Spartan

What? WHAT?? Havn't you guys heard of a car bra before? Sheesh.....

I went on a long trip last week and I picked up a few chips on the front of the hood. It's annoying as hell to see that on a three month old car.

I was thinking of placing a bra on it before any long trips. So my question is:

Who makes a bra for the 211?

Have any of you used it and does the bra itself leave any fine scratches?

P.S. Please don't give me a link to Frederick's of Hollywood. Sickos!

ATS

Get the 3M paint on the front and forget about the ugly bras.. Does ANY company make them at all? I thought they went out with the neon light under the car..

Spartan

I got the factory touch up paint but it still does not make the chips disappear. Have you seen the secondary roads in Quebec? Worse still is those huge trucks that pass over road construction.

khaug

Life is harsh. One can either:

-Watch as the elements gradually make a new M-B ugly, or

-Spend money and make it instantly ugly with a bra.

My $0.02.

lig

are you sure you don't need "The Bro" or the "Manzier"

STKLAW

I had the same concern as you. I bought a Colgen Bra. They are custom made for various (almost all) cars. I think I posted a pic of my car with the bra on it but it has been some time ago. I had a problem with it flapping on the hood because of the grooves the headlights make but I just tightened it up and it does the trick. I have had my E500 for over a year and when I take it on a trip I always put it on. Front of the car still looks great.

STKLAW

Here is the string where I posted the pics of the bra on my car.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/48301-bra-protect-front-help.html

Brad

marc777

no no no no.

a bra?

lovely cars should not be ruined by such an eyesore.

i am glad they are never used in the uk.

marc

Spartan

$700 US for bra? Even Fredericks is not that expensive!

I thought the thing would be a few hundred dollars but if it is THAT expensive, I am better off repainting the hood after 3-4 years. MB quotes $300-$350 US for repainting the hood.

As for the "fugly" comments about bra's, I could not care less of what others thought...I didn't buy the car for them.

marc777

excactly

jester2ll2

Personally, I'm getting a clear bra put on mine. The problem with the other types of bras is that dirt and debris can get under them causing more harm than good. A cleat bra adds the protection without the fugly.

Try here for a price range...

http://www.xpel.com/products/default.asp - For a full front protection package it runs $239.95 for a 2005 E320 Sedan.

There's also this company... http://www.interwestdistribution.com/

At my MB dealer I was quoted between $700 & $800.

nrosoff

My 02 Cl has 40K, as a result of the roads I drive on and the speeds I drive, the hood and windshield were badly pitted. For $1500.00 I had the hood repainted and windshild (MB original) replaced. I would rather spend the $1,500 every 40K.

STKLAW

The bra I put on my car "the Colgen" was not $700. As I recall it was less than $300. Maybe quite a bit less I just can't remember.

Brad

nyca

xpel is very good, but consider professional installation.

Char03

I had the same problem with travelling from Miami to Gainesville for college. I bought a bra from Colgan for about $110. Very easy to install, instructions are very clear and come with pictures. I put it on only for the long trips up and down. Not very appealing to the eye....Just do a search for bras from Colgan. Hope this helps.

Spartan

Char and STKLAW,

Did you see any fine scrathes from the Colgan bra? I went to their site (Colgan) and their price seams very reasonable. About $110 for a two piece bra.

jester,

Are you talking rom personal experience or is it an assumption? If the bra does not move around or if there is no rain, I can't see how debris can get under it if it fits properly.

jester2ll2

Personal Experience:

My friend had an OEM bra on his car, when it came time to get rid of it, the dealer took it off to look under it, and it was horrible there was dirt, mold, dead bugs, pine needles, not to mention that that entire part of the hood would need to be re-painted. But, he also lived in NJ and commuted to NYC, so you may not have the same problem.

IMHO, I would never put a regular bra on a car. It kills the look of the car, and opens the car up to cosmetic damage and makes it look cheap. The clear bra protects just the same, but your car doesn't look any different.

Char03

I have absolutely no fine scratches on the car, the bra is made out of leather and little plastic pieces to put it on. Nothing that would be able to scratch the car. Dirt does build up, but barely. If your not lazy it takes a couple of minutes to take it off so you can wash your car.

s810

The bra I put on my car "the Colgen" was not $700. As I recall it was less than $300. Maybe quite a bit less I just can't remember.

I got Colgan bra from Performance Products for about $100. It doesn't scratch the car and it does a great job of protecting the front

Nanky

I had the Xpel clear bra professionally installed about a year ago for about $500. This incuded hood, head/fog lamp, side mirror and door handle protection. Hard to tell it's there when the car is clean unless you are very close.

benzboy

Forget the bra solution. Just drive backwards for a year or so...the front stays showroom fresh! (sorry...I just could not resist)!