I am considering getting a clear bra since I have already seen my first stone chip! argh! If you have any recommendations, please list them below. (yes, I did do a search, and the results weren't terribly conclusive. b'sides, I kinda wanted to post a poll! ) any and all info you have about clear bras; which ones you recommend, ones to avoid, what to watch out for when self-installing, what's a fair price for a professionally installed one-- all of your responses are most appreciated.

p.s.-- I don't really like how the regular bras seem to break up the lines of the front of the car-- no offense to those who have one. but since I don't like for people to feel left out, there's a spot in the poll for where you can click as well.

 

Stongard's cuts are the best out there. They don't cut corners and use the most material that I've seen.

But... just to let you know... they all pretty much use the same 3M film like Porsche. And the look of the install is heavily dependent on the skills of the installer cuz if u can imagine, shit can get stuck between the plastic and bumper (not every install will be perfect so be prepared - it's OK - life goes on).

Be forewarned that the plastic itself is not impervious. A rock can chip it and leave a tear on the plastic. Now the good part of this is that the paint itself will usually not chip unless it's a thugged out rock out to get you. But the bad part is is that there will be a "flaw" just like a chip, but the flaw probably won't be as noticeable, but it all depends.

I recommend that you do the bumper as well as a part of the hood and fenders. You will get a lot of chips on your hood.

I paid $500 total to get the front bumper and front OEM spoiler stongarded at stongard itself. They are located locally for me. Did a great job, but not too crazy about the numbnut of a sales manager there. I swear the dude's half-conscious.

As to those using regular bras regularly on their S2000... dude, get a clue.

 

David Dearing does the best cut kits (better than StonGard) most of the kits are cut at his house with a plotter (not to mention he is a S owner as well) his # 404-822-7490 he's done 5 kits for me, for all my cars or most with no rock damage

 

ttt

thx for the input WRS2K, and tim. $500-- yowza. that'd cut into my "other mods" budget. self-install looks like the way to go.

I'll have to give David a call sometime.

anybody else have experience w/ these clear bras? recommendations?

p.s.-- somebody voted that they did the install themselves, but it was a pain and shoulda paid to have it done. what was hard about it? forking out 5 Benji Franklins to protect my bumper paint is a bit out of my "easy to justify expenses" range.

 

I used invinca-shield for everything except the headlights and lower bumper. I used Dynashield for the headlights as they use the same high quality urethane , although thicker, for the headlights. Most makers use a nasty polyvinyl that sux. I used XPEL for the lower bumper as it was one piece as opposed to the invinca-shield. The application technique is difficult to learn on your own. The pieces which were easy were the headlights, hood and lower door panels. The pieces that were difficult were the side mirrors and by far the lower bumper. The mirrors were hard as the 2 dimensional material has to take on 3 dimensions. Use a slip solution and slide the material in place. Then firmly tak down the very center of the piece and work out squeegying from the center. You will be left with some excess material that looks like ruffly riffles all around the edge of the piece. DO NOT PANIC. take the alcohol solution...not by mouth yet... and spray all along the ruffly edges. Then squeegy the edges flat with pressure all around. Finally, take a blow dryer and lightly heat any areas still with excess material that is not laying down. Remember to squeegy the hell out of the edges. As I was learning I ruined a few of the pieces and Invinca-shield was great about sending out replacements. By far the most difficult piece was the lower bumper. It took about 9 hours for the whole car and 4 for the front lower bumper. The whole car is protected now since new. A bug lands on my car and it wipes right off. The side lower rocker panel pieces even form to cover and protect the lower door sills. You wash and wax the clear parts just like the rest of the car. The material is urethane just like the paints clear coat. If they made the stuff for the windshield I would cover it as well. GREAT PRODUCT. I will never own a car without it again. 6 months of ownership and no chips no dings or scratches. I can drive over loose pavement or gravel and not cringe that I have just chipped out some paint. This is a great product for me as repainting parts is no option for me. FACTORY PAINT ONLY. Repaint means no satisfaction with car means SELL CAR. Good luck with the installs. I would probably reccomend self installation because you as the owner will probably do a more perfect install than a so-called pro. Just be patient and if you ruin a piece ball it up and get another one. Do the lower bumper last as the piece is expensive and your skill should be up to snuff by the time you have installed the other pieces. One last thing, sqeegy squeegy squeegy. Then sueegy some more. You should start from the center of the pieces and hold an edge up while squeegying from center to edge. Once the material is squeegyed down you can pull it off but more than likely the piece will stretch and then it is ruined. Once applied you have to look carefully even from 4 feet to see it on the car. I have yet to have anyone comment that they have seen it unless I stick their nose in front of it and explain what it is. GREAT PRODUCT it makes the vinyl black crap that flaps in the breeze an ancient artifact.

 

Oh I forgot. The guy that does the best install is the Dyna shield guy. He does BMW's.....Porsches and Ferrari's. The guy spends 2 to 3 hours on surface prep...ie..clay bar etc etc. His kits have the most coverage and the fewest pieces which mean they are the best. His kits overlap into the wheelwells so he removes the wheels for a proper install. If I decide to do a Porsche or Ferrari this is the guy I would go with. He spent about an hour on the phone answering my questions about his headlight covers. They are also the best. They are the same material as the body pieces, urethane only thicker. This is much better than other types out there that are vinyl which yellows and is plasticky and thick. Vinyl sux 3M urethane is BEST. Hope this helps.

 

I bought the 3M film in a 6" X 84" roll... $55 from a local autobody supply shop. Self installed and cut it myself. I haven't finished yet because I need another roll to complete the bumper. I just needed something to protect my front bumper from autocrossing. For $110 dollars, it does the job, and I'm happy. I don't need perfect results. From two or three feet away, you can't see my seams. No one's noticed the film yet. I couldn't pay $500 for something I knew I could do satisfactory myself for $100.

 

I didn't vote 'cause you're missing my selection:
Did it myself. It was a challenge but it was not a pain. I did it to learn how and to save a bit of money.

I bought the X-pel kit. It covers adequately but not as completely as a custom job. The whole kit cost me about $200.00 US. I also put on a thicker (40 mil) film over the headlights. The trickiest piece is the large one that covers the nose cap. It's been on my car since new (2.5 years ago) and has take quite a few good rock hits. Sure, some of them has caused damage to the film but I see it this way: It could have been the paint. If and when I get enough dings in the film (and it doesn't look like I get them too often), I'll just peel the old piece off and install a new piece.

 

Just got Xpel on the hood,front bumper, side mirrors, door sills and door edges. Put Stongard light protectors on today. Worth the money about 700.00 installed. Best part is the fact that it's damn near invisable yet is great protection.

 

Yeah...one look at some of the new '03's that other folks are driving out there and wow...my car is spotless and most of the others have nasty chips. That is like a beautiful woman having a pock marked face. YIKES.