GrayFox

A couple of pics of my (new) Redondo Red Perl non-Nav 2005 TL.

For the last seven years I have been driving a Ford Explorer, wow,
what a change

With spring rapidly approaching, what are some good strategies for
minimizing bug damage to the front end? ( I am not a big fan of
the "bra" solution...)

Jerry

ThePianoMan

Beautiful Ride! Redondo is such a sweet color!



Nice ride man! Congrats!

Hawhyen51

Lookin' sweet! I just have one negative comment and it's not about the car. I can't believe they put a dealer emblem above the Acura emblem. It's like you're advertising for them and it don't look right.

srhewes

The absolutely best way to guard against bugs, etc. is to get the clear bra. It is literally invisible unless you know it's there and it is the easiest thing to keep clean. It's the best $600 I spent on my 04TL.

TampaMike

Congrats! Same color combo as mine, which just arrived 3 days ago. I traded my '02 Isuzu Rodeo LSE ( 7 years driving SUVs, 2 Isuzus ), and cannot believe I waited so long to get back into a car. It's nice to DRIVE again, and not RIDE the SUV. The TL impresses me. The ZuZu was loyal, but no regrets. None.

Cheers!

GrayFox

I agreed with your assessment. Ten seconds with some dental floss fixed that
problem.

Jerry

Brewmaster

GrayFox - Congrats on graduating from Explorers to the TL .. I experienced the same transition after about the same number of years. (And the same exterior color) Hope you have as good luck with yours as I've had w/ mine (so far) !!!

narnia

Beautiful car! I've only seen one of these so far. This color really has to be seen to be appreciated. Pictures don't do it justice. The paint is so metallic in person.

socal16

Nice ride GrayFox...I've yet to see a Red TL before. Looks sweet. But you should've named yourself "RedFox" instead...

i got my ride 2 weeks ago, and love every minute that i'm in it. I was driving a Honda Civic for 10 years before I got this one, and man, what a difference!

JoganJani

Nice Ride! Lose the badge though.

I think you need to look into clear bra. Great product. I've it and will recommend for bugs and chips.

Annsue

Where can you get a "clear bra"? The only one I see on the Acura eStore website is the standard black one.

Hawhyen51

Contact Chad at Rockblocker. There are several other online vendors such Xpel or you can look find a detail/tint shop that does Paint Protection Film (PPF). A lot of folks will tell you it's worth the investment. For a really good picture, go to Jerky's TL the 14th and 15th pix; one is looking from the rt front of the car and the other is from lt side looking forward. You can barely see it from the front, more visible from the rear, but you'll never know it's there unless you're looking for it. And you can wash and wax it.

onalake

I got the same color TL in January. Interestingly I was also driving an Explorer for 9 years before buying the TL.

My pics are not as nice as yours but here are some of mine if you're interested in seeing another RRP TL.

http://www.princeton.edu/~tdommer/

Cesci

I agree 100%. My '04 is also RRP and I have found that even slight paint chips tend to show quite badly....major contrast with the RRP colour. I have had the clear bra applied and know it is going to save me much unhappiness with all the pitting and chipping that occurs in colder climates where sand and such are used on the roads in the winter.

TL CHROMETIDE

I also have a Redondo Red Pearl with Camel interior, but it doesn't have navigation, my mom didn't want to get it but i do have the full aero kit and wing with the high performance summer tires and the gold emblem kit.

-check out my avatar

Annsue

Thank you ever so much for the info about Rockblocker. It almost looks similar to Contact paper and looks as if it's applied in much the same way. I'll see if I can find a place in my area who can install it for me. I did opt for the ResistAll paint protectant from the dealer, but I don't imagine it can protect the surface from rock chips.

Hawhyen51

What is ResistAll? If it's not a film, I imagine it won't be much of a protection factor. Most of the PPF used is manufactured by 3M and Llumar. There are a few other manufacturers out there, but these are the ones you'll hear about the most. As far as installation, I would find someone with experience to do the install. There are a lot of curves on the TL.

Annsue

ResistAll is the brand name of the "paint protector"/fabric/leather protector that we paid extra for the dealer to apply - supposedly tar, bird droppings, etc. won't adhere to your car's exterior, nor are you supposed to have to wax it. They told me just to wash the car with water - no need to upgrade to the expensive car wash. It is not a film, but the same manufacturer offers "ResistAll Plus", which sounds like the same film as you guys are talking about, also made by 3M. I must say that the ResistAll certainly gives a beautiful luster to the car and makes it very smooth to the touch. My car is red, and it just gleams!

FugittiveTLS`03

Nice! i like that color more and more.....i might be getting jealous.

trialsman

Here in the South the dealers are calling it a "Paint Protection Package". They add it to all cars before they hit the lot and add 399 bucks. I was there when mine came off the truck last week and told them to not touch it. The salesman admitted "off the record" that all they do is wax it. I took it straight home and did the multi-stage clean-polish-seal-wax thing to my NBP.

Re: clear bra: Still considering it, even thought we don't have the crap on the roads you guys and gals in the north do.


05TL 5AT NAVI
00 TAHOE LIMITED, DROPPED 2", 20" chrome

swtjazz

That is absolutely not true. Clear bra can be seen, especially on light colored cars. White is the worst in terms of seeing the film. Darker colors hide it very well. It is also worth every penney!

GrayFox

I just installed the 9 blue led light kit from tec-toyz...

View of the front seat:



View of the back seat:



I am going to get the 28 percent Ultimate tint from Formula One later
this week.

Jerry

Russdaddy

That is sweet!! I will definately have to look into that!!

kalio

What's clear bra, that really sounds interesting. And where can i get it at?

Hawhyen51

Paint Protection Film (PPF) also know as clearbra is a urethane film apporx. 8 mil thick and applied on a vehicle preventing damage from road debris, bugs, and small rocks. It is usually installed on the exposed parts such as the bumpers, hood, fenders and rear view mirrors. There are several manufacturers of PPF such as Llumar, 3M, StoneGard, Avery and Lamin-X and I believe 3M is the most widely used. Resellers such as Xpel, InvincaGuard, Clearmask sell and install precut patterns for various makes and models of vehicles. A test was performed on the 3M PPF and the results can be found here.

Also see post #12. You can google Paint Protection Film (PPF) or clearbra and you will find a whole bunch of dealers/resellers as well as more info. The forum has a few members who are very knowledgeable on these products such as RockBlocker, Invisiguard, and Mark 3M Bra Man.