crfortin

I've resisted getting the leather bra the front of my TSX because I like the sharp looks of the TSX front end, but lately I feel like I'm slowly repainting the front of my car with the touch up paint.

Does anyone have a pics of how the TSX looks with the half or full leather front bra ? My car is already a dark color, Carbon Gray.

I'd like something I can remove for cleaning/later, so no clearcoat or acrylic "blast shield" or 3M tape for me.

vidgamer

What's the matter with the tape/shield?

Judging by comments in another thread, I don't think most people here like the "bra look". It probably would look better with a darker color like yours, though.

For me, forget looks -- after a short trip the other day, the whole front end was covered in bugs, and it took me a while to get them off. Anything has to be better!

So, I'd like to get something if for no other reason than to save me some cleanup time. But in the event that I don't have the time, I don't want the paint to be ruined. I like the idea of the "clear bra" but are there any negatives to using it?

Another question: does the standard bra fit with the body kit?

Dan Martin

I strongly advise against getting a leather bra. It's impossible to keep the part that touches your paint clean so it will scratch. The second problem is they block 100% of the UV rays so the area under the bra won't fade and you'll end up with "tan lines" when you take it off.
I had one on my golf and I took it off within 3 months of buying it.

crfortin

I've had it on 2 of my cars for 13 years combined with no fading/ill-effect/noticable scratching Silver and Dk.Green.

But if nobody has done it ...

Dan Martin

Glad it worked out for you, I had a different experience so I thought I'd share.

Anyhow I did some searching for you and the only person I could find that has said they've had one is ssm_tsx (https://acurazine.com/forums/members/ssm_tsx-21470/) but they haven't been online since 10-14-2004. They might respond to a PM because some members have email alerts enabled to let them know when a PM arrives.

speedytsx

I just put mine on, but my TSX is black, so it looks pretty good I know what you are talking about, I had lots of scratches from the road. Anyways if you have a black tsx it looks great.

LoveMyTL-S

How is the bra hooked up? I'm worried about the bra scratching the thin paint.......

speedytsx

It really won't scratch anything, under the leather there is some material that is really soft, it will take a little bit of time to put on cause it's made to to fit, and I mean fit, it stays on really tight, my friend has a black TL and he is going to get one also, if I had a camara with me i would take pictures, maybe tomorrow. this bra is made just right for a tsx. I will post some pics tomorrow.

LoveMyTL-S

Hmmmmmmmmm, perhaps I'll get one. Should look good on the SSM. A lot of contruction around town right now, not to mention the dump trucks with dirt and rocks

crfortin

will do, maybe I should have clarified that I mean the half-bra that only covers the metal front of the hood and pt of front right fenders ... don't like the full bra anyways/idea of using leather to cover a plastic bumper shell.

all the ones I've seen are self-installable they sort of form-fit on to the top like a glove and fasten to the underside of the hood with an elastic-clip/hook.

Not in love with the look but got used to it and it did make finding my prev. common car in a common color car easier at the mall.

vidgamer

True, but would you trade off some light scratching for paint chips and etched bug-splotches?

This could be a problem if you left it on all the time. If you are able to keep the car covered most of the time, this wouldn't be an issue.

My problem is that you have to take the bra off when it's wet, and it rains a lot here. I used a bra for years without problems, but one time I left it on too long, and it did cause a bit of "clouding" to the paint that took a lot of effort to buff out.

The other problem is that if you take it off when it rains, you'll get a lot of dirt on the car, and you really need the car to be clean when you put the bra on else you may get more scratching.

So, it's not perfect, but a trade-off.

Where can you get a half-bra? I have only see the full one in a couple of places....

Unfortunately, the plastic bumper still will get marred by dead bugs (a big problem in these parts).

TSXsurf

I'd be interested to see what this would look like on a dark TSX. I wouldn't keep it on all the time, but it might be useful on a long road trip or any other time you know your car might be in for some damage..

narci

I'm htinking about getting one but only using it when i'm going on trips like going up to the cottage for the weekend. I'd take it off when i'm back in town and for daily driving.

crfortin

I dunno, I never take the bra off on my other cars come rain, snow, etc. Maybe so maybe the hood does look like shi* under there now, but then I never see that part. I agree some bra pics would be nice. Thought the regular bra came in 2 parts so for the half bra .. don't install bottom half

vidgamer

Ah. Well, for the Prelude, they sold two versions, if I recall correctly. You could get just the 1/2 bra.

Note that it mentions that the full bra is not for use with the front lip spoiler/body kit.

Since I'd like to eventually get the body kit, maybe I should get the clear bra, but where to get it? The local dealer wanted $500!