Bluewater41

When I purchased my vehicle, MB Financial had put a clear bra on the hood, side mirrors, fender, sides, etc. and there was a bubble on one of the side portions. I had my shop try to remove the bubble, but they weren't able to remove it completely and now it's really bothering me. The good news is that the side portion is small, but I'm guessing I would need to replace the entire bra since a new piece would not have the same coloring due to fading. My questions are as follows:

1) What is the best clear bra to use and how much am I looking at for the bra and installation?

2) Has anyone ever had experience with removing an existing clear bra and was it a good or bad experience?

3) What sort of places would be able to remove and install a new one? I'm in the Baltimore/DC area and am willing to drive a little bit to get it right, so if anyone has a good place, let me know!

Thanks for the help.

BO Knows

I just got a clear bra on my C63 and had a bubble, it was a easy fix. I didn't have time to go back to the installer so he told me the trick. Go get a 1cc syringe and suck all the moisture out, then use your hair dryer to heat it up, and use a credit card to flatten the bubble away.

If your clear bra was already installed for several months, this might not work. The best brands are xpel or 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film. I got my clear bar done at a professional window tint shop. A powerful hair dryer or heat gun can easily remove it. http://xpel.com or http://www.proformdes********/ to search for clear bra dealers to remove and install for you.

Azn_C300

3M and Venture shield are widely regarded as the two best films. If you are opting to do a full hood wrap, 3M does not make a film large enough to wrap it due to the design of our hoods curving over the fender. Venture Shield does make film large enough for full wrap. Really that's the way to go for hoods if you're **** like me....I can't stand the horizontal line that runs across the hood of half wraps. Although 3M I think is slightly better material, it does have a little flaw in that the pores are a bit larger. This is an issue if you use dye'd waxes as the wax can get trapped inside the pores, causing loss in clarity. This is why you should mainly use undyed waxes or better yet, just a high grade clear sealant on your clear bra.

As for removal, it's pretty easy and I've done it before. Take a plastic razor blade and a hair dryer/heat gun and heat up the edge to peel back with the blade (or fingernail I guess works as well). Be careful if you use a heat gun though on plastic parts as you don't want to warp the plastic. Then just heat and peel slowly. Working on hot day with the car sitting in the sun for a few hours helps as well.

Bluewater41

BO, do you mind saying how much it cost for them to put it on?

Bluewater41

Well, I called a local place from the xpel.com site and I'm going to swing by after work today and have them take a look. Without knowing what type of film it is, hard to say what my options are, but I asked how much it would be to strip all of it and reapply and he threw out ~$1200! I have no idea if that is high or low or what, but it sounds like I'm either going to live with my small blemish or just replace the one small piece and live with the lack of exact color matching.

Azn_C300

If it's a precut kit, that's high. When you get over 1K, it should be custom wrap territory. If they're stripping existing film, full wrap bumper, fender, hood and maybe throw in light covers and side mirror covers, then that price sounds about right. Of course, this varies by region.

BO Knows

I got the xpel 24" pre-cut full front kit installed for $600. That means the entire front bumper, headlights, fog lights, side mirrors, 24" hood and fenders was covered. The installer did an excellent job and you can barely see the line on the hood.

They also offered $1,295.00 for all the above, but with the entire hood and all fenders covered.

I also did a custom cover for the rear bumper which cost me $300.00 to cover the entire rear bumper.

They gave me a bottle of www.protectall.com spray wax for the clear bra and the car. This wax is great! It doesn't leave a wax powder residue and leave a bright shine.

Bluewater41

I went by the place yesterday and they were able to replace the two side pieces (so they would match) for $150. It didn't take very long and I could have done it myself...if I had the machine and software to cut the pieces (that's obviously what I'm paying for). Found out that the film is 3M film and it comes with a 5 year warranty. Everything looks good and the blemish is gone.

I also find out that it would have been $800 for a full install only and the $1200 would have been for removing all of the old and installing the new.

Appreciate all the info!

w204tr

Let me tell you a trick, an easy one indeed. Find a needle, insert the tip in the middle of the bubble and get the air out from that tiny hole. The bra will stick as you squeeze the air towards that tiny needle head hole and the bubble will disappear closing the hole by itself. I always use this trick.

Bluewater41

Yeah, I think my shop tried to do that, but it ended up keeping the outline of the circle's circumference, so I'm guessing they didn't do it correct. Hopefully there will not be any bubbling this time.

absolutleo

which shop did you goto to get this done? do you recommend?

Bluewater41

I took a look on the following site and put in my zip: http://xpel.com/

I ended up going to the following place due to convenience and the shop wasn't much to look at and the owner was the only one working. He was able to use his program to get the two pieces cut and the installation was rather quick and he did a good job. I would recommend the place, but since you are in DC, I would see what places around you can offer before you make the drive to Laurel (not the best place in MD).

Final Touch Detailing Services, Inc.
14723 Baltimore Ave
Suite F
Laurel, MD 20707
cell 301-980-0615- Office 240-456-4502

Just make sure when you get it done, you have them wrap the film under the edges b/c it holds better and looks better...a lot of place will just cut it off b/c it's easier for them to do.

moldowan

my shop in san antonio quoted $1700 for full hood/bumper/ fender/ and mirrors.
he also said there are two (2) DIFFERENT GRADES of xpel film but i cannot see that on there web page?
the retail cost of the above plus rocker panels and headlights for a audi R8 v10 is $1,319.80 so how did you get the job for $1200??? that seems like a very good price!

TheDarkSide

My two cents...

In the past, most reputable & high end shops have used the Clear Coated Venture Shield (VS is now owned by 3M). Venture Shield actually offers both a non-clear coated and a clear coated version, so when purchasing a bra, you will want to specify that you want the clear coated version. This will keep the bra from turning yellow. The problem that occurs when using the clear coated version is the installation. Unless you have a really good installer, there is a chance that you will get orange peal marks caused by over stretching of the material. This is slightly exaggerated with the clear coated clear bra materials.

With that said, there is a new material called "Nano Fusion Film" that is replacing clear coated films. This stuff is ammmazing! This is the best film on the market because it is resistant to turning yellow, you can stretch it in any different way and leave no marks when installing. Its also easier to install. This stuff is really really new and it may be hard to find a place who carries it yet, but you can check their site below for dealers. Be sure to ask for the nano tech film because from what i hear most shops who carry it, still have inventory of their old films they are using too.



http://www.nanofusionfilm.com/

BO Knows

I got a good price because there are many installers in Southern California which makes their prices very aggressive. They only offered me one grade for the body, but do also have a thicker grade which is mainly used for door edges, rear bumper luggage edge, and door sills. Shop around and compare their prices and quality.

moldowan

well i ended up having the corporate HQ of expel films do the job.
My rational was that if anyone will stand behind their install and have the best installers it would be the company that makes the product themselves.
since this company is HQ'ed in San Antonio it was a no brainer.
I did go with the higher grade hilm and it does have no orange peel texture, it looks like glass. the install price with the higher grade film was around $1000.00 more than the local dealer install ( detail shop) but..... i did have the rocker panels and the carbon fiber side blades done as well ( original quote was for full hood/front panels and front bummper)
so the total came with tax to $2700.00 or about 1.5% of car price not bad for a piece of mind!! IMO
-Marc

Aggressive

It sounds high to me. I would cut that price in half and still call it high. These vinyl wrap guys are making a killing. I wrap lights with tinted film as a side job and if I could make $1200 a car doing clear bras I am in the wrong business. I was thinking that your bubble could be popped with a sewing needle or a brand new exacto blade. That would allow the water/ air to get out from under the clear material. I think its worth a shot before you go ahead and replace the whole thing.

joshg1001

I agree that the price was rather high. I had my whole hood wrapped as a place known for being expensive and it was around $450. The place even wraps around the hood so you dont see it end. Then I had my front bumper down at a less well known place for $300 or so, and when a bubble formed, he just used a syringe to remove it

Bluewater41

I had my regular shop try to take care of the bubble and they did what you described above, but it made it wrinkle and was really bothering the hell of out of me, so I just went and had it taken care of through the shop. The entire film I had on my car was on there when I purchased it, so I have no idea how much the dealership paid for it...I just knew the one area had a bubble and I wanted it gone. Regardless, all is well and looks great!

As always, appreciate everyone's input!

justthinking

any recommendation for clear bra or venture shield installation shops in sf bay area?

I need to have my c300's front bumper repainted (must got 100+ rockchips, but fortunately none on the hood or rear view mirror) and will defintely install clear bra this time..

AZN Optics

Premier Mobile Group in Fremont is pretty much generally regarded as the best in California.