Should I get the clear bra for my car
#16
09-03-2008, 07:52 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Oak Park, CA
Age: 58
Posts: 233
Rep Power: 27 
the tire ball marks are all over the place, and unless you spend way too much time taping up everything you will get the marks on the car and unless you get them off immediately, they won't come off.
Try Oil Flow solvent for track induced debris, works like a charm...unless you picked up Armco
Try Oil Flow solvent for track induced debris, works like a charm...unless you picked up Armco
#17
09-03-2008, 08:43 PM
Join Date: May 2008
Location: LA
Posts: 86
Rep Power: 24 If you like having two different colors and "perpetual" swirls on the front of your car than get the clear bra- the BEST mod from an asthetic point of view I have done was "removing" the clear bra- at least for my color Midnight Blue-
Now when the car is detailed it looks fantastic- before- not so good- I would rather re-paint the front....but that is just me- Ok I am ducking.....
Now when the car is detailed it looks fantastic- before- not so good- I would rather re-paint the front....but that is just me- Ok I am ducking.....
I guess maybe with darker colors the clear bra does not hide as well?
#18
09-04-2008, 01:43 AM
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Hmm- I have midnight blue, this has been a back-and-forth desicion with me as well. Pay $1k+ for whole front clearbra or just pay $350 annually for rock chip touch up and buff / polish of car?
#19
09-04-2008, 01:55 AM
i use to think the same way with my m3. but after market paint is not as hard as oem paint. also, in my area it cost more the $350 to remove/paint/install a bumper. also, a clearbra on the car makes it easy to use quick detailer to remove all the bugs from a long drive.
#20
09-04-2008, 09:33 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Irvine, California
Posts: 199
Rep Power: 31 I "saw" the bra when I looked at the car and was deciding whether or not to keep it, I wasn't sure right off the get-go. I made a deal with the dealer that if I did not "like" the bra after a few weeks they would take it off- they were great about it- and left it up to me- they did tell me it was a $1,000 Bra although I am not sure of thr MFGers name.
The cars front end never looked even as far as the color goes- the bra was duller than the paint and when it came to detailing the car it drove me nuts-It was impossible to get all the swirls off the bra- and because it is a "softer" material there is only so much you can do----I drove all they way back down to San Diego- I live in OC- and spent a few hours down there while they took the bra off for no charge.
I have never looked back on that decision- my car looks 100% better from the front- I will deal with any chips that I may get- I do not do a ton of FWY driving anyway- ps... the technician who was taking the bra off at Hoehn said that I was not the only one who has requested that a bra be removed....
#21
09-04-2008, 09:39 AM
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Location: Irvine, California
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Rep Power: 31 Cheers-
SD
#22
09-04-2008, 09:43 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Dana Point, CA
Age: 52
Posts: 659
Rep Power: 51 All I can say is what I know- the car came as new delivered by the dealer (Hoehn/San Diego) with the bra- I bought it used with 16K 4 months ago
I "saw" the bra when I looked at the car and was deciding whether or not to keep it, I wasn't sure right off the get-go. I made a deal with the dealer that if I did not "like" the bra after a few weeks they would take it off- they were great about it- and left it up to me- they did tell me it was a $1,000 Bra although I am not sure of thr MFGers name.
The cars front end never looked even as far as the color goes- the bra was duller than the paint and when it came to detailing the car it drove me nuts-It was impossible to get all the swirls off the bra- and because it is a "softer" material there is only so much you can do----I drove all they way back down to San Diego- I live in OC- and spent a few hours down there while they took the bra off for no charge.
I have never looked back on that decision- my car looks 100% better from the front- I will deal with any chips that I may get- I do not do a ton of FWY driving anyway- ps... the technician who was taking the bra off at Hoehn said that I was not the only one who has requested that a bra be removed....
I "saw" the bra when I looked at the car and was deciding whether or not to keep it, I wasn't sure right off the get-go. I made a deal with the dealer that if I did not "like" the bra after a few weeks they would take it off- they were great about it- and left it up to me- they did tell me it was a $1,000 Bra although I am not sure of thr MFGers name.
The cars front end never looked even as far as the color goes- the bra was duller than the paint and when it came to detailing the car it drove me nuts-It was impossible to get all the swirls off the bra- and because it is a "softer" material there is only so much you can do----I drove all they way back down to San Diego- I live in OC- and spent a few hours down there while they took the bra off for no charge.
I have never looked back on that decision- my car looks 100% better from the front- I will deal with any chips that I may get- I do not do a ton of FWY driving anyway- ps... the technician who was taking the bra off at Hoehn said that I was not the only one who has requested that a bra be removed....
But I can tell you with certainty that comparing that work with the work of a professional installer like Premier or Ultimate Shield is like comparing apples and oranges.
#23
09-04-2008, 01:13 PM
I saw a GT2 in the grocery parking lot yesterday. T'was a silver one. As I walked past, I noticed something very odd. The front bumper had a distinctly odd color-shift haze over it, compared to the fenders and hood. While the fenders and hood were silver, as I moved around the front end, this strange purple sheen seemed to shift on the front bumper. I'm thinking this was a clear bra on that front bumper cover. Of course, its not nearly that visible to the naked eye... the effect I was seeing was due to the polarized sun-glasses I was wearing. Has anyone else seen this type of effect with polarized glasses?
#24
09-04-2008, 02:10 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Dana Point, CA
Age: 52
Posts: 659
Rep Power: 51 I saw a GT2 in the grocery parking lot yesterday. T'was a silver one. As I walked past, I noticed something very odd. The front bumper had a distinctly odd color-shift haze over it, compared to the fenders and hood. While the fenders and hood were silver, as I moved around the front end, this strange purple sheen seemed to shift on the front bumper. I'm thinking this was a clear bra on that front bumper cover. Of course, its not nearly that visible to the naked eye... the effect I was seeing was due to the polarized sun-glasses I was wearing. Has anyone else seen this type of effect with polarized glasses?
You should not be able to see that effect with the naked eye.
#25
09-04-2008, 02:23 PM
I saw a GT2 in the grocery parking lot yesterday. T'was a silver one. As I walked past, I noticed something very odd. The front bumper had a distinctly odd color-shift haze over it, compared to the fenders and hood. While the fenders and hood were silver, as I moved around the front end, this strange purple sheen seemed to shift on the front bumper. I'm thinking this was a clear bra on that front bumper cover. Of course, its not nearly that visible to the naked eye... the effect I was seeing was due to the polarized sun-glasses I was wearing. Has anyone else seen this type of effect with polarized glasses?
#26
09-06-2008, 10:13 AM
Alternative
I may have mentioned this before, but I highly recommend that you consider a removable bra from SpeedLingerie (http://speedlingerie.com/). I know that everyone has a preconception of add-on vinyl bra's but these folks' products are far more sophisticated in material, fit and color match.
I have one for my Ford GT and for the Carrera S and couldn't be happier. Color match, yes they match the paint color, is perfect. On the Ford, they even match the center blue stripes. From any reasonable distance, you cannot tell that there's a cover on the front end. They're far tougher than clear coatings, can be removed for cleaning, don't (or haven't) discolored in the Sun, look pretty cool, and fit so perfectly and tightly that you can run at any speed without flapping or moving (many Ford GT owners track the car with the bra on to protect their little gal).
Great people too - they're located near my home, so I had the chance to meet them when picking up the product. They even showed me how to put the product on each car.
I'd be happy to send a photo of each if you'd like.
OBTW, I have no affiliation with these folks whatsoever.
I have one for my Ford GT and for the Carrera S and couldn't be happier. Color match, yes they match the paint color, is perfect. On the Ford, they even match the center blue stripes. From any reasonable distance, you cannot tell that there's a cover on the front end. They're far tougher than clear coatings, can be removed for cleaning, don't (or haven't) discolored in the Sun, look pretty cool, and fit so perfectly and tightly that you can run at any speed without flapping or moving (many Ford GT owners track the car with the bra on to protect their little gal).
Great people too - they're located near my home, so I had the chance to meet them when picking up the product. They even showed me how to put the product on each car.
I'd be happy to send a photo of each if you'd like.
OBTW, I have no affiliation with these folks whatsoever.
#29
09-08-2008, 10:34 PM
So I've had my 997 carrera s for about a year now and have noticed that I have been getting some small rock chips on the front of my car. I have been looking at getting a 3M clear bra but there were some questions I wanted to see if anyone can answer:
1. Obvious question is does it really help that much and is it worth it?
Well worth it if you figure your time without the car while they are trying to match the paint and make it look right.
2. When you wax your car, doesn't the part with the clear bra look different from the rest of the car because won't the paint part have more of a shine?
There are some good polishes out there for the films these days and I have seen many cars where the film looks better than the car due to the fact that you wont get swirl marks in it. Depending on the quality of the film you use...
3. I went to my local Porsche dealer and asked them about the price and they told me it would be $795 including installation. Is that a good deal?
Thats a pretty good deal when you consider the dealer normally has a substantial markup. Make sure they use a good film (ClearMask AR or VentureShield) and back it up with a warranty.
4. The clear bra at the dealer only goes up less than halfway up the hood, but is there one you can get that goes all the way up the hood?
I get this request a lot now and do have full panel kits... i.e. full hood, full fender, doors... and so on. The cost does go up since the wider film required does cost considerably more.
5. Lastly, does anyone know/recommend any good installers in Orange County, CA? I can check around for you. I do know of a guy that does excellent work there and I occasionaly get down there... about twice a month.
Sorry for all the questions I just wanted to get your opinion and appreciate any responses.
Thanks!
1. Obvious question is does it really help that much and is it worth it?
Well worth it if you figure your time without the car while they are trying to match the paint and make it look right.
2. When you wax your car, doesn't the part with the clear bra look different from the rest of the car because won't the paint part have more of a shine?
There are some good polishes out there for the films these days and I have seen many cars where the film looks better than the car due to the fact that you wont get swirl marks in it. Depending on the quality of the film you use...
3. I went to my local Porsche dealer and asked them about the price and they told me it would be $795 including installation. Is that a good deal?
Thats a pretty good deal when you consider the dealer normally has a substantial markup. Make sure they use a good film (ClearMask AR or VentureShield) and back it up with a warranty.
4. The clear bra at the dealer only goes up less than halfway up the hood, but is there one you can get that goes all the way up the hood?
I get this request a lot now and do have full panel kits... i.e. full hood, full fender, doors... and so on. The cost does go up since the wider film required does cost considerably more.
5. Lastly, does anyone know/recommend any good installers in Orange County, CA? I can check around for you. I do know of a guy that does excellent work there and I occasionaly get down there... about twice a month.
Sorry for all the questions I just wanted to get your opinion and appreciate any responses.
Thanks!
Thom
#30
09-14-2008, 11:37 PM
Join Date: May 2008
Location: LA
Posts: 86
Rep Power: 24 Thanks alot for your help. You answered all of my questions!