Clear bra protector or not

Have a 458 Italia Nero Daytona color for 4 months and you can't imagine what hits the front end. I am in NJ and between the crap on the road (blacktop repaving stones, SUV without mud flaps, 18 wheelers on the NJ Turnpike & not to mention bird crap and bugs, the bra is a must. I don't know if it is because of the Nero color but you can hardly see it. Btw, I have it on my mirrors too.

 

I have clear bra on several of my cars before. I have it on my Panamera now and it covers the entire front bumper and front hood. I'm not loving it. I have a 458 on order and I will only do clear bra on the front bumper. I think it dulls the look of the paint and it becomes a maintenance issue. I guess it also depends on how you plan on driving the car- occasional sunday ride or night out on the town or a daily driver. also where you live and road conditions. I've seen some very good applications of clear bra on exotics but in my mind I prefer a beautiful paint job without a cover on it.

 

Congrats! You car's specs look great!

Get the clearshielded. It is a MUST. I have it on my 458 and every car I have owned.

 

Ditto!

 

2013? In August...

 

Congrats on your 458. Great specs.
Clear bra is a must. If you get a professional installer who is highly experienced,
you can barely tell its there. Try to find someone who can wrap the bra around the edges.
Enjoy your car in good health.

 

The clear bra from ferrari will not be fitted. You will find it inside yoru car trunk! Go to any car film protection dealers in your city its much better and cheaper with 3M films.

 

you will be kicking your self if you do not get some sort of clear bra protection... we have 2,000+ miles on ours and had it installed at the local dealer when we got it. If you look at the front of the car... man. All i can say, lucky to have it.

We did the front part of the car all the way to the mirrors.

 

I would say it depends on the roads in your area. If you have to drive on interstates or live in an area with soft gravel road shoulders it is probably worth doing. If you don't (I'm able to get everywhere in my area using parkways that prohibit trucks) the car really does look better without it. It was noticeable enough on my Mugello car that I'm not going with it on the new one which is Girgio Ferro (though it may be less noticeable on a grey metallic than a red).

 

My 2013 arrived last week and is now in transit for delivery.. I'm having clear bra installed on the entire front, be it bumper, hood, mirrors etc..had it previously on 430 and 360 and for sure does help and if done properly, you can not even see it.

 

On Friday they will be installing a product named "Expel Ultimate", which I was told is thinner, stronger and more clear than other products, and Yes, will be done by the F-dealer (rather, they outsource this activity) and the cost is in-line with what you mentioned.

 

Correction; Xpel Ultimate
http://www.xpel.com/products/xpel_ultimate_paint_protection_film.asp

 

3M is the way to go. Have your dealer do it all; not Ferrari

 

3m i wont drive on highway with out it ! A must !

 

The bottom line is that clear bra is a wise investment with a 458. Now as to which brand to use, there are lots of things to consider.

The installer is worth considering in this. Some installers are better than others. Then each of the brands have compromises, because lets face it, you are wrapping a clear or in some cases almost clear vinyl-like shield over painted parts of your car. You will need to do research on which is the best and why.

This may take a few minutes of your time, but you will find out from other forums that there are slight differences in the different product choices. Differences in warranty, differences in appearance, differences in repairing, differences in installation, differences how they come off, lots of differences. And only you can decide what is correct for your particular need.

For me, it came down to my installer. He has been using 3M and one other product and he likes the durability of the 3M product best. He also did every single car of a local Ferrari collector and I was impressed with how they held up and the fact that the way he installs it, the 3M was almost invisible, almost

 

The weather in NYC almost requires a clear bra. If you were in a place like SoCal or Florida, I wouldn't recommend a clear bra simply because you can minimize the amount of damage your front end can take w/ decent driving practices, e.g. stay far enough away from cars in front of you on a highway. But wit road salts and sand where you are, it's a necessity unfortunately.

 

I would agree that paint protection is a must if you are going to drive this car (which would be a sin if you did not). There is another option open - vinyl wrap for the whole car either clear or coloured (I would prefer coloured if going for a full vinyl wrap). I do understand that this may be difficult with some colours. I will be doing it on my white 458 (going for a white gloss wrap).

Do not go for factory armour fending, it goes half way up bonnet and looks awful in the sunlight (had it on the R8 and took it off). Do the full bonnet and side mirrors is what I recommend.

But some sort of paint protection for a car like this that is going to be driven...as most have said... a must.

 

Clear bra = YES.

$2,000 clear bra = NO.

 

How much is reasonable to pay for the clear bra? That price probably has someone really experienced costed in terms of labour. I would hate a clear bra not put on properly. Definitely worth the money when you look at repaint costs and just the general annoyance it gives to a person who (like me) is anal about how their car looks....

 

I think it depends on where you live. coming from NY I would say good idea.

I had it on one of my cars. I got a little elamination and later on dirt would show just under the seams. With a yellow car this was not good.

Retired and living in Florida non of my cars have this.


regards

Lee

 

IMHO you definitely want the front, mirrors, lights and windshield covered with clear bra and the cost will depend on the areas that are covered. It could cost $2,000 as the windshield alone was $450. Not that much if you think about the paint and windshield getting it and pitted with rocks...which it will if you drive it, more so if you drive in a group like a Ferrari run or event.

 

i too am in the minority, as i feel the clear bra is not a necessity.
my '06 430 has perfect paint; no stone chips.
i do not drive my f-car on the freeway.
and i stay far behind trucks.
i also own a 911 and a mb sl63.
the later two vehicles are frequently driven on the freeway.
surprisingly, i have no issue with stone chips on either vehicle.