what does it do, are there any pictures of it
ive heard of it alot recently but have no clue on what it is

and also, how can i turn the front headlights, the yellow part to clear matching the rest of it.

 

clear bra is a sheet of film that covers the car protecting it from scratches

as for the headlights you are gonna have to break open the lights and remove the plastic yourself

 

Go back and SEARCH the forums for clear bras.

Also...

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3.../Product_Info/


http://www.rockblocker.com/


http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3..._the/Consumer/

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...Consumer/FAQs/

 

I got it for $600 installed at Winners Tint in Rockville, MD.

It covers the ENTIRE front. The bottom a-spec lip, up on the hood, up on the fenders, and the side mirroes. Obviously the entire front bumper and it even had the little cut outs to carefully go around the letters in the word "Acura" engraved on the front bumper.

It took like 5 hours I think. Needs to sit in the heat for few days, etc. Sometimes there are some white little parts that may not adhere perfect. In that case, the heat it up and then it'll be perfect.

Before:



After:

 

That looks really nice. What brand is it?

 

As gq said, there are numerous threads regarding PPF or clearbra, just run a search. Here's a recent one to start with. Another option, although a tad more expensive is Armorcoat and more info can be found on this thread.

 

is this the 3M?

 

Are you asking about the Armorcoat? It is not PPF and not manufactured by 3M. There are several different manufacturers of PPF (3M, Llumar, Venture Shield, Avery and couple others) and 3M is the preferred film used by 3rd party vendors like Xpel & Rockblocker.

 

What is the best?

 

I think the brand is clear shield. I do not believe it's 3M. I didn't even bother asking them what brand it was. After i drove my car in the snow for a couple hours and it chipped the front bumper like there was no tomorrow ... I just had to throw something on it asap. I like it and wouldn't change it.

Where I got it done, the description, and a link to the main website of the bra.

Sorry the pics are so big .. I thought photobucket would make them smaller. from now on my pics will be smaller. ha.

Hood, Fender, and Mirror Kit



Bumper and Air Damn Kit (this is the extended kit to cover our A-spec kits.

 

With 3M Paint Protection Film and a good installer, they could have covered the whole hood in 1 piece (3M has it up to 48 inches wide) and not only the first 24 inches of it.

Best regards

frenchnew

 

IMO, I think 3M is ahead of the pack. The have a continuing R&D and constanly improving their product, not to mention they've been around a long time. 3M PPF is the only film with a clearcoat layer and offers two thicknesses.

 

Yeah, the 3M stuff maybe is better. I dont know. We'll see as time goes on how this one works out. I wouldn't have wanted the bra to go 48 inches up the hood tho. The paint isn't as SO shiny where the clear bra is compared to just the bare paint. But dont' get me wrong ... the front still blings!

 

Thanks. It looks better then some of the other 3M jobs i have seen. Looks less noticable/ thinner. How has it been holdin up.

 

I bought the clearbra at the dealer and had them install it. Highly recommended!! It gives me great peace of mind knowing that the sensitive areas of the car are protected. And you cannot tell it's on there unless you specifically look for it.

 

Thanks for the update. It sounds like there are two thicknesses. What are they and which do you suggest?

 

There is only one thickness used by 3M installers for the car. There is a different, thicker material used for the headlight protection. I have both.

If you could photograph the clear bra and see it, then it's not a very good one because it is supposed to be invisable. Here is my car:



Now, if you get up on a step ladder, in the right light, and up close, you can see the edge like here:

 

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing them.

How does the clear bra cover the "ACURA" enscribed on the front bumper? My installer claims it will not adhere properly to the enscription and he will have to cut around.

I was quoted $220 from a local dealer installer to cover the bumper, hood, and mirrors. He will be using stock 3M Scotchgard, not the kit because he claims the kits are cost prohibitive. What are your thoughts.

 

Its holding up good ... no problems.

If you look below you'll notice that 'ACURA' has a cut out around it and the clear bra actually hugs the edges of the word!

Bumper and Air Damn Kit (this is the extended kit to cover our A-spec kits.



Okay, I took the picture up close so they could see the bra. If I took a pic with the upfront view like you did ... then it would look the exact same. And since you could take a picture of your clear bra ... does that mean yours is not very good as well? Your putting something on the paint that is not painted on. Thus, since it's not the clear coat and there's a starting and stoping point of the product (the bra) that is not wrapped to and over the edges of each individual body part.

 

I was speaking generically, not about your clear bra. In general, you can't really see a clear bra from 4 feet away- any clear bra unless the install is messed up. (My first one was and had to be redone).

CAUTION: Some installers will cut the material on the car. They actually use razors and cut the material on your paint. They will claim they have the skill to be able to do it without cutting the paint. I don't believe them and neither should you. You might not be able to see it right after the installation because there is a line there anyway. But, when you remove the bra one day, you will see the cuts. I have been told about this from people who had it done.

They are cheaper because they don't invest in the plotter/cutter that cuts out the patterns from X-Pel or 3M. X-Pel, (a distributer of 3M and provider of patterns), charges installers a fee PER INSTALL. It's like a licensing fee for the patterns. They are in San Antonio, TX. To work with them, you have to go school in San Antonio for a week as the install is very labor intensive and is not intuitive. It's like window tint X 100.

A trained and certified installer gets between $500-$800 for a complete job on a TL. We have one guy in Boca named Pepe who stays busy doing Ferraris, Lambos, Bugattis, Bentleys, etc who charges $800+. He has a sterile, dust free facility and is meticulous and a perfectionist. Many new car dealers in these big-ticket brands, will not deliver a new one without the clear bra. I have seen a Porsche Carrera completely covered with the stuff.

The cost of the material is about $100 with pattern fees. Special fluids and tools are needed in addition to a dust free environment. The rest is labor. It took my guy 6 hours. Then, he had to take it off and do it over -eating the cost of the new material. He charged me $500 but also did the bumper shelf where the trunk opening is and gave me the cut-out film for the headlight protection to put on myself. It's much thicker and a different material. Was easy with a hair dryer to heat it up.

As has been said, the "A C U R A" is cut out and the bra fits around it as per the diagram above.

All of you have seen this material installed. That is, if you have ever looked at a G35 Coupe. Look at the body just in front of the rear wheel openings. There is piece there to prevent stone ships. Other premium cars use it here and there OEM.

I also took some scraps and put a piece on my rocker panels where your foot might drag and scuff as you get in and out. Oh, and I also put a piece on the aluminum trim of my center console that is easily nicked or dented when the driver puts on his seat belt.

This topic has been beaten to death in previous threads. I'm being a patient mod, but you should always check the 3G TL Garage sticky. The previous technical threads with many good pictures are cataloged and indexed there. You don't even have to know how to "search". :wink:

 

The new film is SGH6 and SGH12. As far a recommending one, I don't know because this a fairly recent update. I haven't seen any comparisons or references to the new film other than what's on the 3M site. Best bet is to check with 3rd party vendors as well installers for availability.
According to 3M's Technical Technical Data Sheet, two thicknesses available. They have not stipulated one is specifically used for headlight protection. The one other manufacturer offering two thicknesses is Venture Shield. The Technical Update goes on to say this new generation of film is easier to work with and much clearer than previous offerings. Here is an excerpt:

 

Most of the members paid $500 - $700 for PPF. If you're looking for a custom install say the whole front end or specific coverage, go for it. However, take heed of Xpditor's caution about cutting/trimming on the vehicle. Regardless how skilled an installer is, he's dealing with very thin material. Something to think about.

 

Hawhyen51: I am aware that 3M makes two thicknesses of PPF but I have only seen one thickness (8 mil) being applied by installers except for a guy in Salt Lake City who uses the thicker material and cuts it on the car. Their problem there is gravel/dirt roads and high mileage. He says they need the industrial strength film. Come to think of it, I don't think he uses 3M, IIRC.

The headlight protection is a different film completely and pretty thick (40 mil). I was told to leave a 1/4" border uncovered for heat disipation of the HIDs. Haven't had a problem after 2 years.

And I don't have a paint chip or nick anywhere on the car. It's still showroom quality.

 

I am looking for the best coverage. The local installer advised he may not be able to bend the 3M (he usually uses Avery Durashield) all the way around the bumper to the fender. Hence a gap.

Does the 3M "kit" completely cover all painted areas of the bumper around to the fender? Based on the pictures above, it looks like it does. Nice!

Here is my thinking: I can have the 3M custom fit ($220) two times for the price of the "kit" ($500). I don't mind paying more but cannot see the logic for doing so under these circumstances. Is there something I may not be considering?

 

Xpditor, I know the headlight protection film is way thicker than the PPF normally installed. SGPPF6 was the previous film (April 04) and the new generation of film is SGH6 & SGH12 as of Sept 05. This is just FYI.

 

I know. I checked the link.

They are using some improved material according to the speel. The SGH6 is 6 mil + 2 mil for the adhesive layer making 8 mils...

And I hear you that there is a thicker product. What I am saying is that I haven't run across anyone who is installing the thicker one except for that guy in Salt Lake City. They tell me it's hard to stretch and hard to work with.

The headlight film is also a different material. Not just thicker. IIRC, it's PPC. (not sure).