flint330

My husband just bought me my 2004 SC (white gold crystal with saddle). While I am new to this forum, I previously drove an RX330 (hence my user name) so I am not new to site. We didn't want to get rid of the RX so my husband is now driving it (alternating with his corvette). I really love the car and have a question. I have read on this forum about Xpel to protect against chips, but when I talked to my dealer he suggested that a bra would be better. Does anyone have any pictures of their car with a bra on it? I hate to get one and ruin the look of the car. I have been told that you can see the Xpel on the car, after a while the edges turn a different color and it is not cheap to put on. Some other opinions would be helpful. Thanks.

Phu

I'm with Gene, go with the expel.

Carpe Diem

I don't have either but I wouldn't even think of the bra. It ruins the whole look. I'm in the generous following distance and touchup paint group.

George

Umbo

I think that a bra would look pretty bad on this car. It would ruin that nice smooth hood line. My vote is for Xpel or nothing.

Doc C

The expel is mostly visible on dark cars. Yours would hardly be noticeable. My Indigo Ink Pearl SC430 had Xpel and it even looked great. The bras get dirt under them, look bad (IMO), and are a pain to deal with when washing the car. If you have someone who knows what they are doing put it on, and you don't crank on it with a power washer, you should have no problems. Get the Xpel.
Although the bra may keep the front end from sagging!!!!

Doc C

JCtx

I have the Lexus bra, and have only used it twice, but it's there in case of another trip. The fit is perfect, and once you install the snaps, it's easy to put on and off (the most time consuming task for me is preparing the surface before putting it on). You shouldn't leave it there for days, however. And NEVER leave it wet.
I hardly ever get on the freeway, and the few times that I've done it, is in light traffic and just keep my distance. With the high winds (driving dust) in this area, my dealer told me a clear bra is a bad idea. To me is not worth the cost at all (1,400 miles in 9 months). And even if I drove the car on the freeway, I'd probably shy away from it anyway, and like somebody said, keep my distance and a bottle of touch-up paint.
And you can ALWAYS see a clear bra close enough, in any color, unless you're legally blind. That it's not easy to notice, especially in light colors, would be a more appropriate statement. And I'd assume it requires special care when washing.

I guess your answer depends on how much you use your car on the freeway/highway, where in the country, how many miles per year, rush-hour or light traffic, etc. You'll get all kinds of answers here, but without the above criteria, the advice is uselss IMO.

Good luck with your decision.

flint330

Thanks everyone for all the information. All of your comments have really helped alot and I have enjoyed reading them. My husband especially liked the sagging comment. Right now we are leaning toward the following distance and touch-up paint solution (I mostly do city driving and some freeway in the Bay Area). My biggest concern was how either would look on the car and it doesn't seem like the bra or xpel is the answer. The car looks great the way it is now and I would hate to ruin that.

FWCruiser

I'll agree with genearch. The only way you notice the X-pel is if you're at the perfect angle in relation to the sun, then you might notice the top edge on the hood. I've had many people admire the car and only one has noticed the X-pel. David

tfischer

For what it's worth, I agree with the ELP.

I have had a black SC430 since day 1 (well, actually day 12), and do mostly city driving, where stone chips are not a problem. Due to the cost of the expel, I opted to purchase a Cooligan bra, which is also black. I will agree that the car looks better without it (that's always the case) but in my circumstances, which can't be too unusual, the low cost of the bra is a big factor. For a road trip, I put it on the car, which takes about 10 minutes, and can take it off lupon arrival in about 2 minutes. While on the highway my car might not look its best, but I get no bugs or stone chips on the front, and the inconvenience is minor. If someone I pass on the highway thinks it looks nerdy, too bad.

Maybe if I drove on expressways for a large percentage of the time, I would think different, but under these circumstances, for a very low cost, I protect the car when needed.

Works for me.

nineback

ELP_JC must be from El Paso. No one knows what blowing wind and dust is until you have lived in El Paso.

LeslieRC

I traded-in my `02 Millenium Silver SC430 for an `04 (same specs) in May (it's only foolish consistency that is the hobgoblin of little minds), and the FIRST thing I did - like within 2 days of taking delivery - was to install the Xpel bra. I did not have any sort of bra on my `02 and even though I was very careful I collected about 6 nicks/chips on the front hood and bumper. I got into the habit of keeping touch-up paint in the glove compartment. I can attest to the fact that the Xpel bra pays for itself - not to mention the peace of mind!

JCtx

You said it buddy! Unfortunately it used to blow only around February, and now it's year round. And yes, 50-60 mph winds are normal here folks. Add dirt to the mix and you have the Texas version of a sand blaster. Car stays in the garage those days, even if I had expel on the windshield.

Sent a reply to your PM Tom. Really glad to hear from somebody local. Hope everybody enjoyed their weekend.

lexuslover

Great tips on the Xpel! I too have been waivering over whether or not to make the investment. But I really think it's weird to have this plastic film thing on the hood. I have two quick Qs:

(1) does it get scratched or cloudy after a while?
(2) can somebody with an Indigo Ink SC take a picture of their hood/car?

I am leaning towards getting it since I already got a nasty rock chip in the hood after less than a month of ownership.


Thanks for your help!

Doc C

My Indigo Ink looked fantastic with the xpel on it. Unfortunately, no goo pics of the hood to show you. I was at an NSX get together a couple of weeks ago. A guy in a Ferrari 360 Modena parked next to my NSX. He had a clear bra on his Ferrari that looked like it was done third graders!!! There were seams everywhere. He says, "you should put that clear bra on your NSX" as we were standing by my car. I told him that I had it on my car. He didn't believe me. You can't see it!!! If the line on the hood bothers you, cover the whole hood!! My point is that there are good clear bra installers and bad clear bra installers. Don't blame the material, blame the installer. Find someone who knows what they're doing. Call a MB,LExus, BMW dealer and ask who they use for their installs.

It did not get scratched or cloudy after awhile on my SC. And I think I killed half of the grasshopper population at 90 m.p.h. in western Kansas with the front of that car. Some advantages not mentioned in this thread of the clear bra over the black vinyl nemesis are that you can cover the A-pillars, fronts of the mirrors, door handle cups(prevents fingernail scratches when opening door), rocker panels, behind wheels etc with it too. Also you can cover your headlights too. Price out what a new headlight costs and ask yourself if it's worth $50 to cover them with xpel. I know the protection on headlights may not be much, but it was worth it to me to do everything I could to protect them. It requires no special washing technique, you just Zaino right over it. It looks great too. With all the posts talking about how easy this car get paint chips, I can't believe people wouldn't put some sort of protection on it. ELPJC takes VERY good care of his cars. I admire him for that. I admit I don't take as good of care of my cars as he does. For him, clear bra would probably be a waste. By the way, I'm first in line for his SC when he wants to sell it!!!! It'll take him 5 years to get his first oil change!!! Just teasing ELPJC!! You know I bow down to you on your car care.
Get a good installer, and you will be very happy. Sure it's a little pricey, but how much is it to repaint the front of your car and have the paint match, and look good?? Take care.

LeslieRC

Doc C hit the nail on the head - having Xpel installed correctly is THE key factor to being able to thoroughly enjoy this product. Xpel works; no doubt about it. I have it on my front bumper, hood, door edges, side mirrors, headlights, and fog lamps. I paid $1,080 for product and installation (Maryland is not as competitive for Xpel as are some other states, such as California where the cost for the installation is slightly cheaper). I say that if you like the looks of your SC430 and you hate the thought of touching-up endless nicks and chips, then invest in Xpel. By the way, seeing the installer install Xpel on my SC430 made me realize that I did the right thing by not doing the do-it-yourself method.