I don't know if any of you in snow country have ever thought of doing this but I have done it since 2003 and it works great.

Cost $6 for 6 rolls of electrical tape from Wal Mart
Time--- 2 to 3 hours

Result--- very few rock chips and no hazing from the sand on the highways.

Use the electrical tape to cover the front of the car in the same area a bra would cover. This will help eliminate all but the larger rock chips and all the hazing from then road sand. I do all the front including the grill chrome. I also do the mirrors, the "A" pillers, the leading edge of the roof.. first 2", the rocker panels, the lip of all 4 wheel wells and the area on the 1/4 panel behind the rear wheel where the tire throws up all the rocks.

In the spring the heat of the sun will warm the tape and it peels right off. The key is not to stretch the tape when applying it or it will pull back leaving residue. Speaking of ... there is very little residue at all when removing and what there is can be easily removed with Goo-Gone.

Might look a little odd all winter but even after a few road trips last winter I had 1 small rock chip in the tape covered areas and no hazing .. front looks like new .

Here is a few pix of my Civic that I just did, the TL now gets stored for the winter but I did it on it for the first 3 years and to date there is a total of 3 rock chips on it and its an 06.
Another benifit is if you do run a bra there is no worries of the bra damaging the paint after long use.

 

now this is some mickey mouse shit.

gj, never seen this before.

 

Ever seen snow?

 

Great idea I do this on road trips..but use painters tape

 

Very interesting never seen electrical tape used like this. I could see how it would hold up so much better than painter's tape. It's a great idea but I would opt for a clear bra since it is less conspicuous. I know the cost is a huge difference and that the tape would be an additional layer of protection, but my front end is already chipped up enough from previous winters that I'll eventually get it resprayed and 3m'd again.

 

Its not worth the effort if the front end is already beat up .. but if it isn't its sure a lot cheaper than a respray and a clear bra.

 

the TL wheels look great on the civic!

 

Thanks .. no sense having them sit and do nothing ... just had to put the correct sized tires on them. They will be coming off in a couple weeks and the steelies with snows going on .. They will go back on the TL for winter storage.

 

nice thread, and a good idea.

my front end (NBP) is riddled with rock chips. i'm getting it repainted after this winter, but next winter i'll for sure try this out.

 

not a bad idea but idk if i could drive around with tape all over the front of my car.

i cant really afford to clear bra but luckily, i dont take a lot of trips and dont do a lot of tailgating.
i did want to try clear plasti-dip the next time i went on a trip though.
it would give it a rubber like coating and would just make the finish look dull imo.
beats the hell out of taping for hours.

anyone try this yet?

 

On my 01 TL it needs to be resprayed. What does a respray cost? The TSX I am not going to drive it in the snow, I hope.

 

Interesting idea, Dale. Especially if it doesn't leave a lot of marks when you remove it. I wonder how it will take the rigors of winter (extreme temps, snow, ice, etc....)

 

We get all the rigors up here and it does just fine .. only marks left are the odd bit of adhesive residue which GooGone takes care of easily.

 

Would it not be better to plasti dip it?

 

Depends on what all you need painted.
When I had my s2k, I was shopping around for a reapray and they typically wanted 800-1000 for the hood and front bumper.

I think it would have been cheaper to just buy a new oem bumper that comes painted if you have the option.

 

From what I have heard .. Plastidip chips too easy to be used for this.

 

May do this on the Jetta... It doesn't look all that bad when applied properly either!

I'd also consider doing it on lower edges, rear wheel wells, etc. Places rust is likely to start because of rust.