PTO

Anyone here with pics of a clear bra on their TL. I just picked up two sizeable paint chips on my bumper....so now I'm looking for some kind of protection. The only clear bras I've seen were at the dealership and it looked horrible. I've heard that there are those with better looking ones. I'm hoping to get a better idea of what a good one looks like. Are having bubbles and wrinkly lines a norm? Any help or info would be appreciated. BTW...I'm located in Nor Cal, so anyone with recommendations would be great. TIA

Peter

kennyc

the price of getting clearbra installed varies greatly and it usually boils down to the skill of the installer and the coverage.

My first install was done by roadblock (of va) and they done a perfect job. They charged me accordingly - $900.

After my accident I had it redone last Saturday by another company called winner's tint in Rockville. They did a ok job for the price but one can just tell the workmanship is just not there compared to the roadblock people. They charged me $499 for the install.

Having water bubbles is alright, but airbubbles are not acceptable. Wrinkly lines means the installer over stretched it the bra. Which mean the installer lacks experience. Either indicates you should look elsewhere for install.

Sorry I don't have any pics...

SpecialFX

I have some pictures of my ABP TL with the clear bra. I have to figure out how to post them. The car no longer has the clear bra on it. I had an accident a month ago and just got the car back from the body shop last Thursday. I'm not sure I'm going to have it redone. It looked ok with the bra on it. There was a distinct line where it ended and it looked a bit cloudy up close. From a distance it looked fine. But the X-pel bra did not wrap all the way around the bumper and left part of the bumber exposed in front of the wheels. Naturally this is where the paint got nicks and a couple of scratches.

Now that the car is 2 years old and has other (extremely minor) blemishes I'm not as anal about it and don't think I want to spend the $700 the guy wants to redo it. The car looks beatiful now without the bra on it. I know that won't last forever.

Let me know if you want the pictures. I can even email them if you want.

VT06TL

I too had my TL for a couple of monthes and noticed a chip or two on the front end. I have VentureShield on my TL that was installed by the dealer I got the car from for around $500.00 give or take. I noticed a couple of spots when I went to pick it up after the install but they cleared up after a couple of days. Now it is flawless at any angle you look at it, no lines or spots. The dealer will also replace any damaged panels for "regular customers" automatically when the car is in for service.

I can attempt to get some pictures but you can only see the line on the hood at an angle or when the light hits it just right. The front end is completely covered except for a small area on the inside lower part around the headlight. The piece that covers the front bumper is two pieces, a right and left.

I fully agree with kennyc, it does boil down to the skill of the installer. Another thing I noticed is I get alot of bug splatters on the front end at times and they are hard to get off. With the VentureShield these are easier to clean off, they don't seem to adhere as much. So far I am very happy with my choice.

Hawhyen51

There are only a few manufacturers of PPF. 3M, Llumar, Venture Shield, StonGard, Clearshield and Avery. Most of films are made from urethane, usually 8MM thick and some (3M & Venture Shield) offer different thicknesses. 3M is the only one that has a layer of clearcoat and probably the most popular. The majority of 3rd party vendors (Rockblocker, Xpel & Clearmask) offer the 3M film in pre-cut kits. Installation by a pro is highly recommended.

The final result can only be determined by the skill of the installer. Water bubbles will dissipate within a week. There should be no air bubbles or wrinkles or any type of blemish after the install gets done.

There are numerous threads about clearbar/PPF and here are some links. Do a search for more info.
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/twolves-vs-kings-140874/
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/ramblings-just-hit-20k-threads-135293/
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128378

Here is a pic of Jerky's TL (04 SSM) with PPF. The guy that did the install is from Santa Rosa and he's done a bunch of our cars. BTW, where in NorCal are you located. Please note, from about 3-5 ft. away, looking front to back, you can't see the PPF unless you jnow it's there. Viewing from the rear forward, you'll be able to see the film edge.

AMIC

In this thread I have pictures of my VentureShield clear bra on an ABP.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139700

SpecialFX

The pics of Jerky's car look very good. The line looks less distinct than mine was and the film itself looks better - clearer. Could be the installer. Does that kit wrap around the front all the way to the wheel arch? Mine ended around the middle of the orange part of the headlight. the part o the bumper cover that flared out in front of the wheel was left exposed and took a bit of a beating. I might be interested again if the coverage is better.

rkphillips

My 2c:

1. Installer is the most important factor. Ask for references and go see their work.
2. Pay attention to how far the kit extends and how many pieces are involved. Some kits cover the entire bumper cover. Others only cover the front and not the fender flare. More pieces are easier to install but will have more seam lines.

Hawhyen51

That is a one piece film that wraps around the front end and extends where the fender flattens out. The other piece is the hood area and extends approx 20" over the hood. Most of the 3rd party vendors offer two different coverages, standard and extended. For a good example check the Xpel site.

shayan

iTrader: (1)

I will hopefully be getting my car back today from the body shop and plan to put on a clear bra. I went to the 3m website and it gave a list of installers around my house. The guy I contacted is charging me under $400 for just the front bumper and the A-spec lip. I dont want to get it for the hood because I plan to get a different hood

K-Shawn

I got my clear bra installed for about $600 at lorenzotint.com, the kit included hood, entire bumper, A-spec front spoiler, driver and passenger front mirrors, custom free hand cut for both front fenders, and custom free hand cut for the rear lower fender by the rear door. The kit has been installed on the car for two yrs and no complications.

PTO

Thanks for all the info guys. I guess what I saw at the dealership was just a bad job. I'm looking to do this right,...so do anyone in Nor Cal have any recommendations. I don't care about how "cheap I can get it for", or "or this guy can beat that guy's price". I want to get this done right, so any reliable source would be great. TIA.

SpecialFX

If the nose was repainted check with the body shop to make sure its Ok to put the bra on right away. The paint may need to dry further before you should cover it with the clear bra. When we buy our cars new they have actually sat around for a month or two before we get them. When I picked up my car last week they told me not to wax it for 90 days and to be careful not to damage the clear coat for a few weeks.

Hawhyen51

Contact Jeremy or call him at 707-328-5865. He has done a number of TLs for AZ members. Not sure if this info is up to date, but worth a shot. Check out this old thread; Bay Area Clear Bra. I know there were some other NorCal folks that had it done, maybe they'll drop a line or two. Someone got PPF installed in Santa Rosa, but can't recall who did it

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

Contact Sam at Premier Mobile Group (premiermobilegroup.com). They are located in Fremont. I had my TL and Accord done when they were touring Southern California last July. I'm very happy with the results.

They have wrapped entire cars, mostly exotics, like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Check out their gallery.

They use Venture Tape that has no clear coat, but it's easier to handle and stretch. At this point, I don't see stretch marks at all. Venture is also clearer and has less texture than 3M.

AcurasGhost

This is the pics on my '06 TL. I think the brand is ClearShield. It's okay ... definetly a lot better than chips, ha. The little arrows are where the line starts. It goes over the Aspec lip, etc.

JoganJani

Here is one pic with clear bra showing on the pannel. This was installed by Jeremy and does an excellent job. His shop is in San Rafel however, he goes all over the bay for installation. You can contact him on this forum. His user name is Invisiguard. (Hope I got it right)

PTO

Thanks for the pics and references guys. I'm going to check out both Premier and Invisigard. I'll let you guys know how it goes after checking in with both companies.

BTW...someone mentioned something about the bumper not covering all the way. Can this be changed? I'd hate to leave any areas unprotected as rocks seem to have a mind of their own. Thanks.

shayan

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for giving the heads up but my clear bra installer already notified me about it and I can get it done couple of days later

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

Premier did their "signature" custom cut bumper on my TL because their database doesn't have the cut for the A-spec lip. I'd say 99% of the whole bumper is covered.

On my Accord, OTOH, because I only buy the precut kit, about 10% of the bumper is not covered. So the film doesn't go all the way up (nearing the headlights) and down (nearing the edge of the bottom part of the bumper. You'll also see more seams.

In short, if you buy the precut kit, up to 10% of the bumper won't be covered. These precut kits are designed for ease of installation mostly, not thorough coverage. If you get the custom cut, almost every crease and fold will be covered.

Because the precut kits are "as-is", I think most installers won't be able to modify them.

PTO

Thanks for the info. I'm going to go with the option that covers more of the bumper. I talked to Sam today and he seems like a down to earth kind of guy. I'll post some pics once I get this done. Thanks all for the info.

KOG TL

Just a thought... how come you guys don't stop at the bumper? Has anybody really had any hood chips? Anybody in the 818 area that can point me in the direction a shop who can install one on a Ron Jon front, hit me up!

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

What do you mean stop at the bumper???

I have a number of rock chips on the hood and mirror too.

I guess you'll have to hire an installer who can custom cut the bumper. I bet there's no company out there who makes a precut kit for the Ronjon bumper. Premier should be able to custom cut the bumper for you. He will be in Socal sometime in September.

KOG TL

[QUOTE=260 HP]What do you mean stop at the bumper???

I have a number of rock chips on the hood and mirror too.
QUOTE]

For real? I haven't seen one chip on my hood yet! I mean, am I the only one willing to cover the whole front, rather than expose a thin line across the front of my car. Hey premier, hit me up when you're in So Cali, I need you to hook it up with a Ron Jon fitment, and possibly an entire hood mod... The cost supercedes a line across my front!

DeeW

Here is a pic of my LLumar film, about 1.5 yrs old. It used to look really good, I'm not sure why it has done this; maybe the salty ocean air? I take care of it as if it was the car's paint, however insead of wax I use Plexus. Dunno. In any case, I think I'm having it re-done through warranty (I just have to weight the pros and cons of actually taking the stuff off and risk paint coming with it).

carguyrob

My Xpel is a year and a half old and still looks exactly like it did when it was new. It shouldn't look like that at all. BTW...my installer said you can wax the clearbra just like paint. I also then use Plexus to shine up the plastic coating. He also said that if I ever wanted to clearbra removed, it can be done without any damage to the paint at all. He said they just use a heat gun to warm it up as they peel it off.

I have the extended clearbra on the hood, the whole bumper and the two side mirrors. I also had the top flat surface of the back bumper done and thicker material put over the two front headlights.

I did it when the car had 20 miles on it so even after a year and a half...not a single chip or scratch on the whole car!

KOG TL

I'm pissed for you dee!

wkl_lau

Hey guys I've lurking around here for a while, I don't drive any Acura, only a Corolla (black 06 XRS) and I recently got my hood respray, clear bra the entire hood + fender + A piller + front roof.

For those who want to install after paintjob, make sure give it at least 3 days for the paint to complete cure.

Since my car is black the installer told me there is a risk especially it's black and I want to do the whole hood. Well it does come out with some vertical lines. Does anyone seen this?

Since the clearbra is plastic can I remove any imperfection using plastic polish?
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meg-g-12310.html

THX

Hawhyen51

You won't be the first to have it done (entire hood). I believe Frenchnew had done it already. It's definetly gonna be a custom install with the RJ kit. Just be aware, all the timming of excess material will be done on the vehicle. BTW, are you gonna do the fenders the same way so as not to show the "line"?

KOG TL

Never thought about the fenders... man, I'd hate for my ine to do the same thing DEE's did. I don't know, if ANYTHING, I want the front bumper done at least, before I painted my car I didn't see any rock chips on my hood or fenders.

Hawhyen51

I was looking at the pics and noticed the bumper face (if covered) didn't haze like the hood. It looks shiny and reflections are clear. I would definetly take advantage of the warranty and get that portion replaced. Llumar PPF is a very clear film and one can only speculate why that happened.

lindsaydyan

Does anyone know of any good places to get this done in Orlando??

SpecialFX

DeeW -
Wow that looks really bad. Sorry. Is it possible the Plexus did that? I never used that. My Expel bra was just over 2 years old and look like it did when new. If you can get it redone under warantee you should. When I had to peel mine off it took some time but i didn't harm the paint at all. Good luck.

J.Edward

ubnpast

Sorry, but that doesnt look too good. Did you do that yourself?
If anyone wants pics view my thread: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145357

J.Edward