clear bra paint protection film

if you can afford it.. then by all means do it. it works as advertised.

i don't have it because i can't afford it at the moment.

 

I should have.Washed the car today it's got 2000 miles on it.White spots all over.Went to the dealer to have them look at it.They told me that they were chips and in a year the hood will be complete white.They blamed it on the EPA paint standards.Looks like thin paint to me!

 

Surely that's an exaggeration!

I haven't noticed any chips on mine, but I have neither looked very closely, nor done much highway driving.

 

I had the XPEL installed by a local shop that had done allot of these. Found him on the XPEL website. No regrets, have had it for over 1 year and still looks like new. He used to install 3M but changed to XPEL.

 

I have had remarkable results from the clear bra on the last three cars. I live out in the country with a gravel pit, crushed rock trucks constantly on eleven miles of the road I use. So much rock throwing. The clear bra has been great. Wish I could put it on the window shield. Ask the installer if he would and he said it had been ask before and he cannot by law do it. Yes, it works and I have had no yellowing but you must be a bit careful cleaning off the bugs for it does scratch. The installer this time gave me a couple 'microfiber cloths' and said to use them with plenty of water. They work.

But do not have Toyota do it, their basic is only a small strip on the top front of the hood or their bumper coverage is a very expensive extra. Whoever you have do it check some of their previous work. The first time I did it was at a detail shop where they called in part time help and it was not applied well.

 

I see your car is white---I'm considering a Super White Prius c---and you say you've had no yellowing. How long has the film been on your 2011 Prius? And which product is it, Xpel, Scotchgard, or VentureShield? (These latter two are by 3M, I believe.)

 

We would recommend 3M Scotchgard film or better yet if you can afford it use XPEL Ultimate. This film is warranted for 10 years and is a self healing films. Just awesome. Both films are great protection from the Florida Love bugs with no staining.

 

I put VentureShield on the 2006 & the 2010 Prius. The installer makes all the difference. The harsher the environment the bigger the payback.

Over the years paint has become thinner & more friendly to the environment so current paint won't last as long as older paint. The paint on my 2000 Intrigue could take more punishment in 2006 than the paint on my new Prius.

 

I had the '06, it was the Superwhite, for five years with Scotchguard and no yellowing. Of course I live in the U.S. of A. northwest and the Canada southwest, same weather, and I am rather certain I saw the sun at least a dozen times a year.

I did drive from Washington state to North Carolina twice with the '06 and once with the '11. And am going to NC again in September this year. All that distance and no damage where I had the plastic. Windshield took a beating and there were several places the plastic was gouged without going through to the paint.

 

I am getting a quote from an installer who has installed the 3m paint protection on my Tacoma and my wifes Honda Accord. He is going to call me tomorrow morning. I will post his quote. I will take the car to him as soon as I drive it off the lot.

 

My dealer quoted close to a grand for the 3M film on entire hood and bumper. I will just buy the black bra on my first oil change.

 

I would get an independent installers quote. Dealers are always going want a piece of the action. And in your case a very large piece. I would probably consider another dealer as well for all my future service...just an observation.....Wow....what a rip.

 

Mine was $650 for the 3M Ventureshield full kit from a reputable independent 3M authorized installer (EWT in Seattle). Liking it so far.. but its my first go with this stuff.

 

Are they selling black bras for the C up where you are? I have not been able to find any here is CA...if they are and you do, could you post a manufacturer/part number?

 

A black bra for your C? So, would this then be called a C Cup?

 

Well, if you put it that way, I guess I should be looking at a Victoria's Secret catalog instead of AutoSport!

 

I bet your car was painted in Japan. They might have an EPA-like agency in Japan but even in the US the EPA only makes rules about the paint fumes coming out of the factory. They don't care about the dry paint that is on the car.

One thing to remember about car sales people: They just make stuff up. If they really understood about cars and engineering and EPA regulations they would not be selling cars.

Actually "thin" is good. if the paint film can be held thin then it can flex and not crack. That was a huge problem with the early flexible plastic bumpers. How to make paint that will stick to the plastic and not crack. That polyurethane paint costs quite a lot. Use a good quality paste wax every 6 weeks or so.

 

This is a picture with clear-bra (3M Ventureshield full kit) installed. $650 installed and still liking it. If you can't see it... that is my point! You can see the lines up close but 99% of people will NEVER see it.