Why is Clear Bra so expensive??

so i wanted to do some Clear Bra on my Modena.....i called a few people that are pretty well known around So Cal.....prices $900 to $1300 +++......how long does this take to do?...do these guys make $100hr?....for what? ......i'm sure some installers are better then others but the cost on the material is can't be very expensive

 

My install took somewhere between 8-10 hours. I covered the entire front end and rocker panels. I think my installer used 3 guys for the entire time so there's a lot of labor involved. It's an art and I've seen some pretty bad installs.

 

Just protect the 360 using Modenafan's guy in Newport, pay the $$, and get back in a kart series.

 

its pricey because of the man hours involved, the skill it takes to apply correctly, the material needed (not some cheap junk, only high quality film), the prep work, the supplies to apply, etc...

You dont want to risk having bubbles in the film, uneven lines, poor craftsmanship, etc. I would bet if someone offered a $300 clear bra for a car, it would be "halfassed" and end up getting ripped off the car at the next "higher priced, yet quality" film shop, leaving you with the original film as proof it pays to get things done right the first time! I have seen it happen, seen crappy films on cars just like a terrible window tint job...those have to be worse IMO!!! A bad window tint job can totally throw off the look of the car!

Same thing goes with detailing a car, you get what you pay for...$100 detail vs. $1000 detail, there is a reason its going to take longer and cost more - results are worth it in the end!

 

A more appropriate question is how much does a repaint/repair cost if you don't have it?

I have a Scuderia and have the hood, lower valence and front fenders done, Here's what I've encountered in my 6 months of ownership

1) Recent road debris - left a 1 inch gouge in the film in on the hood. I thought for certain it had gone through. The film took ALL the damage. Replaced the film, and everything was intact.

2) Kissed the parking block with the lip of the front spoiler. Left a massive white mark. I thought for certain it would need to be reshot and sanded. The film took the hit, was replaced, and everything was back to new in about an hour.

I'm tempted to cover the entire car.

As was stated earlier, a poor install sticks out like a sore thumb, and you get what you pay for. It took nearly 8 hours to do the front on mine. A proper install is truly an artform and those that can do it should be properly paid for their experience.

 

I agree 100%!

Tim

 

yeah, the films themselves are pretty strong and will take most of the damage! Its easier/more cost effective to remove and reapply the film rather than the paint...only problem is that you CANT polish it and achieve more depth and luster from the film like you can the paint...

 

So I guess this is not as easy as wrapping a salad bowl with a Seran Wrap

 

Has anybody cleared the entire car? Any thoughts good or bad about this?

 

I think premier had done half a car very recently or at least all the way to end of the doors.

 

I saw a car at Auto Gallery that had a clear bra over the entire car. Very expensive and IMO probably not worth it.

 

I did half the car (plus or minus).

Tim

 

Premier has a ~90% wrap on an Fchatter's Enzo. Only thing not wrapped was the engine hatch (because of the heat).

 

A friend of mine did his entire GT3RS. I wouldn't be opposed to doing the entire car except where you have heat. They also did the inner lip on the wheel wells on mine which will also save me from a repaint.

 

whats the point of doing the whole car....premier films did a whole Bentley or RR I believe

I can see doing the front end as to prevent rock chips, road rash, etc....but the whole car = no point! at that point, every other car on the road will look better in terms of paint quality because you can never polish the paint once its covered in film!

 

It can make sense on certain cars to wrap the whole thing. The wrapped Enzo gets driven ALOT and hard, and to reshoot it would easily be $60K+.

You'd be surprised how good a wrapped car can look. If it's properly polished beforehand, and and the film is done by someone who really knows what they're doing, it can look incredible. Also, it is possible to lightly polish the film and remove minor blemishes. I had a client that ran a black 997 off the road and through a huge bush. I was able to buff out the marks on the film 90%.

 

If you put a lot of miles on the car, or even park it occasionally in a public lot, all it takes is somebody to brush by it with a ring, a set of keys, a buckle on a purse, etc. to put a permanent fixture into your paint. I don't park my F-car often, but my normal cars get parked in the back 40 and I still get people walking by more closely than I'd care to have them near my vehicle.

 

I did the hood, the front spoiler, the left and right fenders, the mirrors, and parts of the rear deck where the top fits.

On the positive: I worry less about blowing sand and rubble, which is a constant problem in LV. On the negative, if you look close, it exaggerates orangepeal.

Overall I'm happy that I did it. I can just drive now without worry.

 

I covered the same including the rocker panels but not rear deck. After respraying I believe 4 bumpers I finally just started wrapping the entire front of the car and just drive now and not worry.

 

yeah I can see the point for the cost vs. respray cost, but I am looking at it from a detailers perspective...I would rather polish out a car from time to time to bring back more depth and gloss...with a clear bra, you cannot achieve more gloss from it.

I have polished out the clear bra on a 997, and even when the guy dropped it off, I could tell there was a difference in color between the bra and the paint. Once I taped it off and polished the paint, then switched to a very light polish on the film, I was nowhere close to the same gloss levels...

if going for extreme protection = clear bra for sure!
if going for show finish luster and depth = no clear bra!

here is a pic of what I mean...in person it was much more noticeable. You can see how glossy the door is and as you work your way up the fender (only the front 1/2 is film), you can see less clarity due to the film!

(dang, cant post a pic)

again, this is just my opinion

 

I would park further away as well! but anytime anywhere you can get dinged...I bought a Xterra and the 2nd day I had it we took it up to the mountain to go snowboarding...someone walked by and put a nice 6" long scratch in it down to the primer...

 

Just had my 360 done last week at Sticker City 2 guys most of the day partial hood/ rockers /mirrors and headlights Smoked .. looks great Spend the money you wont regret it

 

It all comes down to what the budget is and the customers' needs are. Some have had bad experience with vandalism or just outright want to protect the paint from any type of damage that could affect the resale of the vehicle.

As some members here have mentioned, we do perform full body wraps. The product is fairly strong and is really there to help save the OEM paint. Below are some shots of an Enzo we wrapped locally and was showcased at our Southern California Grand Opening on August 1st
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Close up and finished shots
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Here is an example of a bad installation. This vehicle's owner decided to go with another company due to pricing and convenience and ended up with a hack installation. There were multiple paint cuts due to the installer's lack of experience. He ended up causing permanent damage to this vehicle based on strictly looking for the cheapest company to perform the work.
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