3M clear bra's and detailing>>

R

Rave'nGTi

New member
I'm having a full 3M clear bra kit put on the car along with window tint before I pick it up from the dealer....



I've never dealt with clear bra's before.... can you use a PC on them? what about SMR, paint cleaners, glazes, polishes and waxes?



thanks!
 
Hi Rave'nGTi,



I was given a sheet of this to experiment with by an installer at the Bimmerfest.



He told me they were experiencing the same problems with the film that people experience with paint, i.e. swirls, and scratches.



I have it slated for testing and I'll post my results when I'm finished.



Mike
 
I use 3M plastic polish and plastic cleaner followed by Novus #1 to bring up a nice gloss. Regular polishes and use of a PC clouded the Scotchcal, at least in my case
 
aiiee said:
I use 3M plastic polish and plastic cleaner followed by Novus #1 to bring up a nice gloss. Regular polishes and use of a PC clouded the Scotchcal, at least in my case
Click to expand...



What about Plexus?
 
Seeing that I'm now having it installed on my new '03 Lexus SC430 due to stone chipping, I looked around for the best, and I came up with ArmorGlove.



The website isArmorGlove see the section on Testimonials.



The reason I feel it is better than others is they can offer a full hood wrap. In other words, the film can be streched to cover the hood and wrap under it to hide any seams. Others stop at the edge of the hood, making it a bit easy to see. Plus I've seen the work, and they do this on some very high-end cars in our area.



You can polish it as normal, but honestly think that a plastic polish may be more forgiving and less harsh on it. I'd advise not to use the PC on it, but check with the manufacture, Xpel, ArmorGlove, Stoneguard etc. before you fire the PC up on it!



ArmorGlove can also do custom work. I'm having the hood (wrapped) up to 26" up the hood, front bumper/air-dam, side mirros, headlights, "wings", door cups, lower wheel areas, rocker panels.



It costs about $65.00 hr for labor, but worth it.



More information on the film can be found at 3M:





3M Scotchcal paint protection film



Look at the .PDF files as a primer on this type of film. Not for the weak! I'd leave it to those that have the experience and training on this product.



It's your paint on your car.... How much do you want to spend to protect it is your option after all your hard work keeping it perfect.



I just wish Lexus would admit to the problems with this model and paint so we could have been better informed as to the chipping.:grrr



If you want to remove the film, a hot hair dryer will work, anything that gets up to 150 degrees and you can peel it off without damage to the paint.



I'd say it's worth it, at least for me after backing into the garage and seeing the chip, which really pissed me off on just such a young car that only sees weekends! Then another on the side mirrors? Thanks Lexus! A $63K car that chips so easy! :angry



Your thoughts?



Deanski:xyxthumbs
 
Deanski,



that is the exact reason I am getting the clearbra!! Audi paint is horrible about chipping so its literally a must have unless you want a front end full of touch up paint spots.
 
becareful with the clear bras if you have had paint work done... ive read that if you try and take the material off with a car not having the orginal paint it can peel off with it
 
I went for the venture tape clear bra. They installer said i can buff it with abrasives, wax it, etc, just like paint. The bra has a 6 year guarantee so if anything happens he will replace it :) .
 
Any update on this? I'm assuming you can use mild polishes like Menzerna FP and use clay with no ill harm if used carefully. The 3M literature says not to use any harsh abrasives however....
 
The truck I had a few years ago had a clear bra on the hood and on the bottom of the bed in the back, I treated it just like I did the paint and never had any problems with it. I'm not sure what brand it was because I bought the car used and it already had it on there. To be safe I wouldn't use anything that was too abrasive on it however I would feel fine using something like #80.
 
They're great. Treat them tough as paint everywhere except the edges. Just stay away from the edges. Inevitably you will start to get dirt creeping in under the edges. I think you are looking at a lifespan of about 5 years, but wow, what a great savings to your paint!
 
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