America. Finally, just for fun, I activated the "gauge sweep" function. The speedo and tach now quickly sweep through their entire range when I start the Q5. If there's any interest in these features I will post instructions.

http://gallery.me.com/tony.v.smith/1...12412991330001

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http://gallery.me.com/tony.v.smith/1...12412992120001

On a side note, just after taking a break in the front of the shop at around 1:00 am, we came across three punks who had made their way into the back of the shop and were going through my buddy's A4. We chased them out the back, managed to catch one of them (who could only manage to grab the first aid kit from the A4) and flag down a police car that happened by. As it turned out, he was scared enough to give up his friends, spent the night in jail and being 19 years old, will be tried as an adult for this and several other break and entries in the neighborhood.

Parents, don't let this happen your kids!

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Um seriously? WTF? When did you get this little toy??
You always leave me out of the loop!!

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Congrats again on the new ride, looks great, let us know what you think of it.
That area of town looks so familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it.

Good thing you caught the guys going through your buddies A4, who knows what would have appened.

And it's a good thing I'm out of town, other wise I'd be down @ Taylor's today :(

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Thanks! So far, it's great. Took a quick road trip out to Saskatchewan Beach yesterday afternoon. Even used the hill descent option on a steep-ish, slow gravel descent. (Had to try it!) It's super smooth on the highway in "Comfort" or "Auto" mode but then put it in "Dynamic" (sport) mode in the city and it handles almost like a sports car.

We were at CAS (Custom Auto Shield) which is located on 1100 block Rose St. The big brick building in the background is the Sears distribution and call centre.

Yeah, we totally lucked out in catching those kids just in time. When I first realized what was going on I feared they were vandalizing the car. It's a gorgeous Ibis B7 A4 Avant 6MT with the Titanium and S Line package. It's my favourite avant around and I'd hate to have seen anything happen to it. (You've likely seen it.)

Have fun stateside and try not to think about avants too much!

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Perhaps spend a little more time on the forum! ;)

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

I'm interested in how you disabled the blinking LED's and added the convenience feature. I know a guy in Vancouver with a vag-com cable but don't know where to get the software.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

I took some screen shots of the process last night so I should be able to post today. The software is on the Ross-Tech website. If you already have the cable you can just download the software.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Hi Tony, you were already helpful before (... I am still waiting for my Q5).. but I have to ask to make sure I understand. When you BUY a cable (which comes with a License?!) from Ross-Tech then you also have to download the Software (for free)? If you have a cable from a third party then you need to download the software (for free) and pay a Software License Fee? I read stuff on the Ross-Tech page but want to confirm this.

Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Man does that Q5 look great, thought it was a Q7 at first.

Saw you going north on Broad St today, and just an FYI though the speed limit is 50 not 75 ;)

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Um, I was driving 60 km/h until some racer in a silver A4 Avant tried to overtake me. Then since he closed the gap in the right lane between himself and the van in front of him, I was forced to overtake the van at a higher speed. ;)

Thanks! I didn't think I could like a crossover/SUV as much as I do. I really like sitting back and just looking at it. (Especially now that the unsightly model badges are off!)

https://www.audiforum.ca/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

I wasn't trying to over take, I was trying to figure out if it was you or not because someone took the model badges off.

It looks a lot bigger then I expected, hence without the badges I thought it was a Q7.
How's the trunk space? doesn't seem to be as long as the Avant but height wise I would expect it to be quite a bit more.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

I know you weren't trying to overtake. I was just teasing.

The Q5 is on the same platform as the B8 A4 so it is pretty much the same length (less than 10 cm shorter.) The extra height makes it look shorter in length. The back slopes a little bit more than the A4 Avant so you lose a little bit in overall cargo length, but you make it up in height and when you move the rear seats forward or fold them.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

......

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Hi Regina_TTS, I have a few questions in regards to the 3M paint protection...

what type of 3M did you choose... precut kit or custom cut kit?
is the hood full coverage or just the front?
if it is just the front, is this a Bikini cut or regular straight line

did you get the A-pillar, roof protection, rocker panels, luggage, head lamp and fog lamp kit as well?

The 3M tape is barely noticeable on the pictures that you posted that was a well done job!

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

This is what I got.

Great price: 2009 2010 AUDI Q5 GENUINE 3M CLEAR BRA PROTECTION FILM on eBay.ca (item 380134255331 end time 23-May-10 10:27:46 EDT)

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

The shop I went to cuts everything on a plotter. Size is completely adjustable on all components with the program they used. The hood was cut slightly larger so the kit could be wrapped completely around the edges. They did an amazing professional install. You and I can see the kit because we know it's there, but most people can't see the kit at all when the car is clean. They also guarantee the kit to be free from defects and discolouration for 5 years.

I have a 24" bikini cut hood, front bumper, fenders (cut to match the hood line), headlights, foglights, mirrors, rockers, luggage area (top of rear bumper), door edges and door cups.

I want to be able to wash and wax at least some of my Q5 so I felt the full hood was a little overkill. The a-pillar/roof kit only covers the a-pillars and the first few inches of roof. Seeing that I have two small chips in the first few inches on the roof of my TTS, I may go back and the the a-pillars/roof kit done on the Q5.

The full setup wasn't cheap, but so far my driver's side mirror and driver's side bumper have been bumped by another vehicle. The kit prevent paint damage both times. There's also several spots on the front bumper, hood and headlamps where I would have stone chips already without the 3M Stone Guard. All in all, it's a pretty sound investment if you value your car and it's resale.

As an aside, I recently had my TTS detailed. The detailer used a plastic polish on the 3M Stone Guard on the hood and it took out any light blemishes in the kit that were caused by stones and other debris. What looked a little beat up and scratched after almost two years looks brand new again.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

And how'd that install go for ya? ;)

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. Certainly the resale part of the vehicle is important but I also want to keep the SUV looking great until I have it. I was curious about the A-pillar. It sounds like it is worth doing that as well. I think the 3M is supposed to be equally polished as well as the car paint to keep its micro pores from any dust or debris that make this from tarnishing.(Read about that on the net not sure if this really helps but it sounds like it worked on your TT)

In regards to the bikini cut on the hood.. I am debating if to go with it or just the straight line cut. I am not sure what I will pick but anybody that I have asked, they prefer bikini cut since it goes with the curve and shape of the hood.(What’s your opinion in terms of liking or hating this) Does the bikini tend to cover less of the hood. Have you noticed any chips pass that 3M area. You said it is a 24” width on the hood correct?

How are the head lamps and fog lamps? Does the 3M distorts the light at all or can you notice that there is 3M on them?

And finally, the door cups is a great idea and it wasn’t really offered by the shop that I am getting this done so I will have to mention this. Do you know if there is more than just one type of 3M tape. I know there are Venture and Xpel (other brand names) but does 3M carry different thickness, clearness, etc on their protection films?

Thanks again for the info!

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

To solve your door cup problem :-). I use them, great. They are clear

07 08 09 Audi Q5 Q7 door Handle cup scratch protectors on eBay.ca (item 220437977383 end time 14-Jun-10 03:58:27 EDT)

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

No problem! I totally agree with you on the a-pillar/roof kit. I'm going to make an appointment to get it done when I'm back. It's something I meant to do but forgot about. Thanks for the reminder!

Xpel makes a product that is like a liquid wax specifically for the kits. You use a hand wax applicator, let it sit for 15 minutes, then remove it with a microfiber cloth. It keeps the kit looking like it was freshly waxed paint. Polishing will help get out damage, but there's a risk of burning the kit.

Bikini cut on the hood does just plainly look better. For most cars it follows the natural lines better and helps hide the line that the hood kit creates. on a 24" kit we straight versus bikini to see how much protection would be lost. It was only a couple of inches at the bottom of the arc that the bikini line creates across the hood. I don't have a single chip on the hood of my Q5 after 9000 km. (Knock on wood!)

I haven't noticed any distortion on either the fog lamps or headlights. I think if you opted to go with a different colour than clear, that's where you start to lose visible light.

Door cups are a definitely must. I don't wear any rings, but for someone who does and isn't as careful as we might be, you risk the door cups getting badly scratched. And nothing scratches better than a diamond! The guys at the shop built a generic template for door cups and just add it to any unused space on part of the kit they are cutting. There's no extra cost incurred and therefore they don't charge the customer. They've even recently started adding strips of film to the outside of the door handle to certain model cars. It's an idea you might want to pass on to whoever does your car. ;)

The shop that installed my kit offers both Xpel and 3M. They've had better luck with 3M from install to colour to durability. The one thing Xpel offers over 3M is a new premium film that is even less noticeable. Apparently it is a lot harder to install and costs a lot more. I'm not sure what Xpel offers for warranty, but again, 3M has a 5 year guarantee.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Regina_TTS - I thought that meteor grey is only coming to Canada with 2011 Q5 models later this July, although it is available in US for 2010 models. Thus the question - where did you get your meteor grey Q5 really from? Or maybe it is not a meteor grey - your pics (or my monitor) don't show the color perfectly, so I can't judge what it is, but it doesn't look like any 2010 Q5 Canadian color. On the other hand I've seen few times south of the border Q5 in meteor gray and color looked more towards gun barrel shade, not as gray as your pics. Mystery.....

BTW - what are your rims?

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Meteor grey was introduced in 2009 on the Q5 in North America. For 2010 it was dropped in Canada for Amethyst Grey but added again for 2011 due to popular demand.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

What about your rims, what are they?

P.S. - found it in 2009 US brochure, they are 20" S-line wheels. Different from 20" S-line rims for current Q5 Canadian model....

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Glad to hear you figured it out about the Meteor Grey as well.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Hey Tony, Im new to the site and to Audi in general and was wondering if its better to have CAS do the stoneguard or if the dealer would be a better option.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Would you think I was biased if I suggested you should get it done through the dealer? ;-)

In case you weren't already aware, Taylor Audi uses only Custom Auto Shield for all of their cars. This is the only way they would be able to offer you the 5 year warranty included with the 3M product. Only a certified 3M installation can give you that.

The two biggest advantages in going through the dealer are the timing of the installation and the ability to finance. The timing of when you have the stone guard installed is very important to getting the most protection from the product. Having the dealer take care of it means it will be installed before your new car really hits the road. Waiting until after you have taken delivery of your vehicle puts the vehicle at risk of damage the first day you really drive it. (Typically CAS gives dealers greater priority over walk-in customers.) Going through the dealer also gives you the ability to include the price of the stone guard in the selling price of the vehicle. This equates to only a few extra dollars a month versus paying for the full amount of the product up front.

Feel free to drop me a line if you're interested in seeing the product on a Q5. My Q5 is at the dealership most days.

Whatever your decision is, it's a great product that has saved my paint time and time again. It's well worth the investment.

Re: My Meteor Grey Q5 S-Line after the 3M Stone Guard
 

Thanks for the info.