Clear Bra

No problem. You can order the pieces from Kenny and have it locally installed, he serves the entire U.S. and makes the kits some other vendors use.

I do have the door edge guards, the ding bar, mirrors and a gas nozzle strip.

 

Should you wax the car before installing or after? Or will something bad happen if you do or don't wax it before installing?

 

It is recommended that you install it on a car that has no wax (natural or any synthetic products).

If the car has already been waxed, I reccomend that you remove the wax with a "silicone, grease&wax" remover which is available at professional car paint shops. If the car has ordinary (natural) wax, then you can use Tarminator by Stoner (http://www.tarminator.com/) and hold on to the loftover for bug & tar removal.

If you have a synthetic coating on the car (that means anything other than natural wax) you are on your own. The film will stick, but for how long?

The clear film does not need any wax and you will generally be told not to wax it. From everyine I know that has the clear film, they wax the whole car and it causes no problems. You will get a small buildup of wax on the edge of the film but it is removable with a Q-tip.

When you get bugs on the film, it is best to gently remove them (no fingernails as you can scrape the film) in a reasonably short amount of time. If not, you may get a spot. Not to worry because the spot will disappear on its own.

My only wish is that I could have covered the whole car with this stuff!

 

I am very happy with a product called Armor Glove (www.armorglove.com). It carries a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. The factory trained installer is named Lance and he is very consciensious and did a great job (he is listed on the web site under California, Temecula). He travels to your home to do the install. Clear plastic bras are more expensive than traditional car bras, but there is no paint damage.

Mel

 

While getting my window tint estimate yesterday, the guy tried to sell me the clear bra. (This is one of the best tint shops in town) He showed me a car that just had it done. I was not impressed with the distinct line across the front of the hood, and there was a definite difference in texture appearance between the standard finish and the clear bra application. It looked good over the headlights, truely invisible there. The price quoted was $669! I told him I could buy a lot of black sharpies and bottles of scratch cover for that price and the window tint takes priority. What good is lack of paint chips if you are dead from heat stroke?

 

You can avoid the line by ordering custom film to cover the entire hood. It is expensive but really protects the paint.

 

I can't believe the desire to install this product by owners. I am a car person and can do most anything with cars, but I would not tackle this because I wanted it to be truly invisible. If I did it, given no training or experience, it would likely have bubbles and wrinkles.

It cost me $400 to have it done professionally and it is not visible until you get within 3 feet of it and then all you can see are the edges.

Cutting a pattern yourself and applying it, I shudder to think what the finished result looks like.

As for modifying your driving habits, OK. Let's see your car after 3 years and compare it to mine with the clear bra. Regardless of how slow or how much space you leave, what do you do with cars passing you kicking up junk or the cars coming towards you kicking up junk?

OH well, good luck with that project, I hope it looks nice.

 

I'm not sure what post you are answering. I completely agree, installing the clear plastic bra is a job for professionals. What I intended to explain is that there are options when ordering from a professional installer, such as covering the entire hood.

 

OK, point taken. Although the pre-cut kit covers the about 2/3 of the hood, up beyond the headlights.

 

DIY help on installing the clear bra

http://www.xpel.com/support/installation/instructions.asp





Here are good pictures installing the clear bra on a mirror back.
helps you understand the lock down and stretch mode.
note: when you click on different pictures move mouse pointer
on picture and you will see text on top of picture explaining the process.

http://www.xpel.com/support/installation/photos.asp

click on lower right "more installaton photos"
to see photos on heavily contoured bumper.
very helpful!

There is so much stuff to see at this site. Just click around and explore.

 

If you have tar on your car, use some baking soda, yes any brand. Make some paste with a little bit of water and it comes right off. Not liable for any damage, if any occurs. I have used this on my white vehicles with no problem. Never had another vehicle to try it on. Maybe its like sand and helps get rid of it, but you barely have to do any rubbing. Possibly neutralizes the acids in the tar. Im sure its not as harmful as other products sold out there. JW

Let me know what you think.