Max77

I'm not sure if this is the best place for this since it isn't really specific to 997s. Anyhow, I'm looking at a used 997 that has a 3M clear bra on it and it is making me not want to buy this particular car. The car was somewhat dirty when I looked at it and the bra only goes partially up the hood and has an obvious line where the bra ends. It is peeling in one part along the bottom of the nose, probably from scraping cement at some point. Also in the center of the nose it looks mis-cut, there is a rectangle piece missing. It's not a bad install, but it's certainly not a great one.

My question is if I have the bra removed, will it be obvious that parts of the car were covered and others were not? It's a black car, so I imagine there will be more swirling marks on the unprotected portions. Only about 8,500 miles on the car and it's a year old, but I would hate to buy the car and have half the hood looking different than the other half. I'd rather wait for something else to come along than drop big bucks on something that I won't be happy with. Any input is welcome, thanks!

Dadio

I am not 100% certain, as I have never removed the bra from my car, but I suspect that the unprotected paint should not have faded sufficiently on a one year old car to have become a different shade than the paint under the bra. I would have it replaced if it were my car as the film will protect your car from all manner of abuse. The installer would be better equiped to answer your question prior to having it removed. FWIW, I have had it on my car from new and there are zero chips in the paint on the protected sections of the car. Worth every penny if you're paint chip adverse as nothing short of a respray will erase paint chips.

jhbrennan

Assuming the old film comes off with no problems a good detailer can most likely do a 2 stage paint correction so you couldn't tell where the old bra was. I recently did this on a black 2008 and I was very pleased with the outcome. The secret is a good detailer who works on high end cars.

Max77

It wasn't a concern of fading, it was really more of swirl marks or general very light damage to the clear coat. I had an Audi for 5 years with no paint chips and my current Porsche is 2.5 years old with no chips, so I'd rather go braless and risk it rather than be stuck with a permanent line across the entire length of my hood and the other obvious lines around the light washers and such. Part of me is confused why someone would get a poor wrap job done on a $112,000 car. I guess the lines on the paintwork don't bother some people.

jhbrennan

Sometimes the selling dealers will add the mask and they usually don't go for the highest price. As I mentioned, find a good detailer - if there's no fading, they should be able to make the swirls and lines go away and make the paint look like new - assuming the lines aren't cuts in the paint. There are some mask installers that don't use templates and actually cut on the car.

w00tPORSCHE

Remove the bra, good pro can inspect and correct the paint fairly easily if needed and re-apply the bra (this time for the full hood/front) if desired by you. This should be a non-issue in your decision making process to buy this particular car. Good luck.

Max77

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to look at new cars and see what kind of price I can get, the deal on the used one is looking less like a deal considering 8,500 miles on the tires, possible paint work needing to be done, removal of clear bra and the cost of CPOing the car being passed on to me.

jhbrennan

CPO should include new tires.

gpjli2

They should certainly remove it for your inspection.

boolala

I would never buy a car that has had a clear bra installed. IMO it totally ruins the look of the car even when done properly and you run the risk of uneven paint (say the uncovered portion is more "worn" etc). So you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Max77

I wasn't sure if CPO should include new tires, the car was driven very lightly, the rears are at 6/32, fronts are basically brand new still. I will inquire about the removing the clear bra if I decide to pursue this car further instead of a new model. Thanks again for all the feedback so far.

kosmo

+1

FiatCoupe

Not necessarily, the tyres only need to have a certain amount of tread depth left. I can't remember what the figure is, I can dig out the details tonight.

Same goes for brakes, they need a certain percentage of wear left.

jhbrennan

IIRC, the tires have to be replaced if less than 4mm of tread left - brakes if less than 50% of pad left.

kosmo

I believe tire and brake pad replacement is based on jurisdiction. Each state will have its own rules. Any P service advisor who knows what's going on will know this.
Also i dont think you mentioned the age of the car or i missed it? Obviously the older the car more fade can exist. Then again a good detailer than smooth it out.