Clear Bra and tint feedback NEEDED!
 

I got a price quote at a local place that installs clear bras.

Quote 1- clear bra alone- $800 plus tax

Quote 2- clear bra and tint- $1000 (tax included) ($666 for clear bra and $334 ceramic tint)

Ok my question is...

1. are these reasonable prices for both quotes?

2. does it matter if ceramic or "regular" tint is used?

3. for those with the clear bra on, have you seen any stone chips in that area? some say that even though the clear bra is there when a stone hits it hard enough it'll take the clear bra and paint with it. Is this true?

4. do these clear bras fade or start showing a different shade?

not sure about the clearbra but ceramic tint is expensive. That $334 quote sounds about right, and many places charge higher, especially if you use Huper Optik

i always thought that clear bras run you close to $1k

They're both on the high side for the clear bra, depending on what parts of the car they're doing. Check and see exactly what they protect... i.e. front bumper, mirrors, hood, etc.

Damn....I didn't think the bra's were that damn much...... It's flippin stickers, not gold.


Nothing to say about your price, but you made me dribble the AM coffee when I read that.....

I'm getting my front bumper, hood, fenders and door handles done today for $399.

assuming he does a good job I'd say that's a DEAL!!!! I know I paid WAY more than I should have. I did it thru the dealer and paid 1K. Of course I had them take it off a redo it 4 times...

for those who already HAVE their paint protection on their car and have been driving with it for at least a month have you notice any stone chips in those areas?

Nope, the clear bra seems to be doing its job well.

the lexus paint is WEAK. i figure they are the water base now maybe that is why. i've got 1 or 2 chips but my girl's car................................................................ too late for her to have clear bra that's all i got to say.

that reminds me notice any fading? i've heard mix opinions of it, some say it'll fade the area, some say the area not covered will fade.

I've heard various things as well, but it's too soon to tell for me as I've only had it on for a little over a month.

that's way way too much. if the clear bra cost me that much i'll just repaint my bumper every 5 years. And that is also too much for tint.

i am getting my windows tinted with 5% ceramic film for 240 cash so i think that is pretty high, o yea btw the guy does all tints for the local lexus dealer. so ask around i think u might be able to find a better deal. again my friend for his golf GTI done with 5% not sure for ceramic or not for 139 in new orleans before the storm :D

I bought the clearbra kit on ebay for roughly $180 and had a local shop install it for $300. Total of $480 and it looks excellent. Covers hood, bumper, mirrors, fender. So that is a little on the high side. They had quoted me labor and the film for $700 total if I bought the film from them... so I save a bit by providing them the kit.

My clear bra cost $650 and covers the front bumper, hood, mirrors, and the front side of the bumpers. The tint cost $200. I did notice one rock chip has cut into the clear bra, but it looks like it protected the paint. With all of the plastic on the front end of the IS, any rocks will actually eat into the plastic. To get that repaired assuming that you'll get alot of them over x years would result in having to replace the bumper which would probably be in the +1K range. I think it's worth it so far considering all of the dirt and bugs that have easily wiped off the clear bra. If I hadn't had it on, I imagine the front end would already be showing some wear.

Not to mention that especially with flake, aftermarket paint jobs never look as good as the factory paint. I did mine primarily for resale value. In 5+ years I want to be able to peel it off and sell the car for a bit more than what I might have gotton otherwise. Also, paint chips look much worse than a scuff in a "self-healing" poly plastic film. I had a chance to stretch detroy a piece of Venture film at my tint dealer. That stuff is amazing. If I didn't know any better.... I'd say it was invented by NASA :p

so it is removable? I've also heard that if you choose to remove it the paint may go with it. Here anything like this?

3M Clear Bra
 

I'm having the 3M Clear Bra installed this weekend for $325.00 This includes hood, mirrors, fenders, but not the bumper. I'm covering the metal.

The bumber is an additional $300.00 for the kit and the installation. I'm not having the bumper done at this time.

IS350 Tungsten Pearl (Nav + Mark Levinson)

It's absolutely removable. You can peel it off anytime. The only time you'd have to worry about the paint coming off with the clear bra is if it was already chipped and touched up without giving it sufficient time to cure before putting on the bra.

I would highly recommend getting the bumper covered as well as that is the part that takes the brunt of the chips and scuffs.

overtime do the edges of the clear bra start gathering dirt so eventually you might see an outline of the clear bra because of the dirt

The guys at the shop, Alta Mere south location, I'm using here in Denver just quoted me $650 for Hood 18", bumper, front fender lips, mirrors, door handles and 35% tint all around all with lifetime warranty. They got the tint and hood done today and it looks great. You can barley see the line on the hood. I didn't have time to leave the car for the bumper so I'm taking it in tomorrow to have it finished off. :thumbup:

In addition to the above, I was told by a friend who has a body shop for high end cars that after awhile the paint on the car will change color due to the outside elements but the paint under the clear bra stays the same. He says I definitely don't want to put on a clear bra. I value his opinion so I'm passing on the clear bra. Don't know if it is this climate that does it or bad workmanship/product used but I'll save some money there and pass on getting a clear bra.

I don't know about the tint, but I've put three clear bras on my cars - an `04 SC430, an `04 GX470, and an `05.5 A4 2.0 T Quattro - and each cost me $1K. The bras cover the hood, front bumper, headlights, fog lights, and side mirrors, and come with a lifetime guaranty. These things do what they are supposed to do. I have had no chips or damage to the front ends of any of my cars. Expensive? Yes, but not as expensive as the cars I'm protecting!

When mine starts to get dirty, you can see the edge of the clear bra, but once it's clean the edge is hard to notice unless get really close.

so with that said, how would one remove it? Just peel it? If so, that means anyone can walk up to your car and just remove it?

The alternative, then, is to be prepared to spend the amount you would have spent on a clear bra in much less time than it would take for the paint to "change color" to have your hood and front-end refinished due to chipping.

I see many high end cars - porsches and ferraris - being fitted with clear bras. Not to dispute your friend, but the benefits to these owners of having a clear bra must outweigh the probability of the paint on their cars changing.

Yup, if someone wanted to mess with you, they could just grab an edge and peel it off like a fruit roll-up.

I saw a thread somewhere where a guy took his Lexus to a car wash and left it there. He walked back to see the workers actually pulling some of it off. That would be painful to see.

I've heard that the military came up with the stuff to put on heliocopter blades while they're in the desert to protect them from sand. Someone then came up with an idea to put UV protectant on it and stick it on a car. I believe it's the same material that NASCAR uses on the tear-away windshields.

The price you got does seem a bit expensive. The price of the clear bra is justified, IMO, only if you can find a reputable installer. I got mine from Premier, who's probably the best, and the way they did it (custom w/ wrapped edges) justifies the price. If it is simply one of those pre-cut designs, then the price is slightly high if they do not have the reputation.

I've heard the same except for the UV protectant. I don't believe they put UV coating on it so that the paint underneath will "fade" in line with the uncovered surfaces. I may be wrong about this but it's what I've heard. I guess I'll have to check out the 3M website for details.

www.theinvisibleshield.com they make the stuff to put on scratchtastic ipod nanos and other vulnerable electronic devices. I have one on my nano

so is stuff the same?

Write him a check and accept his offer before he wakes up!

Not worth it!
 

For all of u who got your cars cleared out for that protection...its worthless! You spent all that money thinking that it will save your paint, but over the years that film will peel, change color, rocks will ultimately pierce through, and even though you have a warranty on that...it won't cover damage. Of course if someone hits you, insurance will cover it, but if you hit something you have to take out of your pocket again that extra $700-$800 not including the cost to fix your bumper because warranty will only cover the film not working not a crash! My friend who did his G35, his is already peeling at the edges and he has that "orange peel effect" from all the waxing. They say you can wax it, but common sense will tell you CHEMICALS ON FILM will cause some kind of damage cause realistically this clear film is sort of like tint, but it is exposed to the elements! Ultimately dirt will get under that film and start the process of peeling away from the car. Lastly, what is more sick is if you protect SOME areas and that rock flies somewhere you DON'T have protection...your clear film was worth less because now you have a chip somewhere else. Just get a new paint job or order a new bumper in like 4-5 years or better yet get a new car already.

* I have only fine scratches and had my car since November...just don't tail anybody!

Drive safe

QUESTION: Good deal or too good to be true...
 

SunShield in Anaheim, CA has quoted me about $450 for complete front clear bra installation, and about $250 for ceramic tint for all four windows and rear.

SunShield

Is this o.k., or is it too inexpensive that I should question it?

Your opinions and advice would be much appreciated. Thanks! :D