Thoughts on Paint Correction/Ceramic Coating/Clear Bra

I'm thinking about putting a 3M clear bra on my 550 before the chips I have get too bad...


Image Unavailable, Please Login

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Even the chips have chips. And the fog light and spoiler are cracked too.

 

The front was resprayed, the fog light replaced and the cracked spoiler repaired at 59,000 miles. I put a 3M clear bra on the bumper. I'm collecting new road rash on the hood and spoiler. The replacement fog light got broken again two years ago and was replaced. I'm now at 76,000 miles.

That's what happens when the car gets driven. When it gets bad, the damaged can be easily fixed.

By the way, when you put a clear bra on a car, the first chip you get is on the paint a half an inch beyond the end of the bra.

 

I just put a second clear bra on my 355.

The original on my car when I bought it was 1/2 hood...switched to full hood. Did the headlights, fenders, mirrors and door scoop edges

I pulled all the old film off here.

Heat gun and an IR Thermometer.
Heat to 150 all around, let heat soak and pull carefully.
All removed without incident.

 

Some of it depends on where you are. When I lived in the desert Southwest, you absolutely needed to have a clear bra on the car for all the rocks. Now in Florida, there is no point in having a clear bra.
All my cars have ceramic coating, and no clear bra.

 

Right, Ken. Your cars are well protected.

The reason my 550 got to look that way was due to 8,000 track miles where all sorts of stuff is thrown up on it and to lots of highway miles up here in the Northeast.

For some reason, the paint on my F355 Challenge is more resilient. The car just collects a lot of bugs and tire marble marks which clean off easily.

 

Go with all the above. I bought mine with a bra on half the hood and replaced it with a full hood bra last fall. I had the option to do the entire car and decided to hold off. I just got a scratch on the back just above the bumper, and I’m now kicking myself for not doing the whole car. My only consolation is that financially I’m still ahead as the cost to fix the scratch will probably be much less than the cost of the bra.

 

There's a reason I posted those pictures of my 550 before its respray. It's a beautiful car with a thin coating of paint. When the paint gets damaged, it can be resprayed and it will look nice once more.

I don't mind patina on a car. My daily driver has some nice patina up front...


Image Unavailable, Please Login

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Image Unavailable, Please Login


It's been driven more than 165,000 miles and looks as it should.

The owner of this F430 parked next to me in the garage at Daytona International Speedway was concerned about getting chips out on the track. This was his solution...


Image Unavailable, Please Login


He told me he was afraid that he would get chips on his windshield. I told him "Put blue tape on that too."


I see my friend Dale Texas Forever has been reading this thread. Nine years ago, he posted what I consider to be the most meaningful post in the history of FerrariChat: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Some important insight about the meaning of these cars can be derived from that thread.

 

I definitely think these cars need some kind of clear bra. The paint is so soft you only need to look at it wrong and it will chip. Not sure about all you guys with clear coats but us '95 guys have to contend with single layer paint.

I haven't installed a clear bra and probably wont as I don't drive the car too much. However I have bought a Dr. Color Chip touch up paint and it works fabulous. No paint blobs and its pretty much perfectly matched to my 25 year old paint.