moregrip

Would you say your clear bra product/install is:

perfect
almost perfect
OK/Fair
Not happy

What I'm getting at are things like air bubbles, edges that don't stay perfectly down, cutting product after it was applied to car, wrinkles, etc.

please explain answers with detail

I'm trying to evaluate a standard to expect when getting a clear bra installed, cause they ain't cheap brotha!!!

cblackburn

I absolutely love mine. I wouldn't hesitate to spend the money again. My *only* complaint is that my clearbra doesn't come to the complete edge of the fenders. There's a small small gap... It would probably only bother those that are particularly anal like myself.

You can check out my photo gallery at http://photos.fehuq.com/2004_Acura_TL

saltyFISHscales

Yeah, i too wanted to know if it is noticeable... the shine of the paint through the CB, texture of the CB... etc...

DaveK

I went to have it installed on mine. The guy who does it locally has it on his red Audi. Like cblackburn said there were a lot of small gaps and the guy said it was impossible to get out all of the anamolies. In other words there were going to be some rough spots. I ended up deciding against it for the price.

I don't know, another installer may have done a better job, but I didn't want to take the chance with this one.

moregrip

cblackburn, how does it look close up? your car looks awesome but I'm guessing the pictures are from about 5 feet away....

I don't think you'd be happy with if it did extend all the way to edge. On my 03 Navigator it was like that and over time the edges tha where all the way to the edge collected more dirt and came off the paint slightly.

Did you have any air bubbles, water bubbles that didn't evaporate?

silverbishop

I did mine at Acura of Manhattan and they did a pretty good job (not major complaints there although quite pricey). I really doubt how useful it is, since now someone touched my front bumper and the clear-bra is pealled off, plus the fact the color underneath has been damaged, so extra cost for repairing the bumper plus the clear-bra.

Another point is that if dirt goes below the bra (and can happen in the city) then you have a very nice dark stain on a silver background...it looks great!!! :banghead:

Cyclonus

I would have to say, almost perfect. As some of you probably have read in (http://acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75591) I took my car to EDL in Torrance, CA a couple weeks ago. Overall they did an outstanding job but I will need to take my vehicle back for some touching up. There are a couple of spots that I notice an air bubble or two and it is peeling slightly on the passenger side near the lower front air intake. Having said all of that though I would still do it again and I have no doubt that my minor problems will be fixed as soon as I drag my a$$ down there so they can work on it.

In an upclose front view of the car the bra is totally invisible. I mean totally. From the side of the hood or while standing near the driver/passenger side doors you can see a very slight line. The actual material is also a bit shinier than the non-clear bra’ed parts but it is almost an exact match to the look of the regular paint. I think my seams turned out really well. I do have a couple less than a ½ inch spots where the clear bra doesn’t meet but unless I look really, really close, I don’t even notice it.

If you are considering a clear bra vs. a regular bra, trust me and go with the clear. I am totally happy with it and I have a NBP TL which is probably the color where a clear bra application is the most noticeable on. The lighter your car is, the better it will look.

By the way, here is a picture of my vehicle with the bra, not a very good shot though but….
http://www.envisagelab.com/albums/al...725/248111.htm

cblackburn

When I took the pictures of my car and posted in on my site, I was trying to show the clear bra. I was standing right next to the car in several shots and aiming directly down. When the car is clean, the clearbra is invisible. I don't know how you would manage to get dirt under the clearbra. I haven't had that problem, nor have I had any problems with the bra curling up. The only time the clear bra becomes noticable is as your car gets dirty. The dirt settles in the line where the clearbra ends and the raw paint begins. Right now, the pollen is getting pretty bad.. so it helps the clear bra show up. I still have no regrets.

I had my car for 2 days before I got my clear bra put on it and I managed to get to rock dings during that time.. uhg. Haven't and any since. (Well.. I somehow managed to get a ding on my XM antena.. not exactly sure how that one happened yet)

Also, you shouldn't have to worry about paint discoloration. When you wax your car, you was the clearbra as well. Everything should fade at the same rate.

If someone hits your car and ruins the clearbra and the paint. You can't really blame the clearbra. They are made to stop rocks, not other vehicles.

moregrip

from my experience the edges don't actually roll up, they just slightly lift up and collect dust. The key might be cleaning the edges more frequently to avoid this. Oh, and this was only in a few spots, not like a whole edge.

porsche911

How much is everyone paying for this? My car is getting tinted as we speak (or should I say type?) and they quoted me $675 to also do the clearbra. They do this for the local dealership & the dealer charges $895. They also mentioned it is about the largest amount of film they put on a car when they do the headlight & the side mirrors...

cblackburn

Ahhh.. I was imagening the entire side of it curling up and flapping in the wind. I tend to keep my cars pretty clean, even when they aren't new. Knowing this will further help to enforce that.

Also.. with a blue car. It shows dirt very quickly. Man, you should see the pollen here. The blue car with Yellow/Green pollen kinda looks cool... until it starts to get smeared all over the car and windshield. *sigh*

cblackburn

I paid $545 for mine. That included the mirrors, front entire bumber, side fenders, and hood (goes up 24 inches and is include with the side fenders).

Moodie

Call Jeremy at 707-328-5865. He owns Invisguard and does a lot of high end cars as well. Tell him Moodie sent you and he'll hook you up. The best part is he is mobile and can do it at your house.

He just did mind yesterday, and this is my second car done by him. I'll let the bra dry before commenting on his work. My last car I did was very good, and he does guarantee his work.

cupidoneill

Mine was done by Thomas in Queens, New york and I love it very much. He did a good job at installing it. I payed 495 for the front end which includes the whole bumper and the hood with wrap around and then i had the mirrors done for 50. He was the best man and the whole installation took about 2.5 hours and he gave me a light discount as well. For anyone without a clear bra and have a dark color car, please put it on or it might be too noticable when there are stone chips. Have been having a lot of bad days out here in New york and thus have not been able to zaino. But soon.

04 3.2TL NBP/ ebony/ 6 speed MT/ clear bra/ zaino (soon)

porsche911

How much did Jeremy charge you & where is he located? Did you get the headlights, side mirrors, etc done?

Thanks for the input!!

gordon_gekko

My mirrors are BRUTAL. They're both peeling. There are little lumps pretty much all around the edges, where dirt and sand and crap can get underneath...Not flush at all. :rocketwho

I want to just peel them both off because it looks so ridiculous and it's obviously not protecting them like it should(if anything it's probably worse for the paint). I don't remember what sort of guarantee came with this, but I want it fixed. I'm bringing my car in for service soon, so I'll bring it up then.

Other than that, the hood and front bumper looks good...Overall, I got mixed feelings, I think this stuff's too damn expensive to justify doing it again...

Moodie

He is in Santa Rosa actually!!! He charges me a little less because I am a return customer and he asked me not to post the price here.

He had done more than 10 TLs for sure and he told me that's all he did lately.

He can definitely beat $675 though......


Oh yes, I did get the headlights, the side mirrors and the door edges done as well.
Good luck!

-=¤willhaven¤=-

hey! youre in RALEIGH! i'm in raleigh and am planning on buying a TL. where did you shop? how much did you pay? and are you satisfied with the dealer you used?

info would be appreciated. i see like 3 or 4 acura dealers within a reasonable distance. but i havent seen anyone yet here who can give a price paid for this particular area.

thanks

jtruman

ha ha, he did my car the day before on Tuesday!

See the pictures of mine http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showt...344#post749344

dsc888

Guys,

It seems like people are doing the clear bra on darker cars. My soon to be delivered TL is white. Do you think a bra is needed. I would think chips are harder to see on this color and I wonder if the clear bra may turn yellow over time which would look pretty gross. Any opinions?

And does anyone here know of a good clear bra installer near the Boston area? Thanks.

dsc888

jtruman

Well, from what my installer told me, these film will eventually fade or have a yellowish tint... it would not look very good on a white car for the long run, supposedly. If you can get some sort of lifetime guarantee where they would re-install due to discoloration, then go for it.

Moodie

I have white, and the film is supposed to not yellow or crack.....

PetesTL

I paid about $600 for my TL clear Bra--pricey but from past experience definately worth it. (To me, any minor cosmetic issue with having a clear bra is more than offset by the peace-of-mind knowing that my front bumper won't look like "hamburger" after a few years of highway driving).

Moodie

I guess I am rather anal when it comes to cars.... :lol2:

jime

When I saw this thread I waited until I had time to carefully inspect my clear bra before I responded. I had my clear bra installed on Dec. 15, 5 days after I got the car. I now have about 5,200 miles of mostly freeway driving.

My clear bra is almost perfect. No bubbles, everything still down tight, a just some minor “adheasion marks” that can only be seen from 6 inches away in reflected sunlight. And best of all NO CHIPS! With three coats of Zaino the reflection off the clear bra is at least as good as the rest of the car.

I think that when you pay several hundred dollars for a piece of plastic, you are mainly paying for the skill of the installer. You might be able to save a little if you find someone who is willing to do it cheap, but you get what you pay for. Jeremy from Invisguard installed my clear bra, and it took him 4 ½ hours. I think he is well worth the money he charges.