IS3Fguy

Does it mean you didn't invest to protect your car with clearbra? If you did, which parts that you have it on?

eyeball

Agreed!!!!

zabone

iTrader: (2)

I did not opt for clear bra. The only thing I did do is Opti coat the entire car. This is just for easy washing and never having to wax the car.

IS3Fguy

I parked my car outside this morning for few hours. Came back and found a spot of dried bird dropping. I removed it with wet naps for babies and now left a cloudy spot on the roof. I couldn't wipe it off with wet naps. Help? How can I get rid of it? I have an appointment for paint coating but two weeks from now. They will do clay Bar and polish on the car before paint coating. What can I do in the mean time?

zabone

iTrader: (2)

Let the detailer know about the spot. If you cleaned it off in time, a quick polish will take it out. However the worse case is wet sanding the etch mark. If suggest you not touch it for now let the detailer take care of it

IS3Fguy

I managed to remove it with Meguairs scratch removal I got from Wal Mart.

Anyway - how many rock chips you have so far? You don't drive highway a lot? That's why you didn't get clear bra?

zabone

iTrader: (2)

I have a couple on the hood and some bits on the very bottom of front grille.

I'd say I do 50/50 highway city

ancpratt

Hi guys,

I'm a huge stickler about chip damage too and am considering installing a clear bra as well but just can't justify the cost to help prevent or delay something from happening later. I have the F-Sport 250 in Obsidian and rock chips are a lot easier to see which doesn't make the situation any better. I live in the Atlanta, GA area and a local clear bra installer has quoted me $1,400 to apply film to the entire hood, front fascia, front fenders, mirrors and both A-pillars. That's all I would need but... I just can't commit to it. I've researched clear bra information and have found that the application would only last roughly 5 years. Also, I don't think there's a lot of long-term actual results out there yet to prove that the material won't yellow, fade or do some other characteristic that will make the car look worse in the long run.

I'll admit from photos I've seen, it looks fantastic right after it's put on the car but long term, I just don't know. How much of a beating can the film take? I can imagine that a rock hitting it at some higher threshold will damage the film too which defeats the purpose and that's definitely going to happen at some point.

I've had my IS for two months now and have 2,500 miles on it with a good chunk of that mileage from making a trip from Atlanta to Cincinnati and back one weekend. I thought for sure that I would catch all kinds of chips during that trip but only have one minute chip on the hood. I purposely stayed clear and held a distance behind any other vehicle and especially flat bed tractor trailers... Dump trucks are the worst! I actually have more rock damage on my windshield now than anywhere else with 4 noticeable chips on the glass. That makes me more upset since I'm forced to look at them now while I'm driving.

I still may install a clear bra and know I need to do it now, before any more chips occur. Most of my driving is on city streets with maybe 20% highway in the mix so hopefully I won't catch too many chips driving day-to-day.

What do you guys think?

doodlebug

I will say this based on my experience....

When I bought my last car (2008 G35) it came with a dealer installed? clear bra - partial hood, partial front fenders and mirrors (no front bumper). I was not familiar with clear bra products prior to buying the G. My front bumper took a decent beating in the 6 years I owned the car but the hood and front fenders were perfect.

After 4 years we (my husband & I) reinstalled a clear bra to the exact locations due to the original bra yellowing. I have no idea what brand was originally on the car but after seeing what protection it did provide I vowed to always to put ppf on my new cars, at least until I no longer purchase fairly expensive vehicles or get to where I no longer care.

When I bought my 3IS I had ppf (Xpel Ultimate) installed 3 days later and didn't drive in that 3 day time period to avoid chips.

After reading this forum on how soft Lexus paint is I am very glad that I decided to protect the front of the car.

I actually bought some inexpensive ppf online this winter and installed it myself on the rear quarter panels behind the wheels because I started to notice minute chips in the area and my neighborhood is a continuing construction zone.

I'll keep my cheap stuff on there until it needs to be replaced and then I'll have it professionally installed.

Sorry to be so long winded. Some people don't feel that the expense is worth the reward so you need to decide if it is to you......and then be happy with your decision.
GL

TheBatman

Don't tailgate. Once I stopped doing this and now always hang back a few car lengths, never had an issue with rock chips.

IS3Fguy

Do you have clear bra on? How long you have been driving with this method and free rock chips?

Spitznagle

I drove black Hondas for over 13 years- mostly highway. All received meticulous maintenance. My '96 Civic, at 200,000 mi, looked better than my 70k mi red Lexus. Dr Colorchip for now. The Riviera Red GS in my future will definitely get a clear bra. :-)

SW17LS

Your 96 Civic did not have water based low VOC paint like your Lexus.

TheBatman

No I don't. I've been driving a few years now with this method and no issues. It actually surprises me how rock chips are non-existent on my car. I only have 2 rock chips and those were before I stopped tailgating. I'm absolutely convinced now that rock chips are the product of tail gating.

SW17LS

A lot of it depends on your roads. If your roads are smooth, and you don't have a lot of trucks it's easier. Potholed, big dump trucks on the highways, etc...it's harder to keep them chip free.