3ISRC

I bought my car a month ago with only 9k miles. The owner barely drove it and the hood and bumper is like new and no rock chips. I've been contemplating if I should get a clear bra or not on this white car. My car is not my daily since I drive 100miles a day. Do you guys think it's worth it? How does it look on a white car and what brand after months/years after install? Any advice is appreciated!

LexusFirst

white is the worst color for clear bra because the bra will turn to yellow when it is old. If you keep your car indoor, the bra will will stay clear longer. In addition, it does last several years before it turn to yellow.
Full coverage will be the best, but it might be expensive.
I suggest you to get as least the FULL hood, front fenders, roof, and front bumper. Just don't go for half hood if you care the looks.
clear bra is the best protection for rock chips if you don't want to deal with repaint or touch up paint.

I think it is worthy. If you want perfect paint on your car, just go for it. You probably sold you car already before it gets old.

3ISRC

Good point. The more I research on this, it appears the material quality has improved over the years when it comes to yellowing etc.

davyjordi

i had a clear bra (xpel ultimate) on my starfire pearl 2IS. i didn't regret having it installed for a moment.

after a few months of ownership i did notice a number of rock chips, had them touched up and then had the clear bra installed. no rock chips for the remainder of the time i owned the vehicle (2008-2014).

now i have a clear bra on my 3IS, although the car isn't white this time around, it's matador red mica.

HanaleiISF

Drove my new Ultra White for a few days while waiting for my clear bra appointment and picked up quite a few chips. Any chip you get on the white is black underneath. Clear bra'd the entire front of the car back to the doors. That way you can avoid the line across the hood and fenders where debris will accumulate. No more chips in 6500 miles of driving!

SoCalISF

I have 3M on my Ultra White car, 1/2 hood, fenders, bumper, headlights, mirrors. Only been about 6 months but it already saved my hood from a piece of something that hit my hood in a gust of fairly serious wind. As information I have never had a full hood done, and never had damage beyond the 1/2 bra. It seems anything that has impacted the hood of any of our vehicles has been on, or near the leading edge of the hood.

Have the same product on our white A7, over two years in the So Cal sun, no yellow. Also on my wife's 3IS, although it is not white. Had it on our white Super Duty and white Tacoma, each for over five years when sold, no yellow. Have it on two of my daughter's rides, a Civic and an Impreza. Money well spent.

I won't have another nice car without it, ever. One thing I will say is... Installer is everything. Just like a quality paint job, you can spend the coin for quality material and have a less than stellar install job. Do your homework.

Smitty17

as others have already stated, well worth the investment to keep the car looking good!! the higher end 3m or similar should last quite a while if taken care of.

RoiteTrom

For me, only the front and back bumper of the car is mandatory for clear bra. Nothing else. Rock chips WILL happen, especially if driving on the highway. The best part is that you won't even be able to tell its there unless your face is up close to the car.

kinglexus99

I have the factory stuff that came on the car when I got it...my only complaint is the outline of black soot that develops over time. I tried peeling the protection off myself but it just made the lines worse. Best to leave it off imo because it will either turn yellow as others explained or show the soot outline.

davyjordi

have the entire hood as well as front fenders wrapped and have the installer wrap the film under the hood, fender panel lines, etc., so that there is no visible line. i had this done on my previous IS and my current IS and it takes care of any unsightly dirt that would otherwise be visible.

again, if you don't have cheap film installed, you should incur no yellowing. that, and top-end films offer extensive warranty plans against any defect, yellowing included.

as an aside, no paint protection film comes from the factory aside from the small rear protective pieces located on above the rocker panels in front of the rear wheels. any other paint protection film installed, even the rear bumper cover appliqué, are dealer-installed options. and absolutely no car comes from the factory with paint protection film on the front end.

3ISRC

You guys have provided some great input on this. Thanks. I will start shopping around. I live in AZ where it is very dusty especially during Monsoon season (dust storms). I'm leaning more towards in getting it. Having some kind of protection is better than none. I already received multiple rock chips that I had to touch up with the minimal driving I've done since I bought the car.

3ISRC

I had this issue as well! black outline in the factory installed ones in front of the rear wheel. My guess is that this is the result of the bra shrinking slightly and dust or dirt have collected on the exposed sticky part. It was a PITA to get rid off! I had to use goo gone and even with that I wasn't able to fully get rid of it. I also noticed both films are starting to discolor and they are noticeable now.

I guess this is my main concern, yellowing and edges of the bra collecting dirt.

3ISRC

So I got a quote from a 3M certified installer for $600 total. It will be the 3M 7 year warranty. The film will be 3M Proseries. The coverage will be front bumper, partial fenders, partial hood, and side mirrors. Do you guys think this is a good deal? Should I go for it?

737NG

iTrader: (8)

That is a pretty good price in my opinion. I just had it done at the dealership and it was $750.00
I know I paid more, but I wanted it done before I took delivery. You can look at the paint wrong, and chip it on a Lexus. The paint they use is so soft.

3ISRC

Man tell me about it! I only drove it less than 500 miles after buying it and had a big chip on the hood and front bumper It seems the paint is so soft!