Rock chips and bug splatter is a reality every vehicle owner must face. A driver can take all the necessary precautions to avoid these objects but sooner or later a nasty rock end up hitting the front-end. In the past, a leather or vinyl bra was commonly used for added protection. Unfortunately, this application is rather ghastly in terms of physical appearance.

I wanted a formidable means of protection while maintaining the natural lines of my vehicle. This is why I recently installed 3M Scotchgard Protective Film on our brand new 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara. It is a clear bra designed to shield surfaces from stone chips. Depending on the installation or color of a vehicle, it is practically invisible.

Here are some pictures of our Suzuki with the 3M Scotchgard Protective film. Protected sections on our vehicle include the hood, front bumper, fog lights, headlights, side mirrors and wheel fenders. A passerby won’t notice anything at all, unless they’re really close to the sheet metal.

The clear bra was professionally installed by 3M Certified specialists. Since I live near Vancouver, BC Canada, the kind folks at Vancouver Clear Bra utilized their services to apply the product. Their attention to detail, service and workmanship is excellent. There’s also a 5 year warranty by 3M.

It is possible to install this product by yourself or with a partner. A novice can save quite a bit of money by purchasing a pre-cut kit. But unless you’re a professional detailer, I’d highly suggest a certified specialist for a quality installation, especially on larger areas with complicated curves. In fact, I ordered a similar protective film (a few months ago) for my 17 inch laptop called the Invisible Shield. It was a real burden to install. I could have gotten into a lot of trouble if the clear bra was installed with my own hands.

How much did it cost me? Well, the total cost is less than a paint job for the front-end. It also saves me a lot of time from applying touch-up paint on a peppered bumper. If you care about the finish of a vehicle or would like to minimize stone chips, I would highly recommend 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film as a viable solution. The vehicle will thank you in the end!

Our wait is finally over!  After 2 weeks of research, Imaginary Diva and I purchased a new vehicle.  We’re happy owners of a 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L.  As 2009 Compact SUV of the Year (by various media circles in Canada), it carries a high level of refinement, genuine off-road capability and good road manners.  During our first test drive, Imaginary Diva was so comfortable she almost fell asleep!

As expected, overall quality is exceptional; a common trait from the “Land of the Rising Sun”.  Unlike many of its counterparts, the Grand Vitara is actually made in Japan.  Popular alternatives, like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, etc, are constructed in other countries.  Nonetheless, they’re both outstanding vehicles but we felt the Grand Vitara brought more value in terms of features, performance and quality.

An important factor that led to our decision was the ability to handle treacherous road conditions.  Since we live in Canada, our erratic weather patterns is a major obstacle for most drivers.  Last winter we experienced 10 feet of snow in 2 days!

The Grand Vitara’s reputation for truck-like toughness is more than a match for Canadian winters.  Unlike major competitors, our compact SUV is a true 4×4 and not based on a front-drive car platform.  The Grand Vitara is based on a integrated ladder frame, which increases rigidity and towing capacity (up to 3,000 lbs).  A fully independent suspension, with MacPherson struts up front and multi-link geometry in the rear gives plenty of capability over rough terrain, while delivering a civilized ride on pavement.

Imaginary Diva loves the interior.  There’s plenty of features to keep her ride pleasurable.  The seats are comfortable and very spacious.  A beautiful console exudes glimpses of elegance while remaining simplistic at the same time.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past year, the automobile industry is going through a big economic downturn. For prospective customers, this is a perfect time to purchase a new vehicle.  It’s a “buyers market”, where dealers and manufacturers are currently offering big discounts and super low interest rates.  And at 0% interest for the entire payment term, it would be crazy for us not to purchase a new car.  Who wants to pay interest on anything???

Overall, we feel the Suzuki Grand Vitara will serve our needs for a very long time.  It gives us plenty of brawn and space, while offering performance and safety on the road.  And, of course, it was purchased at a super great price!

Like every other year, E3 is used as a platform to introduce new games but this year Valve Software gave us big suprise with their announcement of ”Left 4 Dead 2″.   Expect a new wave of Zombies to arrive this November. 

Yes, I am still quite addicted mesmerized with the original “Left 4 Dead”.  And the newly released SDK will keep me occupied until “L4D 2″ is finally released!  I can’t wait!  Check out the trailer below!

I was tempted to pick up new PC game yesterday but something stopped me from making an actual purchase.  Unfortunately, this particular game included Securom 7.xx; a controversial form of DRM (anti-piracy tool) used by game publishers.  As a hardcore gamer, I tend to upgrade my computer on a frequent basis.  Securom 7 presents big obstacle in terms of future playability and long term ownership of games. 

There’s not much to say about Securom 7 that hasn’t been said in the past.  Simply do a Google search or head over to Amazon.com (ie. “Spore”) to learn more.  In simple terms, Securom 7.xx requires a legal copy of a PC game to be registered online through an activation server. 

With Securom 7, gamers are also given a limited amount of installs or activations.  In hindsight, this means that you’re basically renting a game from the moment you activate it.  Securom 7 also has a reputation of rendering your computer unusable, since it’s a rootkit with a history of ruining hardware and software profiles.

Since hackers have no problem with anti-pirating measures, Securon 7 is totally ineffective against illegal copies of games.  I can only assume that the ultimate objective of these publishing companies is to 1) kill the PC game market and drive gamers to consoles, 2) force gamers to buy additional copies of a game or 3) entice gamers to upgrade to the latest version of a game, like EA Sports and their NFL Madden series, 08, 09, etc.

Software developers and publishers have every right to protect their intellectual property.  But if you restrict gamers with a legal copy of a game, you might as well kiss honest customers goodbye.  Instead of fostering good will, these publishers are denying honest customers their “first sale” rights; where selling used games becomes a questionable practice due to the validity of install counts remaining.

For some gamers, Securom 7 will not prevent them from purchasing a popular game.  However, this continued ignorance is equivalent to bending over to large publishing companies.  You need to remember that Securom 7 does not go away after you uninstall a game.  It’s there lurking around, thus monitoring your computing tasks and sending information back, until you reformat your hard-drive.

Overall, I will not purchase any games that use malicious forms of DRM or Securom 7.  It is not about stopping piracy, since games are easily copied and available through various means.  Think twice about supporting companies that are actively trying to screw you over and take away your rights.  Do your research before purchasing any game with DRM and Securom 7.