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What's everyone doing to protect their car? I was detailing my car the other day and found a s***ton of tiny rock chips. Basically my front bumper and parts of my hood are peppered with small chips. I think they're all in the clear coat since you cant see it but you can definitely feel it. Did Lexus use water-based paint for the RC?
So now I'm looking to get the bumper and hood paint-corrected and covered with either a clear bra or wrap the whole car in vinyl. They both come out to about the same ($2,500 for clear bra - front end only vs $3,200 for vinyl) but I kinda like the matte grey look on the RC.
What's everyone doing to protect their car? I was detailing my car the other day and found a s***ton of tiny rock chips. Basically my front bumper and parts of my hood are peppered with small chips. I think they're all in the clear coat since you cant see it but you can definitely feel it. Did Lexus use water-based paint for the RC?
So now I'm looking to get the bumper and hood paint-corrected and covered with either a clear bra or wrap the whole car in vinyl. They both come out to about the same ($2,500 for clear bra - front end only vs $3,200 for vinyl) but I kinda like the matte grey look on the RC.
Did anyone clear bra/vinyl their car? Thanks
I would assume they used water based paint. As far as I know solvent based paints were banned by the EPA. Maybe someone else can chime in here with more knowledge but I thought all manufacturers had to change to water based paints about 15 years ago due to environmental regulations.
Not to deviate from poiman's thread but does anyone else's front end get the rock chips? I had driven an IS and GS and have never seen this much on this car. Is it the way it is designed or how far it is from the ground (mine is stock btw). Just curious to see if this car is prone to getting this on its front end.
Design can play a factor, I think. My SC400 got very few chips. When I got my SC430, with the higher, more vertical front end, I got tons of chips and eventually got a vinyl bra for road trips. I put a clear bra on my RC350 (full hood, mirrors, fender, etc) as soon as I got it, so I can't say if it is more prone to chips than either of those two cars, but I doubt that it's as bad as the SC430. Finally, after experience with both the vinyl and the clear bra, I recommend the clear bra; it's there all the time and it's no hassle.
I highly recommend getting your rear quarter panel and the sides of the rear bumper clear bra'd, if you plan on lowering the car. I had my entire front end and the side skirts done thinking I was covering everything. I just performed my first hand wash yesterday, after one of the worst winters we've here in Oregon. Because of the camber from being lowered, and rocks getting kicked up, my back bumper is sandblasted and both rear quarter panels are peppered with chips. I just about cried...seriously.
Clear bra is just like vinyl wrap however, I hope you understand with either choice, over a long duration of time (years and years if you plan to keep the car that long) once you remove the clear bra or vinyl, there will be a variation in the tone of the paint. This is to be expected if your car is outdoors a lot as the weather/sun play a role too. I still wrapped by trims and mirrors and roof since mine is mostly garage kept...just didn't go with a clear bra because I knew I wanted to change the look of it. Here's a pic of the same wrapped in Avery carbon fiber vinyl which is functional and looks great to me. Additionally it cost me about 800 for the roof, window trims, grille trims, mirrors and spoiler and included tint on the front emblem/ read tails. Its not a rip off everywhere for some good work. The roof and window trims have been on for over a year with no bubbles/ tears/ or deterioration. Just got the mirrors and front grill done at a different place...hope their work holds up too! Hope this helps you decide!
Here's a link to some some pics so you can see it better!
02-23-17, 05:21 AM
Vinyl vs clear bra?
