I do a lot of highway miles and the bugs here in FL suck. Anyone got a front end mask? Comments? Who makes the best one? Where to buy?

Thanks

 

DHRJDMBA,

I've done about 7000 miles so far, of which about 85% have been highway miles. Knowing that I'd be doing a lot of commuting on the freeway, I got the clearbra from the dealership. It's on the costly side (~$500 installed) but it's relatively seemless and it really cuts down on the rock chips.

I inspected my front end and hood the other day and I have none. That's right, zero rock chips after nearly 7000 miles of highway driving.

The 3M clearbra's are usually available under various names - Chipguard, Stonguard, Autobahn, etc. Just ask your dealership if they've heard of it or if they sell/install it.

 

ive got the black leather OEM acura bra...its an extremely tight fit, it loks great, and i keep it on 100% of the time unless im washing and waxing the car, otherwise its on there....its so easy to clean bugs off of it and it saves my bumper and hood from TONS of rock chips....i paid 145 at the dealer for it...its a great investment.

 

I have heard of the clear bra- I have never seen one. How does it look?

 

Personally, I think it looks fine. It's not completely invisible, as you can see the lines up close, within ~5 feet of the car. I'll take a picture in the next day or two and post it so you can see. So long as you don't have a white car, you won't notice a color difference either. Anyone can correct me there if I'm wrong, but I thought I remembered reading that the 3M material had a slight tint to it.

Basically, I do so many freeway miles that I'm willing to sacrifice a slightly visible clearbra if it means that my front end doesn't get all pitted. Lately I've been thankful too since I drive through 10 miles of Rt. 3 in MA (near the NH border) where they've been doing a ton of construction over the past year. As a result there are lots of rocks that are always flying up from larger vehicles. I try to avoid driving behind them at all costs, but you get in those situations where it can't be averted.

 

I am all too familiar with Rt. 3. I grew up in Newton, MA. I wonder how the S will be in the snow. I will ask around about the clear bra - it sounds great. Here in FL, the bugs are the real problem. Tough to get bugs off that you squash at 100mph.

 

I have the Acura factory bra, & it does it's job. I hear you with the bugs. I take a few 200 mile trips to Olrando, & 2000 mile trips to NYC, & use it whenever I need to drive a distance. I keep it off the car whenever I'm driving normal though. However even that is tough down here. My bumper has a few chips, & I have bug guts all over the front between the 2 week washes. Oh well, it's still better then the salt & road grime during the north east winters

 

I would like to see the pics for that clear bra. But I may just order the Acura one on my next trip to the dealer. Damn, I hate paying the dealer for anything.

 

all my rock chips are on my car past the point where the clear bra would have already ended... I have one on my hood next to the windshield, and one on my side right in front of the front of the driver side door

 

the leather acura OEM bra is the way to go, its really great, and cheap price too....it does the trick very well and its not permanent

 

Here is a picture of the clear bra from about 8-10 feet away. You can 't see it.

http://www.acura-tl.com/forum/showth...threadid=26649

 

Here are some more ClearBra shots. However, this is a slightly thicker product than 3M. web address is www.clearbra.net. I don't know if they have a distributor in your area.

http://community.webshots.com/album/23593763IFUxWsyfqn

 

That OEM sure fits and looks nice but it's a freakin 20 minute job to put on almost. I've never seen so many little hooks, tabs, and wedgy's.

 

Yeah it's really a pain to take off, & put on.

 

Problem with the bra's is that you have to take them off everytime they get wet (rain, washing the car, whatever). Don't get me wrong, I bought one for our '01 black CL, and I loved the look and fit, but my friend put one on his '01 red CL, and having it ride there after a rain clouded the clearcoat. He took it in to have the clearcoat buffed out, and hasn't put it on since. Of course, I got a bunch of nasty rock chips in the front before the bra came in, so I used it to hide them.

 

Colgan Custom Bra is the way to go. No questions and warranty for 5 yrs. and fit like a glove.