Advice on Car Bra on New $$$ Paint Job

[Gary Allan]

Perhaps so.

I do thank you for making me aware of the option. The question for me would be what to practice on to get over the "handling curve" of critical tape (or tape like) placement. I have visions of something out of a three stooges movie with me trying this ...or perhaps misadventures with super glue.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gary Allan:
Perhaps so.

I do thank you for making me aware of the option. The question for me would be what to practice on to get over the "handling curve" of critical tape (or tape like) placement. I have visions of something out of a three stooges movie with me trying this ...or perhaps misadventures with super glue.

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lol, that is true, I see your concern.

I have seen many cars with it and it does look great.

I just wanted to present it as an option.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by Gary Allan:
Perhaps so.

I do thank you for making me aware of the option. The question for me would be what to practice on to get over the "handling curve" of critical tape (or tape like) placement. I have visions of something out of a three stooges movie with me trying this ...or perhaps misadventures with super glue.

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Now I have a mental image of you clear wrapped to the hood of your car, spread out like a cartoon character that just ran into a wall.

Not everyone has a good experiance with it. A lot of people also advise getting it professionally installed because of the learning curve.

The installation I saw looked great and the owner is real happy with it close to a year later. He had it professionally installed.

I don't really know squat about it, just stating that it's a bit controversial, so evaluate carefully if you are considering using it.

The 2nd thick coat of clear coat analogy isn't accurate. The stuff won't crack or chip like thick paint and it gives enough cushion that the paint below it is protected from most things that normally chip paint.

There is also a version for headlight lenses, which is something to think about with the price of some model specific lenses these days.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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Now I have a mental image of you clear wrapped to the hood of your car, spread out like a cartoon character that just ran into a wall.

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Yep, that would be me

. I can actually acquire some advanced skills ..but there are some things that I just know ahead of time are going to end up in calamity.

 

[slalom44]

I've had a clear bra on the front of my car for 2 years now. It has definitely prevented damage to my front end. I know this because there are spots that road debris hit the surface and damaged the film there. There's one spot where the rock was large enough to dent the fender and put a small rip in the clear bra. Fortunately, you can tell that the paint underneath is unaffected so if I ever remove the clear bra, I can go to a paintless dent repair shop and get it fixed.

I would definitely suggest that you get it professionally installed, and make sure that the pro has references. I had mine installed by a professional, and even he had a real tough time doing my front end. He won't touch another Honda S2000 after the problems he had installing mine.

The manufacturers claim that they last for about 8 years. If you check out various sports car forums, you'll find that lots of people use them and rave about the protection. It's an alternative to getting your front end repainted if you want it looking nice a few years later. If you ever want to remove it, you just put a heat gun to it and peel it off.

 

[Schmoe]

If your worried about the bra marring the paint, do this....put the clear plastic under the bra. My next new car will definently have one or the other. Driving 45 miles one way everyday has made for some pretty damaging front end marks.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

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Originally posted by Schmoe:
If your worried about the bra marring the paint, do this....put the clear plastic under the bra. My next new car will definently have one or the other. Driving 45 miles one way everyday has made for some pretty damaging front end marks.

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You don't put a 3 foot strips of that stuff on.

Just a 3-6 inch strip on the front edge ofg the hood.

 

[Earl Filter]

To me, a bra is a way to cover up paint damage that is already there.

Hey, the 80's called. They want their bra back!

 

[JavaMan]

I had the 3M clear adhesive put on my car after my first 90 mile round trip to work and back. Had about 1/4" chip knock off after the first day. It's been only a couple of months, but, I've yet to get the second paint chip.

 

[surfstar]

how come no one has pointed this out: the reason for a bra is to protect the paint and keep a nice finish, right? well what's the point if the bra is keeping you from looking at the nice finish anyways? why hide what you're protecting? so in a few years you have a two-tone paint job w/o rock chips?
i say try the clear stuff or fuggettaboutit and let your car have character and wear its scars.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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the reason for a bra is to protect the paint and keep a nice finish, right?

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Not necessarily. Suppose you're just in an environment with lots of stones flying and don't want the blemishes that promote rust and don't feel like a career in "touch up"? Any damage, usually in the form of "dulling", can be radically reduced with frequent removal and assuring that the finish underneith is waxed and that the bra itself is free from infiltrating dusts. Aside from that, if you perpetually use a bra to eliminate stone chips and the resultant rust ..you have no further worries as to "dulling" unless you intend to expose the car to periodic insult by not having the bra in place. It's like one of those air deflectors. It performs a task that makes it an integral part of the vehicles appearance. To not suffer the effects of not having it ..you have to tolerate its presence. Its presence not only prevents the damage its designed to ..it makes it a moot point.

As far as the clear protector tape, it's a fine idea, and works very well according to reports here, ..but it doesn't cover an entire front end. So you may get the most vulnerable part (the leading edge of the hood) ..but that's about it. I'm aware of no "stone magnet" that will assure that this will be the only place that paint chips will occur.

 

[srivett]

1992 VW Golf Diesel, 405,000 km.

http://chat.carleton.ca/~srivett/IMG_0825.jpg
The passenger front fender. There used to be 1/4 fender flares on this car up until recently and you can see the protection they provided. They also caused rust damage so they aren't too great. There is some rust damage that has been touched up.

http://chat.carleton.ca/~srivett/IMG_0826.jpg
The front of the hood. The sticker is shrinking and you can see some hits that have gone through the clear bra. The white spots on the hood are the primer.

 

[IslaVistaMan]

Here's the URL for Xpel's site and the real "Clear Bra" kits they make available:

http://www.xpel.com/products/paint.asp

I just had one of these installed on my RAV4. The film is 3M's genuine UV-neutral 8-mil thick stuff. Very tough, and almost invisible. Paint under the bra will fade at the same rate as all the other paint on your car.

You can also order headlight lens protection up to 40-mils thick, IIRC. I got my headlights covered with 20 mil sheeting, and they look great. No degradation in lighting that I've been able to tell.

There is no way I would have attempted to install this stuff myself. The kits are expensive, and one screw up after the sheeting is "activated" with the alcohol and water mix would have been costly. It was worth it to me to have a pro handle things, and as it was, it took him almost four hours to do my car, working non-stop.

No interest, just a happy customer....

 

[JavaMan]

quote:

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Originally posted by srivett:
1992 VW Golf Diesel, 405,000 km.

http://chat.carleton.ca/~srivett/IMG_0825.jpg
The passenger front fender. There used to be 1/4 fender flares on this car up until recently and you can see the protection they provided. They also caused rust damage so they aren't too great. There is some rust damage that has been touched up.

http://chat.carleton.ca/~srivett/IMG_0826.jpg
The front of the hood. The sticker is shrinking and you can see some hits that have gone through the clear bra. The white spots on the hood are the primer.

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That's not a factory paint job is it?

 

[goodoleboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by surfstar:
how come no one has pointed this out: the reason for a bra is to protect the paint and keep a nice finish, right? well what's the point if the bra is keeping you from looking at the nice finish anyways? why hide what you're protecting? so in a few years you have a two-tone paint job w/o rock chips?
i say try the clear stuff or fuggettaboutit and let your car have character and wear its scars.

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I have to agree with the above also. I dont like dents or scratches But I can live with them.

 

[srivett]

JavaMan: It's totally origional except for the blots of VW touch-up paint. My car is actually in fantastic shape for its age as I've seen quite a few rusted out '95 and up VWs. I'll have to snap a photo of my brothers '89 VW hood/car. It's a sea of rust.

Steve