IS3_FTW

iTrader: (3)

I had my car clear bra'd, down here in Tacoma, WA. I thought it would have wrapped around the hood, but didnt. So you see lines all over my car

I am trying to find another shop, that will do a better job. I hear Aerotech in Cali, does a magnificant job. But thats a day away

Its not about the deal, its about the service that should be #1.

Grabber

Ok, so I am shopping for a clear bra. Price is a secondary factor. I think a good installation requires a good pattern AND a good installer. IMO the installer can't do a great job with a lousy pattern and vice versa. VentureShield is one pattern source I know of and the other I think is Invisible Mask.

I've been trying to ascertain who currently is a reputable installer. Does anyone have any recent dealings with:

N-Motion?
Vancouver Clearbra?
Tint Centre?

Stormforge

i just had my venture shield clear bra installed on my 2010 RX450h yesterday. regency lexus recommended tint centre, as tint centre do all of regency's clear bra requests for their customers. installation was good (ie no bubbles or smear marks).

scENFORCER

I thought Chee (NU350) had a nice job done on his IS. Sorry have no idea where he did it though..

NU350

Thanks Sammy, I ordered the pre-cutted clear bar on ebay and did it
myself.

scENFORCER

Alright boys and girls, I think I'm gonna call up North Shore Unique detailing (or whatever theyre called) and get my car protected for the winter.
Then I'm gonna get a clear-bra installed. So the consensus is TintCenter?

Stormforge

i have no problems with tintcenter. but he is somewhat difficult to get a hold of by email. your best bet is to call him directly.

scENFORCER

Great, I will do that. Thank you!

s300ae

id be really careful with the clear bras. the adhesive can leave a mark of the bra on the hood with other deposits that come along with winter. also, if a rock comes off a truck, its goin to damage the covering, exposing the hood. i know people that work at body shops, and they dont recommend them at all because of how many hoods they had to repaint after taking the bra off. best thing, the leather bra. yes, its extremely ugly, but its the best thing for protection that you can take on and off.

Jetfire

iTrader: (3)

But with leather bras, it's ugly and the paint won't oxidize at the same rate as the car paint. Body shops might be telling you that so that when you get enough rock chips, you have to get it repainted anyways. I don't see a reason for removing the clear bra, even if it yellows, i've got lifetime warranty from ventureshield.

I got mine done by kris at tintcentre, better price than n-motion and does a good job.

The only thing is, don't try to use any polish that's too aggressive(eg. plasti-x) I messed up one of my fender clear bras while trying to remove bird crap too hastily with a crappy microfiber.

scENFORCER

So I've been doing a bit of research on clear-bras and I got a quote from TintCenter for $800 for a full kit!! I thought that was outrageous thinking clear-bras couldn't be more than $500, so I started calling around.
I was referred to Trim-Line Auto Design who then quoted me at $750!! Is this what clear-bras really cost!? This huge price is making me reconsider the whole idea..
But has anyone had any experience with Trim-Line? They seem pretty knowledgeable apparently using only the 'highest quality 3M' bras etc, etc.

While I was researching around I found out that leather bras are actually one of the worst things you can do to your car/paint/lacquer because sand, dirt and other road grime gets underneath the bra. It acts like sandpaper on the surface of the car due to the vibrations as it runs. Apparently (obviously only if left on for a long time) there have been horror stories of the bra sanding away at the car to bare metal!

Stormforge

yes, clear bra kits are uber expensive. and make sure that the price you were quoted for is for the full hood or half hood. the $800 from tintcenter is for L/R side mirrors, front half of hood, full bumper, headlights and fog lights (possibly signal lights if they are in the front). price is negotiable with tintcenter, they can price match. for full hood, you're looking to pay well over $1,000.

but on the flipside, you don't have to worry about repainting your front hood or bumper again (unless you get a rock chip that goes through the clear bra - different story).

s300ae

You make great points. it works either way! there is no perfect way of going about it. the safest way to drive without getting any rocks is having your car in a trailer while pulling it with a truck

jetblackm3

Did you go back to them to inquire about having it redone, if they offer a quality service they should have no issue! Maybe the shop messed up that day... I was looking into clearbra and seen this http://lemueljopio.com/2009/07/08/3m...great-product/ I guess it is vancouver clearbra but the wrong website as it is a .ca and not .com

girlracer

I recently got mine done at SR Auto Group. I walked in one day to look at one of the matte black vinyl cars they did, and surprising they also do clear 3M rock gaurd vinyls as well. Good service, and quality work, I'd definately recommend them.