This kit was very easy to install and you almost cannot see it (look at picture, I used MS paint and drew red lines where the film ends). I have no air-bubbles and it covers 17" up the hood, mirrors, fenders, and also the entire front bumper. It was also very inexpensive at $60 shipped.

Bump for clear bra!

 

you did this yourself?



More pics please too, in the sun if possible, and from different angles. I'm having my front end repainted after winter since my 4000 mile drive to Colorado pretty much destroyed it, so I really want to see how it looks.

 

wow you did that yourself??

 

DIY, $60, no bubbles? please post more info.

 

Yes more info please!!!!!! oh and Good Job!

 

Where were you able to buy the bra for just the hood only? I just put my aspec lip on and want to clear bra it. Rest of my car is already done. The only places i've seen online are selling the whole kits, not single pieces.

 

EDIT: This kit is $40 shipped, the reason I said $60 was I forgot that I got a kit for my other car.

Will post more pics.

 

60 bucks and I think you did it yourself......you did a good job. To install my clear bra at LorenzoTint.com it took two guys to install the job. Once again great job.

 

Mas Pics Por Favor!!

Sonkoo!

 

I installed a clear bra onto my 2004 tl. To start off you will need: 1 Hair dryer, 1 exacto knife (clear bra is already precut, but you may have to trim some edges if any), a rubber squeegee (about 3" long, look at pic V), 1 spray bottle (an empty windex bottle is fine, after rinsing it out, add about 9 drops of dish cleaning soap, and fill 1/2 way with water), and of course some clear bra, I would also suggest to get the 8mil version, and also 3' x 2' of 8 mil uncut material (so you can practice, and make pieces for in front of your rear wheels, like I did).



It is pretty easy to install, the film is flat, therefore you must use a hairdryer to soften it around curves. It will help to have another person available for the larger pieces such as the hood or bumper, they can hold the film, spray solution, or use the hairdryer when you need them to.

Step 1: You must have a clean car, or at least clean body parts (on the car of course), and make sure you wash your hands.

Step 2: First try installing the fender pieces (better off in a garage, or outside when not windy), you must spray the solution in the spray bottle, don't be afraid of too much, too much is better than too little. Then peel off the plastic fender piece and spray the sticky side with the solution in the spray bottle, make sure you hold it in the air and soak it.

Step 3: Place the plastic clear bra piece of the fender, line up the edge about a little less than 1/4" from all edges (such as the hood, and headlights). With the edges lined up, you must use the spray bottle and spray the solution on top of the clear bra.

Step 4: Use a soft rubber squeegee and squeegee all the water/air out from under it. You are best off to start in the middle and work out. Don't be afraid of applying pressure, just as long as you are keeping it wet with the solution on top. You may have 1 or 2 small specks of dirt that get under the film, make sure you look for them as I have no clue how they get there, you can pull the film back up, use your clean finger and remove the small speck of dirt from where it resides, make sure you use the solution to soak under the film and also the car before you lay it back down.

Step 5: After you got most of the piece squeeged on, you may have some parts on the edges that wont stick down, take out the hair dryer and make sure you have the heat on. Get about 3-4 inches away from the problem area and you can hold the hairdryer there for as long as you need to, and once again keep it wet on top while you are squeegeeing. You can use your finger to smooth out the area that keeps popping up while using the hair dryer (you don't have to apply the solution if you use your finger).

Step 6: Once the piece of clear bra is on, you should look for air bubbles, if you see any you can spray solution on top of the clear bra and work them out with your finger or the squeegee. If there is no air bubbles, you should still apply solution and squeegee it anyway to get excess water out (if any). Let everything dry for 12 hours.

The clear bra is visible on black (you cant see the clear bra if you are more than 5' from the car), as compared to SSM where it would be nearly invisible.
If you have any questions, you can PM me, or stop by my house in hunterdon county and I may be able to help when I dont have school.

Enjoy the pics, (I didnt get a chance to wash my car):

 

Here is 2 more:
This is the pieces I cut out for in front of the rear wheels:


Here is a close-up pic of my fender

 

wow...I'm impressed. I suppose for $60 if you dont like it, you're not out too much of a loss!

I might have to do this after my front end gets repainted! Better than paying $600+ to have it done somewhere!

 

Where did you get it for $60 bucks? Some info would be great.

 

 

It is actually less than $60. I got it from XtremeCity off of ebay. They take paypal, and have clear bra's for almost any type of car.

You can call Nicole, and order it: (757)309-4539, they have extreamly fast shipping.

You can also email them at Xtremecity@aol.com, or buy it from their ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/XtremeCity

I would suggest anyone interested should call them and order the "8Mil full clear bra" and also "3' x 2' of 8mil uncut material (for in front of the rear wheels), and also a clear kit for our expensive headlights. 8 Mil is the thicker verion...

 

I bought the entire kit, however you can buy uncut material, and cut it out yourself for your lip.

 

I did mt wife's Lexus thsi weekend, and am doing my TL after I touch up the paint chips. Bought mine from clearmask.com. Don't by the Ultra, its not 3M and not as easy to apply. Just use the regular Aerogard. I did the hood first, which is a big peice. Turned out OK. It comes with a instructial dvd that is great. They didn't use a hair dryer, but used a achohol/water mix to help activate the adhesive. Little more expensive, but a good fit. Will try and post picture later.

ML

 

The trick is to use BabyShampoo. It keeps the surface slick while you find where you need to put it. You need two spray bottles. One with alcohol/water and one with the soap/water. Use the soap first then once you have the area your gonna place it spray the alcohol/water solution so it helps it stick better.

ML, where did you get yours from?

 

Word of warning about xtremecity. They dont combine shipping. So if you order the extra material and the install kit, you'll be paying that excessive shipping multiple times.

 

damn...i knew i should've put the clearbra on when i got my car. yea now the front and hood are all hashed up from the road. but yea, i'm gonna get it repainted in a few years and then definitely gonna slap the clear bra on. well, that is if the SLK doesn't eat up most of my time.

 

want to do my car for a fee? would love to get this done, i am sure i will screw it up.

 

Here is what they sent me in a email.

Hello,

I apologize but we don't combine the shipping charges. That is because the shipping charge includes more than what it costs to ship the product out to you. The shipping charges include the cost of shipping, cost of packing, the cost of packaging materials and the actual time to handle the package.
We are willing to give you a 10% discount for purchasing multiple items. If you need any help figuring out what your new total would be, just let us know and we would be more than willing to help you on that. Just make sure to let me know all the items you plan on ordering, so I can come up with the correct total.

If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at anytime.



Thank you,
Nicole Collier
Xtremecity Inc.

 

I bought this from extremecity the week I bought my car, but its been sitting in my closet ever since. Got too lazy to put it on. Keep us updated on its durability with washing and such. I might have to put mine on.

 

Well from the look of thier pics, they use USPS prioriy. So they get packing materials for free.

Just for reference. I ordered the bra, install kit, and 2 extra feet of material. $30.xx in shipping charges. Actual cost, probably $8 and less than 5 minutes of time.

Typical ebay BS inflated shipping covering profit so they can sell the items cheaper. Still the shipped price isn't bad. I would just be happier if they were upfront and charged $50 for the stuff and $10 for the shipping.

 

My concern with the clear bra (and any other car bra) is that after a year or two, the covered and uncovered areas of the hood will start to become more apparent because your car's paint degraded with time and slowly begins to discolor due to environmental effects such as flying debri, dust, tiny scratches and sunlight. I'm affraid that the line where the clear bra ends will be much more noticable and leave the hood of the car a different shade of the original color over time. Has anyone had a clear bra on one of their cars for 2 years or more? Any opinions on the matter?

 

I had the clear bra on my 3G TL for over two years. It looked as good on the day I traded it as it did when it went on. The remainder of the paint didn't deteriorate in that timeframe because I kept it clean and Zainoed it on a regular basis.

If you take care of your depreciating asset, it will take care of you.

 

Nicole gave me a good deal. I never had any kind of problem with shipping, and I got it in 2 days!

 

PM'ed you.

 

I sprang for this, but now am wondering just how long these bras last? Saw somewhere that if you pull them off, you could damage your paint--in contradiction to what I was told when I signed up.

 

Muranojo: If you find out the answer (which will probably be different ones) can you post it on your original thread you started a couple days ago? I'm gonna search this myself.

 

Good material will run (even an pro-installer) more than $60 bucks unless you buy vinyl film (basically plastic). Try removing it after 3 months or so. You will be screwed. Heat from the engine will yellow it in no time, crack soon, etc.

Do some research on what you put on your $30k + car and than decide.

I can believe some people and the e-bay company that sells it to people claiming how great their film is...

On the other hand, if you will put a utethane film it will last and hold up to weathering, sun, heat from the engine, etc.

The industry is so new, that a lot of people do not know what they are talking about and also others will tell them BS and they will believe it. In other words, they hear so many things and come up with their own distorted truth.

Good luck.

 

UPDATE, sold my tl today, the clear bra I put on still looked like brand new after 4 months.

They should last 4-5 years. I am sure it will pull off your paint (when its cold), you have to heat it up with a hairdryer and slowly peel off.

I am sure their cost is around $60, the major money maker is installation. I think it all depends on where you live (salt, chemicals, sun) that affects the bra, no matter what kind you get sooner or later it must come off and or be replaced. The best bang for the buck happens to be ebay. Have you tried any of their products?

 

It costs more than $60. I know since I am an installer and wholesaler for the films. And yes, I have tried the film they use. I have been in the industry for over 5 years with different films and installations into thousands. So, I have a very good idea about the paint protection business.

The main differnce VINYL vs. Urethane. Than there are many urethane films (3M, lumar, venture, etc.)

Anyway, you are doing yourself a disservice by going with a vinyl film.

Cheers, Mark.

 

It will not pull your paint on a factory like finish.

If you do not remove it properly though, it will leave a lot of adhesive almost impossible to clean up. It is especially the case with vinyl films since the bond created between the clearcoat and the adhesive is stronger than the bond between the adhesive and the film.

Imagine putting plastic out in the sun for few year or even months in certain climates. I will loose shine and start cracking. It is a disaster to clean up. I know since I have removed several of them in the last years.

Again, do some good research on what you put on your car.

Good luck.

 

I do not see how, as they will all go sooner or later anyway. They are all made to protect from chips, and that is what they all do.

 

read my entire post about removal.

plus the energy absorbant properties of eurathene are much higher than vinyl.

 

^ English please?

I am sure anything on the paint will crack and dry out over time from the elements. I am not here to argue, since I am stating my opinion and what I believe. It sure is funny that my familys 2 other cars clear bra which was professionally installed for $650, and the other $900. One of which is 2 years old, yellowing already (another tl), and the $900 one on the z06 has orange peel and is exactly identical to the stuff on ebay.

So my question is who is really making the money, my guess is the people installing this "cheaper" stuff?

 

I wouldnt exactly call that an entire post, maybe a sentence.

 

What is wrong with my English? If you need me to clarify: if you have factory paint or a high quality repaint, the film will not pull paint during the removal.

If you have a problem with yellowing go back with a warranty claim.

If you do not like the orange peel, and it is exatly the same stuff, hum, somthing wrong there.

Yes, the installation is not cheap or maybe rather expensive (if you paid $950 for a Z06 frontal protection).

In either case (self install or professional install) do a research on what you or the installer is putting on your car!!!

 

How long did it take you to put this on? And as Mark said, wasn't it possible that your folks could just go back and get it redone once it started to peel and yellow?

My concern about this mod is time and warranty. Being inexpensive is the appeal for doing the DIY. And the appeal of having it done professionally, of course, is appearance, time not wasted, and warranty if something goes wrong later (ie, yellowing and peeling).

If the DIY will last a long time, with the materials that Mark uses, then maybe I will go that route. But I really don't want to have to do this again later, so paying for peace of mind is definitely being considered here.

Decisions, decisions...