Clear Bra
 

rxeightr mentioned that he/she has a clear bra on the car. I have seen black bras listed, but never a clear bra. Where can I get one? Seems like nice protection without disrupting the look.

search for "3M"- you'll see lots of posts including mine- with pics of installation- prices, vendors----

This place is offering 25% discount
 

And he has very good service to boot.

http://www.clear-guard.com

Pics of my Yellow with a Clearbra (before and after) at link in signature. You'll love it.

nice pics ;)

or search for Ultrashield....both in here and on Google....there's a wealth of info out there....

Also www.xpel.com.

Good luck with the "clear bra." You'll find this product under a dozen different names, none of whick are worth a... you know what.

I run a custom auto trim shop in Ohio and we've researched and experimented with many brands of front-end clear coating. I have one word to describe them- "impossible."

We've been in business for 32 years, thats right, 32 years. We aren't novices by any means, and we had little success with installing these products.

The concept of this product is genius, but the actual product a major disappointment. Here's short list of reason why:

1. Expensive as hell
2. Absolutely impossible to install without "major" imperfections
3. Any attempt at installing this material requires a "group effort"
(minimum 2 people)
4. Expensive as hell

I attemped (we attempted) to install a kit on my RX8 last week- what joke! After hours of work, we were left with an end result wich was less than acceptable. Those who would choose to spend the money for a product such as this, would most likely expect in to be, at least, near perfect. No chance. Don't bother to waste the money.

The few kits we've installed for my customers have been sub-par as well. I actually felt bad charging them for the jobs. Like I said, great concept, but not acceptable in reallity.

Just some advice...

I agree with you mdw33333. This is the reason why I haven't put one on my 8. Everytime I see one, imperfections tend to show. Even if they are minor, they would constantly annoy me.

I like my women wearing nice lingerie so I prefer the black bra. Clear bras don't leave enough to the imagination and part of the fun of seeing my woman in nice lingerie is watching her take it off or helping her take it off :p

My clear bra. I swear it's there!
 

WOW, I TOTALLY DISAGREE!!!

http://www.cox-internet.com/adrian-1...34%20small.JPG

http://www.cox-internet.com/adrian-1..._0035small.JPG

Yes, these are pictures with the clear bra installed.
CLICK HERE for more of my clear bra pictures (hi res).

I actually had my clear bra kit installed today along with with the light/mirrors and hood kit and it looks great.

Bought it from clear-guard for 25%off in the vendors section. Can't even tell it's there unless you look very closely and then it's only a tiny line. Couldn't get it to show up on my camera unless I was really close and used the FLASH!

No major imperfections since I ordered the venture brand film instead of the 3m film and used a reliable installer. One installer told me he refused to put anything except venture on. The other said he'll put 3M on but he couldn't guarantee it from imperfections or tears. Venture stretches alot more than the others. The installer I finally went with had experience installing them for over a year and said his crew took a class on the proper method to install it. It still took them 8hours (final charge was $170, compared to $280 from the first installer).


I researched this product for over a month since I absolutely hate rock chips. It looked better than a using a leather bumper bra or using touch up paint. Here's a few pictures of my old car's hood/bumper...a 97 Prelude w/ 90k miles.....
pic1 and Pic2 Unacceptable!

In response to mdw33333 , try using venture tape or even taking a class.

In response to TiRX8 , hope rock chips don't annoy you.

I approve of this product (venture film) and also recommend shopping around for an experienced installer.
-Adrian

Re: My clear bra. I swear it's there!
 

I hate rock chips!! I already have a few (3 or 4). I am more interested in enjoying the performace of the car for 2-3 years. Eventually I will buy a new car, I don't want to keep this car forever. IT'S ONLY A CAR!! I have been through many cars already and never tend to keep one longer than 4 years. I maintain them as best as possible in that time span. Rock chips annoy me but a few are more acceptable than the big plastic line across your hood!!

I'm definetly into enjoying the performance of this car. Plan to payoff my 4yr auto loan alittle early and hope to have the car for a total of 7years. Not having a car payment rocks. The clear bra is defintely a long term investment. (I wouldn't have paid $565 total if I was getting something else in 2-3years.)

Adrian1, the product I attempted to use was the "Venture Tape" brand. In all the years i've been in this business, I've seen some really "near impossible" things accomplished with car products, but this stuff is not practical for application, let alone, profitablity for for the installer. Like I said, "genius material, poor application."

As for "your" Venture Tape kit, glad it worked out for you. As for your installer, i feel sorry for him, because at that labor rate he won't be in business long. We are professionals who work at shop hourly rate of $68. We can command that rate and get it after 32 years in business.

By the way, my installers and I have been trained on the application of this material. I installed my kit in 3 hours, to near perfection. Like I said, "near perfection," which isn't good enough for me. Hmmm, maybe I should have taken another 5 hours (lol) to do it...

I'm sure they didn't work on it for all 8 hours, maybe worked on the other 2 cars in their shop also, and hopefully they took a lunch.

They usually cut they're own kits right there in the shop and make alittle more profit that way, but I got mine through clearguard.com at 25%off. The installation price breakdown was $75 for the bumper, $75 for the hood,fender, and mirror, and $20 for the headlights. This sounded reasonable to me since I can see it would be difficult to install.
$170/8hrs is 21.25/hr which is alittle more than I make so I know his kids won't be starving for food anytime soon.

I forgot to mention their site for anyone in the Austin area that is interested.
Click here for the site.

mdw33333, I apologize for the "take a class" comment, that was a bit harsh. I'm just explaining my kit purchase and the outcome. I can easily understand if others have a different opinion on clear bras (like you said, many different materials out there).
One installer informed me that while installing some generic clear bra it wouldn't stretch like others and ended up tearing it and had to purchase a new one out of pocket.
The other installer that said he couldn't guarantee it would be free of imperfections, used to install it for a dealership and stopped after the dealership/ customers kept complaining of small defects.

Like you said, the kit worked for me but that may not be the case for others.
-Adrian

Thanks, you all have been a big help...looks like we need to research both the products and the installers...and see some work.

hugh

I'm not sure why these "body guys" are so down on clear-bras. My brother has had one on his lexus for 4 or 5 years and it's holding up just fine. I had mine put on the 8 the second week of December and it's as perfect as I'd ever hope one to be. Like adrian, I only see if I'm looking for it. Regarding the extent of labor, yep it took 2 guys. I sat there and watched them. About two hour total. The cost was $445. Wish I could make $111 per manhour for what I do. I agree--take a class!!

FirstSpin, have a clue before chiming in, ok? If you paid attention to what I was saying you'd understand. My point about this material is a valid one. You need to take a reading comprehension class...

I posted these in my other thread with the rest of the pics of my 8 but I thought I'd put them here for you as well. Thusfar, I am a happy customer and think that everything turned out well. Mine was purchased through Clear-Guard, which uses the Venture Tape.

I had the guy who tinted my windows (on my last few cars & my 8) do the clear-bra application. I only did this because he said that he could do it. His window tinting talents are unreal and the closest authorized installer for Clear-Guard was in the Akron/ Canton area which is about 2+ hours away from me here in Columbus. He said that he hadn't put one on before and that he had only put it on a PT Cruiser or Caravan once before. Basically, I put my trust in him and it paid off HUGE!! Best of luck if to you if you choose to go this route. I am very fortunate that mine turned out the way that it did.

Lights were done also:

Not too bad for his first time, huh?

I wish I had gotten one. I Zaino'ed for the first time yesterday, and you don't realize how many damn rock chips there are until you get a good shine! Grrrr.

Price is a bit steep though, would only be worth it if you were sure you were going to keep it after loan payoff. For a trade-in, chips don't matter in the least. I still had a chip above where the film would be anyway!

Here in Chicago there is so much salt, rock chips and sand that would a nightmare to your front. Thank God for my clear bra, best investment so far

I looked into the clear bra - and still want to get one. BUT, the estimates I've gotten have ranged from 800-1300 for the front kits (bumper and lights/fenders).
Still can not figure out why the prices are so high ($ 100 materials plus $600 PER HOUR in labor ??? (assuming a 2 hour install - the time needed per most posts).

I know people deserve to make a good profit - but that is unreasonable in my opinion. Anyone in the MD area found a good price (with an experienced installer) yet ?

Cheers,

MD8 - My guy told me he origianlly estimated 3 hrs but I think after all was said and done it took him a little over that, maybe almost 4hrs. With the estimates that people are getting I must be extremely lucky to have received $175+tax!!!

I just got mine installed today and it was 720 bucks CAD installed hood, front bumper, mirrors, headlights and foglights. After it was done, the guy told me I'm lucky cause he found out how difficult it was to put on the 8 and is gonna charge the next guy at least 850...
but it was raining today and I didn't get to inspect it till I got home and I noticed these tiny air bubbles on one of the headlights... and there's a tiny part in the curve between the headlight and bumper that's not sticking to the bumper and is curling up.... going to take it back tomorrow and see what they can do about it... hopefully they'll just peel it off with heatgun and reapply!

I believe the air bubbles might be normal. Read somewhere that they should evaporate in a day or two.
Now the lifting up piece isn't good. Definitely need to reapply the alcohol solution to make it stick. It might be from the rain, my installer told me not to wash it within the first 48 hrs because it needs time to stick and washing it that soon might lift it up.

What part didn't I comprehend 33333? I caught the part about you being the only one on this post who seems to have a pronounced hatred for clear bras. I not only have a freaking CLUE, I have a clear bra which is more than you can say apparently.

I made two valid points. The quality is sufficient to please some (if not most) people and a clear bra dealer won't necessarily starve to death. What set you off other than the fact that I referred to you as a body-guy? Not that I really care; just curious.....

I've noticed some really high prices for installing the clear bra. I just had my 8 done for $350.00 with the 3M, 8 mil material. The installation included front facia, hood, front fenders, mirrors, behind rear wheel wells, and a small piece on back bumper at the trunk. He came to my house to do the install. (I think this was the first 8 he did and found it very tedious, so he might increase his installation price also.)

For those in the Charlotte, NC area and Irwindale, CA. the name of the company is Star Shield Armor (www.starshieldarmor.com)

The person to contact in Charlotte is Carl Church. Direct contact number is a CA. cell phone number 323.864.8051.


I am a clear bra believer. The same person installed the clear bra on a Miata 10AE. After four years it was still good and it did it's job well. Saved the front end from many a paint chip and knicks.

If anyone gets a good price in Maryland or N. Virginia area, please post the info. -- I am looking to get the front kits (bumper, hood, lights, etc.) for under $600.

I am trying to hold the line on price...last price quote I got was $1,300. These companies would charge the MAX $$ - if folks are dumb enough to pay it. (I think $1300 is a little ridiculous for $30 in materials and two hours work - be REASONABLE).

Cheers

Can you use zaino on top of clear bra?

I was advised to use carnuba wax and stay away from any products with petroleum in them. There's a potential for yellowing, at least with the 3M material.

The installer who applied the clear bra (ClearBra of Oregon) on my car recommended not waxing it until any trapped water/alcohol and air had time to evaporate (the tape is slightly porous). I left it for a month and then Zaino'd it. It looks great! There's no difference in shine between the bra and the unprotected paint.

The installer did a great job. I'm 100% satisfied and would highly recommend this process, especially with Venture Tape.

Maximus - John at Clear-Guard told me to wax mine as well. If you want to know about a specific product just give him a call, he is a nice guy and should have the answers you're looking for.

Looking for installer in Northern Illnois, Southeast Wisconsin. Any ideas, would like someone with experience based on all our your comments.

Question, assuming that after some time, the bra will get abused ...so are they easy to remove and replace? Also, any issues with paint fade, or discoloration....hate the looks of a 2-tone red.

Thanks

The installers who put mine on said that you CAN remove the plastic but it "takes a lot of elbow grease". Given that Zaino and other protective coatings will absorb UV and will also avoid oxidation, thus hopefully minimizing paint discoloration; you should wind up with the same color paint under the bra as you have on the rest of the car.

Like I said on an earlier thread, my brother has had one on his car for 4 or 4.5 years now and it has yet to need replacing. Hopefully there will be no need to replace yours (or mine).

thanks, it sounds like they are pretty tough. We expect to keep the 8 for a long, long time.

Thanks for your advice.

Paint Protection Film does not block UV light but allows the paint covered by the film to age at the same rate as unprotected areas of the vehicle.....no two tone paint.

With regular care and maintenance (regular washing & waxing) the Paint Protection Film will last longer than most people will own the car. Its important not to use a wax that contains dyes or waxes not recommend for urethanes. Abrasive and/or rubbing compounds are not to be used.

Manufacturers (3M, Avery Dennison, Venture Tape) are "improving" their films and warranties vary from 3 & 5 years to Venture Tapes new "life Time" warranty.

Paint protection installation prices vary through-out the United States, if possible try to find an installer experienced with your specific vehicle or has been in the business for a while.

Based upon this comment, you suggest Zaino'ing the clear bra along with the rest of the car paint?

My concern was the polish would actually degrade the PVC material.

Zaino is not a wax but a paint sealer.....so I would not use Zaino on the film only a wax.

Still waiting for 'the rest of the story'

Hm, how long do these last? I imagine the edges becoming a tiny little less sticky with every car wash or simply over time, showing more and more of a line (which'd be ugly). Also, how easily do they peel off if you need to exchange (just because of the edges .. how sad :) ).

Btw, success07, you said, you did the lights, too? Hm, isn't this aproblem with Xenon lights? Not sure about the US, but here in Switzerland it' not legal to drive Xenon without light washing sprays installed ... I'd assume coating the lights with anything would be the same, since Xenon gets so incredibly hot?

Voon - John at Clear-Guard would be able to answer this better but from what I understand The Lighting Protection uses a layer of film which still allows for heat to escape yet still protects against chips or cracks. I haven't had any problems thusfar and am very pleased with the product.

My clear-bra installers recommended against doing the lights and I trusted their judgement. Lots of guys on here have had the lights done though. Not sure who's right.

I was cleaning my RX-8 the other day and I noticed that when I looked at the headlight lenses from the side I could see what looked to be heat related discoloration. It's really subtle but it is there. I'm not sure if this is deterioration of the clear film that's on my headlights or of the lenses themselves. Anyway, if you're getting your headlights covered, it's probably worth asking whether there's any problem with the temperature that the Xenons run at.

Nice point... Looks pretty good as well...
*Thumbup*

ANother great aspect of the 3 material at least.....

My first 8 got damaged by another car in my garage. They gouged the fender- which needed to be filled- but the bumper- which also got side swiped pretty hard looked bad, but when my intsaller made a slit just after the damaged area, and pulled the 3M off, the paint was perfect underneath! And this was no light bumper tap.

Also I had the rear bumper done in 12 mil material- wrapping all the wal around to the rear wheel well. The even did something cool the 2nd time I had it done on (which was on my replacement 8 I got last week) where the matial went inside and behind the license plate. I know my bumper will be able to take people tapping it with thier bumper, becuase on my forst 8- the black plastic below the rear bumper was chewed up a bit (All there is here in NYC is parallel parking) but the bumper itself was perfect. ANd my last car's bumpers looked like hell even though I had them resprayed twice I think over the years. I am actually more concerned with people hitting me as they park than I am with rock chips, which Is why I got my 2nd 8 covered 2 days after picking ut up from the dealer. The installation looks perfect BTW.

I had the light covered- but Canzoomer brought up a good point. The lens covers from the headlight are fairly cheap to replace (like $65he thought) and the thick 3M material he says does cut down on light output. They also did a strip as a door edge guard- looks pretty good- you can see it though - I'd love to see what the MAzda door edge guard looks like installed.

My installer in NJ /NY - they have a shop in both states- and obviouly have done RX8's before- 2 were mine...

Monster Coatings, Inc.
13 Barthold Place
Garfield, NJ 07026
973-983-7662

What about if you have a kit? Can you still install the clearbra?