who does not have clear bra

[KB Viper]

do you regret not having it? i just had it installed on just the bumper, 25 inches of the hood, the side mirrors and headlights and I'm thinking of pulling it off. i hate the way it gives the perfect paint orange peel. thoughts?

[Exhlr8n]

I hear yah, like the protection, but hate the looks of it. Haven't seen one applied that looked all that great either.

[TexasSnake]

do you regret not having it? i just had it installed on just the bumper, 25 inches of the hood, the side mirrors and headlights and I'm thinking of pulling it off. i hate the way it gives the perfect paint orange peel. thoughts?

I think the color of car may have a lot to do with it. I bet some colors naturally hide it better than others. I had it installed everywhere you mentioned (except headlights) on my silver Gen III and loved it! I plan on having it installed on my Gen V Adrenaline Red but wish I had feedback from an owner with that color.

[Aspirations57]

do you regret not having it? i just had it installed on just the bumper, 25 inches of the hood, the side mirrors and headlights and I'm thinking of pulling it off. i hate the way it gives the perfect paint orange peel. thoughts?

What product did you use?

[outnumbered]

I think you have to look at it for what it is--protection. At the end of the day (at least for me) I can overlook any imperfections associated with the film more so than I can deal with chips. Also, as mentioned above, I think some colors do a better job of hiding the film. My carbon matte--not so much. It definitely prevents the metal flake from standing out in the sun.

[FLATOUT]

What product did you use?

Agree what film did you put on the car?

[DFox]

Agree what film did you put on the car?


My guess is Xpel.

[swexlin]

I recently had Xpel installed on my Adrenaline Red car, and I think it looks great. I do have to take it back to the installer, needs a touch up under the front fascia, where there is a little peeling. It is especially good protection around the sandblaster Corsas! Worth it to me.

[TexasSnake]

I recently had Xpel installed on my Adrenaline Red car, and I think it looks great. I do have to take it back to the installer, needs a touch up under the front fascia, where there is a little peeling. It is especially good protection around the sandblaster Corsas! Worth it to me.

Thanks!

[swexlin]

Thanks!

If we ever see the sun around here again on a day when I have the car outside, I'll see if I can get some clear pics and send them to you.

[Coloviper]

While not a GEN V, I don't install permanent clear bras on any of my vehicles and don't regret it either. I do use the temporary clear bras (tracwrap) for driving events or long drives in the mountains where the chances of chips are greater. It is a bit more work however find that I get to enjoy the car and paint as is when I really want to but get protection whenever I want it too.

Rock chips are a part of life, like scars on the body. Just accept them and move on. Our daily driver Cayenne Turbos had clear bras on them from the Porsche dealer since new. Just peeling one off 4 months ago and you get to see the factory paint color underneath while the rest of the car is faded just that bit. My advice is take that $3,000 clear bra money and put it in a bank account, let it grow and in 10 or 15 years when you feel there are too many rock chips, use it to repaint those sections.

To answer your question, no regrets without it. Plenty of us non-clear bra believers out there. It is however, to each their own.

[AM.MSCL]

We had unknown brand of clear bra on our Sapphire Blue 01 GTS (partial coverage), Xpel Ultimate on the entire 2010 ACR and a few of the Corvettes we had had different brands.
The only car of the group that did not have lines was the 2010 ACR because they laser plotted the car in the shop and lined up the seems with the stripes and body lines. However they had the car 3 weeks and the paint looked dull and like it had water spots all over it.
The Aston Martin we had and our current 2014 GTS we have Ceramic Pro 9H on the entire car; the guys even did the engine bay, some interior pieces, and underside of the car (they could reach with it sitting on the ground while they laid on their back). We have been very happy with this and we have taken some normal to small size rocks during cruising and no chips have been happened.

[ViperJon]

While not a GEN V, I don't install permanent clear bras on any of my vehicles and don't regret it either. I do use the temporary clear bras (tracwrap) for driving events or long drives in the mountains where the chances of chips are greater. It is a bit more work however find that I get to enjoy the car and paint as is when I really want to but get protection whenever I want it too.

Rock chips are a part of life, like scars on the body. Just accept them and move on. Our daily driver Cayenne Turbos had clear bras on them from the Porsche dealer since new. Just peeling one off 4 months ago and you get to see the factory paint color underneath while the rest of the car is faded just that bit. My advice is take that $3,000 clear bra money and put it in a bank account, let it grow and in 10 or 15 years when you feel there are too many rock chips, use it to repaint those sections.

To answer your question, no regrets without it. Plenty of us non-clear bra believers out there. It is however, to each their own.

You might think otherwise with a brand new 100K car that just rolled out of a dealership.
The clear bra materials and effectiveness have come a long way, it's well worth the relatively minor investment.

[KB Viper]

I have expel ultimate and it was installed by a high end shop so the install was done correctly. I've never had a clear bra before on a car, I would do what other have suggested, wait about 2 years and just have the bumper repainted.which was easy because my prior cars were all black. What bothers me the most is that dirt gets trapped on the edge of the clear bra and you can easily see it cutting across my bright white stripes. I hate washing and detailing the car then seeing that on top of the egg shell texture it adds to the paint.

[ddominator1]

Can also try 3m clear spray. On areas of front bumper and mirrors. it's a pretty good product but has to B applied the right way and car prepped very good before application. it is essentially looks like a clear coat and does not affect paint and can be removed . probably has a bit less protection then a clear film but works well for bugs, tar or small pebbles that my head's bumper hood or mirrors. Talk to your dealer or a reputable rap company that is experienced in applying it. I have a guy down here in Sarasota Florida that does full body wraps and uses product all the time on expensive cars with no problems

[Dman]

Can also try 3m clear spray. On areas of front bumper and mirrors. it's a pretty good product but has to B applied the right way and car prepped very good before application. it is essentially looks like a clear coat and does not affect paint and can be removed . probably has a bit less protection then a clear film but works well for bugs, tar or small pebbles that my head's bumper hood or mirrors. Talk to your dealer or a reputable rap company that is experienced in applying it. I have a guy down here in Sarasota Florida that does full body wraps and uses product all the time on expensive cars with no problems

I've used the 3M spray and found it to be worthless. It looks like it'd be perfect when you put it on, but it gets tacky in the heat, and when it takes bug hits that you would normally just spray and wipe off, they dig into the film and then marr it at best and then you're pealing it off and respraying, which would be ok once in a while, but I found it happening Avery 2-3 washes, then having to tape and mark off the car and respray, just not tough enough for bugs. Ended up removing all of it and tossing the cans. I'm using cQuartz for now as a test. Keep thinking about film but can't decide. I do use tape and temp film on any car I do a track day with.

[swexlin]

My Xpel is on the front fascia, wheelwells, rockers, and rear lower quarters. I also had CQuartz done over the rest of the car.

[ViperSmith]

I put 8000 miles on my 2013 and I have 2500 miles on my 2015

Clear bra on neither.

Small random chips but nothing bad really. The 2013's front bumper looked pretty decent even after 8000 miles, barely anything.

[FrgMstr]

The only mistake I made was not doing the ENTIRE hood. After 20,000 miles of rally driving, racing, twisty mountain roads, and general hauling ass around the USA, the hood is chipped to hell above the first set of vents on my Gen IV.

[FLATOUT]

Just did Expel Ultimate on mine and I think so far I like the Suntek on my old TA better. I need to let the Expel completely settle in for another day or so before I judge it though. As for keeping the lines clean of debri I usually use an alcohol/water 50/50 to wipe them down once I notice build up between washes.

Andy

[swexlin]

Just did Expel Ultimate on mine and I think so far I like the Suntek on my old TA better. I need to let the Expel completely settle in for another day or so before I judge it though. As for keeping the lines clean of debri I usually use an alcohol/water 50/50 to wipe them down once I notice build up between washes.

Andy

Andy, I found mine settled in after a couple days. As I said, there are a couple spots on the fascia underneath where I have to get it back to my installer to get it fixed. Other that that, seems to be good. I didn't do the hood.

[Crotalidae]

The only mistake I made was not doing the ENTIRE hood. After 20,000 miles of rally driving, racing, twisty mountain roads, and general hauling ass around the USA, the hood is chipped to hell above the first set of vents on my Gen IV.

Agree w/ this...I initially only had the front 1/3rd of the hood done...I just had the entire hood wrapped...came out great w/ Suntek!!!

[daveg]

Did Suntek (after much research) on my Eclipse Spyder GT myself. Its my DD. I can barely see lines on hood, bumper etc. Trick is to NOT wax (use synthetic only on bra) at the transition line. Wax gathers there and turns black which makes it stand out.

Haven't done my Viper yet. I only put 600 miles on the car in a years time but, if I were to do it (myself), I would use Suntek again.

[2010.Blue.White.ACR]

I don't have it because I don't like how it looks on the car

[Bruce]

I've used the 3M spray and found it to be worthless.

Agreed. I had the 3M spray on the side sills and it couldn't take the heat from the exhaust and it was a bitch to remove them as I didn't spray them on thick enough. Will look into Suntek for the hood, front bumper, and side sills.

[Exhlr8n]

Mine clear bra was done with 3M

[Aspirations57]

Iam having the whole front of the car done on my car up to the doors plus rockers mirrors and splash areas behind front and rear wheels with sun-tech. I was told the Sun-tech is easier to wrap around corners and has the best clarity. I dont really want to spend the cash it takes but rock damage is terrible here in Utah.

[daveg]

Suntek and Xpel are equally great products. Suntek is better for the "do-it-yourselfer" IMO

[TexasSnake]

If we ever see the sun around here again on a day when I have the car outside, I'll see if I can get some clear pics and send them to you.

That will be awesome and greatly appreciated!!!

[supersnake]

Had it installed by a reputable installer and when I picked the car up, it had loads of dirt under the film. Made them take it off and won't be putting it back on.

[TexasSnake]

Did Suntek (after much research) on my Eclipse Spyder GT myself. Its my DD. I can barely see lines on hood, bumper etc. Trick is to NOT wax (use synthetic only on bra) at the transition line. Wax gathers there and turns black which makes it stand out.

Haven't done my Viper yet. I only put 600 miles on the car in a years time but, if I were to do it (myself), I would use Suntek again.

What do you mean use synthetic only on bra?

[daveg]

What do you mean use synthetic only on bra?
Synthetic Wax, IE sealer and not a Carnauba for example.

When installing a clear bra, prep is everything that's why I prefer to do it myself. It's actually quite fun and rewarding.

[IndyRon]

I don't have it on mine and mine's been to Prefix twice now, although for reasons unrelated to rock chips. That said, I don't like how it looks at the bra-paint interface or the orange peel or the lack of clarity and pop of the paint in the areas it is covered. I do get nervous driving mine in traffic and know that I'm slowly accumulating small chips. That's the risk I'm willing to take.

[Coloviper]

You might think otherwise with a brand new 100K car that just rolled out of a dealership.
The clear bra materials and effectiveness have come a long way, it's well worth the relatively minor investment.

My wife's Cayenne Turbo was $110k and my Cayenne Turbo S was $135k. My Saleen S351R Speedster has the original one-off batch of BASF Extreme Mystic Paint on it at $25k, car cost over $100k new. My 2006 Viper SRT-10 Coupe was bought new as well and never put it on that car either.

What is your point other than to make a BS comment on buying a new car over $100k? Entitled to say what you want, I guess. At least I wasn't too cheap to buy a VOA Membership.

[Stealth]

My '14 Yellow/Black Stripes GTS has Nano Fusion, which my installer prefers to Xpel, etc. I had Venture Shield on many previous cars and it was fine (black, gray, red, blue and silver, yellow).

For the OP, I would have your hood redone and cover the ENTIRE Hood using three pieces and hiding the piece lines on the edge of the stripes. This is what I did and you will not then have an obvious line across the hood. On the two cars where I had a partial hood done, I had it re-done to cover the entire hood. My clear looks great and has already absorbed rocks that would have chipped the paint. I would rather avoid having a local paint shop repaint the car and stripes unless absolutely necessary. I would rather just replace damaged clear bra.

It is definitely the case that in certain areas dirt will accumulate on the edge of the film and be visible--e.g., the back bumper where I just did from the top vertical edge of the bumper down to tie in with the rear rockers behind the wheels. If I spray 409 or Meguire's Detailer and wipe it this usually does the trick. Most visible areas on my install do not have a visible seam on which dirt could accumulate.

On many cars I have used Meguire' NXT Tech 2 Wax (might be synthetic). This seems to work great. I do not see any Orange Peel or other paint problems.

My Viper is garaged at home and at work (on the few days I drive to work), so I am not really worried about paint fade. I have probably had at least 10 cars with clear bra protection and will continue to do so for peace of mind--even simple matters such as following surface street traffic.

Good luck with your decisions.

[cayenne]

I'm having my front bumper, 1/2 hood, and door edges done on Friday with XPel Ultimate. I've had it before, the orange peel effect is there, but I would rather live with that than a bunch of chips or fixed chips that don't match well. I don't have stripes so I don't really have a great place to match seams though for the full hood.

[darbgnik]

Some may disagree, well maybe a lot will, but I think wrapping a whole car is the equivalent to your grandmother forcing you to sit on plastic covers on her couches. That way the couches are spotless when it's time to get rid of them for nothing........

I have film on the bumper, mirrors, quarter hood, and inside the sill edges. Anyone in my neck of the woods can attest to the damage chip sealing our highways causes, so obviously I did the high probability areas. In all my year owning vehicles I don't remember getting much if any chips a few inches above the food front line. I also don't have any stripes, and couldn't live with lines on the hood, no matter how well done. I've also seen full wraps, and especially don't like the roof to rear fender transition.

I will say the new films are a hell of a lot better than they used to be, when you could spot them from the edge and the color, from a mile away.

[cayenne]

Some may disagree, well maybe a lot will, but I think wrapping a whole car is the equivalent to your grandmother forcing you to sit on plastic covers on her couches. That way the couches are spotless when it's time to get rid of them for nothing........

I have film on the bumper, mirrors, quarter hood, and inside the sill edges. Anyone in my neck of the woods can attest to the damage chip sealing our highways causes, so obviously I did the high probability areas. In all my year owning vehicles I don't remember getting much if any chips a few inches above the food front line. I also don't have any stripes, and couldn't live with lines on the hood, no matter how well done. I've also seen full wraps, and especially don't like the roof to rear fender transition.

I will say the new films are a hell of a lot better than they used to be, when you could spot them from the edge and the color, from a mile away.

I can't tell you how many times I've thought about the grandma's couch theory!! I do love my car and I'm severely OCD about it, but the only way I would do a full wrap would be a color change or something like that. Then again, I could never bring myself to spend that much money.

[lochnessmonster]

While not a GEN V, I don't install permanent clear bras on any of my vehicles and don't regret it either. I do use the temporary clear bras (tracwrap) for driving events or long drives in the mountains where the chances of chips are greater. It is a bit more work however find that I get to enjoy the car and paint as is when I really want to but get protection whenever I want it too.

Rock chips are a part of life, like scars on the body. Just accept them and move on. Our daily driver Cayenne Turbos had clear bras on them from the Porsche dealer since new. Just peeling one off 4 months ago and you get to see the factory paint color underneath while the rest of the car is faded just that bit. My advice is take that $3,000 clear bra money and put it in a bank account, let it grow and in 10 or 15 years when you feel there are too many rock chips, use it to repaint those sections.

To answer your question, no regrets without it. Plenty of us non-clear bra believers out there. It is however, to each their own.

This^^^^ I've thought of the clear bra, but I live 5 blocks away from work and drive on the hwy about once ever 4-5 months. It's just not worth it for me. My S2000 has a bunch of rock chips etc that I've used touch up paint on, and they are hidden for the most part, unless you stop and really look at the car. At the end of the day, that car is 15 years old and in need of an entire paint job if anything.

I do like the idea of protecting the paint, but I don't like the idea of messing with the 160+ man hours it takes to make that beautiful Adrenaline Red on my car look like it does. What I really need to do is look into this "Tracwrap" product. I had no idea it existed, and I have a road trip planned to Vancouver in a couple of weeks......good call Coloviper!

[lochnessmonster]

Can also try 3m clear spray. On areas of front bumper and mirrors. it's a pretty good product but has to B applied the right way and car prepped very good before application. it is essentially looks like a clear coat and does not affect paint and can be removed . probably has a bit less protection then a clear film but works well for bugs, tar or small pebbles that my head's bumper hood or mirrors. Talk to your dealer or a reputable rap company that is experienced in applying it. I have a guy down here in Sarasota Florida that does full body wraps and uses product all the time on expensive cars with no problems

Oooooooh, I like the sounds of this too. This appeals to the cheap bastard in me :cool:

[FrgMstr]

Drive hard on some mountain roads like 3 Twisted Sisters in South Texas or Pig Trail up in the Arkansas mountains with large run groups of guys that like to drive extremely hard and you will realize quickly that a clear bra is a necessity. My first trip without a clear bra on 3 Sister's and it looked like my car had been sandblasted. Just had to replace my windshield because of how badly it was sandblasted in the last few years.

So what it all comes down to is how are you going to be driving your car?

[lochnessmonster]

Absolutely, FrgMstr has identified the main issue. For some, it is an absolute necessity, and for others, not worth it.

[TexasSnake]

Some may disagree, well maybe a lot will, but I think wrapping a whole car is the equivalent to your grandmother forcing you to sit on plastic covers on her couches. That way the couches are spotless when it's time to get rid of them for nothing........

Awesome analogy! Lol

[lochnessmonster]

I know, right? I liked it too. :anonymous:

[Coloviper]

Monster;

Here you go: http://www.tracwrap.com/

Basically like industrial Saranwrap. Just throw it on for the trip. Rip it off once you get there. Slap it on for the trip home and rip it off when back. You could spend the time to bubble it out, etc. or just use it as is quick and dirty to protect the car while driving. Plenty of time for people to admire the car and finish when the event is done and you just peel it off. Works for me!

[ViperGeorge]

I am now on my third clear bra on my 15 TA 2.0. I got the car in May. First clear bra was Ventureshield. I've used it on all my other cars without issue. This time bug hits left permanent marks in the bra, they would not come off. Even the installer tried. It was replaced under warranty. Second time the stuff was on for a week and got all messed up when it was cleaned and it had scuff marks on the sills that would not buff out. Replaced it with 3M (they also own Ventureshield). It looks way better and based on the research I've done holds up better than most of the others (there is a Youtube video showing tests of several). Venture shield must have changed their formula or something. I will never use it again.

[lochnessmonster]

Awesomeness! That is perfect for my needs. Thanx.

[SHADOWSNAKE]

For what it's worth, I just got my car back from Prefix after they repaired the paint on the front end. Basically the car got sandblasted at VOE1 on the oval by the car in front of me. Bottom line, I paid about 3k to have the car put back to factory condition, certified by Prefix. Actually, it looks better than the day I bought it. Rather than wrap it up, I'm just gonna enjoy the paint and run it through Prefix if it ever gets damaged again.

[Voice of Reason]

I had Xpel put on my old '13 at 800 miles and I traded it in about 9,000 miles later. I was SHOCKED how badly pitted the front Stryker symbol was compared to the Xpel covered areas. The Xpel looked almost new.

I have a slightly different story on my '14 though. It was covered with no miles on the car and I have 3 marks on the nose in 3,600 miles where it took the brunt force of something large. They're the equivalent of the mark you'd get on a damaged uncovered bumper. I think with the white they're just very noticeable vs on a car of any other color. And I figure in a few years I'll get the urge to give it a stripe so I'll have it replaced then and it's nice piece of mind knowing that the paint underneath is still perfect.

[Zybane]

I don't care what anyone says, the look of a clear bra won't be as deep/glossy as with it not on. Plus those ugly transition lines. For a track car it could be worth the investment but IMO not for a street car. Just don't drive close to people in front of you.

[Drummerviper]

Xpel on all my cars. At a mimimim do ENTIRE hood, mirrors and rocker panels. I did an entire McClaren 650 and almost all of my Aventador.

To the extent you dont cover, use a good hydrophobic on exposed paint.

[Photog1]

Did all of my cars. Would not go with out it!

[Viktimize]

People say that Xpel is comparable to Suntek. But I just had a new car of mine done with Xpel because the dealer screwed up and wrapped it anyway, even though I told them not to since I was getting Suntek done for cheaper. Side by side, hands down the Suntek is a much better product as far as being invisible goes.

I have had many vehicles, and every one of them I didn't get paint protected, I regretted it for sure. Both my Vipers have been done with Suntek and I would do it again in a heart beat. The stuff is practically invisible, and it is cheap insurance against repainting the car every 2-3 years.

Only thing I would change on my GenV, is I would've had the entire car polished and paint corrected before doing the Suntek.

[DPViper]

I had 3M on my last 2 Vipers and decided not to do it on the Gen 5. The clear bra turns yellow and never polishes up like the rest of the car. Rather touch up small chips.

[daveg]

You cannot see the Suntek on my car as well, nearly invisible and no orange peel. There is a place online with pre-cut kits for people that want to do it themselves.

[FSTENUF]

115731157411575



Had mine done and have 2000 miles on it with no problems.

[Brian GTS]

I generally don't care for clear bra because I enjoy getting intimate with the paint....detailing and what not. However, these cars take a beating on the side sills and behind the rear wheels. That is where they get constantly get sand blasted with road debris. Even after a few thousand miles it will no longer feel smooth in those areas w/o clear protection. Having said that, I have it installed on my front bumper, side sills, and behind the rear wheels.

[Dman]

People say that Xpel is comparable to Suntek. But I just had a new car of mine done with Xpel because the dealer screwed up and wrapped it anyway, even though I told them not to since I was getting Suntek done for cheaper. Side by side, hands down the Suntek is a much better product as far as being invisible goes.

I have had many vehicles, and every one of them I didn't get paint protected, I regretted it for sure. Both my Vipers have been done with Suntek and I would do it again in a heart beat. The stuff is practically invisible, and it is cheap insurance against repainting the car every 2-3 years.

Only thing I would change on my GenV, is I would've had the entire car polished and paint corrected before doing the Suntek.

Thanks for posting this. This helps me know that if I do film, it'll be Suntek, thanks.

[KB Viper]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to give it till the weekend before making my decision but I am leaning on pulling it off. I've never had a clear bra before and always found myself having to get random panels painted for one reason or another, but not for rock chips. The way I see it, I keep the clear bra and have no rock chips but have a textured section of the car with transition lines which I think is ugly or have a perfectly painted prefix car with a couple of small chips. So with or with out the clear bra the paint isn't going to be perfect and I'd rather have rock chips fixed with touch up paint vs the entire front end covered in plastic which adds a orange peel type texture.

[VIPEREPIV]

I have a couple of factory clear bra areas on the lower rear doors of my Subaru, and hate'em. The edges start building up a dirty appearance over time, although my car is white, and a daily driver, and the bra is not completely impervious to rock chips. I have a few small chips on them, and to me, this is the same as chips on paint. However, I use a white chip stick (like a large white crayon) to fill in any chips flush with the surface of the paint.

As for my Viper, and after thinking about it, I'm not going to put anything on it. In addition to not liking the idea of placing any type of bra or wrap on my Viper, I'm just waaay to anal, and would be able to pick apart any bra or wrap job. It's going to have it's first wash, clay, polish and ceramic coating next week, and that'll be it. I'm also going to order a y'orange colored fill stick (crayon like) from the UK.

Now, if I really want to protect a couple of areas later on, and do it for myself, not a future owner, then I will have my front bumper cover and lower sills mildly sprayed in a color coded y'orange done by Line X. I had this done to my WRX a year ago, in black, and love it! It repels all rock chips, and is something different. This is obviously not for everyone, so everything I do to my car is for me, not future owners or resale value.

[Viktimize]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to give it till the weekend before making my decision but I am leaning on pulling it off. I've never had a clear bra before and always found myself having to get random panels painted for one reason or another, but not for rock chips. The way I see it, I keep the clear bra and have no rock chips but have a textured section of the car with transition lines which I think is ugly or have a perfectly painted prefix car with a couple of small chips. So with or with out the clear bra the paint isn't going to be perfect and I'd rather have rock chips fixed with touch up paint vs the entire front end covered in plastic which adds a orange peel type texture.


Or option 3, you go with a product that doesn't show a textured section of the car with transition lines, PLUS have no rock chips. Seems like the best of both worlds.

[Viktimize]

Now, if I really want to protect a couple of areas later on, and do it for myself, not a future owner, then I will have my front bumper cover and lower sills mildly sprayed in a color coded y'orange done by Line X. I had this done to my WRX a year ago, in black, and love it! It repels all rock chips, and is something different. This is obviously not for everyone, so everything I do to my car is for me, not future owners or resale value.


I am pretty sure that Line-X now has a smooth textured product which would work pretty good. Not all rough and gross looking like the regular bedlinen product they usually use. I was planning to do this smooth stuff color coded white on my Ram2500 in all the same places where protection film would go. Not only do I protect the paint that way, but I also color match the ugly faux chrome bumpers, door handles, and mirror caps.

[LABrit]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to give it till the weekend before making my decision but I am leaning on pulling it off. I've never had a clear bra before and always found myself having to get random panels painted for one reason or another, but not for rock chips. The way I see it, I keep the clear bra and have no rock chips but have a textured section of the car with transition lines which I think is ugly or have a perfectly painted prefix car with a couple of small chips. So with or with out the clear bra the paint isn't going to be perfect and I'd rather have rock chips fixed with touch up paint vs the entire front end covered in plastic which adds a orange peel type texture.

Please PM me who you used for the install...was going to use one of two companies on the Westside.

[Jack B]

I used the 3M clear bra. The front of the car got cloudy.

[lochnessmonster]

I don't use a clear bra on any of my cars for all the reasons mentioned. My feeling is, unless it is absolutely 100% imperceptible, and will remain that way for the lifetime of the car, then it is no better than having rock chips. I would rather have a few rock chips in the car that I can apply some touch up paint and blend in, rather than this covering all over the car that has orange peel, collects dirt, gets chipped anyway, gets cloudy, is noticeable and has lines because it has to be done in sections, doesn't feel the same as the paint when I wash the car.........blah blah blah. But, this is a very personal decision, and there is no "right or wrong". There are advantages and disadvantages to each. I simply feel that the disadvantages of a clear bra outweigh a few rock chips.

[supersnake]

Took my car down to get 3M on mine when new, Picked the car up and they had installed the 3M over dirt. Big specs of dirt were under the film. They said it was the best they could do. I told them to pull it off, Never again, I'll Paint first

[ViperSmith]

Haven't had a need personally. Paint has held up pretty well in 13000 miles on two cars.

[ViperJon]

Took my car down to get 3M on mine when new, Picked the car up and they had installed the 3M over dirt. Big specs of dirt were under the film. They said it was the best they could do. I told them to pull it off, Never again, I'll Paint first

Not sure what this has to do with the quality of the clear bra material, sounds like a prep and installation issue.

[ACR Steve]

I have Xpel on almost the whole car. I would not consider owning a Viper with out it. If you drive your car the way it was meant to drive you need it. If its a garage queen (nothing wrong with that) you don't need it

[Darius]

I have suntek on my car and it made my paint look WAY better! Deeper and you can't see any scratches or swirls at all. My whole car is done.

[lochnessmonster]

I have Xpel on almost the whole car. I would not consider owning a Viper with out it. If you drive your car the way it was meant to drive you need it. If its a garage queen (nothing wrong with that) you don't need it

This is so true. My car is in the garage right now. When it does get warm enough to drive, I'll be driving it back and forth to work each day, which is about 5-6 blocks. Then, I'll take it on the occasional road trip, perhaps 3-4 times during the season, and put it away again for winter. It's just not necessary for the amount of hwy driving I do.

[supersnake]

Not sure what this has to do with the quality of the clear bra material, sounds like a prep and installation issue. I don't have a problem with the Quality of 3M, Use it on my work trucks and it is a good product. You are right that the place has put it on my work trucks with no issue. But on my Viper they could not place it without a bunch of dirt and lumps under it.

[Voice of Reason]

I find it makes cleaning bugs off the front easier. With paint you have to be careful to clean the bugs immediately and be careful to not damage the paint. With xpel I can be a little aggressive getting them off and not worry about scratches or I can be lazy and clean them off at a later date without worry it's etching the clearcoat.

On the side sills it's also great protection from spouses and children dragging their shoes as well as providing extra piece of mind from autocross cone scuffs (I'm kind of a pro at killing cones...)

[Trainerdave]

1552415525
I think the color of car may have a lot to do with it. I bet some colors naturally hide it better than others. I had it installed everywhere you mentioned (except headlights) on my silver Gen III and loved it! I plan on having it installed on my Gen V Adrenaline Red but wish I had feedback from an owner with that color.

I have 3M om my black TA and you don't know its there,the bra is from bumper to 2nd hood vent, I think the installer has much to do with the way the bra looks, I bought my car with 4 thousand miles on it, it had a pre-cut one from the previous owner and it looked like crap, I took the car to a high end shop and had it redone.

Damn it they are crooked, I'll take more pictures tomorrow and they will be straight, and in the day.

[harley56]

I have suntek on my car and it made my paint look WAY better! Deeper and you can't see any scratches or swirls at all. My whole car is done.

I agree with Suntek as the brand to use. Have it on my Launch Edition and it's awesome. Was told Xpel is slightly thicker, which could explain why some say the Suntek provides a better appearance, or should I say, lack of appearance.

[Peter99GTS]

Some may disagree, well maybe a lot will, but I think wrapping a whole car is the equivalent to your grandmother forcing you to sit on plastic covers on her couches. That way the couches are spotless when it's time to get rid of them for nothing........

I have film on the bumper, mirrors, quarter hood, and inside the sill edges. Anyone in my neck of the woods can attest to the damage chip sealing our highways causes, so obviously I did the high probability areas. In all my year owning vehicles I don't remember getting much if any chips a few inches above the food front line. I also don't have any stripes, and couldn't live with lines on the hood, no matter how well done. I've also seen full wraps, and especially don't like the roof to rear fender transition.

I will say the new films are a hell of a lot better than they used to be, when you could spot them from the edge and the color, from a mile away.

That's why I wrapped the whole car after 700 miles. 15527 The only problem with the Viper the hood is so big you have to do it in 2 pieces, so you have to do some kind of stripes. So I decided to go with the ACR look for now.

[Nightstalker]

Installed the InvisiGARD Paint Protection Hood Kit - 2pc and the InvisiGARD Paint Protection Front Bumper Kit - 5pc. I think these are 3m. I put them on myself. Took a bit but it's covered.