Getting a re-paint on the front end (maybe Clear Bra after)

M

MorBid

New member
I brought my A4 Ultrasport back in Sept 04 new of the lot and like any good Autopian have kept her to the "ooh's and ahh's" standard.



Despite the work required and it's frequency nothing looks better (IMHO) than a car with Black Paint when it's poppin.



Trouble is all the leading parts of the car are so rock chipped and pitted in such a short period of time that it's beyond touch-up bottles and pens. Throw two small spots (one each on the hood and bumper) were I say the paint failed and Audi says it's external damage and I give up.



I got quoted $300.00 a piece for the hood and bumper/spoiler which is a bargin compared to when I found out how much it would cost me to do it myself. Seems German Paint in the US is very pricey.



Anywho I stopped by the local installer for X-Pel film protection and he wants $1,000.00 to put the full Clear Kit on or $800.00 for the bumper/spoiler and hood.



Does that sound right?
 
I'm in the same boat. My hood was repainted at some point and not only is it chipping but the base coat wasn't laid down evenly so there are light streaks all the way down the hood. You can only see it under certain light but it still bugs me.



The clear bra price is outrageous. Most of my customers who have them paint in the $300-400 range.
 
Scottwax said:
I'm in the same boat. My hood was repainted at some point and not only is it chipping but the base coat wasn't laid down evenly so there are light streaks all the way down the hood. You can only see it under certain light but it still bugs me.



The clear bra price is outrageous. Most of my customers who have them paint in the $300-400 range.
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The "tiger stripes" as we call them are from the painter not keeping the gun the proper distance from the panel when shooting the paint and thusly getting dry edges from too much air. I would've had the shop repaint it.



There is only (believe it or not) one installer in my town for the clear bra system. But then half these yahoo's don't even know what it is, so it's like a speciality item and you'll pay through the nose when there is no competion.



R u saying you can get the hood and front bumper done for $400.00 down there?
 
clear bra for my M3 (all of front end: bumper, lower spoiler, headlights, foglights, front 18" of hood, front 18" of front quarter panels) = $400.



well worth it -- it blocks 99% of rock chips, though at some angles, you can see the line on the hood/quarter panels where the film ends. And you have to apply the LSPs from the film side towards the non-film side, otherwise the LSPs (wax) build up at the edge.
 
Hey ceiol run that by me again. Where can you see the lines at where the film ends?



The quarter panels are on the opposite end of the car from the hood.



Don't they apply the film on the hood from edge to edge (like the entire hood) I saw the "kit's" for my car (which includes everything you said) and it looks like the hood part does cover the whole thing.



Anywho I called another "authorized" installer from X-Pels website, he's about two towns out from me but as it turns out he's also a mobile detailer/tinter (hangs on Meg's site but has heard of us here).



He quoted me $500.00 for the whole kit. He laughed when I told him how much the other guys in town wanted and said that's why he gets all their business.



Anywho we are going to wait till the end of next month so we're sure the fresh paint has cured. I can leave the Audi in the garage for a month and drive the beater.
 
The seam where the clear bra ends is a tradeoff for the convenience and durability. It sits higher than the paint by about the thickness of a postcard. So it catches wax residue very easily - conversely, it is also easy to clean up.



It works best on lighter colors except bright white, where the film naturally takes on a slightly yellow hue. I have it on my silver birch Suburban and not a single chip for 18,000 miles and coming on to 3 years. All leading edges (hood, bumper, mirrors) cost me $395. Trucks have simple surfaces - a good installer will charge more for the tougher shapes on cars.



 
I bought my 3M Aerogard pre-cut kit from www.clearmask.com



The front was around $210. I'm getting it installed at www.detailingdynamics.com for about $200.



So yeah, total cost should be around $400.



I had it on my car before I got into an accident, and let me tell you, it's great!



You can't see it but the peace of mind knowing it's there is great.



It will protect your car from 90% of the rocks that hit the front of your hood. Only golf ball sized rocks *might* dent your car, but it won't scratch.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I need to talk with the installer again though. I don't think he know the Ultrasport has an upper and lower bumper.
 
I have the 3M Film on mine. It was an XPEL kit (XPel is the software system for precutting the kits) and I could not be happier with mine. Like it was said earlier, the line can be seen from certain angles but it is much less noticeable than I expected.



I have some shots of mine going on here:

http://www.imagemotorworks.com/scott/g35/



-GT
 
K well let me ask you guys this. Bearing in mind this is winter time, I have to get the car home from the dealers bodyshop (about 5 to 8 miles most on highway) to my house and park it in the garage.



Now I told the mobile detailer who does the work that I detail and have a heated garage w/ two sets of halogens but he wants to do the install at the Audi dealership so he can have them see his work and earn future referrals (my Audi Dealer also has a Porsche and BMW)



So that would mean I would have to drive the car back across town. I have no gripes about him trying to earn some buisness off my install, but I want to keep the both the new paint from getting chipped and I'll have already clayed and polished out the fenders and mirrors (which are not getting painted)



Up here they not only use the dreaded rock salt, but mix it with gravel when spreading it and they spread it at the slightest hint of snow, which is almost everyday.



The other sad part is that they come on fill in potholes with some kind of "pitch" that never gets to cure so the tar comes right out of the hole, usually within hours of them laying it down.



Combine that with the gravel from the road salt and the only time it's safe to drive, without worrying about getting chips is during a snow storm when the roads are completely covered.





What would u guys do?
 
We have no "Spring" here, it goes from Winter (cold, rainy/snow and ice, maybe some sun) to summer in late May (Warm/Hot, and rainy, maybe some sun).
 
Setec- OK, waiting to get the job done period makes even more sense. I guess I'm just used to having to have accident repairs done in the winter lately, what with deer and careless old ladies in Cadillacs :rolleyes:



Yeah, why not wait. At least by May they oughta have the really nasty stuff up off the roads. Around here they usually sweep them around early April.
 
I'm feel'in what you guys r puttin down on the waiting tip. But I have a spot on the hood where a effort to repair a stone chip went, well horribly bad. It's so noticeable that I have trouble sleeping at night.



I dunno, can't make up my mind and the clock is clicking. Maybe I'll just get it done and park it till the thaw. Whenever that may be.



But I don't like going out or to some other place than just work or the mall with the beater. It looks, well like a beater.
 
MorBid- Heh heh, as the saying goes, "patience is a virtue not easily cultivated" ;)



If the spot *really* is something you just can't live with, and you're gonna get the whole hood reshot anyhow, I'd consider doing a spot repair of sorts with some primer. You'd have a primer spot on the hood, but to me that just says "work in progress" rather than "botched repair".



Having had a lot of repairs done during the winter, it *is* pretty tough to make sure something doesn't happen to them right away if you have to drive it. Since you're gonna get the protective film for a long-term solution to such things, I'd do whatever's necessary for right now. Think "long view", I think you'll be happier overall.



Generally, I'd just not be taking the whole thing so seriously but that's me. More of my Autopian Heresy I suppose :o but I wouldn't let it bug me that much. But hey, that's me and not you...
 
MorBid said:
I'm feel'in what you guys r puttin down on the waiting tip. But I have a spot on the hood where a effort to repair a stone chip went, well horribly bad. It's so noticeable that I have trouble sleeping at night.



I dunno, can't make up my mind and the clock is clicking. Maybe I'll just get it done and park it till the thaw. Whenever that may be.
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Could you get the repaint done and then have the car towed on a flat bed to the dealer? I know it's a bit much, but I don't see how you'd get any chips that way. And if you really want some peace of mind, then have it flat-bedded both ways (from dealer to home and then from home to dealer). Just a thought ...
 
toml said:
Could you get the repaint done and then have the car towed on a flat bed to the dealer? I know it's a bit much, but I don't see how you'd get any chips that way. And if you really want some peace of mind, then have it flat-bedded both ways (from dealer to home and then from home to dealer). Just a thought ...
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Thanks Toml, I may think about that to get it home, but I'd be worried about them doing more damage to the car. The Audi A4 UltraSport sits pretty low.



I'm looking in all my Autobody suppliers catalogs to find out where to get the temporary protection film. Like the kind they have on car panels when they truck them from the factory/shipping dock to the dealers.



I think that stuff peels on then off. I could put it on then drive home and take it off once in the garage.
 
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