Well, the car was protected for 4-years and the plastic wrap did its job. I started to see signs of wear and the wrap was losing its luster so I decided to take it off. Wow!!! The front of the car looks perfect and beautiful without that plastic wrap.

 

Just did the exact same thing to my 2009 C4 Cab...

 

Was it pretty easy to do? I am thinking of doing the same thing on mine too. Did you just remove the wrap from front bumper or hood as well?

 

Ae you going to re-wrap it? Better do it before you get any chips. If you get a chip you won't be able to wrap it until you re-paint and let it cure for 30 days ( I think?). Installers don't like to wrap over blemishes because when its removed it can pull the paint up with it.

 

I started with the hood and then the fenders thinking I would leave the rest but it started looking so nice I just took it all off.

You need to use a heat gun and keep things pretty warm. I had a few spots where the glue stuck probably because I didn't warm the plastic up enough. The best way to remove the glue is to take a micro fiber cloth and put gasoline on it. Soak the glue using the rag. After a couple minutes use your fingernail to scratch it off then rub it clean with the rag. Like I said, I only had a few spots to deal with do overall it went easy. If you're careful around the hood emblem you can pull and stretch the plastic enough to remove the layer underneath the emblem. Be careful to to put too much heat on the emblem or any of the fascia because heat guns will melt plastic.

 

I plan to keep the car a long time and do appreciate the protection my car had the first four years but I really hated the way my car looked with a clear bra and even more since i removed it. I love the smooth shinny beautiful lines and finishes that our cars have. The clear bra disrupts this finish. The car just pops now without the bra. If you have white, grey or silver then you won't notice the clear bra as much.

 

do you have a plate mounted in front of your radiator? and is that a tiptronic rad?

 

Tiptronic? Blasphemer!

I don't understand the plate question. This is the radiator upgrade kit that I heard about here on Rennlist; many from warmer States are installing it. You can purchase it from Suncoast Parts for about $250. The device in front of the radiator is a Laser Defuser.

You must be talking about a license plate. No....Tennessee doesn't require one.

 

Never had one on any of my cars. Just wondering if the protection film affects the fading of the paint over the long run to the point that you can see which parts were and weren't covered with it?

 

I use hot water to take off clear bra's. Seems to work great!

 

Couldn't agree with you more about the clear bra. Took mine off. The car looks soooooo much better.

 

I just removed 10 year old clear bra from my C32 and these are my observations.

When the bra gets older it gets yellow and starts to craze (white lines). The plastic also loses some elasticity and becomes much more difficult to remove. Instead of removing one sheet you end up removing small pieces and by the time your done you wished your fingers could be surgically removed. I've seen newer bra's (3 - 5 yo) come right off without these types of issues.

The paint underneath was perfect, no rock chips or other issues. To blend the rest of the paint with the areas that were covered I had to clay and polish the paint. Even still in certain light you can see a very slight different in color between the areas covered and uncovered.

When I installed a bra on my Spyder I had the entire fender, hood and bumper covered and all lines are hidden. You can tell the bra is there in fluorescent lighting but not in the sun. Waxing and cleaning the car are much easier when you don't have to deal with the perimeters of the bra. 80% of the people who see the car don't know it has a bra. The other benefit of covering the entire area is you don't have to worry about the slight color changing that occurs with time.

 

Thanks Afshin. I think this is the best way to do it then.

 

Clear bra's will yellow as it ages and they do start to look like crap on a car. I would replace it with the newer stuff like xpel. It will last longer, is polishable and is self healing. You want to keep that paint job in the perfect shape that is in.

Spokane5150, not to change the subject but what kind of Laser diffuser is that?

 

I agree. I took mine off last month and do not plan on putting a new one on. I would consider it if it was a dd.

If it's a really hot day with the sun blasting on it you van just pull it off. I used a heater to warm up my garage and a hot air blow dryer. Came right off.