DIY Clearbra :: A VICTORY!

So, eschewing the advice of experts I did my own install of Paint Protection Film (aka PPF or Clearbra.)

While it required significant patience, a clean environment and attention to detail I consider it a success. My prius now has full protection bumper, fender, hood, lights, side moldings, door edge guards and a strip to protect from fuel spills. Total cost $207.

Here are some things I learned along the way:

Invisimask.com is great to work with. Their web site offers an instant price match (I found better prices on ebay, some too low to match, so I just pushed the back arrow and put in a higher price until the site was willing to beat it.) I wanted to put some of this material on the moldings, but that wasn't in their catalog so I called, and the guy threw in some "reminants" for free that were more than large enough to cut the strips I needed from.

They give free door edge guards, but only four were included. Call in to ask for a fifth so you can put a strip on the hatch.

Thier "house brand" stuff is better than the 3M. It's actually ventureshield film, and has a smoother texture, and is easier to install (more flexible). The guys on tintdude.com say it hold up better with wear as well.

Work in a clean environment. Dust is your enemy with this stuff, so I had a good excuse to clean the garage, then I misted the floor with a spray bottle to keep any dust from coming up while I was working. I also had soem really bright halogen shop lights on a stand that I set up at a low angle to the car, that made the dust show up so I could wipe it with the (included) microfiber cloth.

RTFM! Instructions are very important here, especially the part about keeping everything very wet (especially your hands). The videos on the site were also helpful. Clean your hands very well (and rinse them very well) before you start.

Start with the easy stuff. I had never done this before, so I started with a strip below the gas door (not included, I cut it from the remnants provided) I think this order is very good: Fenders, Hood (Large, but easy, once it's in the right position) mirrors (stretching is key), headlights (clean them with undiluted rubbing alcohol first), then the bumper. I recommend the two-piece kit for the bumper. The seam is not noticeable, and it's much easier to put on.

Have some help for the bumper, it's a very large piece, and unwieldy. It also helps if you have ramps to bring the front end up.

Be patient! If it's not going down right don't be afraid to peel it back a bit, re-spray, and try again. Same thing if you see dust. Don't forget to keep the back wet, if you squeegee dry film hard it can leave a mark. If there are difficult fingers that won't stay down get all the water out, then come back in an hour, they will probably go down then. If not, you might need to carefully cut a little wedge out with the (provided) blade.

Sleep on it... It won't be perfect when you are done, but a lot of those little details seem to cure themselves overnight. The next day I took the car out in the sun and pulled any little bubbles with the (included) hypodermic needle. This worked great!

Or, take it to a pro. If you require absolute perfection take it to a pro. I was quoted $700, but I know folks have had it done for a little over $500. Mine looks great— it's not perfect, but it's certainly not $300 worse than perfect.

If you inspect closely (and nobody ever will) you can find little dust specks under the paint, and place where it's not lined up perfectly, but overall it's invisible, and the imperfections look a lot better than the little chips my previous prius did with just one month's unprotected driving...

If you have questions and are considering doing this yourself, let me know.

 

But it's an "Invisible bra"

It's going to happen... hopefully tomorrow. I'll have to bust out the macro lens so you can see the imperfections. You really do have to get in close.

At $500 I thought this was dubious, but at $200 it seems like a solid value.

They layers of protection are a bit mind boggling, I have PPF protecting the clear coat, which protects the paint, which protects the moldings, which protects the clear coat on the door, which ...

 

Yes, I would say the level of imperfection shown by my install is approximately equivalent to the damage that was suffered within the first month of driving my previous Prius.

"Detectable" is more appropriate than "noticeable" since they would not be noticed without a close-up inspection. The dust particles are also reversible by removing the bra, where ships are not.

Pictures will help with this, but I must be getting back to work now.

 

I would recommend getting the house film from Invisimask for the parts you had trouble on (bumpers I imagine) the stuff is very easy to stretch. Remember, the site has an instant price match function if cost is the #1 issue. Which vendor did you get the ebay kit from. Is it urethane (or would they tell you who made the film?) I would NOT recommend vinyl as it can dry, crack and damage the paint... but to each his own.