Another Clear Bra predicament

sportscarhiatus

sportscarhiatus

New member
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
1,212
Reaction score
0
As of now, I have ZERO chips on my entire front end. I have Ventureshield on my entire front bumper and mirrors, then 3M on my Apillars and headlights. I am strongly considering getting the 18" of hood and fenders done (will be in 3M). I need to make the decision by Tuesday next week, as my installer is doing some other work on my car.

HELP!

fyi, doing the entire hood is out of the question due to cost, and I don't really want an entire hood covered in film... that would take away from my enjoyment of buffing and working with the actual paint.

So if I forego the clear bra, I plan to simply use blue painters tape on the hood area, then use the OEM leather bra on top of it to avoid any direct contact with the paint. This would be what I would do for long highway drives.

I am really concerned about the following:
  • edge of the clear bra being visible and taking away from the beauty of my paint in general
  • possible yellowing or fading of the clear bra.
  • orange peeling texture of the bra, or just having it visually be less appealing in terms of gloss, etc, than the rest of the exposed paint, esp the hood.
  • damage to the paint underneath upon removal.
FWIW, my car is pearl white, virtually brand new, only gets about 2k miles a year, and never sees rain, and always garaged.

What do you guys think? Clearbra or not?

p.s. Upon my search of this topic, why are there so many people like Rasky, for example, that want to REMOVE this clear bra? Why? faded? chipped? ugly?
 
I wouldn't stick any on the hood. I wish I would have done my entire front bumper though. My front bumper and the gill area on my Camaro are like rock chip city. I think that sticking it on the hood would be easy to see the line going across.
 
I personally have never had a new enough car to have a clear bra installed! But a couple of guys I work with have them and they seem to really like them. I've used leather bras in the past and they are a pain...
 
IOMCAMARO said:
I wouldn't stick any on the hood. I wish I would have done my entire front bumper though. My front bumper and the gill area on my Camaro are like rock chip city. I think that sticking it on the hood would be easy to see the line going across.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I love my clear bra on the entire front bumper... as it really works at making bug removal super duper easy. Just use an MF with detail spray and voila. But I hear ya on the visible line on the hood though. I just keep wondering if the line is something I can live with.... or whether or not the line would be really hard to see on PW.

Scarelane said:
I personally have never had a new enough car to have a clear bra installed! But a couple of guys I work with have them and they seem to really like them. I've used leather bras in the past and they are a pain...
Click to expand...

Do the people at work have the clear bra hood line??? Can you see it? Are they happy with it?




Any one else with opinions??? Please keep em coming!!!! Advice and opinions needed!Feed back please
 
This stuff works great!

prodpicb316.jpg


Jim
 
sportscarhiatus said:
I have Ventureshield on my entire front bumper. ???

I am strongly considering getting the 18" of hood
I personally wouldn't get the bikini-cut (18")...whole hood or none. I've got one of my vehicles whole hood covered in the XPel PPF...It has saved the hood from a lot of damage, looks good...You may enjoy the detailing aspects on your hood, I know I did, but a re-spray is a lot more costly than PPF, IMO.

and fenders done (will be in 3M).
Not a bad idea...fenders also will get some environmental/road debris thrown at them

fyi, doing the entire hood is out of the question due to cost, and I don't really want an entire hood covered in film... that would take away from my enjoyment of buffing and working with the actual paint.

So if I forego the clear bra,???

I plan to simply use blue painters tape on the hood area, then use the OEM leather bra on top of it to avoid any direct contact with the paint. This would be what I would do for long highway drives.
Leather Bras are notorious for damaging paint, tedious upkeep, and, if it's a good and tight fit, will actually cause the front clip to move around.


I am really concerned about the following:
  • edge of the clear bra being visible and taking away from the beauty of my paint in general
  • possible yellowing or fading of the clear bra.
  • orange peeling texture of the bra, or just having it visually be less appealing in terms of gloss, etc, than the rest of the exposed paint, esp the hood.
  • damage to the paint underneath upon removal.
FWIW, my car is pearl white, virtually brand new, only gets about 2k miles a year, and never sees rain, and always garaged.

What do you guys think? Clearbra or not? ???
Click to expand...

The reason for my red ???: At first you say you have VentureShield, your sig says Llumar, then you have the OEM Leather bra, and finally you want to know: clear bra or not.......Just has me a little confused, that's all. :)

As far as your concerns: As little exposure to the outside world, and all of its havoc/impending damage, as your vehicle will get, your PPF, if of a reputable manufacturer/installed properly, should last a very, very long time.

Bob
 
^ Thanks for the response Bob. Let me clarify a few things.

Llumar paint protection film was used on my bumper and mirrors. I believe, that was the same brand/company as Ventureshield. I may be wrong I guess. This question that I posed about putting it on the hood is new.... as in, I am "thinking" about getting it done, since I didn't before. Problem is, the guy that I originally had put this on, is now gone. So the new place where I am getting it done only is licensed to do 3M, and not Llumar/Ventureshield.

As for the leather bra, I only use the piece that goes on the hood! (It's separate from the entire bumper piece, which I don't use since I already have PPF on there.) The leather bra is OEM and you can buy from Nissan/dealer. As I stated above, that is what I currently do for long drives on the highway. My process: I use painter's tape on the hood to cover up the areas that the leather bra/bikini will touch. Smart eh? That way, the leather bra NEVER comes into contact with my paint. But yes, it's just a pain in the rear to apply/remove all the time, esp with my painter's tape method.

So anyway, that's why I am in the predicament I am in. Bikini/18" clear bra on hood or not?!?!?! Or just suck it up and do my painter's tape/leather bra on hood all the time???
 
sportscarhiatus said:
^ Thanks for the response Bob. Let me clarify a few things.

Llumar paint protection film was used on my bumper and mirrors. I believe, that was the same brand/company as Ventureshield. I may be wrong I guess. This question that I posed about putting it on the hood is new.... as in, I am "thinking" about getting it done, since I didn't before. Problem is, the guy that I originally had put this on, is now gone. So the new place where I am getting it done only is licensed to do 3M, and not Llumar/Ventureshield.

As for the leather bra, I only use the piece that goes on the hood! (It's separate from the entire bumper piece, which I don't use.) The leather bra is OEM and you can buy from Nissan/dealer. As I stated above, that is what I currently do for long drives on the highway. My process: I use painter's tape on the hood to cover up the areas that the leather bra/bikini will touch. Smart eh? That way, the leather bra NEVER comes into contact with my paint. But yes, it's just a pain in the rear to apply/remove all the time, esp with my painter's tape method.

So anyway, that's why I am in the predicament I am in. Bikini/18" clear bra on hood or not?!?!?! Or just suck it up and do my painter's tape/leather bra on hood all the time???
Click to expand...

-Thanks for the clarification.:) I may be wrong, but i believe 3M now owns VentureShield...their Energy Products Division(EPD) has various licensed installers.

-Yes! Smart idea on the OEM hood "deflector" bra.

-IMHO, the bikini-cut (18") will too clearly show the start/stop line. So, NO.
-Until the cost of a whole hood PPF install is no longer prohibitive, "sucking it up", with your tried and true method, may be your only recourse.:)

Bob
 
I have a clear bra on my Black Audi A5 and agree, a bra on the bumper works great, no chips and is not noticeable.

The bra on the hood looked good the first year, but now is has some marks in it that will not come out and you can easily see a line where the bra ends. I also have a couple of places where salt or rocks actually pierced the product. So, I have been thinking about getting it the bra on the hood redone.

On the plus side, the bra has saved my hood from the getting the little stone chips that really are noticeable on a black car. I had a black BMW prior to the Audi and did not have a bra installed and wish I did. After the first year the little chips on the front of the hood were killing me and I ultimately had the hood repainted.

I would do the bra again, just wish there was some good way to get marks out of it. I have tried polishing it and that works pretty good, but there are still some bugs (or something else that splattered on it) that will not come out.
 
FUNX725 said:
-Thanks for the clarification.:) I may be wrong, but i believe 3M now owns VentureShield...their Energy Products Division(EPD) has various licensed installers.

-Yes! Smart idea on the OEM hood "deflector" bra.

-IMHO, the bikini-cut (18") will too clearly show the start/stop line. So, NO.
-Until the cost of a whole hood PPF install is no longer prohibitive, "sucking it up", with your tried and true method, may be your only recourse.:)

Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob...

So in your opinion, is the only negative side to the bikini/18" PPF on the hood, purely visual? as in.... the line is clearly visible? Any other draw backs to having the film on the hood in general?

Are there folks on here who have the 18"/bikini clearbra that actually like it and are really glad they did it? I would like to hear the other side of the story...
 
skay944 said:
I have a clear bra on my Black Audi A5 and agree, a bra on the bumper works great, no chips and is not noticeable.

The bra on the hood looked good the first year, but now is has some marks in it that will not come out and you can easily see a line where the bra ends. I also have a couple of places where salt or rocks actually pierced the product. So, I have been thinking about getting it the bra on the hood redone.

On the plus side, the bra has saved my hood from the getting the little stone chips that really are noticeable on a black car. I had a black BMW prior to the Audi and did not have a bra installed and wish I did. After the first year the little chips on the front of the hood were killing me and I ultimately had the hood repainted.

I would do the bra again, just wish there was some good way to get marks out of it. I have tried polishing it and that works pretty good, but there are still some bugs (or something else that splattered on it) that will not come out.
Click to expand...

Thanks Skay! So positive for you: protected from chips, negative: visual edge/line apparent, some pitting, and some stain/etches that won't come off with polishing?

I heard/read that you can just use a gray pad and some 85RD to get the PPF looking new again? Have you tried that?

Also, how old was the clear bra before it started to look "worn" and the edge visible? Maybe it's just time a for re-application of the PPF?

Shucks, your paint was black in color, mine is white... I wonder how visible or whether having it on white would be better or worse for visual-sake? Anyone here had clear bra on white?!?!?! How did the edges look?
 
sportscarhiatus said:
Thanks Skay! So positive for you: protected from chips, negative: visual edge/line apparent, some pitting, and some stain/etches that won't come off with polishing?

I heard/read that you can just use a gray pad and some 85RD to get the PPF looking new again? Have you tried that?

Also, how old was the clear bra before it started to look "worn" and the edge visible? Maybe it's just time a for re-application of the PPF?

Shucks, your paint was black in color, mine is white... I wonder how visible or whether having it on white would be better or worse for visual-sake? Anyone here had clear bra on white?!?!?! How did the edges look?
Click to expand...

I just traded a 2008 Toyota Sequoia with 3M clear Bra. This color does make the film look a little yellow. Not bad, depends on the lighting as to how clear or yellowish a tint it shows.
 
Oh and I would poilsh, wax, buff,......even wet sand (yes wet sand*) the clear bra just as I would paint. Of course using the same cautions and going only as aggressive as necessary.

Wifey rubbed the right front corner on something....of course she had no recollection of any collisions. I was able to wet sand the scuffs out, then follow with a series of polishes then wax...like brand new.
 
sportscarhiatus said:
Thanks Bob...

So in your opinion, is the only negative side to the bikini/18" PPF on the hood, purely visual? as in.... the line is clearly visible? Any other draw backs to having the film on the hood in general?

Are there folks on here who have the 18"/bikini clearbra that actually like it and are really glad they did it? I would like to hear the other side of the story...
Click to expand...

IMO...The bikini-cut PPF on the hood, coupled with the matching bikini-style-fender-cut PPF is more visually appealing. Not that I feel a partial hood PPF covering is unsightly, but others may. That said, most of the time I don't really care if some people poohpoohs the way my vehicles look...Protection of my investments takes priority over someone's opinion!

Yet, afterall, it's your vehicle. I'm sure you'll make the right decision based not only from this forum's members responses, but also on your preferences.:)

Good luck and stay chip free!

Bob
 
Have you looked at the spray on clear bras? I know a shop does it by me, but I haven't seen any with it on. Jason from colors detailing has seen it and says it looks good. I haven't seen jason on here in a while. His screen name is colorsdetailing.
 
04Si said:
I have had clear bra by 3M on my last 6 vehicles. No regrets. Just make sure you get an accomplished install. I botched install will make you hate it. If you decide not to do it you can always use this for long trips
Surface Protection Film Roll - Everyday and Storage - Car Maintenance - Griot's Garage
Click to expand...

04Si said:
I just traded a 2008 Toyota Sequoia with 3M clear Bra. This color does make the film look a little yellow. Not bad, depends on the lighting as to how clear or yellowish a tint it shows.
Click to expand...

That surface protection film roll looks very interesting! I might just have to try this.

So your 6 vehicles that you had 3M on, were they all part-way up the hood? or the full hood? If part-way, you were happy with the way it looked for all those years? How about your Toyota Sequioa? Part-way hood but still looked yellow? Edges visible?

FUNX725 said:
IMO...The bikini-cut PPF on the hood, coupled with the matching bikini-style-fender-cut PPF is more visually appealing. Not that I feel a partial hood PPF covering is unsightly, but others may. That said, most of the time I don't really care if some people poohpoohs the way my vehicles look...Protection of my investments takes priority over someone's opinion!

Yet, afterall, it's your vehicle. I'm sure you'll make the right decision based not only from this forum's members responses, but also on your preferences.:)

Good luck and stay chip free!

Bob
Click to expand...

Ah... so to you, part way up the hood looks ok eh? Yeah I know what you mean about if some other people think it looks weird or funny, etc.... as long as we protect our investment. What really worries me (to be honest), is what I myself will think of my car whenever I go the garage and see that line or edge?!?!?! (if indeed it really is that obvious, I never have done it before so I dunno :().

loudog2 said:
Have you looked at the spray on clear bras? I know a shop does it by me, but I haven't seen any with it on. Jason from colors detailing has seen it and says it looks good. I haven't seen jason on here in a while. His screen name is colorsdetailing.
Click to expand...

Thanks Lou...yeah I heard about the spray on clear bra's... it's a neat option, but with my entire front bumper already with PPF, I'm just looking to have the bikini-style hood done... I don't think I would want to spray any of that stuff on my hood, more so part way....
 
My dad has 3M film on his mazda6 and has had it since 07. It still looks great and has saved his paint from a lot of damage. He has it on his hood, bumper & mirrors. His is the extended coverage so it's a large part of the hood.

My truck has a bikini cut on the hood and you can't notice the film unless it's dirty. I have the hood, bumper, fenders & rocker panels done. My mom has it on her car and she has it on her hood, fenders and bumper done. Her car is a dark color and it is visible but not too bad it's more the difference in the shininess of the film. My mom and I have Xpel branded film.

It's worth it and I think on a white car it won't be noticeable. Get the bikini cut like Bob suggested.
 
I would do it, if fact I did.

Would you rather see a clear line or rock chips in your hood?

I can tell you on silver mine is barley visible, I have to tell some people that its there.
 
I have film on my front bumper, hood, a pillars and side view mirrors. It's a great insurance policy. ( I even did clear bra under the gas fill, in case of a bang)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top