Hi Folks, I am a new comer here. Wife currently has a 2002 3.2 TL and I just ordered her a Silver 05. Up here in Alaska our vehicles take a beating due to gravel. What are some good suggestions for protecting the front of the vehicle and the hood from being chipped? I would perfer not to use a "bra" as in my experience they tend to rub the paint if they remain on to long. Any type of clear plastic deflectors? Open to any and all suggestions. Thank you.

 

perform a search for clear bra on the forum. Basically it is a clear plastic film that covers all of the sensitive areas on the car hood, nose etc.... Pretty expensive, but many people swear on it.

 

Welcome to the forum


You're the guy what I'm looking for. If possible, please post your wife's 05TL in Alaska once you get it. Beside Booyah, we haven't heard anyone from the North yet...


To your question, I'm not sure if you're using Full-Mask (bra) or clear-bra now, the good installation with the clear-bra should keep your hood clean and should not rub the paint after having it on a period of time. Could you tell us a little more about the bra you're using now? Thanks.

 

Well, it's a size 34D... oh wait, you were talking about the car's bra, huh? =)

 

Snowwolfe used to have problems from a "bra" as in his experience they tend to rub the paint if they remain on too long. This seems not to be the problem for most of our Clear-bra TLers. But he definitely needs some stronger protection for his wife's new TL if gravel is way too big.

 

Ya, the best product for you is a 3M tape product that will protect your hood, fenders, and mirrors. If you get it done around here it will cost around $350 CDN for all 3 parts.

The 3M product comes in a variety of thickness, so if you have large gravel throwups there, then get the thicker variety.

 

I ordered her a 05 TL Auto. Silver exterior with grey leather. I was hoping a company offered something along the lines of a tinted plexiglass deflector like they use on the MD6 and pickups. I will have to check out the clear bra solution. But for what it costs it may be cheaper just to get the hood repainted if it gets chipped enough.

 

i agree if you leave the bra on too long they can scratch and rub the paint off.... not to mention she might get impatient

i know...

 

If you are interested in getting a clear bra, feel free to check this thread out.

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/pic-request-104879/

Happy Holidays

 

Do you guys know an installer in Fort Lauderdale area?

 

Sometimes I wonder what's the point of the bra. I had one on my last car, but my hood still got covered in hundreds of rock chips. Though the portion under the bra was chip free....

 

Hello Snowwolfe And fellow TL owners , I also have a TL 05 and live in Anchorage , Got my 2nd rock chip in the first month of owning the car , I also have silver with black inside .
I'm looking into the clear bra too , maybe even panties LOL .
I heard a good waxing will help , PS anyone having trouble driving in Ice and snow should try a studless Bridgestone Bizzack , They are better then studs !!

Hey any other TL owners in the Anchorage area want to get together for a meet and greet ? ( hoping for single ladys lol )

 

That's Blizzak's , they really are great so far !!!

 

I had the 3M clear bra product (X-Pel is the name, I think) installed when I bought my TL in September. It's great -- you can barely see it on the hood, entire front bumper and the backs of the outside mirrors. Have not had a problem with it. I'm sure I've had some errant small stones, etc. thrown up against it and it is flawless. It cost me $600 and if you plan on keepng your car a while, I'd recommend it if you're picky about trying to keep the paint job and front bumper chip-free. You can wax right over it, too. No special care is needed. I would, however, be careful if you use one of those power-type sprayers in the car wash this winter.

 

KawBoy,
I had mine done by Auto Supershield. The owner, Pepi, is a great guy and superb installer. Uses 3M product. Shop is in Boca Raton, 561 367-0101 or 350-1788. Price is easonable and work outstanding!! Let me know how it comes out!

 

Have Pepi from Auto Supershield do it for you. Great guys and superb installer in Boca Raton 561 367-0101, runs his own shop and does all the show Ferrari, Maserati's etc. Let me know how it comes out.

 

Thanks TLVR. I will most definitely give Pepi a call.

 

Make SURE you get the 3M brand. There is a "clear bra" name brand, but it isn't as good.

3M used to call thier product Clear bra but then some guy went and took virtaully the same thing and patented the name. But Its not nearly as good. I have a guy who does dozens of cars, and entire fleets of window tinting and application of "ClearBras" and he will not use the 'clearbra' name brand, and swears by the 3M brand, which origianally pioneered the product, and still makes the best quality.

Other brands tend to peel or crack more he says, and he sees a lot of them.

 

In your neck of the woods is where "Clear Bra" the company is based. The use a product called Achilles and is 12 mil thick. Seen the product and not very impressed by what happens to it.

We personally use on 3M ScotchGard Films. We have to agree with you that they are best on the market at this time. There are others some not so good and some that are fairly close. 3M has been making this film for years now and others are trying to catch up and make something comparable. At this time that hsnt happened.

If anyone has any questions on Clear Bras feel free to let us know. We would be glad to help.

Happy Holidays

Chad

 

Chad:

Do you guys carry a piece of fim to protect bumpers (scratches, etc)? How effective is this? Is this something I can install? Do you think I can minimize a damage like this with the film installed?

 

IMHO, if you wanted to really protect your car, you'd have to put the clear bra on your entire car. I've never seen anyone put this film on their rear bumpers, so I don't think you would've avoided that gash. That's why I said what's the point. Even with the bra, the unexposed portions will still get damaged by rocks, careless people, etc.

Also, like I said, I had a bra on my previous car. My friend scraped my car backing out his driveway. Even with the bra, I still got a dent on my fender, a shattered turn signal assembly, and a big gash on the side of the bumper. The bra was covering everything but the fender, but I still sustained all this damage. So in this case, you have to pay for the repairs AND a new bra

 

Thanks. Obviously, I am not trying to make my car dent/scratch resistant. You will understand what I am saying if you lived around NYC or DC.

 

You can do just about everything.

My friend who does this said he did a car that had the whole front end done (including the headlights) and had strips run down the side on the doors so that when opening doors if you hit a car or another car hit you there, it wouldn't ding the car door. I guess you could do the entire vehicle... but that seems a bit too much.

 

[QUOTE=Novice]Chad:

Do you guys carry a piece of fim to protect bumpers (scratches, etc)? How effective is this? Is this something I can install? Do you think I can minimize a damage like this with the film installed?

[QUOTE]

I hear ya there coming from NYC. I get a lot of customers that want to get the rear bumpers done. Here is the thing. Car versus car and the friction that is caused from that interaction will cause damage. The product can help limit, but will not stop this from happening. So if you are looking for something that is bulletproof you can go get something made of metal. If you want something that is cheap, cost effective and will limit how bad the damage is, then I would recommend this product to you.

Check out our bulk material section for doing the rear corners of the bumper.

If I can help with anything else let me know. And yes doing a whole is an option, costs a lot of money and isnt a lot of fun to try and do. Been there done that.

 

Thanks, Chad. So, this is something I can do on my own?! Is this permanent?

 

If you want to bumper end caps sort of speak you can prolly do it yourself. If you are looking to get more covered then that I would recommend having professionally installed.

Happy Holidays

Chad

 

Thanks. What spec do you recommend if I want to cover the lower section of the rear bumper (in terms of width and length)? Do you guys really send out a sample if I request some?

Thanks again!

 

That really depends on how much you want covered. Take a look and let us know the dimensions. Of course we would send a sample if you request one., why wouldnt we?

 

Thanks. Email sent!