xo1rider

I just got an online quote of $631 to install a transparent bra on the front of my '06 TL including the side mirrors and entire front bumper and hood.

Anyone had one of these - how do they look in a couple of years?

How's the estimate, it's the first estimate and I got it off the web, they come to the house and do the work. I do remember the last car I kept for years and years - after about 3 years I paid to have the front end re-painted and it cost more than $600.

G

I have put clear bra's on all of my cars. There are a couple of things to remember when getting this:
1) The material. There are a couple of different manufacturers out there. Some are better than others. Make sure to ask what type of material they use.
2) Thickness of the material. You want it to be thick to protect against rock chips. But, you also want it thin to look good. Ask what thickness material they use.
3) The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of any type of film, is the install. Before you do anything, I would ask for references. Go out and see some of their work. Installing this is not all that easy. Besides looking bad, the installer could also damage your paint.

As for the price, it is ok. Not the best by any means, but not too far off the norm.

Good luck.

Sclass88

I had the bra installed on my TSX. I paid $595 for the hood, front bumper, and side mirrors so it was a decent price. Overall, I'm thrilled with mine. You know as well as I do that the paint used by Acura is thin and chips very easily so installing the bra is the best thing you could possibly do.

The way I found my installer was by asking my dealership. I'm sure that they will be able to recommend someone in your area.

J.Edward

Just had a clear bra put on in Houston for my WDP 06 TL.

Cost: $539 + tax ($44.48) = $583.48

If you guys want, I'll be happy to post pics.

[edited to add]
You may want to check out the Clear Bra bad on on black? thread. There are some good pictures on that one.

Hawhyen51

Do a search on clearbra or paint protection film, there are a number of threads regarding this topic. The majority here will say it's one of the best investments they've made. As far as the install cost, it ranges from about $500 and up, will vary geographically and with individual installers. PPF will definetly protect your front end from road debris and keep it looking pristine.

As ATXCLS mentioned, 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.

You can use 3M's search engine to locate a certified installer in your area. Click here.

kchaloup

I just installed mine about 1 month ago and I'm very pleased with it. It's manufactured by 3M and was purchased off of ebay for ~170.00. It took about 4 hours to install.

lonestar

J.Edward,

Where did you have it done? Do you see any differences on the hood? Maybe I'll buy 1 for my Atharacite.... For now, just do bug removal every week

J.Edward

Had the work done at Houston Tint. I needed to have the car tinted as well and ForumlaOne listed them as a dealer/installer in the greater Houston area. FWIW, these are the guys next to Bubbles on Westheimer who do the Ferrari, Maserati, other exotics tints/bras. For the actual install I went to the shop at West Bellfort (near 59 South and the Beltway) and it took them the better part of a day to install the tint/bra.

I talked with the owner (I can PM you his contact if you'd like) and got $50 off his list price for the tint and a 10% discount on the overall deal (FormulaOne Pinnacle Tint & ClearBra).Yes, I can see a difference but only when I look closely.

So yes, I can see a difference on the hood - as I know what I’m looking for. However, as just a regular person I would not notice a difference on the hood.

Later this week I'll try to take some pictures and post them up here for y'all to see firsthand.

lonestar

I'm also thinking about XPEL. I see a lot of people in this forum recommend that, but look like yours is different. Anyway, pls PM the contact of the owner. Thanks.
It took you that long 'cause they have to do tint & bra, you have any ideas how long will it take for the bra only? I'm in Clear lake and really dont want to drive North to sit there for half a day

How many % of your tinting? Do you see any bubbles? Not sure I want a tint now, but definitely will go for a clear bra...

Aggie2000

XPEL is your safest bet. Go to their website and find a dealer in your area. I purchased from Invisiblemask and the installer had plenty of issues trying to get this product on my car. This guy has plenty of experience so I trust it was the product and not the user. He highly recommends the XPEL product from 3M.

Stevie B

I have had it on both black cars and white cars, my major concern a few years back the film would tend to yellow over time and it became more obvious on the white car. I have been using 3m products for the past 4 1/2 years and will not have another car without some type of protection on the front, the mirrors and under the door handles. My wife was driving her BMW on the freeway here in Atlanta, know for their flying debris and the film saved the hood for sure when a huge object was kicked up and smacked her dead center of the hood, the film showed some small damage and the hood a small dent but the paint was not damaged at all. 100% in favor of the product on any car.

leedogg

xpel seems to be one of the more expensive places online. Here's what I've been tracking:

http://www.clearmask.com/
ACU00504G-SU 2006 ACURA TL Grille XL Kit 21.17
ACU00504BX-SU 2006 ACURA TL Bumper With Air Dam XL Kit 310.46
ACU00504HFM-SU 2006 ACURA TL Hood Fender Mirror XL Kit 238.14
PPFTOOLS FREE Application Tool Kit - $45.00 Value (limit 1 per order) 0.00
ACU00504LS FREE Std Light Protection Kit - 2006 TL (limit 1 per order) 0.00
CARE001 FREE Slip Screen Conditioner - 8 oz. bottle (limit 1 per order) 0.00
Purchases Subtotal: 569.77
Shipping: 8.50
Order Total: 578.27

*ultra version supposedly clearer.

http://www.invisiblemask.com/site.html
H1219 2006 Acura 3.2TL: Headlamp kit $38.65
P1219 2006 Acura 3.2TL: Hood, Fender and Mirror Kit $174.96
P1219D 2006 Acura 3.2TL: Bumper and Air Dam Kit $244.96
Total: $458.57

http://www.xpel.com/products/dealersearch.asp
P1219 2004-2006 Acura 3.2TL Paint Kit $249.95
H1219 2004-2006 Acura 3.2TL Headlight Kit $52.95
P1219D 2004-2006 Acura 3.2TL Paint Kit $349.95
Sub Total $652.85

Stevie B

I had the Dealer toss that in at a 50% when I purchased the car. I also had the film put on the plastic lens of the headlights before they had a chance to get sandblasted during normal driving.

Hawhyen51

I hate to bust your bubble, but Invisiblemask and X-Pel claim to use the same film and it's from 3M. I don't see how your installer would have problems with it. Unless, like you said, you didn't get 3M film from Invisiblemask. Considering his experience, he should not have had any probs with the install.

clausda0

The only person i could get in contact with in pittsburgh, needs ME to provide the garage. I don't own or have access to any.

this is getting ridiculous.

Aggie2000

Actually I hate to burst your bubble. They may both be 3M products, though I'm skeptical about whether or not invisiblemask is truley 3M (3M logo on the package did appear to be off color), but they are not the same product. The guy that installed my clear bra showed me the difference first hand. The XPEL clearly had a better adhesive than the invisiblemask (assuming I did not get a bad batch). Not only that the XPEL is more durable which means less stretching. To me, the flaws of invisiblemask aren't that noticable.

Hawhyen51

Since Invisiblemask sells pre-cut kits, as does X-pel, they may have had an older batch batch of film. 3M continually develops and improves their film, I think they may be in the 4th or 5th gen. Earlier generations of the film yellowed very easily and the adhesive layer wasn't all that great. The current offering from 3M is available in two different thicknesses (SGH6 & SGH12) and they have a new liner. Here is the 3M Spec Sheet in PDF. Have you contacted Invisiblemask about this?

Aggie2000

No I never said anything to them. The drawback to their site is you can only contact them via email. Other than that, the product was so cheap (in total it was under $540 w/ install) and the flaws were not that noticable, it wasn't worth the time or effort. The guy that installed my bra is a perfectionist because he was pointing out issues that I would not have known to look at, nor would I have a problem with. In total I'm happy with what I have.

raheelq

anyone have any experience or things to say about the kit sold on ebay for 04+ Tl's for $24.99 ??

maluskills

Does anyone know if the clearbra affects the car getting dirtier quicker?
Also - car washes wouldn't mess up the clearbra, would it?

Hawhyen51

No, that area will get dirty, same as the rest of the car. Is it noticeable when the car is dirty? Moreso, because the seam or edge tends to standout.

I don't know if a carwash will damage it. Majority of the members handwash their cars.

kchaloup

J,

So how much did it cost? Did they remove your door panels when they tinted?

J.Edward

• Tint: $349.99
• ClearBra: $599.99
• 10% Off ($94.98)
• Tax: $70.54 (8.25% on $854.98)
• Total: $925.52

I do not belive so.

1StGenCL

Damn that is expensive to tint. The lowest grade tint runs around a 100 here while the upper stuff cost 150ish but the clear bra sounds right in line

J.Edward

Yeah, I agree with you on the tint aspect. The catch is that I wanted FormulaOne and their website listed the guys I went to as the only dealer in Houston. If I'd had the time I would have called a few other shops but I needed it done rather quickly and the shop could get my TL in that day and install both the bra and tint.

FWIW, when I got my Civic tinted I went to Executive Motor Sports on Gessner and the tint bill ran about $249 (+tax) and the product was Diamond (I think).

Hawhyen51

What you're paying for is technology. F1 Pinnacle is a hi grade ceramic tint and was designed for use with advanced electronics. F1 is manufactured by CPFilms who also manufactures Llumar. Huper Optik is the one other film using a ceramic coating and much costlier than F1. All the other automotive films are dyed, metallic or hybrid. You'll be hard pressed to find F1 or HO under the $250-300 (all windows except windshield) price range unless you have a hookup. An option you could look into is use ceramic for the rear and everything else metallic to save some $$$.

ddocta

Has anyone ever gotten all windows except the back in metallic and used ceramic on the back. I am looking to get my TL done, but don't have or care to spend the money to get all ceramic.

Hawhyen51

I believe there were a couple, not sure though. You may wanna do a search. Another popular and less inexpensive option is the 3M CS film developed for the same purpose. Available in four light transmissions. Here's the excerpt from the 3M site. Check the local shops in your area and inquire if 3M window film is available or use the locate installer. Chances are if the installer is certified to do PPF, he should be able to installl tints also.

leedogg

I may be missing something, but I just found the PPF 3m scotchguard kit from Rockblocker for the Aspec for $275...how can it be this cheap?

http://www.rockblocker.net/store/34824.htm

123456SPEED

My used 03 CLS had clearbra on the hood when I bought it. I decided to remove it because of big gaps to the front edge of the hood and the edge was accumulating wax across the hood, looked bad on my dark car. I tried everything to clean this edge but the the more I tried, the more it seemed residue was getting stuck to the edge.

The clearbra was hard to remove and it was yellowed. I still have a slight mark across the hood where the edge was.

At first I thought clearbra was a great idea, now I could take it or leave it. It protects the paint for sure, but my car looks better without it.

I do have the headlight protection pieces, to save having to replace a headlight. and I have the Acura bra if I want to protect the hood on trips.

Hawhyen51

One of the questions to ask is the how much area is covered by the kit. For example, X-pel has a standard and an extended kit. You can see the difference in coverage. 3rd party vendors who cut their own kits have plotters as well as design specs and can reduce or increase the dimensions. Hence, the price differences. Best bet is to call or email vendor for dimensions.

08RL

clear bra is worth it...keep the car clean and no one will notice it....just remember the factory paint will never be the same as the original paint job....