Clear bra

M

Murrayhe

New member
I know this may be a little off-topic...



Most of you are probably fanatics about your car, but no matter how many layers of wax you put on, rock chips from the road will eventually mess up your front bumper and hood.



Would you guys recommend a clear bra (xpel, stone guard,etc)? What are the pros and cons of each?
 
I have Stongard on my Porsche and would not consider another car without it. The most important thing is finding a qualified, experienced installer. When done correctly, you cannot notice. Plus, if you ever decide to remove it, you (or the next owner) has a perfect front bumper.



I would recommend you get the "entire" kit, particularly the small strips that go behind each wheel arch...everyone seems to worry only about the front end, but all of the stones from your own tires will sandblast this area behind each wheel.



It is easy to maintain, does not yellow, and you can simply polish and wax over it, just like the paint itself ( I use P21s polish and wax).



Hope this helps.



Bill
 
I believe the question was regarding clear bras ( ie Stongard, Xpel,etc.). No doubt, regular bras can do as much harm as good, but not a clear bra....two totally different products.



Bill
 
Bill in Atlanta said:
I have Stongard on my Porsche and would not consider another car without it. The most important thing is finding a qualified, experienced installer. When done correctly, you cannot notice. Plus, if you ever decide to remove it, you (or the next owner) has a perfect front bumper.



I would recommend you get the "entire" kit, particularly the small strips that go behind each wheel arch...everyone seems to worry only about the front end, but all of the stones from your own tires will sandblast this area behind each wheel.



It is easy to maintain, does not yellow, and you can simply polish and wax over it, just like the paint itself ( I use P21s polish and wax).



Hope this helps.



Bill
Click to expand...



I wish all of that was true. My buddy called me up last week. He had a clear bra on his 92 GTI for quite a while (A few years) and he went to pull it off and it pulled up his clearcoat with it.
 
Mindflux said:
I wish all of that was true. My buddy called me up last week. He had a clear bra on his 92 GTI for quite a while (A few years) and he went to pull it off and it pulled up his clearcoat with it.
Click to expand...



Wow that's scary! How did he take it off? Did he heat the clear bra or did he make some errors in taking it off?
 
Oggle said:
Wow that's scary! How did he take it off? Did he heat the clear bra or did he make some errors in taking it off?
Click to expand...



My buddy said he heated it up so the adhesive gave at one of the corners, and then slowly peeled it up.. and that's when it pulled the clearcoat up too.



So the nose of his hood is un-clearcoated now while the rest of the vehicle still is.
 
Mindflux said:
My buddy said he heated it up so the adhesive gave at one of the corners, and then slowly peeled it up.. and that's when it pulled the clearcoat up too.



So the nose of his hood is un-clearcoated now while the rest of the vehicle still is.
Click to expand...



Wow that sounds bad. Did he apply the heat as he was peeling off the rest or did he do it just to get at the corner?
 
Was the vehicle repainted ?? I did quite a bit of research before I went with the Stongard clear bra, and the only issues I heard of were from cars that had been repainted (many cars are repainted at the port or dealer before we even see them...I toured the Porsche facility in Charleston, S.C. in 1995 and saw 20+ 911's on jack stands, all having their front bumpers repainted where they had scraped coming off of the boat )







:scared :scared



Bill
 
Bill in Atlanta said:
Was the vehicle repainted ?? I did quite a bit of research before I went with the Stongard clear bra, and the only issues I heard of were from cars that had been repainted (many cars are repainted at the port or dealer before we even see them...I toured the Porsche facility in Charleston, S.C. in 1995 and saw 20+ 911's on jack stands, all having their front bumpers repainted where they had scraped coming off of the boat )







:scared :scared



Bill
Click to expand...



Nearest he or I could tell it was factory paint. This is a 92 VW GTI.



Yeah I was all for the clear bra too (have a kit sitting in my closet) for my car until he called me up asking where he can get another kit to cover up the paint.



And now of all things I have damaged paint in the areas the clear bra would have covered, like the back of my mirrors. One got scraped down through the clear coat. Grrrrrr if that protection had been on that wouldn't have happened.



I also have a nick or something on one of my fender pieces on the edge of the car near the headlight that would have been covered too.



Anyway, not many people do that stuff down here so I never found a place to have it applied....
 
Mindflux said:
I wish all of that was true. My buddy called me up last week. He had a clear bra on his 92 GTI for quite a while (A few years) and he went to pull it off and it pulled up his clearcoat with it.
Click to expand...



This is due to improper removal. I removed a section on my mirror improperly and pulled the paint off right to the primer.

You must heat it up till it's very hot, almost melting and then peal it off slowly. Done properly it won't remove the paint.





I have stoneguard on my M5. I love it. I wish I had put it on my hood, directly in front of my moon roof. I have chips there.

If you put this on make sure you do a really good detail first. Other wise the swirls and imperfections seem to magnify and stand out more. Also make sure a pro does it. I also recommend the headlight and foglight kits. Very tough.



Bruce
 
Mindflux said:
My buddy called me up last week. He had a clear bra on his 92 GTI for quite a while (A few years) and he went to pull it off and it pulled up his clearcoat with it.
Click to expand...



What happed to your buddy is unfortunate. Situations like this are really rare and only happen on repainted cars and even then only when the film is removed improperly. I have had nothing but excellent luck with genuine 3M product for several years and will continue to use it. :up
 
What sorts of things should one do to prep their cars for the clear bra? Should one strip all the wax on the bumper first? How about Zaino?
 
Oggle said:
What sorts of things should one do to prep their cars for the clear bra? Should one strip all the wax on the bumper first? How about Zaino?
Click to expand...



I would do a total detail of the area, Zaino would be fine.

Ps don't get the door edges they get wax under tham and look shotty.

Bruce
 
I have installed the bras and found them to work as reps say first hand. They do work well. However, I do not recommend the bra for white cars because they due tend to turn a slight shade of yellow. This is only the adhesive though not a defect in the product.



Lastly, get someone that has the experience because there are very few that exactly match the front of the cars requiring a little nip and tuck here or there.



Clearshield

Invinsa-Shield



They both have web sites for info in your location and installers.



Dave

Orlando, Fl.



http://www.flmotorsports.com :D
 
I know this thread has been inactive for awhile, but I have a quick question.



I want to get an x-pel kit for my girlfriends hood. It has some chips that need repaired first. Is it ok to repair those first? I know that you shouldn't use the kits on parts that have been repainted? Is it ok to use these on parts with little touch-ups?



Thanks in adavance.
 
this is something i've been considering for quite some time but have been hesitant about because my hood has been resprayed. Unfortunately the paint chips much easier now which is why i'd like to invest in this product. Should I take the risk? I was thinking i'll probably only have the car for maybe 3 more years so it will still be on there when i sell it.
 
I would save my money and wait for the next new car that I buy. My be a problem with the install on a repaint as far as the warranty goes. If you decide to go ahead and do it make sure you tell them its a repaint and see what they say.



Good Luck

Dave :cool:
 
I am putting Clear Bra on my car tommorow? What do you recommend to apply on my bumper and my hood before I put it on? Is it true I need to take the wax off the car?
 
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