Yes, the helicopter tape is terrible, and it always gets yello, anyone that says it doesn't isn't looking closely enough. It's less apparent on darker colors.

You can remove the factory rocker panel helicopter tape, but you have to use a heat gun to soften the material first then use a glue remover like GlueGone to get off the glue residue. Only an amateur would pull it off without using heat, I suggest using another clearbra shop. Don' even bother doing the rocker panels if you cannot remove the factory helicopter tape... It will look hideous if you just try to overlay.

Don't use kits either, find someone that can do a true full custom freehand frontal if you can, the fit & finish is way better and it has more coverage.

 

Interesting as good kit companies design kits these days to have wrapped edges and minimal seem lines. I think your statement may have been accurate in the past but high quality kit designs are very very close to a custom install WITHOUT someone cutting all over your car. Most of the custom installers out there WILL cut your paint... you as a customer wont see it until the film is removed. But there are a handful of shops around the country who can do it properly without damaging the paint.

 

I've seen the kits first hand, they are no where near as close as a top quality full custom free hand job, just as a mass produced machine built engine is never good as a hand built engine by one man. Sometimes you just can't beat the human touch.

Again, only a handful of installers can do it properly, Terry is one of them. If you want a kit you can do that, but kits have lines everywhere which I don't like.

Moral of the story: that damn helicopter tape has got to come off! Haha

 

Find it hard to believe you have seen all of these "mass produced" kits for the Vantage. As stated above, there are some that are very well done. I know because I have one.