Clear Bra vs. Re-spray

On my FF I'll be getting a repainted unfortunately after 2 months. I had planned on clearing the front of the car but didn't get to it in time. The car had a lot of chips already. In 5 years the front would be sandblasted. After the repair I'll clear it.


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I will be getting a new clear bra on the front end next weekend. Not sure how long the previous one was on there, but to its credit the front end still looks brand new.

The old one just came up mid hood, so I had a couple of chips to fix, very small. The new bra will cover the whole front clip.

I think the main difference, since price is about the same, is that the front end will always look brand new in between clear bras vs. going from new to crappy back to new.

It is one of those which do you prefer.

Deiger

 

if the pint is original, I would without hesitation, go with a clear bra.

 

Had to re-re-spray my 430 after a year. After the last re-spray it is getting a full paint correction, clear bra and Opti Coat, as I tyoe this. No way you will go 5 years between re-sprays unless it sits in your garage.

 

I have installed or had installed clear bras since 1988. I would always rather keep the original paint and replace the clear bra. I take one of our cars on club drives and have had. everything covered except aft of the leading edge of the roof and the rear engine compartment. Other cars in the group have marks on rocker panels, A pillars, lights, mirrors, etc. While my car is unmarked.

 

I had the front re-sprayed (360) for much less than $2K (I paid $600). Color was perfectly matched with a spectrum analyzer. Car looks great. You can always see a clear bra.

 

-respray devalues the car
-respray NEVER looks the same
-respray will end up chipping easier
-respray will cost well over 2k for a quality job

-clear bra will run between 1500 and 2500 depending on who you go with, what film is used, what model car, and how much coverage you elect to have covered
-clear bra will preserve the factory paint, holding your resell value of the car.
-clear bra is replaceable in 5 years, usually without worry
-stains in a clear bra are better than stains in paint

We use Suntek for best clarity/transparency, least amount of orange peel/texture, and the lower adhesion strength. The reason for it being good, the lower adhesion is for when it comes time to remove the film. There is a less likely chance to pull paint compared to films with extra strong adhesive. This does not mean the clear bra will just fall off the car at speeds, not by any means. You will still have to work to get it off.

 

I've seen some resprays that match exact.

 

Envious Eric sells Clear Bra - what else would you expect him to say.

My re spray looks great and you cannot tell. Plus I drive my car (not saving it to "hopefully" one day go up in value). When I am done and either trade it in or sell it, whatever I get for it - so be it.

 

doesnt matter that I sell it or not. In fact, I just talked a guy out of putting a clear bra on his car since he asked my honest opinion on it for his situation where the car will be driven about 500 miles a year most, possibly less. Im not in this just for the money, Ill be honest with things.

Perfect to you and perfect to me might be two different perspectives. I do paint correction and higher end detailing. I am looking for things like sanding scratches, pigtails, DA marks, color shade differences all day long. Again, it may be a difference of perspective. Ive detailed cars that are "already perfect" and when I get on it and show the client what I see, it turns into a 20 hour job to get the paint looking "perfect"

 

If someone I knew asked me and they had a car with an original paint front end and planned to drive less than 500 miles a year I would definately have them clear the front. It's only original once, and rock chips happen when you least expect them.

 

I clear bra all my cars. It is well worth it. Why would you want to re paint anything when you can protect it. I have the entire front of my 430 done as well as several other cars. My wife's new BMW only lasted a week before the first chip in the hood. As it is a lease car we will let BMW take care of it when we turn it in. BTY no I don't sell the stuff.

 

All of you are correct. If you only drive 500 miles a year - then clear bra. If you drive 8000 miles a year, then spend the less money and re spray as the mileage is going to kill the resale value way before not having the original paint.

 

It's a good fit for some, and not for others. It's not a one-size-fits-all.

If I had to say one question's answer that says more about it being a good fit or not is this: Does the idea of getting rock chips in your new car really bother you? If rock chips do not bother you, don't get it. If they do, get it.

There are other factors, but how that question is answered has about a 95% success rate.

 

What's the life of a clear bra? If it has to be stripped off after 4 years, and the guy's putting 500 miles a year - which by itself would yield a very low probability of rock chips - then it doesn't seem worth it.

If the clear bra can stay on indefinitely (or until it's damaged/sacrifices itself), then yeah, I'd do it.

 

Screamin, most have factory warranties for 5 years or more. Say the warranty ends at 5 years... it's not as if the film fails right then. The level of care is commensurate with how long it may last. But if it's exposed to the elements on a constant basis, 5 years is a safe bet for replacing.

It's not much different than the idea behind auto manufacturers offering limited warranties. They don't design engines or drivetrains to blow up the moment they exit the warranty. Film is not designed to wear out when the timer hits 5 years.

The draw to replacing film before its life is up is the the labor/cost savings of removing healthy film. If the film is shredding upon removal, the cost to remove it increases.

Some folks would spend thousands to not have a single rock chip and some folks see it as acceptable wear and tear to have tons of them. Arguing online about whether clear bra is good for everyone is as fine an argument as what the "best" color is.

 

I don't in the least bit like the way a clear bra looks.

100% would rather touch up/polish or re-spray as necessary.

 

Love the clear bra on my 360 (cost was $2900) for full front. No visible seams or orange peel after 4 years and the front of my car looks pristine. Not so with the F cars I see with no bra. The uncovered ones always have rock chips visible from several feet away. Some actually look peppered from all the chips. I have no problem with resprays but the problem with resprays is that you can have chips 3 months after a respray. Those who complain about the appearance of clear bras haven't seen a quality film done by experts. Actually, they have seen them they just don't realize it because they couldn't see any seams so they never knew that they were seeing a covered car. Getting my 2015 Lexus covered was a no-brainer after my experience with the 360. If you feel better getting resprays, then do so. If you want to keep the front of your car looking good then spend the money for a quality film done by an expert installer.

 

Clear bra for every car since 2002. Had Xpel profesionally installed on the 430 and will not drive a car until the clear bra is on. Keeping the car original and chip-free are the main reasons why I have it done. I see the so called "quality" re sprays and 9 out of 10 times the quality does not match the factory paint.
I chose Xpel for my 430, very clear, smooth, self-healing clear coat, 10 year warranty and make sure you have it professionally installed! Get references, see examples, do your research, there are many butchers out there.

 

So far no votes for the black vinyl bras to prevent rock chips... I knew I could get you all to agree!

 

Clear bra all my cars as well. A good installer will make it virtually invisible. 3M Venturashield or Xpel both quality products.

 

With annual mileage of around 1000, and assuming the car gets a thorough wash twice a year, what are the odds the film will be tough to remove after, say 5 years?

It seems $2500 to $3000 for clear bra every x number of years is a lot more expensive than a respray of the front end once every 10.

 

I can't give you an absolute answer. If I had to guess, I would say you should be good for longer than 5 years though. Paying attention to the surface condition of the film will probably be the best indicator for the health of the film as a whole.

$2500~$3000 would be on the high side. Here in Georgia, folks can get very healthy coverage for $1500ish or less by a quality installer.

 

Mr. Billybob,

We have many customers that buy a CPO car, or even a couple years older with 10, 20, or even 30k + mileage. They will get any touch ups needed and then have film applied. If the damage is severe then it's better to respray and then apply the film.

We're proud sponsors of FerrariChat and are here to help and answer any questions possible.

Our top of the line film, XPEL ULTIMATE is backed by a 10 Year Warranty. This covers any yellowing, discoloring, cracking, peeling, hazing, delaminating, and lifting. ULTIMATE is also the first self-healing film on the market. This means that fine scratches and swirl marks will self-heal and disappear from the heat of the sun.

Here is an installation video of film going on a 458 Spider in Austin, Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgg2oMrdLtQ