3M protective film
 

I'm thinking about having it installed on my rx8. does anyone here has it on already? pros and cons? thanks.

works great. watch what you wax it with, some things can turn it yellow over time.

the 3m warranty blows. To make use of it, you have to rip the 3m material off your car, mail it to them. And if they decide it's not defective enough, you are out the clear bra and need to buy more.

every time i wash my car I cry alittle b/c rocks and debris has destroyed my front end. I regret not getting a clear bra

What's wrong with yellow??? Ha ha I don't have one but i hear they work great!

I had it installed on both of my RX8's. The first time, they used first generation 3m stuff, and it was hazy from day one, but did a good job of protecting. The second one, they had a new product that was not made by 3m, and it looked and protected great. Just treat it exactly the same as you would the paint. I had the headlights, fog lamps, and rearview mirrors done as well. It's a good investment if you have it done when your car is new.

the 3m clear bra on the hood goes across the hood just under the vents.

https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...&postcount=110

^Wow! Your 8 is amazing! How much does a 3M job like that run?

look up cleardefender on ebay. He's local to me and has computer cutouts of the bra for our car. You can get hood, fenders, headlights, and bumper for pretty cheap. I think it's like $120 for the whole set, but i haven't checked recently.

Easy to install, just need soapy water and a little bit of time.

it took me 3 hours. not hard, you just have to be patient.

and it cost me $25+10 shipping on ebay.

would you happen to remember who you got it from on ebay?

i don't think $20 gets you enough 3m material. sounds like fake stuff. Also you don't want to cut the film yourself. Get it precut.

mine was precut. and it may be the fake stuff, but it has been more than adequate. im very happy with it.

it didnt fit perfectly, needed some trimming. but for $25 i cant complain at all.

i forgot who i bought from. it just said rx8 full car car bra or something like that. covers everything forward facing. even the painted section of the mirrors.

The 8 has such lousy paint, it should be a requirement.

Spendy but worth it. I have clearbra on my Seibon hood to keep it from fading or cracking. Fantastic stuff! It will save you from painting your bumper.

overwhelming response in favor of having it installed. My local shop will do it for 700 dollars for the hood, front bumper, side mirrors, side valence, fog lights and headlights. The shop uses a different product called Venture Shield. He said it is better than 3M because it resist yellowing much better. Is 700 too much?

considering i paid a total of $35 and 3 hours of my time.

yes thats too much. if you are located in the DC area, i'll do it for $300. lol.

(however, that sounds about right for having a shop do it. i spoke with someone with a 335i and it cost them $900)

For custom cutting film. That sounds about right. However we have premade perfectly cut rx8 material avaliable so your cost can be much lower if you install yourself.

I tried window tint once. Too painful to do. Clear bra on the other hand is easy. It is forgiving, streches and moves.

Most of what you are paying for is the installation of the film. I had a local installer here in Phoenix do a single piece for my entire hood and it was amazing to watch him work with it.

Mysql is correct in that there are kits pre-cut for the RX8. It goes on much like tint but I do imagine it would be a bit easier.

I got a 3M clearbra from one of the locals this fall for free. He kept the crappy looking hood piece and gave me the rest. One thing that didn't get mentioned is that the hood piece goes about halfway up the hood and then you have a line. I would much rather repaint my hood then have that line. You might want to see what sort of options you have on a custom cut piece.

look at the photo in the url i posted above. No line. The trick is to not get wax on the edge of the film and then leave it there. If the edge is clean, the clear bra is virtually invisible.

I really wish I had a picture of Jon's hood around here somewhere.

Excellent info on here! Thanks for all of the input. I was concerned this would cost an arm and leg, but it sounds like an easy and worthwhile project. SWEET! If anyone has pics they can post up, that would be even better!

For those who bought the ebay version, have you had any issues with the film turning yellow yet? Is it the car wax getting on the film that causes it?

I had a kit installed that I ordered from E-bay last year. It is the 3M material and cost ~$180 for the entire hood,, bumper, mirror, etc. kit. I had also purchased the fake and cheap stuff (I believe the kit was roughly $40) to practice with. I did notice a difference in material quality between the 3M material and some of the others (Ventureshield, etc.). I do not believe the $40 kit will hold up as well over time and it does not appear to be as thick as the 3M material.

I can tell you this, if you do not have experience with this stuff, you most likely will not get the bumper section correct considering all of the curves, etc. The hood is easier, however the front bumper is difficult. Consider I have a relatively decent amount of experience with this. I recently custom cut the portions to cover my aero flares and have done other custom pieces on some of my cars.

I will certainly have the clear bra installed on any vehicle I purchase moving forward, in fact I had it installed on my daily driver last year after installing it on the RX8. It is certainly worth it if you are as particular about your car as I am. You can see what the clear bra looks like on a WWP in the attached post.

https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...1&postcount=14

^Excellent! Thanks.

Is there a precut clear bra for the mazdaspeed front bumper?

I have the siebon ts hood, anybody know if the hood kit will work? I believe it is only the first 23 inches of the hood so it should stop before any vents.