Okay I just received my 3M XPEL clear bra. I scheduled to have it installed this Monday. As I'm scheduling the guy asks me what brand I got and so I tell him. He then tells me he wouldn't recommend that one on black. WTF??? Now I've spent quite a time doing my research on this and I haven't heard anything about this. From what I've found, 3M's product is considered the best. Anyone know what this guy is talking about?

 

It'd probably have the most visible cutoff line on black...

But really, it's not too bad.

What's worse than a visible cutoff line?

Rock chips - they show up quite well on black

 

If that's the only issue. I could care less. Thanks

 

Here's a photo of Xpditor's NBP TL and you can judge for yourself. BTW, how many PPF installs has this guy done done and did you ask him why?

 

I have in on my Black M3, 2002 and other than a small line on the hood, it is not bad at all, I would rather have that than the chips in the paint. I also have it on another black BMW, and to be honest it shows up more on a white car than any other color. The older 3m film had a chance of turning a little yellow over time and you could see the discoloring on the hood and backs of the mirrors.

 

He said over a couple thousand. From what I understand he's the best in Dallas.

 

White is the worst color for a clear bra! This is especially true if you get dirt trapped at the edges of the film. I have a white 1994 Civic with a Clear Bra and have seen a few black cars with it. White will show the most difference in color shades much more so than black. A black car reveals more reflectivity issues if two surfaces don't have the same gloss as shown in the Black TL pic above.

 

Aggie, this is the post you should pay attention to most.

 

i don't know man.. i would rather have few rock chips on my NBP instead of this foggy looking shine...

 

I have a clear bra on my NPB TL and it is visible - more so than other colors? I doubt it. One thing I have noticed is that the more the paint gets dirty, the more the line shows. I wash my car once week, weather permitting, so that hasn't really been a problem for me.

Here are some pictures of mine:http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2059734/1

 

YOu'd rather a few dents with white spots, rather than a "foggy looking shine"?

It's your car, man...

 

i don't know... my 6~7 years or driving experience, there's no way i can get a "dent" from a freeway driving with small rocks hitting the bumper.. do you get a hit by a big stone or something?

 

did you get that plug I sent?

 

i wasn't home yesterday, but i asked my brother and he told me something came in the mail for me... so i'm assuming so??

-sorry guys for off topic discussion

 

I have the 3M film on my ABP TL. I'd say 90%+ of people never even see it. The line doesn't look bad unless you get within 10 feet or so. I think it's worthwhile. If I ever get tired of it I can just peel it off and the front of my car will look like new. Without it the front of the car can get destroyed in a ferw thousand miles. The paint is so thin on these cars it will get scratched very easily.

It will probably add value to the car at resale (probably not enough to pay for itself). If not for the value of the clearbra itself, the fact that the paint will be preserved will help.

BTW - I did mine in April '04 and it cost ~$500.

 

Acuraghost has a clearbra. dont think its 3m though...he said it was something called clear shield..

 

Clearshield is manufactured by Venture Tape. Visit their site for more info about their product. Comes in two thicknesses, supposedly clearest film on the market and a lifetime warranty. A couple of folks in SoCal had it installed and are quite happy with it.

 

how much does a clear bra cost around?

 

$400-$600 depending on brand, store and location

 

I finally washed my car this past weekend and I was upset to find a couple of rock chips on the hood. Living in any densely populated area will run the risk of having debris on the roads. Knowing that, I put of getting a clear bra, now I wish I did not. I'd rather have the foggy shine look and save on a $$$$ in the long run when the chips get bad enough to warrant a new paint job.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/glut-04-tl-rims-sale-why-136111/

 

Venture makes VentureShield.

ClearShield is from Bekaert .

 

I had a NBP 03 CLS and I regreted not getting the 3m bra. My car had horrible rock chips every where!!!. I now have a 3m Clear bra on my 06 nbp TL and I love it. No chips yet!! No one even notices the bra. Most people dont look that closely at your car!! You will see the line but no one else will. I bet no one will ever ask you about it!!

 

Wow! Your clear bra looks great. What kind is it? I have a 2 week old, Black TL - It already has 2 chips on the paint! Enough is enough!!! I need a clear bra fast!!!

 

I did my own and believe me it was worth it. Yeah, if you look closely you'll see the line, but it's hella lot better than rock chips. I don't care how bad it shows a dirty line when the car's dirty, It looks fine when its clean. A lot better than those old fashioned fabric/vinyl bras, and if it starts looking real bad you can always take it off. Mine's saved my hood from a lot of damage.

 

I agree it is worth every penny. However, I hope you never have to remove it. If you do, then check out my thread on how I removed mine. Click Here