ShelleE55

Sorry if this subject has been covered in the past. Just curious who has a clear bra, what brand and did you buy from dealer?

psk145

Shelle: I had mine done from Premier who is a site sponsor. He did a full custom kit. The only edge you can see if on the hood and fender. All the other edges have been wrapped around and under. I paid a little over 1000 for the kit, and he came to my house and did it here.

wily

I do not recommend getting it done by the dealer. Dealerships usually hire the cheaper, less expensive guys to do the job because their profit margin is higher. As far as film type is concerned, it's really more about the installer. I had mine done by Premier as well, who is considered one of the best companies in around. You should give them a call as they travel to So Cal practically every month. Their website is www.premiermobilegroup.com

jangy

I am not a fan of those cosmetic things, but Charles' does look nice.

dsc

My Dealer wanted a 100% mark up over the installer. I have 3M done by a local installer that came to my house. I'm very happy with it, it's been a year now with no problems. Cost about $500 at the time.

ShelleE55

Has any one seen yellowing on their white or silver car? Just dropped my car off at the dealer to have some other work done and my sales guy who has an AMG and new 997 turbo really recommended not to do it as well as someone else close to me. They said the white and silver are prone to yellowing and look messy when the bigger rocks chip through the coating.

psk145

the film that Premier uses is guaranteed not to yellow. I've never seen it happen. My old C32 had the same film, although it was a precut kit, and it looked as good as new after a few years.

The yellowing might be from cheaper films that are out there. Im driving down to Creative on monday. If you have time you can come check it out.

oh, if something large enough hits it to cut the film, then yeah, it looks ugly. On my C32, I had a huge gash from a ladder piece hitting my hood. That is the big downside is that if you hit something large enough to cut it, it is noticable.

ShelleE55

I would like to take a look at your car. I will PM you with my number, you can call me when you are about to reach creative. I am about 15 minutes away.

BENZGal

Shelle,
See if you can get a better deal if we both do it.

Vic55

IMO, a clear bra with our nano technology is not necessary. I drive my car fast and it has 31k miles and Charles and Jangy will attest that there is a limited amount of rock chips. The nano paint is strong and if a rock can penetrate it then it will probably be able to penetrate the clear bra too.

Of course your results may vary based on where you reside and quality of roads. For me the clear bra actually shows a line across the hood which when I first saw thought it was a key mark- albeit a straight one and that deterred me from getting one.

Snorman

I disagree. It doesn't matter how good the paint is, it's still prone to chipping from stones or road debris. I've only got 7k on my car, with not a single chip where the clear bra is installed. On 95 south in Maryland, I drove through a cloud of broken glass and plastic after a semi about 50-75 yards in front of my ran over what appeared to be a large side view mirror (or trailer) mirror on the highway. I got a small chip in the windshield and the debris showered the front of the car. The clear bra took all the damage. In one spot, it very slightly tore a 1/8" gash in it. In several other spots, there were impact marks that wiped off with a damp microfiber towel.
And yes, there is a visible line on the hood (and fenders), but it's only easily visible when standing behind that point. From the front it's nearly invisible except for the obvious difference in texture compared to the OEM paint.
There's just no comparison. The 3m material is very durable and will absorb quite a bit before it tears or allows damage to the paint.
For $800, it was money well spent. I'm going to have it put on my Viper too, as the front (the entire car actually) is literally in mint condition without a single speck anywhere.
S.

GOODENUF

Is the clear bra a permanent install? Once it is put on, can it be removed without any damage to the paint?

Snorman

Yep, it can be easily removed.
S.

jangy

Actually, the paint under the bra will fade at different rates and it will absorb some of the "glue", so you may or may not be able to undo it fully even if you do remove it.

psk145

here's a good FAQ on Premier's website
http://www.premiermobilegroup.com/pa...film_faq.shtml

Snorman

Huh? I've never heard of that, and considering the film is clear, I can't see how the paint would fade at different rates.
The film itself will yellow, and this can be seen on lighter colored cars after a period of time.

S.

sdsilverm3

The paint underneath the film will fade at a different rate because it is not exposed to the elements like the rest of the paint.

Snorman

I don't believe that.
Ultraviolet light oxidizes the paint, not dirt, water and the elements. If the paint that is not covered by the clear bra is regularly maintained, there's no reason the paint will fade at different rates. In any case, the base color isn't exposed to anything, the clear coat over the base color is. Clear coat doesn't fade, it's clear.
If the bra wasn't clear, it's obviously a different story.
S.

lkirchner

I have had the clear bra on 4 cars. The film on my SL55 became water spotted and nothing would remove the spots, so I removed it from the hood, front bumper and rear bumper. To answer your question, yes it can be removed fairly easily. The paint under the clear bra was a different shade but with some Menzerna polish used with a Porter cable buffer the difference disappeared. Some of my personal observations regarding the clear bra:
-When the film was removed it was definetly yellow (the film was the stuff that Premier uses).
-On a dark color, my SL is black, you can easily see the lines everywhere.
-The crap will scratch and when it happens good luck in trying to get the scratches removed.
-We get some very hot weather in Sacramento in the summer +100 degrees is common. When it gets like that the film becomes sticky and you dont dare to even try to wipe it. Whatever you use will just stick to it.
My experience with the clear bra has been less than good. For what it costs and how it performs I won't use it again.

ShelleE55

Thanks guy's for all the feedback.
I always try to put explanations in terms that I can understand , so the color difference makes sense. Its kinda like having a suit and not taking both the jacket and pants to the dry cleaner at the same time every time. You will start to notice a color difference in both pieces.

My car has been at the dealer since Thursday. Couple of belts replaced and having slow shifting problems/high revs between 1st and 2nd and 2nd and 3rd. They can't find anything wrong yet. But I plan on picking it up on Monday so hopefully I can connect with Charles and see his install and I will decide from there.

jangy

Charles's car is sweet. The only negative i think of for his clear bra is that you can see the lines and that some of the edges aren't perfect. Other than that, it looks great. Keep in mind that his car doesn't see the elements a whole lot anyway, since he never DRIVES!!

sdsilverm3

The clear bra does not allow UV light to pass through to the paint as it does serve as a UV protectant. The rest of the paint is obviously exposed and will fade at a faster rate. If you own a light colored car (white) you will see an obivous change in hue as it ages no matter what you do to maintain it. The line defining the two different hues would be pretty obvious once the clear bra is lifted.

Vic55

I agree, we were both there and I was in front of his car and I thought it was a perfect key mark. Charles, I am not knocking your decision at all- just stating for me its an easy turn down. Other opinions may vary.

psk145

Premier has an option to do the full fender and most of the hood. The only lines would be 2 on each side of the vent on the hood. I was too cheap to do that

wily

That is actually quite the contrary. From what I've read from the different brands' websites, all clear bras allow UV rays to penetrate so that there is even fade. The only time you'll probably see a difference in the paint is if someone doesn't know how to take care of the unprotected portion. Therefore if you take the bra off at a later time, there will obviously be scratches and imperfections on the non protected area, and nice preserved paint on the bra'd area.

The line on the hood doesn't really bother me, though it does for others. IF that's the case, why not do just the bumper?