TotalyLeO

hEY BAY AREA, OR ANY PART OF THE COUNtrY, .

HAs any one installed there Own Clrea Bra? if so could you tell me how long it took?
Did you have difficulties?
What type of Clear Bra film did you use?
and most importantly of all what is the finish product look like? do you have any pics.....thanks in advance ......



hopeing to install by sunday .......

crxb

I don't think the TL is a good car for a DIY clearbra instal

Now if u were to put a straight strip across the hood of pickup - sure


but the complex curves of the TL hood? - pay someone with experience

-otherwise u at the least will probably ruin a few pieces of material

l watched the install on my car
It was a combination of skill / art

TL-N

Good luck doing it yourself. I use to tint cars and thought it would be a breeze but after doing the hood, i cut my lost and paid a pro to do it. Too time consuming and takes too much skills. Nothing like tinting windows! But if you are determined enough, the installer told me the key was stretching and patience. Good luck!!

Hawhyen51

Invisiguard (Jeremy) has done a lot of installs for Bay Area folks as well as forum members. Send him a PM or email Invisiguard@sbcglobal.net and ask for a quote. Mention that you're a member of Acurazine and he'll work out something.

As far as DIY, I would not recommend it. As previously mentioned, the TL has a lot of curves making the install highly difficult.

ace_pilot

Any recommended clear bra installer in the NYC area?

Hawhyen51

Try this Installer Locater from the 3M site. You can also google Paint Protection Film or clearbra and check if any of the 3rd party sellers like Xpel, Invincaguard, Rockguard or Stoneshield have any installers in NYC. I'm sure others will chime in and give you better recommendations for NYC.

Xpditor

Pictures? You can't see it. Well, I have one close-up where you can see the edge of it on the hood from the top.



But, from a few feet away, it's invisible. You don't want to do it yourself- believe me. It's hard enough for a pro- especially if your TL is black.

TotalyLeO

Thanks you guys,

this afternoon i spent a few hours deliberating, and i now know that you guys are right...thanks for making my decision an easy one.....thank you for those pics.

well i'll be leaving invisguard and email......take care.....LeO

DMZ

Pinstripe Pete, 914-318-9927. He does all the 3M protection work for Curry and most of the new car dealers in the Bronx and Westchester.



Here's the NYC style protection he installed on my rear bumber. A 5/8" thick moulding all around to prevent ALL the little nicks and license plate bolt circle 'ring dings'. The ends are cut at the same angle as the bumper end to look factory. Above the moulding, a double layer of 3M paint protection film for those SUV moments. If you look at the right edge of the picture, you'll see the last few inches of custom cut 3M fenderwell trims. This is all just a small sample of the protection work he's done on my car in addition to door edging superior to Acura's, bottom out protection for the rocker panels, and even 3M clear film on the body side moulding. PM me if you're interested in seeing all he's done 1st hand before you spend any money. I have the MOST NYC PROTECTED 3G TL in existence.

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ace_pilot

Thanks! That's where I brought the car and they didn't even mention the clear bra part...looks like I have to pay him a visit. Can you tell me how much it was?

DMZ

They didn't mention it either in my case. I asked. You'll have to call Pete about prices as all my protection work was packaged priced. Some I bought with the car from Curry, some I added afterwards.

TotalyLeO

Alright guys and gals,


no i did not install my syself, but i found a guy ou in the bay area that did an awesome job, he started at 9.30am and was done by 12.30pm for only $375.

c s specialties is the company i found him thru Jeremys contact of expel.com the web site offer you a variety of installers, you just need to call around for prices....plus this guy come to your door..

well i'll have pics up after it is all dry......have a great weekend ....LeO

Hawhyen51

TotaLyLeO, would you mind providing a point of contact i.e. name, number, etc for others in the NorCal who may be interested.

TotalyLeO

no problem...


here it is...

Mariano Gamurot 408-476-3332
email..... cleartecdesigns@yahoo.com
web site www.clearprotectionproducts.com
they featur 3m, cpfilms, diamondite polish etc...

hope that can help you guys.....LeO

TotalyLeO

one other thing he can aso do custo m cuts for other parts of your car, such as tail, header,( top part above windshield) A pillars, doors......ext he can do pretty much anything you want....


although remember one thing, he'll talk your ear off during the install...

Xpditor

(Just kidding!)

TotalyLeO

Gee thanks

Xpditor

Not you. The installer who can't stop talking.

It was an opportunity to share the cartoon. :wink:

qwalls

Any recommended installers in Columbus Ohio? Thanks in advance.

bigman606

For folks in Georgia, I can recommend the guys at Stone-X. Great job - had mine done today. They have a website Stone-X.net

hcekc

One thing to look for. In the first pic, the hood piece does not line up with the driver's side fender piece. I would've made the installer redo it. That's just me.

Xpditor

That is magnified by the angle of the shot. AND, that IS the second application. Also, if you look at the far side of the hood, you can't even discern the line. From a few feet away, the whole thing is invisible. I have to point it out to people standing right next to the car or they usually don't see it. It's visible on the near side here because the camera is very close with a wide-angle lens and I have some wax residue along the edge that I hadn't cleaned up yet.

Way back when, I had a long thread about the botched first install. I made him do it again. I was "helping" and I can tell you that it is very difficult unless you have a sterile paint booth or sealed garage- especially with a black car.

The actual install of the hood film was good the second time so I do not want to roll the dice with a third install. Especially since the installer was having to eat the price of material (about $80) on each re-do.

The process is tricky enough without having a pissed-off installer.

I have the option of having the fender piece trimmed to match. They use a blade to cut it. You have to trust the skill of the installer not to score your paint. Even if they did, you wouldn't see it until you took off the clear bra.

Some installers don't use patterns but cut everything on the car. It looks beautiful but scares the shizzlenit out of me.

DMZ

Sorry for the typo folks, Pete's # is 914-318-9927

Laxplaya11385

Hey, did you get your clear bra from Rockblocker, or did you get it from the place you had it installed?

mark 3M bra man

With all due respect to Rockblocker, I would recommend to get it from a place that will install it for you. This way, you have one stop in case of a problem and no blaming on the kit design. And if they mess up, you are not out of the kit. The installer will just get another one. In case of a material failure (not to say that it is common), you will have less people to deal with, again one stop.

Make sure, you get a QUALIFIED person to do you install, not just anybody.

Good luck, Mark.

RockBlocker

I can say that there are not kit design issues with our kits for the TL since we have sold and done over 200 of these now.

The issue usually is not having a qualified installer who knows what they are doing and need to find a way out of their incompetence. That is a BIG reason why installers like to have the car all day. Just in case they screw the first one up. Seen, heard it all the time.

If anyone wants to talk about a self install please feel free to contact your online vendor for Acurazine and we will be more than happy to help and discuss any questions you might have.

mark 3M bra man

That is exactly what I meant. Sorry, if I did not communicate it clearly. I was just trying to stress that if you get a bad installer, they can always try to blame someone else and the customer is running between the two parties.

Rockblocker, thank you for your support to the acurazine, I would recommend anyone trying to diy, to buy the kit from you. On the other hand, I am not fun of diy since most of them do not look good and put a bad reputation on the product just like the bad installers (often calling themselves professionals) do.

Thanks, Mark.

RockBlocker

There are two types of DIY customers that we found out there.

1. The guy saving a buck and WHO thinks they can do it and not that hard. These customers tend to fail and then blame it on the kit design

2. The person that has the time and patience to make the install good. These customers do a good job from experience.

If you are a #1 then please do not attempt this yourself. It is not as easy as it looks that is for sure. And whatever you do I would not recommend doing the bumper yourself ever on the TL'S.

DMZ