User 41924

Well, I've done it. After swearing off black cars years ago, I now have my second. The good news is I know a LOT more about caring for it than I did back then, and the new one isn't cheap GM paint. The bad news of course, is that it's soft Lexus black paint.

I picked up the new car Friday night, and spent Saturday cleaning and polishing the paint. It came out really good, but now I have to decide it I'm going to do a mask. I'm not all that excited about how they look, but I've seen black cars with rock chips, and they REALLY stand out. I'm not sure I could stand it. I have a mask on our white RX, and it's almost impossible to keep dirt out of the edges. The mask on my Smokey Granite Mica IS didn't show too much, but the installation was horrible, and it bothered me for 3 years. I don't want to do that again.

Any suggestions that don't cost an arm and a leg?

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Find a shop that will do a custom clear bra install instead of using a pre-cut kit... They can wrap all of the edges so you do now have visible cut lines around every panel gap and feature.

User 41924

Yeah. The pre cut mask was on our RX when we bought it, and there are a LOT of thick edges. I had forgotten about the possibility of wrapping the edges. That would just leave the one across the hood and fenders. I'll ask about it.

But I'm even more interested in the opinion of folks that take care of their paint. Do you think the mask is a good idea, or do you just suck it up and deal with the rock chips as they appear? I'm not convinced the car looks worse with a few rock chips, than it does with the mask. It's true that the mask almost disappears from 15 feet away, but so do a few chips.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Clear bra is absolutely the best choice for car owners who want to keep their vehicle looking its best. If you have a new car that is fortunate enough to not be riddled with rock chips yet, I would 110% recommend investing in clear bra to protect the high impact areas.

Keep in mind, while rock chips can certainly be repaired by repainting a panel, no repaint job is going to be as good as OEM paint. Preserving this OEM paint is ideal if at all possible, so the clear bra is the perfect product for doing this. If you speak to a professional installer who uses high end film, the clear bra will be nearly invisible even from just a few feet away from the car. Overtime it may weather, however this is to be expected. It is cheaper to replace the clear bra every 5 years than it is to have the front end of your car repainted every few years.

-Zach