Paint Protection and FE/MPG

If you want, you can wax right over the shield and make it slippery in the wind, although I don't think it will make any difference. Enjoy your new Prius.

 

Absolutely. The right mirror on my 2010 has taken a beating & is still intact. It all depends on how hostile the environment is that you drive through.

The cups behind the door handles also take a beating.

 

Maybe PC member rrolff could test how paint protectant affects FE at the JPL wind tunnel and report back to you.

 

Ask them if it blocks UV light. If so and you park outside then I'd say yes. After 5yrs of outside parking, my headlights are starting to yellow. Now I have to sand and polish them to clean off the degraded area.

 

Wax it yourself once a year and save the $300 :_>

 

Welcome to PriusChat. Forget the paint sealant expense. It's just a gimmick!

 

I assumed the OP was talking about 3M Clear Bra protection and not paint sealant. Am I wrong?

 

I though OP was talking about a wax paint sealant, rather than the bra. My concern with the bra is the paint under the bra not matching the rest of the car after years of use. At one time, Toyota installed a clear plastic coating across the front, but I understand that has been discontinued, though I don't know why.

Many folks complain about the soft paint across the front of the plastic and top of hood. The bra may be a good solution if you're traveling on gravely roads and or in heavy traffic and have concerns for debris hitting the front of your Prius. I suppose you just have to get used to the look.

If you install it, post a pic.

 

As long as you maintain your vehicles paint finish, there should be no real noticeable difference. The clear bra itself will tend to discolor a bit over time depending on how often the car sits in full sunlight but that takes years. The bra can always be removed and a new film installed if that becomes an issue.

If properly installed, the clear bra is nearly invisible and really does help with rock chips. The shop I used to work at installed clear bras. I wish I had installed the full system on my Prius back when it was new. Rocks and road debris have taken their toll on the front end of my car such that I hate washing that area because its so ugly.

 

The effect on FE is negligible. If you had it stuccoed, that would make a difference.

 

Paint protection is not a bad way to gain efficiencies. I think it needs some further testing though.

Ceramic window tint alone gets you near 1 MPG (during sunny daytime driving).

 

I have a similar product called Clear Shield and there is no adverse effect on mileage whatever. I had the headlights done also because I too have had plastic headlight covers turn yellow from UV. The guy who did mine was very patient and had to try a couple of times to get the headlights covered correctly.

I live in an area where they use small lava rocks (gravel) on the snow vice salt. We also have quite a few gravel roads. The Clear Shield/Clear Bra products really help. 40K miles and no rock chips at all.

 

I don't think you are wrong. One question: If that clear bra does provide UVA protection doesn't that mean that the car will fade at different rates?

I don't think that the clear bra would have any impact on mileage but ask Rrollf, he can make up some tests and tell you all about them.

 

Potentially yes but see my post above. Color of your car will play a large role as well because some colors oxidize much faster.

 

I asked once (3M that is) and was told that if they made it UV resistant they would end up with two toned cars. I don't think it is. I wax my headlights often for that very reason. The headlight enclosures are getting very, very expensive and as far as my 04 TBird is concerned, really hard to find.

 

I don't care about the bikini line, as long as you get a regular bikini wax.