Has anyone installed a clear bra paint protection on their '15 TLX yet? I have put them on my last 3 Acuras without any regret but looking for other opinions about this. $430 for hood, bumper and mirrors - cheap protection from rocks and debris.

 

You can do it but do not apply it to the shield area. The Advance model has a radar transmitter/receiver behind the shield.

 

I had this on my last two cars and have decided to skip it this time round and save the $500 towards a repaint of the hood in 5 years, if required. Also decided to not follow any heavy vehicles on the highway, particularly after sanding and salting (but that would not be a problem for you in TX).

 

I had my hood (18"), headlights and mirrors done. Sadly, they got a noticeable piece of dirt beneath it in a spot. Now I have to weigh whether to ask them to re-do it or just live with it. I live in CO - they are almost a must here.

 

Yes, understood. I have had it on my RLX and so far it has saved some unwanted nicks and chips. The '08 that we traded in towards the TLX had many small nicks and rock chips but the Milano Red was known to be a soft paint. $445 for half hood, fenders, front bumper and mirrors; I may move fwd with it.

 

Stew are you referring to the windshield glass or some other shield ?

I'll be definitely be giving my new car the 3m treatment when I get it!
Living in central Alberta they put pea gravel on the highway north of us!!

On an icy two lane highway full of oil field vehicles there is no way around getting sprayed with debris, it's firkin brutal. I've applied it twice to my TL and has been well with the $$.
I bought mine through a small owner outfit that the Acura dealer uses, and get the job done for $350 instead on $550 the dealer wants.

ZAKdude, get them to replace the piece with the dirt under it as I imagine that piece of dirt will eventually impact the paint beneath it.

 

No, I meant the grille insert "shield". Look at the last video added on this thread for details and I recommend that you follow that thread.

https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...iative-916999/

 

The shield area he's referring to is the grille. There's a radar behind it.


Also, after having the clear bra installed on my '04, I may skip it on the TLX. The clear bra seemed to be great for about 3-5 years, but then started looking beat up - probably worse than if I had just left the hood/front end alone. No point in describing what it looked like after 11 years... lol. I'm still kind of thinking about it, though ...

 

I had a clear bra on my 06 TSX and it was replaced once around year 4 (?) and then the replacement went bad too. I ended up removing it myself which was a PITA. Then I made the mistake of trying that spray-on bra.

I saw a really nice Xpel product at a car show and it could be healed with a little heat applied. I saw it work first hand, I was impressed. I'm sure it is expensive.

I'm going to Opti-Coat the car when I end up buying one. That is not a substitute for a clear bra, but it will help with light scratches and bird droppings.

 

I've used 3M clear bra +8 years TSX, +4 years on my RDX and less than a year on my MDX. The product is only good for about 4 -4 1/2 years before it starts to show wear/tear; but, the paint underneath is still factory new. There is no way I could re-paint my front end bumper, 1/4 hood, 1/4 fenders and side mirrors cheaper than the price of a clear bra after 5 years.

I also did my headlights and fogs on two of three vehicles (couldn't do RDX fogs) with the clear bra. The TSX and RDX HIDs are still crystal clear without any fading because of the UV protection in the bright southwestern sun.

I would do the clear bra if you put a lot of highway mileage and/or road debris is an issue. Both are issues in southwest, I've hit 2 foot tall tumbleweeds on extremely windy days at 80 mph on the hwy with excellent protection from the clear bra.