My buddies work at a tint shop out here in utah and I've watched them do my bike and a couple cars for me. I'd recommend having a professional do it. it can be tricky on some cars and They had to bag a whole strip and start over once because it wasn't lying down right.

Red and black they say it doesn't look that great on and it has to be PERFECT or else its very visible. Lighter colors are more forgiving.

I've had it on my bike and 3 of my cars and its done its job and on silver and champagne it is next to invisible. Even on my bike that is black its pretty hard to see.

 

The car should not leave the dealership without it

 

I've had it on mine for 3 yrs now (3M) with no issues.
Very minor drawbacks if installed correctly.
The ease of putting it on is relative to how many curved surfaces you have to deal with. The front bumper is a nightmare for the uninitiated. Flat pieces are a piece of cake and you can get custom pieces for several places on the car (I highly recommend doing the area behind the wheels).
It looks the best on a new surface. I wish I had it on my urethane lip - at this point I've almost completely repainted it with touchup. Dam rock chips.

 

I had the 3M film istalled the day after I bought the car - the soonest I could get to Tacoma and have it done. All my future cars will have the film installed!

 

The guy who did mine, let me watch. I think I could have easily done the hood and front fenders above the headlights. The front bumper on the other hand..... He made it look easy. "I'm" certain that I wouldn't want to tackle that part!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

Can I see a picture of it on someones car?

How much should I be prepared to spend to have this done? I would like to do it before this weekend when I drive the car to Mass from PA

 

I'd recommend wax your car before you have it put on.

 

Anyone know when 3M or Lumar will be releasing the totally clear one? The current clear bras have a slight yellowish tint to it thus making it quite noticeable on white cars.

My local installer had told me to wait, but it's been 3 months since then. I totally cringe whenever I have to pass a truck!

 

You can, but the installer will probably just strip the wax off prior to the install. My installer washed the installation areas with Dawn twice to remove any dirt/wax. He then washed them with a special solution used to prep the surface for the material (3m Xpel).

Now, waxing it afterwards is another story. My installer suggested waiting a week after the install before the first wash. During this week he suggested leaving the car out in the sun to 'bake' the stuff on. The more time it has to setup, the better.

Surely.
Here's a straight on look:


As you walk around...


You start to see...


The line across my hood... (note the Clear Bra does not actually cover the entire hood, rather it covers the areas most prone to bug/rock strikes)


The headlights are covered with a thicker material. Part of the installation process is to mist them with an alcohol (my car's a drunk!) and water mix. This causes hazy/foggy areas to develop. It took a month to fully disappear. The bottom line is, the hazy area is now gone.

Haze JUST to the right of the HID.


Different look.


All in all I'm VERY happy I got this done early. Sure there are a few seams, but you'd be surprised how many people flat out DON'T see the seams when you show them the car. The majority of the people I've shown the car too do not pick up on the lines, and when I point it out, they're flat out amazed they didn't see it to begin with.

 

I didn't find that to be the case. When the Llumar was first applied to my white car, it wasn't noticeable at all until you got up close and then it was mainly from certain directions. Standing at the drivers door, you can see the line when the film stops but if you're standing 10 feet away, especially if you're not specifically looking for it, you'll never notice.

Both manufacturers have warranties against yellowing. When I had mine installed around July of 2004, the 3M was 3 years and the Llumar was lifetime. That was the main reason I went with Llumar.

Good luck,
Steve R.