MECTILE

Altrex Light Skinz – the worst product

I would like to share my experience with Altrex Light Skinz, a product when applied will allegedly protect a car’s headlights from rocks and stones.

As I planned to drive from Perth to Melbourne, I was after some headlight protection for the Hyundai Tucson. I purchased Altrex Light Skinz due to their claim of providing better protection than the common plastic clip-on equivalent, claiming ‘simple and easy to fit’, claiming ‘completely invisible once fitted’ and being about half the price ($40 AUS) of the common plastic clip-on equivalent.

I cleaned the headlight glass before applying to make sure it was free of any dirt, as per instructions. Given that the Hyundai Tucson has curved headlights I let the glass heat up with the headlights for a little while, also as per instructions.

Here are some before shots of the Hyundai Tucson’s right and left headlights.
Light Skinz Right BeforeLight Skinz Left Before

And now some after shots after applying Altrex Light Skinz on the right and left headlights.
Light Skinz Right AfterLight Skinz Left After

Even after following these instructions, Altrex Light Skinz are not ‘simple and easy to fit’ and are definitely not ‘completely invisible once fitted’. I am going to quote their FAQ with actual information based on my experience. Hopefully, this port will prevent people unsure of Altrex Light Skinz from wasting their money.

How easy are they to fit? Will I be able to fit them myself?
They are not easy to fit; you will be able to fit them yourself but will not be happy with the results.

How can I fit Altrex Light Skinz to a curved headlight? Are Altrex Light Skinz and Body Skinz easy to fit?
No and No. It just doesn’t make sense that a flat skin will fit over a curved headlight. Try getting a piece of paper and fitting it around a ball, how many crinkles do you get?
You can cut a “V-shape” but then you have a slit down one side.
You can cut the template into 2 pieces but then you have 2 slits down the side.

Can I remove Altrex Light Skinz and Body Skinz later if I decide to?
No. on removal of Altrex Light Skinz you will be left with a sticky glue to remove which is insoluble in soapy/hot water.
You will be able to remove all the glue by slowly peeling it from the edges working towards the centre with using your thumb.

Why are Altrex Light Skinz better than the old acrylic-style headlight protectors?
Light Skinz are not completely invisible once fitted. If you think you will be able to apply Light Skinz without leaving a crease, bubble, or smudges, then think again.

How can I ensure a perfect fit for my Altrex Skinz Protection?
You won’t be able to.

If I don’t put them on straight, can I take them off to adjust?
No, If you remove the Light Skinz to adjust the glue will be smudged and on reapplying your smudge will be permanent.
If they are not correctly fitted the first time, too bad.

What can I do about air bubbles?
And yes there will be air bubbles, and given it is also under Frequently Asked Questions must be a frequent problem.
The instructions suggest pricking the air bubble with a needle. Using this technique will only remove the air in the air bubble not the bubble itself.

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Comments

9 responses to “Altrex Light Skinz – the worst product”

  1. Brad Avatar
    Brad

    Ive had no probs fitting mine. And….it does say..if you read all the instructions, something along the lines of : may not fit some headlights, especially curved ones……So, dont have to be a genious to realise it wont be suitable for some cars…..

    Reply
    1. steveyoshi Avatar
      steveyoshi

      I have it on fairly curved (R33 Skyline) headlights and had no problem… got to take your time and use gentle heat with a heat gun helps.  As you say, some headlights it just might not work on.

      Reply
    2. Susie Avatar
      Susie

      That is correct Brad, some very curved headlights are not suitable for Skinz. We acknowledge this on the packaging.

      Reply
  2. Gary Avatar
    Gary

    I have been using using light skinz on four cars now and found them very good but my latest car has bulges in the glass that will be a challenge.

    Reply
    1. AltrexAutoAccessorie Avatar
      AltrexAutoAccessorie

      We have responded on behalf of our company 3 times to this post and each time our response has been deleted. We have also contacted the author privately to address the problem. This was also ignored.
      Rest assured, there are many satisfied customers such as yourself Gary.
      We are disappointed to have been denied the right of reply regarding some of the accusations made here and particularly disappointed to have not been afforded the opportunity to assist this customer before this was published.

      Reply
      1. Travis h Avatar
        Travis h

        Altrex, I have not deleted any of your posts, if you view the comments you will see that a post by yourself @AltrexAutoAccessorie and @Susie is visible. I do have automatic spam protection, so if there was a third post it may have been filtered via that.

        I have been contacted by Susie yesterday, I have not replied as I don’t know how to resolve this so that both parties are happy.

        I will make a suggestion that if a refund is provided I will remove “the worst product” from the title and mention at the bottom of the post that a refund was given as per comments below.

        Reply
  3. erin Avatar
    erin

    nothing wrong with them, they are fantastic. you own a tucson. enough said. you probably cant even put a sticker on a window without it bubbling as it sounds like that is too mechanically challenging for you. use prepwash to remove goo from lights. IT IS A STICKER!!! IT WILL BE STICKY.

    dont go dissing good products just because you cannot fit them yourself.

    Reply
  4. Dirk Diggler Avatar
    Dirk Diggler

    Crap product. I used the paint protection skinz it on my door sill. I went to remove it 6 months later and the top film peels off and leaves a thick tacky mess to remove which the only thing that will remove it is Oomph! or an orange oil based cleaner advertised to remove tacky stickers, even then it takes about 5 coats and rubbing for about half an hour with a cloth. The 3M tape I have used before is much, much better and removes without any residue.

    Reply
  5. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    Yep completely agree with Travis. My Skinz even came with small foreign objects between the skin and the backing plastic right out of the box.

    Reply

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