3M Clear Bra ** Price Reference Thread **, the official clear bra info source

I would like to have one thread where information is listed showing price paid for the 3M Clear Bra install, where it was done, overall rating of the product and installer (1 is low and 10 is excellent), car used, and what parts were protected. Please keep the posts to this topic only so that we can more effectively use this thread as a reference and not another simply discussion thread. Here is an example of what I am looking for here:

(* Information below is for example purposes to show what I am looking for. *)

Installer: Neverland Motorsports

Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Car: 2002 Honda S2000

Price: $395

Product Rating: 10

Installer Rating: 10

Protected: Hood, front bumper, front fenders, both mirrors

This post has been edited by Meeyatch1 on Sep 13 2004, 10:10 AM

Installer: Coastal Tinting

Location: Milford, CT

Car: 2002 Honda S2000

Price: $550 labor & material

Product Rating: 10

Installer Rating: 9 ( only because I need my mirrors redone )

Protected: Hood, front bumper, front fenders, both mirrors, chin spoiler

Installer: Rob Freeman of Proform
Location: Ellicott City, MD
Car: 2004 Honda S2000
Price: $700
Product Rating: 10 (but have only had it for a couple of weeks)
Installer Rating: 10
Protected: Hood, Front Bumper, Side Mirrors, Front Fenders, Headlights, Door Edges

In my experience the 3M films exhibit a slight orange peel appearance that some other films seem to lack.

I think the type of clearbra would be helpful too, as there are so many brands.

moving back up once more...

Order it from InvincaShield, and do it yourself!

I feel the need to contribute to this thread,

I just got mine done today!

Car:
2005 Silverstone metallic

Location:
Albuquerque, NM

Installer:
The Tint and Trim Factory

Install:
10

Product:
10 (3m)

Price paid:
$385

Protected:
Bumper, 12" hood, matching fenders, mirrors and mirror masts

To be fair I should say the installer cut me a deal, since I tinted the windows and did the clear bra at the same time. Paid $175 for all three windows, and $385 for the clear bra. I got the estimate in writing, and when I went back to get it done, the poor guy at the counter had to go back and check with the manager to see if they could actually do it that cheap. In the end they did a SUPERB job, this was not a pre-cut kit, they custom cut the car. The edge lines are almost nonexistant, and no stretch lines.

EDIT: Today is 1/10/05, and I had to take the car back today. Apparently when they were applying the tint to the passenger window the tint was scratched. The manager was very nice and didn't argue about replacing it, no questions asked. Overall i'd prefer it to be done right the first time but I think I was treated very well.

This post has been edited by Will on Jan 10 2005, 10:27 AM

EuroAutoConcepts:

Car:
2005 Porsche Cayenne S

Location:
Reston, VA

Installer:
EuroAutoConcepts, Inc.
Install:

10

Product:
10 (3m)

Price paid:
$695full custom kit

Protected:
bumper, hood, headlight, fender flares, doors and mirrors.

Ask for Phoenix

PM me for details, i think each kit varies in price.

This post has been edited by LIL RAJA on Jun 5 2005, 07:24 PM

I've been calling around the Washington, DC metro area (northern VA, etc.) and it appears that most of the "authorized" installers listed on 3m's website are looking to charge $600-$700 for application on my front bumper & underspoiler. Now, is it just me or is this a bit high? I mean, I can repaint my front end at the same interval I'd be replacing the clear bra for a lot cheaper.

Am I missing something here? Being overcharged?

I don't know why the price varies so much. Check my post, just the 3M clear bra was $385, and that was for hood/bumper/fenders/mirrors/mirror masts. This of course includes a 5 year warranty that is honored at any 3M authorized installer.

The reason for that appearance (slight as it may be) is really because of the backing material used. That is what causes that which you speak of. Another part of that is the additional clear coat type coating that is on the 3M film. One advantage of that is that it more properly protects the film and makes it easier to use.

Ummm...depending on the contours of your car, that is not as easy as it sounds. This stuff is not a cake walk to apply.

3M product, paid $550 to Invinca Shiled, Orlando. GREAT job. Covers the entire front of the little demon, plus front of hood and mirrors.

any pics?

A properly installed 3M Scotchcal film is very difficult to photgraph. It tends to "disappear". Here is the best I can offer in terms of capturing it in a photo:




As for the thread topic, my situation is a bit different. I purchased the "Xpel" product. It's still 3M Scotchcal film. I bought the pre-cut pieces and installed it myself. The approximate cost for the pieces was equivalent to $200.00 US. I'm in Calgary, Canada.
I would rate the product a 10.
I would rate my installation a 7.5.

PS. There are two types of film. One is quite thick and can tend to "yellow" over time and can be much more difficult to install as it doesn't fit into contours well. This stuff is a bit cheaper. Then there is the thinner material which doesn't yellow over time and is easier to take the shape of curved surfaces. Get the thin, pliable stuff.

Hey everyone,

Wanted to add my .02… I recently had the 3M clear bra installed on my new S2K. I first found out about this product several years ago and decided to get it installed on my new (at that time) 2003 Range Rover. Fast forward two years, I went to the same shop that installed my clear bra to get the S2K done.

For those of you in the Socal area I can highly recommend Envisage Design Labs. Here’s their information:

Name: Envisage Design Labs

Location: Torrance, CA

Car: 2003 Range Rover and 2005 S2K

Price: $575.00 (S2K) (received a 10% previous customer discount)

Product Rating: 10

Installer Rating: 10

Ask for Edre (owner) or Bain (brother)

Protected: Front Bumper and first ¼ of the fenders (one piece), Hood (approx. 18” high measured from bottom of hood), side mirrors, side mirror “stalks” (custom), vertical painted area by radiator opening, headlamps

Dave, I'm curious about whether you would DIY again...re: 7.5 rating Also, have you been happy with the X-Pel product? Others that I've found include Autobahnd and PROFORM....probably all 3M film.

With my newer ride in almost perfect 'cream puff' condition, I'd like to add this mod fairly quickly

Thanks to Meeyatchi for starting this thread....very helpful

A 24" x 8 foot roll goes for about $80 on ebay, if you're bold enough to do it yourself. It's not exactly rocket science, and a little more money would get you some extra material to practice with.

I did my hood and fenders with a precut kit from invincashield, and it came out pretty decent... it's just about invisible unless you look for it.

That kit was $125 or so just for the hood and fenders It wasn't until after I installed it that I realized that you can buy bulk rolls so cheaply. I bought an 8 foot roll of 3M Scotchcal film and plan to do the front bumper, OEM front spoiler, and parts of the rocker panels that seem to be getting chipped up.

I think you could get a better final result if you were willing to take the front bumper and headlights off the car before installing the film. That way you could stretch the film to more easily fit the curves of the panels and then wrap the excess around the edges of the panels. You'd have a better fit and a LOT fewer seams that way.

Do most installers use precut kits? It might be worth asking if they can do it with bulk film. The invincashield kit, which seems to be from one of the larger companies that make custom patterns, still doesn't fit exactly - there's an unsightly gap where the shape of the film doesn't quite match the shape of the headlight openings on the fenders.

I should clarify, my rating of 7.5 is in terms of how it looked afterwards (10 being absolutely perfect as a pro would have done).
I would do it again as a DIY for all pieces EXCEPT the main bumper piece. This one is so expensive and so stressful to put on, I'd let a pro do it next time.

I've been very happy with the Xpel.
Get it done when the car is fairly new - before you get dings in it.

where can we order from?

i forgot to add, what type of tools would you need to DIY for this xpel or any type of clear bra installation?

RapidTac in a spray bottle, firm squeegie and soft scraper, absorbant clothes, clean fingers and patience ......................... lots of patience and fortitude.

Im looking into setting something up to cut out the pieces for S2000s and shipping them to people to do themselves.

This would be cheaper than going somewhere, but would give you precut pieces instead of having to do it yourself.

More info in the next few weeks.

Let me know if this is something people are interested in.

Also, if someone has the templates, that would be a big help and speed things up a lot.

Even getting a bulk roll from ebay 24"x 8 Feet would not cover the entire hood correct.

I would like to minimize the seams (visible or not) effectively raping the film around the edges of the parts to be covered.
Parts to be covered
Hood, Front bumper (VeilSide), Head lights, fenders, sided mirrors, and possibly the edge of my doors for that occasional time when some one parks to close to you and you can barley get the door open to get in. despite the fact that you parked in the farthest parking spot from the store you are going in.

I would appear that one would not be able to do this with the hood.

It would appear that ebay is the best place to get a roll for the DIYer.

Xviper where is the best place to get RapidTac??