eddiekay

does anyone clear bra their entire car? or is that silly

Hoac

Wish I would have gotten a clear bra. My front bumper and hood have been beaten to hell with all of the freeway driving I do. Going to wait a bit and get it repainted then get a clear bra.


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reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

Do it for the hood and front part of fenders, but I don't think it's worth it to do bumper because it's hard to do and therefore expensive
Although bumpers get chipped more often than other parts, but don't forget they are like plastic...they won't rust
If it gets really bad in a few years, a new paint job on the bumper itself doesn't cost that much
Not to mention if you bump into or get bumped into here or there.....

Nilism

I just wanted to ask about maintenance. Pre and post install.

Should a new car from the dealer get detailed before installing a clear bra? Will this lock in your detailing under the bra? Or is stock paint good enough to just throw a bra on?

How does detailing work after the bra is installed? Business as usual? Does anyone have experience with sealants like glassplexin?

Hoac

You should detail your car (even if its brand new) before putting on the clear bra. Even the brand new cars sit in a warehouse, have to be shipped, etc and get a layer of grit on them. First thing you should do to any new car is claybar + optional stuff + wax to keep the paint in good condition from the start.

Sango

iTrader: (10)

There are people that wrap the entire car if they really want to keep the vehicle in pristine condition. It's going to at least cost about 6K or so.

To the experienced, doing the whole bumper is relatively easy. I watched the installer put it on my bumper and was impressed.

I probably most likely disagree about getting a new paint job because it will not be the same as factory paint from the factory as it will be compromised. This is where the film comes into play, where the film can take the damage and essentially protects the factory paint and all which needs to be replaced is the film; that goes without saying that the film is not indestructible so it cannot protect against everything but most typical things like the rock chips and scratches.

Of course one could get a new factory painted from from Lexus Japan but one problem is they are factory cut meant for the Japanese license plates.

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

Definitely wash but not "detail" the hood before the clear bra
As in wash and degrease and clay and alcohol diluted water, so it's completely stripped of stuff
Then put on the bra

Then after putting on the bra, polish/wax the rest of the hood
wax the bra annually too to prevent anti-yellowing

MyIS350G

iTrader: (6)

DO IT! got mine done and im glad it did it

SL222

You really see it when comparing side by side with a car that doesnt have it.

I have it on my is250, and my buddys 335i looks like baasd beside my car.
I have 0 chips on the hood and fenders after 60k miles and it shines like crazy.

Never gave it much thought before but having a car now that had it since day one, it's a must.
I dont mind paying the price to keep it looking new, heck I might even to the whole cAr in it lol.

Sango

iTrader: (10)

^
There are people who do full cars. It's worth it if the owner is really committed on keeping it pristine and plans to keep their vehicle for a long time. It will cost around $6K or so at the shop I go to.

I seen some full wrap cars at the shop for myself, it looks very nice. There was also Ferrari in there in the middle of getting a whole wrap one too at the time.

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

When I bought my 2010 350 back in August, it had a total of 4 rock chips on the entire front end. After driving it for a week to and from work, it had double that. That next week end, I bought a venture shield clear bra....now I can actually enjoy my car and not drive like a 90 year old woman.

It's the best first mod I could have ever done to keep the front end looking fresh. I had the entire hood, bumper, and 1/4 panels covered. The guy did my door cups, side view mirrors, and also my door sills to protect the paint from shoe scuffs. It was ~$1100 for it all....money well spent.

Maintenance wise, just keep a coat of non abrasive wax on it....treat it like paint, but be sure to tape all edges before doing so.

Nilism

Stupid question, if you tape the edges I guess you just hand polish he seams? From bra side to paint side, or does that matter much?

Do you get wax built up against the leading edge of the seam? Also, you are just using painters masking tape?

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

Yes, use blue painter's tape or a mild masking tape. The tape is to protect the film from peeling up when you buff/polish the panels that do not have film since you tend to put more pressure on actual painted surfaces to remove defects.

I hand buff the film once I finish the painted surfaces (take off the tape before and be extra easy around edges. A damp fine microfiber towel will take off the build up in most cases or you can use any synthetic detailer spray and microfiber towel (works great). If that doesn't work, you can go at it with a qtip and iso alcohol, but be careful because you can scuff the bra and also run the chance of making the film hazy.

Hope this answers your questions.

Nilism

A couple more questions, do you like to keep the tape flush with the edge of the clear bra, or just over lapping onto the paint a bit? One way will keep paint out of the seam/lip the other way will get you a nice tight buff to the seam.

Do you just wax the bra and nothing more? No abrasive cutting polishes?

350Pearl

iTrader: (4)

I would do it! I got my Lexus used and it didn't have a clear bra and the bumper and hood have a lot of paint chips from the previous owner. So I plan on respraying my bumper and hood (once I get a front lip), and get a clear bra on my car!