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Clear Bra

Discussion in '308/328' started by miketuason, Feb 5, 2013.

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  1. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Feb 24, 2006
    15,517
    Cerritos, CA.
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    Mike
    Has anyone tried it on their 308/328 or have it on their car now, and is it recommended? Thanks:)
     
  2. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

    Nov 25, 2010
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    #2 Todd308TR, Feb 5, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  3. FasterIsBetter

    FasterIsBetter F1 Veteran

    Jul 22, 2004
    5,844
    NoNJ/Jupiter FL
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    Steve W.
    A friend of mine did a 3M clear bra on his 355 after having the nose resprayed from serious road rash. It worked great for him. He was so pleased that when he bought a brand new C6 Z06 Corvette, he had a 3M bra put on it the day he got it. It did a great job of preventing road rash. When he traded the car in a couple of years later, the dealer gave him a bonus on the trade-in value because the front end was pristine.

    IMHO, if your car is clean up front and you want to keep it that way, a clear bra is the way to go. Well worth the investment.
     
  4. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2001
    12,661
    San Carlos, CA
    Full Name:
    Mitchell Le
    Have one on all three of my Ferraris. Recommended, but only from a good installer.
     
  5. Wonderbrad

    Wonderbrad Karting

    May 21, 2012
    170
    NYC
    Full Name:
    Bradley Price
    My dad applied one to the nose of his cherished 64 E Type. Not even the concours judges noticed it. He swears by it, since he puts thousands of miles on his car a year and yet still wins highest marks at shows.
     
  6. singletrack

    singletrack F1 Veteran

    Mar 16, 2011
    5,767
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I had a shop apply to some danger areas like the lower rockers and the rub areas around the engine bay. In general, rock chips do not bother me. I touch them up on my cars every few years. Typically costs around the same amount to repaint as to have high end clear bra installed. I like the clarity of the raw paint and wax.
     
  7. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    Feb 24, 2006
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    Mike
    Thanks so much, I think what I'll do now is have all my Road rash, rock chips, ans some little scratches fix by a well known paint and dent detailer and have a shop apply the 3M clear bra. Since I do a lot of long distance driving on my 308, I can benefit from this.
     
  8. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

    Nov 25, 2010
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    Todd
    Guys do you know the brand names used?
     
  9. stremer

    stremer Rookie

    Jan 27, 2013
    29
    Rancho Santa Fe
    Full Name:
    John
    Are the best bra's 3M
     
  10. chairpilot

    chairpilot Formula 3

    Mar 3, 2007
    1,547
    LA, CA & Olympia, WA
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    PlateClipGuys
    Mike,
    I did this to my 308 a few years ago. I think you saw it already. Definitely worth doing!
    Bob
     
  11. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    Feb 24, 2006
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    Mike
    Who did it for you?
     
  12. chairpilot

    chairpilot Formula 3

    Mar 3, 2007
    1,547
    LA, CA & Olympia, WA
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    PlateClipGuys
    A local guy, out of Thousand Oaks I think. He does (did) it for the local car dealers. But I'm sure you could find good guys down near you too. Maybe ask at your local car lots or maybe Alan at the Newport shop.
    Bob
     
  13. chrisbinsb

    chrisbinsb F1 Rookie

    Oct 20, 2011
    3,675
    Santa Barbara
    Full Name:
    Chris B
    Hi Mike,

    Some friends of mine in Ventura did the front of their 328 recently. Overall, it came out really well but they had a bunch of rock chips that had been touched up and the clear bra made these really pop visually especially in the sun. I know it was so bad on the black vents on the hood that he removed it there. I think it was much less of an issue on the red painted sections but I'd have to ask again. The problem stemmed from the chip repairs being just a little lower than the surrounding original paint - the the repairs are flush, I imagine there wouldn't be an issue.

    Just something to be aware of. I can find out more at next weeks cars and coffee if you like.
     
  14. Tarik

    Tarik Formula Junior

    Jun 1, 2011
    381
    Philly Suburbs
    Full Name:
    Tarik
    I work in a luxury/sports car dealer, and have had a lot of experience with clear bras... They really are great if a high quality product is well applied, and they can be a disaster if they're done poorly. I agree with other's in this thread that the 3M product is of a very high quality and lasts very well. We've gone through some vendors who used other products which started to turn yellow in as little as eight months. The quality of the installer is also a major point. When properly applied, the seams are almost invisible (depending on the color of your paint), and are very straight and even. An inexperienced installer will often leave edges that are uneven or jagged, which can actually pick up dirt thus highlighting the seam. Poorly installed product also my contain small creases or bubbles on curved surfaces such as rear veiw mirrors and the corners of bumper covers.

    Ask a lot of questions about the product used, the warranty and the installer's experience. Also ask to see samples of work, if possible.

    On the scary side, I had a white car develop very bad yellowing after about a year. When the installer removed the film, we discovered that the paint had actually yellowed under the bra. After they bought us a new hood, we found a new vendor...

    Another thing to consider: Some installers use laser-cut templates that are model specific, while others actually "freehand" the installation. I've seen good and bad results each way, but if they're freehanding, you want to make sure that they know what they're doing. The best work I'ver ever seen was freehanded, as the templates sometimes leave more margin for error, which results in the film ending a half inch away from all of the edges.

    Just do your research and ask a lot of questions!
     
  15. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    Feb 24, 2006
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    Hi Chris, When I have my body/detail shop, finish all the touch up, I'm going to make sure they go through the entire front-end to make sure they're all evenly touched-up.

    I'm only interested in having the front valance and the top front nose forward of the hood vent clear bra.
     
  16. chairpilot

    chairpilot Formula 3

    Mar 3, 2007
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    PlateClipGuys
    +1!!!
     
  17. Aurum

    Aurum Karting

    Nov 4, 2009
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    CT
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    Chris
    I really had my hopes up for this thread based on the topic title... :p
     
  18. Pizzaman Chris

    Pizzaman Chris F1 Rookie

    Mar 13, 2005
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    Ha! :D
     
  19. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    #19 miketuason, Feb 11, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  20. BLACK HORSE

    BLACK HORSE Formula 3
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    Feb 11, 2004
    1,937
    California - Bay Area
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    Rob
    yep... I sure would like to see the high-beams on that :)
     
  21. Tarik

    Tarik Formula Junior

    Jun 1, 2011
    381
    Philly Suburbs
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    Tarik
    I've been waiting for this!!!
     
  22. 1974gt4

    1974gt4 Formula 3
    Owner

    Sep 19, 2009
    1,496
    in my garage...
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    Dr. Italiani
    is that rentable by the hour?
     
  23. treventotto

    treventotto Formula Junior

    Apr 14, 2008
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    Benjamin
    I am considering a clear bra just for the front light clusters, anyone done that? Would it help at all?
     
  24. greg328

    greg328 F1 Rookie

    Nov 17, 2003
    4,178
    Austin, TX USA
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    Greg
    I purchased thick clear lens film from Griot's Garage for my 328's fog lamps and directional lenses. I had to custom-cut it but it looks great and protects those expensive NLA fog lamp lenses. Cheap insurance.
     
  25. treventotto

    treventotto Formula Junior

    Apr 14, 2008
    720
    Alicante
    Full Name:
    Benjamin
    Thanks for the info. No Griot's Garage here, I'm afraid. Surely I can find something similar.
    What would this thick film normally be used for?
    Looking great meaning you don't notice it?
    Is it adhesive? can you tear it off without any problem?
    Am I asking too many trivial questions?
     

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