Clear Bra Can Not Decide

[LICamaro85]

I am looking to get a Clear Bra for my new car. I can not make up my mind on which on to go with though.



Anybody that has one is there any pros/cons from one make to the other?

Also did you do it yourself or have someone install it?

How much did you pay to have it installed?



And my last question do you have the entire hood or just that 18 inch strip and if you do have this is it very noticeable where it ends/begins?





Thanks Alot Guys,



- LI 85

[loudog2]

I haven`t had a issue and you can`t even tell it`s there. It was installed for me. The full front(bumper and around headlights/grille) was done except the hood with 3M for $275.

[BostonBull]

Hopefully Rydawg will see this. He does a lot of high end cars with these installed.

[Anthony O.]

I am looking to get a Clear Bra for my new car. I can not make up my mind on which on to go with though.



Anybody that has one is there any pros/cons from one make to the other?

Also did you do it yourself or have someone install it?

How much did you pay to have it installed?



And my last question do you have the entire hood or just that 18 inch strip and if you do have this is it very noticeable where it ends/begins?





Thanks Alot Guys,



- LI 85



We have been installing 3M, Xpel film for at least 10 years I believe and I highly recommend it to everyone that comes through our shop.



We charge about $895 for a full kit which includes a 24 inch hood piece, fenders (bikini cuts), bumper, mirrors and headlamps.



The film is visible more so on darker colors but nearly invisible on silvers and yellow cars. So it depends on the color BUT I will tell you that I would rather have a film line on my cars hood than rock chips all over it. To me it`s a no brainer.



Almost everyone who turns down an install regrets it about 1000 miles later.



Anthony

[snowskate]

Hopefully Rydawg will see this. He does a lot of high end cars with these installed.



I saw rickrack had some business cards for Venture Shield in the shop.



Invisible Patterns (http://www.ventureshield.com/)

[citizen arcane]

I had Xpel installed on my car when new (now two years old) and don`t regret it. The 18" hood/fender combo and full bumper treatment gives me lots of protection against bugs and rock chips/road rash. It is noticeable on my black DD when viewed up close but I feel it`s just the price to pay if you wanna play. :up Highly recommended!



BTW I paid about six bills for the above install done by a pro.

[imported_rydawg]

Hopefully Rydawg will see this. He does a lot of high end cars with these installed.





Rick and I do a lot of clear bras and prep the surface to the max before installation is done.



I feel it is very important to protect your car from road damage. I have seen too many cars come in that are a few years old with no film on them and they are just hammered with chips and road rash blast damage.



I recently did an 02 M3 that did not have clear film on it and it was awfull. The nose needed to be painted badly.



It all comes down to, "is the car really worth it`? If so, then I highly suggest protecting it.

[SuperBee364]

I`ve detailed quite a few cars that had them installed, and have had them on two of my last three Chargers. I love em.



There are a lot of companies out there that say their film is equal to or better than 3m. All I can say is that whenever I have asked a customer what make their clear bra was (and I was asking because it had started to yellow/discolor), not one of them replied "3M".

[SayNoToPistons]

Is it safe to put a clear bra onto a surface that is not perfect? Let say a bumper or hood with multiple chips but not enough to perform a repaint.

[imported_Picus]

Yes it is. The bra will adhere fine, but it tends to magnify imperfections.



I work with a clear bra installer and recommend them to all my clients. I do too many cars with under 5k km that have been blasted by rocks. Like detailing it`s important to find a good installer, that matters more than the product (though the right product for the application does help). I tend to find properly pre-cut kits with wrapped edges look the best, they tend to have beveled edges to mitigate the line you see.