Thinking about doing a clear bra to protect the paint. Has anyone installed one yet? Could you provide advice and results. Thank you.

I'm interested as well, I been looking for the cheapest route to do so and came across the pre cut film on eBay. Now I just got to see if a certified installer can do the labor without me buying the film from their shop.

It is better you buy a good quality film and find a well known reputable installer in your area.

By going cheap, you will risk having it yellow after a short amount of time and also the risk of it removing your paint when you need to remove it.

Clear bra isn't something you want to go cheap on.

This is true, that is why i Specifically looked for Xpel ultimate clear bra and I'm looking to have an authorized installer to install it. I heard the 3M clear bra is another good brand.

Both of those are great. You can't go wrong.

How much would you be saving going that route if you don't mind me asking? Doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. I know of a good shop here in LA that will do it.

To be 100% honest with y'all, I have been so lazy I haven't even picked the phone up to check on prices. I only know the xpel bra is 325 ish online and the 3m is about 130ish. Now I did read somewhere that the service+ bra is close to 1K or over on another forum website. Now i dont know how many panels he got protected so keep that in mind as well. Take that price with a grain of salt though, cause I sure am. I'm hoping the service part will be under 300 dollars, but these shops never post prices or ranges in prices, they all say call for pricing, so when you see that, you should already know its pricey.

Hello,

What questions do you have? When getting the film installed, regardless if you choose XPEL, ask for wrapped edges where possible (meaning the film will wrap over the body panel and show less seams). If you're interested in going with XPEL, to find an installer nearest you, click XPEL Locator.

I have a highly rated Xpel Authorized dealer/installer nearby, when I reached out for an estimate on my soon-to-be C43 Coupe they quoted me $725 for a half hood and $1250 for the full for Xpel Ultimate. Maybe this will help to serve as a baseline for some here?

Keep in mind these are what we typically see across the country and it can vary with these factors:
- Where you live
- Demand for paint protection film
- Size of your vehicle

For a partial front end: This includes 18-24” up the hood and fenders, front bumper, mirrors and sometimes headlights. This ranges from $895 - $1,195.




For full front coverage: This includes the entire hood and front fenders, front bumper, mirrors and sometimes headlights. This ranges from $1,895 - $2,195.




For full car coverage: This includes every painted surface on the car possible. This ranges from $4,500 - $8,000.

I believe the OP is interested in finding the cheapest route, not to say he would take that route. Could you comment on an average cost for service only ( bra will be purchased else where) a shop will charge to install the partial front end.

The best way to get pricing is to contact a local installer, not necessarily an XPEL installer, just someone that installs paint protection film. A word of caution, not all installers will jump in and install an ebay/online film kit. Labor rates vary, best way is to call around or google clear bra install (insert city here).

Welp, followed up with the shop today to confirm my quote above and apparently he had to close his shop to move out of state due to a death in the family and needing to care for an older family member. F*ck, back to square one now and I'm sure I won't get nearly as good of a deal.

Damn sorry to hear that inhart... well I was looking at an authorized Xpel dealer here in the Santa Clarita area in Cali what's the warranty like? I hear it's much easier to clean with a bra on and stuff won't settle into the clear coat of your car which I really like. I just got the car so I'm definitely trying to do it sooner than later. Sucks it's so damn pricey though I found 3M clear bra on Amazon for a really good price but you get what you pay for...

Oh and I see you ordered the C43... awesome was going to wait for it but said screw it and got the C450 for a crazy deal I'll probably just end up debadging it and throwing C43 on there to be honest lol (I know I know not cool).

Are you going to do the back as well?
I know with parallel parking spaces people like to "tap" your front or back end like its a bumper car. I plan on doing both , but at different times.

The warranty on XPEL ULTIMATE is 10-years. It covers, yellowing, cracking, peeling, staining and delaminating.

Had mine done for both W204 and W205, used a professional with precut template, 3M material. Costed around 900 AUD in Aus.

1. It will protect against small rocks only. Any large rocks or impact will still dent & chip.

2. Quality is pretty good. Never had any peeling issues. debris build up or turning yellow. (at least for 3 years)

3. It will leave a seam, but almost invisible.

What's the difference between XPEL and 3M?

Is one better than the other? Which is cheaper?

+1 on how expensive these are

My local authorized installer is charging me the price of the xpel, which can be found on their website + 200 for labor.

Hate to say it but he is overcharging you. I am going with an Xpel certified installer who is very well regarded. He is charging me about $200 less than the retail prices quoted on the Xpel website. The dealers get the materials at cost so charging you full retail and then an installation price is overcharging you. I'd go back and haggle.

friend of mine got the 3m one on ebay for a w204. he said if you install it yourself it takes ~ 2 hours.

his w204 is white though and well, the one thing is it noticeabley yellows after a while. but his car is 7 years old now and the bumper is perfect so i guess its worth it.

That may be true if we were talking bout the same shop. There is only one Certified installer in my area and when you control the market, you control the price.

FWIW, with the new installer (since, as mentioned above, my other one has closed his shop) I was quoted $1600 for a full front Xpel Ultimate wrap...but he also offered a 10% discount. So, all said and done $1440.

That's really cheap. I got partial front end, mirrors nd headlights done for $950. If you want quality you gotta pay for it, you do drive a luxury car so hone up the expenses. Not speaking directly about you, inhart, but I cannot believe anyone would always try to find the cheapest way rather than the best way on a MB forum.

For sure, agree 100%. I'll be taking mine in after a day or two of driving once my car is delivered. I don't mind to pay extra for better work or a better product. I chose this guy based on a recommendation from the other guy who closed his shop and based on my findings after spending hours scouring through reviews online.

Week 1 work list upon delivery: full front Xpel Ultimate clear bra, Llumar Formula One tint (70 windscreen, 30 everywhere else), install hardwired radar detector, glossy black wrap on rockers and spoiler, change tires/wheels to winter set up. Not doing any of the labor myself because I'm lazy/unskilled when it comes to this ****