I have a partial bra (hood, fender, and mirrors), with the bumper procedure planned for this weekend. I noticed the mirror shield doesn't cover the entire mirror. Is that normal? I asked the installer about covering the headlights when he does the bumper and he advised against it, for whatever reason. Is he correct? He uses a product called "Clearshield" and I believe the bumper is done with a roll of film but the other areas were from a ComputerCut kit.

Thanks

 

yeah. you don't really need to cover the whole miror. Mine isn't covered completely and there's still plenty of protection.

However, i would strongly suggest getting the headlights covered. That's an area where a lot of rocks WILL hit and an area that's easily noticable.

 

Normal clear bra shops use a software package of vehicle contour curves. The people in clearbra business use this data and plotter it, laser-cut it (or hand cut if they don’t have a laser cutter) on vinyl...
BUT, the contour data does not cover many areas. Only some necessary area that is good enough to portect their customer's ride.

The partially covered mirror on 2IS is one of the best example. It is normal but a headache when doing the waxing job. You can pay more for specialty store to customized it so it actually warps around. Very pricy!

 

Can you post a pic of your clearbra??? What did it cost you? Is it really worth it?

Jimbo

 

the bra is an awsome investment i dont have any pics of it paid 690 full kit hood, lights, fenders, bumper, and mirrors. it has saved my front end more than once.

 

For a full 100% front-end clear bra coverage can easily cost $2,000 for a decent job.
The hardest works are those areas that do not supply fully by the contour file.
The fenders, GFX lip, aftermarket bumper, and the mirrors; these areas require skills and additional labor on trimming and stretching.
My opinion only!

 

Ok, I guess I can live with the mirrors. I'll try and get him to do the headlights when he does the bumper.

Thanks

 

I had the clear bra stuff put on my headlights on my old car and they worked great. I'm having them done on my IS tomorrow. Also getting door edge pieces put in and covering up my fog lights too. One note about the fog lights, they may brown on you. They browned on my TSX when I had it done. After feeling how warm the fog lights get on the IS, it wouldn't surprise me it'll brown also.

 

I would highly suggest to have the headlights and the foglights covered with clear bra.

Besides, pay a close attention to how the installer put the clear bra on the mirrors. Due to the fact that the computer cut pieces do not cover the entire mirrors from edge to edge, there is some judgement call and aesthetical sense when laying and stretching the pieces on the mirrors.

I met a installer who scratched both the side mirrors of my IS350 with a blade because he wanted to play a shortcut on the job. He simply didn't want to tackle any contour surfaces and cut the excess. The paint of the mirror is so soft that using any blade would definitely lead to scratches.

I ended up demanding compensation and replaced the mirrors but it took 2 1/2 months to settle. (impossible to buff the scratches out)

It is better to ask the installer upfront or you may have more hassles later on.

For the headlights, the result really depends on whether the installer takes pride in his quallity work. There is some judgement call as to how far the piece can be stretched, especially the portion near the top corner of the fender. Again there is a small portion of the headlight that cannot be covered but relative to the mirror piece, the coverage is much better. My installer mis-orient the headlight piece a bit and has to trip the excess near sideway of the main grille. So I ended up installing the headlight and the mirror pieces myself.

 

Ok, no headlight shield. I can get it if I want but it will have to be at another time. He didn't have time or enough extra film to do them. He still suggests not to do it. Something about the lights causing the film to turn yellowish. Who knows. It looks like he did do a good job on the bumper. I got him to do the gas door and rvinyl on the tailights to red out the yellow turn signal.

On a side note, some frickin animal walked on my car. I can see the paw marks. If that wasn't bad enough the damn critter scratched it. I need a forcefield around the car