Vinyl car bra or invisible car bra

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zinthalia

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Hello!

I just got a new jetta '07, and am thinking whether I should get a car bra for it or not. I know the best brand out is Colgan. I obviously need it for protection, but I heard that it could cause damage to the paint under the bra. I also know that there are invisible bras out there, the stick-on kind, that you don't even see. I am not sure of which kind I should get, and if I shoudl even get it. Please advise, because I do not want to ruin the paint on my car with the car bra, but at the same time I want to protect my car from all the little rocks on the ground, while I'm driving. Then, also I am not sure if the invisible bra the stick-on kind, of it can be removed later or not. Please advice.
 
If you want to do it the right way, go invisible. And get a quality one... which ones specifically, I can't help you there sorry. They can be removed and if applied correctly, will NOT damage the paint underneath. The vinyl type can trap dirt and debris under it, and can marr your paint without you even knowing it. When you take it off, you are left with a horrible surprise!
 
I speak from experience when I say never ever buy a vinyl car bra. Not just for the reasons that abrcrombe already mentioned but also because they trap moisture in between the paint and the bra. Eventually this moisture is forced into the paint making it look cloudy. Sometimes this effect is reversable and sometimes its permanent.
 
I have clear on my 'speed protege. Granted it is a lot more costly but worth it. I will have it on my cars in the future from now on. If your a good DIYer, get the material off ebay and go at it. Very nice thing to have. Vinyl is for interiors, 3M clear bra is for exterior!
 
I highly recommend the 3M Expel product for the exterior. I have it on my retrobird and it works great!
 
MikeyC said:
I speak from experience when I say never ever buy a vinyl car bra. Not just for the reasons that abrcrombe already mentioned but also because they trap moisture in between the paint and the bra. Eventually this moisture is forced into the paint making it look cloudy. Sometimes this effect is reversable and sometimes its permanent.
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:iagree:
My mom has a Toyota Sienna van that she purchased the vinyl car bra and it ruined the paint. It retained moisture and it the cloudy look that MikeyC mentions is very true. I took it to a auto body dealership and they just repainted the entire areas. In my SUV that I just purchased, I got the clear installed...not cheap but well worth it if you ask me.
 
there are breathable bras that let out the moisture and will not cloud up your paint....In the past I have put them on my cars with no problems what so ever...You do need to clean underneath it on a regular basis
 
there are breathable bras that let out the moisture and will not cloud up your paint....In the past I have put them on my cars with no problems what so ever...You do need to clean underneath it on a regular basis
 
I just had the 3M clear bra applied to my '07 Element SC. It has a huge bumper and took the professional installer 7.5 hours to put on. Pricey is right, but well worth the peace of mind. I had several small rock chips in less than a months time. Had those touched up and polished out and IMEDDIATELY had the clear bra put on. I'm much more relaxed driving now.
 
RallyMSP said:
I have clear on my 'speed protege. Granted it is a lot more costly but worth it. I will have it on my cars in the future from now on. If your a good DIYer, get the material off ebay and go at it. Very nice thing to have. Vinyl is for interiors, 3M clear bra is for exterior!
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Like Rally said, you can do it yourself. Installing a clear bar involves a bit of practice (headlights are a good place to start) and patience. You could do sections at a time, such as your hood one day and then your headlights the next and then the fenders and so on. Also, check out xpel.com. Xpel sells bulk 3M material or you can just purchase the kits. IMO it'd be better off to measure how much of the material you'll need and order that and a tiny bit extra, just in case. You could probably install the clear bra 3-4 times with the cost of a normal installation (I was quoted arround $900 for everything from an installer!).

Just watch em videos and read up on the product (3M and Ventureshield are the ways to go). You can't go wrong! :)

We just had a pro install ventureshield on our Accord for ~$550 (hood, bumper, fenders, headlights, door edge guards, door cups) and, imo, it looks great (not that it's something you can really see ;)). At this point, I wish I would have done it myself, but I guess you just live an learn.

Good luck!
 
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I still do not like bras on cars. I think they vibrate itch etc. Eventualy eating the paint an clear coat away. $900 dollars? You could repaint hood a few times. Do they make a deflector for your car? Well that is my 2 cents.
 
i have a clear bra on my subaru forester.. i had used to have a gti and a loong commute. my gti was speckled with rock chips.

i have a clear bra now that i love.. car is easy. check out the xpel website.

Paint Protection Film - XPEL Technologies Corp.

from what my installer told me.. xpel makes the bra patterns for the different models and then the installers has the choice of film. I have 3m film on my car which is one of the most reliable (according to the installer who seemed very decent). The installation is perfect and at most angles you can barely see it.

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do those things take away from the effect of a nice detail? I mean I imagine you cant polish them, and you dont get the effect of doing a sweet seal and wax combo. So if you were to put a clear bra on, then one day you did a nice detail and sealed the whole car, the put on a nice like Pinnacle wax or something to make crystal flakes pop out, would then the clear bra portion of the car not look as good as the rest and sort of stand out?
 
Gnarboots11 said:
do those things take away from the effect of a nice detail? I mean I imagine you cant polish them, and you dont get the effect of doing a sweet seal and wax combo. So if you were to put a clear bra on, then one day you did a nice detail and sealed the whole car, the put on a nice like Pinnacle wax or something to make crystal flakes pop out, would then the clear bra portion of the car not look as good as the rest and sort of stand out?
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SORRY:o I just don't get the bra thing......then i would worry about yellowing of the bra....:o bra-less for me....:)
 
you can polish the bra with plastic polish.. i use plexus. It keeps the bra looking as great as the day it was installed.

I wouldn't polish it with a machine.. you might be able to.. i dunno. I've just never tried.

You can see flake through the bra, just not as many. A great detail on the rest of the car doesn't make the bra any more noticable.

I would rather have less flake and a chipless hood. than a great detail with a bunch of rock chips.. but that's just my preference :)

There's also a five year warranty.. covers peeling, yellowing, etc. I think it depends on care.. that wouldn't be a problem for anyone here though :)
 
I got mine done here in town at a reputable place, my father knew the previous owner who sold it to his assistant and started another business. I take what he says with quite alot of truth and accuracy behind it, have talked to him quite a bit.

Anyways I had my clear bra put on by him. He doesn't use the 3M stuff, he told me that it is harder to work with when applying to a vehicle, and it also has very little 'gloss' to it, which I have to agree with from looking at alot of 3M clearbra's on vehicles around here.

He uses a different brand... I'll have to phone him and ask what it is again. But he says it is more malleable and can therefore be applied more accurately, it also has very nice gloss to it and even I can barely tell that it is on the vehicle (that's without a detail, with a sealant overtop of it once I recieve my order the edges should become even less visible). He even told me that when they had the machine cut it out, it didn't wrap around the sides as much as he'd like, so he threw it out and cut the piece out himself! I can't even tell! The edges are straight and everything, the stuff must really be easy to work with.

It's also half the price of 3M....

If anyone want's the brand name let me know and I'll phone him tomorrow.
 
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