Guys

I like to see your thoughts on clear bra?? My 03 C4S with only 16k miles already got some nicks and chips, and wondering if still worthwhile to install clear bra?? And where to go when I am in Orange County CA?? And for those of you who has it are you pleased?????

Thanks

 

I bought a 2002 with 3500 miles on it last year and one of the first things I did was put on 3m clear bra.

If you already have some chips you can fix them before installation. http://drcolorchip.com/

I am very glad I got the film. The only draw back is I have a dark car and after polishing, the edge collects white polish and is a little bit of a pain to clean. I have switched to a clear liquid wax so it is only when I polish.

 

clear bra on the bumper can be costly if you get bumped. bumper w bra that is damaged will require removal of bra, repaint, reapply new bra. This will be over 1200 for a simple bumper repair alone. this and the bra line are the only downsides.

as for existing chips, it's really up to u. clear bra hides existing chips and you'll want to touch up the paint a week before applying the bra.

 

They show up on a dark car and dont look too noticable on a light car. But after its all said and done, I'd rather repaint the front end when it needs it and do without the bra.

 

My 993 had the clear bra on it, fortunately installed by the PO when it was new. Great stuff as far as protecting the paint. Downsides were that any edges not perfectly adhered to the car collect dirt and look like crap. My 996 now with about 27K miles has one or two minor chips in it, and I don't like the idea of putting the bra on top of the chips, but that's just my super-**** retentive nature showing through. Having that almost nearly clear but noticable line going across the hood is the other big drawback to these things. Whether or not it will drive you nutty is a personal issue.

 

I had my ClearBra installed at 21k miles on a Artic Silver 996. I had a few marks but the ClearBra covered most all of them up. You can see if you look really close. I have no issues with dirt getting under the edges. I had it done at Hennessy Porsche in Ga and I have the guys contact info for out of dealer rates. It came out perfect and I will have every vehicle of mine done from now on with this. It is that good. I do not know if he uses 3M or other brand but he did fantastic job, Front , Door/Fender sills and side mirrors are what he does on a job. I would rather do this on a new car/truck SUV than wait and have front repainted

 

I've been thinking about this a little lately as well. My car is currently having the front end re-painted. Started out with a crack in the paint from the deer I hit and having the bumper painted plus the driver door painted from a scratch the deer left. Then decided to have the left front fender painted since they were going to have to blend almost the whole thing anyway. Then decided to have the front hood repainted because of a few rock chips that drive me nuts every time I wash the car. Then the left front fender repainted because of the blending from the hood and one chip by the gas tank door. Then the rear bumper painted because of two marks smaller than the pinky fingernail from some a**hole that bumped the car while parallel parking (also drives me nuts everytime I wash it). So I'm practically painting the whole car.

Anyhow, back to topic - with all this fresh paint I'm thinking about getting one. My concern is the line from the bra that you see up close. I think it does stand out on darker cars, which mine is. They had a Cayenne there (white) with one on and I didn't even notice it until they pointed it out. How much does the bra and installation cost anyway? Might be equivalent to having the bumper painted every few years.

 

i think if you use the highway often... it's worth the investment..... but if not... i don't think so... the cost of a clear bra is about 3/4 the price for a paint job.... but with the clear bra it doesn't look as nice..... so i would not have one..... but again if i used the freeway or the highway everyday... i think it's well worth it....

 

Troy,

From your avatar, it looks like your car is slate grey, the same as mine. Nice choice.

My experience with pricing is that it is expensive. The cheapest way is to buy the kit off of eBay (about $200-250) and find an installer and have them do it (about $250-300 depending on where you live). The most expensive way would be through the dealer, so that you pay retail on everything plus the dealer markup. They outsource it. They aren't going to do it--and you wouldn't want them to anyway. Find an installer who has lots of experience (on any cars).

I tried to do it on another car myself once. Wasted $200. It's a skill.

Please shoot me a PM Troy if you ever have it done, and let me know how it looks on the slate grey.

Michael

 

Do a search on the forum or the net and you'll find that Premier's pretty much the best at this. Their website is www.premiermobilegroup.com. They travel to your neck of the woods quite often.
If the chips on your bumper aren't too excessive, I'd recommend getting this done so that it doesn't get worst.

 

You would be a fool not to do it. It's a great investment and does a tremendous job of protecting your car. I can say without a doubt it was the second best thing I've done. The first being, buying a P-car. Good luck.