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My 996 was covered with a clear bra, likely from the factory. It looked terrible and need to go. It must have been applied with the emblem removed and I needed to remove the emblem to remove the mess. I tried to remove the nuts holding it on as gently as possible but both broke.
I cleaned up the posts and emblem. Then I used a high powered soldering iron and some good rosin flux to tin both the emblem and posts separately. Once both were tinned I heated up the post and emblem with the soldering iron and flowed everything together. The rosin flux makes a bit of a mess and needs to be cleaned. Leaded solder helps and a high quality, high power soldering iron is a must. I've soldered 2 pennies together with it just playing around so I figured it might have enough power to fix the posts.
I was concerned the heat may damage the finish but it looks the same as it did when I removed it from the car. Figured this might save someone $128 or whatever they cost. The total repair was 20 minutes or so.
Thanks! And thanks for the link. I'll order a replacement when I order some other stuff. For now it went back on with the original gasket. I wonder if the dealer put the bra on? It looks like it has been on there for a good long while and it is on the hood, fenders around the lights, bumper, behind the front wheels, under the gas cap, mirrors and probably some other place I forgot. It fits perfectly and doesn't look hand cut.
I seriously doubt a dealer would put on a clear bra...
Dealers usually have relationships with tint shops for windows and clear bra - while they usually don't have anyone on the payroll to do it, they just contract it out.
Thanks! And thanks for the link. I'll order a replacement when I order some other stuff. For now it went back on with the original gasket. I wonder if the dealer put the bra on? It looks like it has been on there for a good long while and it is on the hood, fenders around the lights, bumper, behind the front wheels, under the gas cap, mirrors and probably some other place I forgot. It fits perfectly and doesn't look hand cut.
Curious on how you removed the clear bra? I have a 2004 that the original owner had Xpel installed (in 2004) on front bumper, half way up frunk and front fenders, under gas cap and on mirrors. The clear bra is showing its age but my paint is fantastic.
Also, did you notice any fading issues along the termination line of the bra?
Curious on how you removed the clear bra? I have a 2004 that the original owner had Xpel installed (in 2004) on front bumper, half way up frunk and front fenders, under gas cap and on mirrors. The clear bra is showing its age but my paint is fantastic.
Also, did you notice any fading issues along the termination line of the bra?
Sounds like we have a bit of the same although the frunk portion of the bra and the mirrors looked terrible. The clear bra was less clear and more opaque in those areas and badly cracked. I used a heat gun and plastic razor blades to get it off followed by 3m adhesive remover to remove the residue. The paint looks good underneath and I do not notice any fading lines however my car is silver. I'm not sure if it would be an issue on a darker car. I will say this-if your bra is not cracked yet, get it of NOW. Once it cracks it is a real pain in the *** to remove. It really sucks.
Curious on how you removed the clear bra? I have a 2004 that the original owner had Xpel installed (in 2004) on front bumper, half way up frunk and front fenders, under gas cap and on mirrors. The clear bra is showing its age but my paint is fantastic.
Also, did you notice any fading issues along the termination line of the bra?
Steam is one of the safest way to remove clear bra.
If you're lucky, you'll have little to no glue residue left behind.
If there is glue behind, use an adhesive remover, or goo gone-like product.
As for discoloration of paint under clear bra, depends on film and how much sun exposure. With older films, area under the film will have a deeper look because less UV was able to penetrate.
__________________ Specializing in Porsche/Ferrari since 1995
Steam is one of the safest way to remove clear bra.
If you're lucky, you'll have little to no glue residue left behind.
If there is glue behind, use an adhesive remover, or goo gone-like product.
As for discoloration of paint under clear bra, depends on film and how much sun exposure. With older films, area under the film will have a deeper look because less UV was able to penetrate.
MoeMistry, thanks for the response, it appears that you may have some experience in this. I have all receipts from day one on this car. It shows that the product was XPEL and installed on May 25, 2007 (so it looks to be approx 10+ years old). The invoice also states "RESISTALL - PAINT SEALANT - LIMITED WARRANTY" not sure what this means.
The XPEL material still looks intact with no cracking or yellowing just a few areas (especially on front bumper) of some orange pealing. The car also appears to of always been garaged based on condition of paint and interior but obviously cannot confirm this. I am concerned of paint damage (clear coat) during removal (have read this on other sites) but even more concerned that if I leave it on longer it will be even harder to remove and/or may cause damage during removal.
Any input by you or others would be greatly appreciated. Hate to damage paint due to limited orange peal and a few nics in clear bra by removing but also would like to have a better overall finish on my car.
11-13-2017, 08:28 PM
Repaired hood emblem
