Here is the story. I am the second owner of (what used to be) a pristine 996TT. The original owner had a clear bra (front bumper, 1/2 fender and hood, and mirrors) installed shortly after getting delivery of the car (14 years ago). Needless to say that the clear bra needed to be changed as it started to turn yellow, even though it had been waxed on a regular basis.
I decided to have a new bra installed a few weeks ago and found a local installer with great reviews. Long story short, the process of removing the old bra was a nightmare and I am extremely disappointed with the end result. The bra would only come off in tiny pieces and it took the installer 3 days to remove it. The reason why I am extremely disappointed is because some rock chips went through the old bra in a number of areas, and when the installer removed the bra around these areas, the paint came off with it (it was the original paint)! The installer tried to limit the damages by applying some Dr. ColorChip paint but it clearly did not work.

So i am now left with a $1,900 hole in my wallet (old bra removal + new bra installation), a bumper that needs to be resprayed, and a car that will not be pristine anymore because the paint will not be original all around.
If you have a miracle solution, I will gladly take it! But I think the only thing left to do is to open a bottle of bourbon...

PK911

 

A few pics.

 

 

Thanks. Yes, you're right, this won't be just a simple respray. And very good point on letting the paint cure for 3-4 weeks before applying a new film.

I'm starting my search for a very good body shop...

 

i've got an old bra on mine i've been lookng to replace. I've had a few very high end, top notch, extremely well respected places locally who frankly don't want to touch it for fear of what you have experienced. They say removing such an old film can have many issues and ultimately peel off the paint.

Also, fresh paint doesn't truly harden and cure for nearly 12 months.

 

Did the installer make you aware of the damage from removal before applying the new bra? This is why I haven't had mine redone. My car is a 2012 and doesn't appear to have any chips underneath, but I still fear the removal might result in paint damage.

 

 

They asked if the bumper had been repainted and mentioned that the paint could come off it was the case. I told them the paint was original and they decided to move forward.
Your car is much more recent than mine so I would think that the bra is of better quality and easier to remove. My understanding of the issue with old bras is not the bra itself, but rather the glue that was used.
So you may be OK. You may want to to talk to a few installers and see what they think.

 

Protect the existing bra with ceramic coating or sealant to prevent any further damage from the sun and/or other external factors.

If you decide to remove it, talk to multiple installers and ask for their assessment. If some decide to not touch it because their fear what happened to my car will also happen to yours, then keep the existing bra.

My old bra was in pretty bad shape, so I think I would have decided to change it in any case, even if I had a better understanding of the risks.

 

 

I hope that is the case. A well-respected installer in my area said I'd have to sign a waiver that he's not responsible for any damage that may result from pulling the old film...that made me uneasy.

 

I'm also in LA, what part of LA are you in, I may have a great shop for you to use for paint/body. They're also reasonable in price compared to some of the crazy high end places and he's just as good!

 

That's exactly why I don't have clear bras anymore. I had my original bra installed when I first purchased . I decided to remove a few years a go, after hearing horror stories like yours. It took me 2 days to remove and buff all the scratches that were caused by scraping and using a 3M product to remove old adhesive. Never again!

 

Sounds good. You have a PM.