For those who have it on their 'Stang:

- How close do you have to get before you see the line on the hood?
- Does the line on the hood get dirty, collect was, etc. and require constant maintenance?
- Does the bra reflect light/have some glossiness as the paint?
- How long have you had it? Any problems?
- Overall, are you glad you did it?
- Could you please post a photo? I searched, and there isn't that many photos posted.

Thanks in advance,

Rich

 

That stuff is made by 3M. The avery stoneguard has a highler level of clarity and gloss.
Anyway, you can see the line from about 6ft away. If you don't tell people it is there they have a harder time noticing it. Hard to see a photo of something that is clear

As for the line collecting dirt, if you wax over it when waxing the car it helps hide it abit. Just remember, this stuff is 6-8mm thick so you will feel the line.

 

i personally think the pro's of clear bras totally out weight the cons (read, ability to see it) only because having to repaint the front of the car will be more than a few hundred bucks.

there will be one on my mustang when i buy it

 

I have it and love it. It's been on my car almost a year now and it still looks good. I had it put all over the place (door edges, quarters, hood, bumper) and you really have to look close to see it. It's been to a couple of shows and people really like it... You do see an occasional imperfection in it but it's well worth the ease to just wipe off the bugs from the front with a damp cloth. Like said, it's too hard to see on a picture since it's transparent.

 

I have had the 3m Clear bra for 25000/1yr and I am really happy with it. I have a Torch Red GT and use Zaino. Multiple applications of Zaino on the bra evened up the shine. My installer told me the lighter the color of the car, the less noticeable the clear bra. I can see mine at about 5 ft., but I know it's there. I have to show people were it is! Truthfully, I don't even notice mine anymore. I carefully clean the edge after polishing so as to clean any visible residue, thats the only maintaining I do for it other than wash and Zaino. I highly recommend it. Good luck!

 

How do you clean the edge?

 

I use an old cotton T shirt wrapped tight over my fingernail and use my fingernail lightly against the edge. There is little to no residue with Zaino. Takes about a minute to go across the hood.

 

how much are you guys paying to have these install? Ive installed a couple and on a car like a mustang the cost to the customer is usually around $800-900 here in socal, for that you can have the bumper repainted almost 3 full times, if you keep the car for 5 years thats a repaint every other year, IMO (and remember I install them) they are not worth it, you can see the line from a decent distance like mentioned before (I can spot them from a little over 10 ft away), they also create an orange peel affect which IMO looks bad, they do protect the paint from minor defects but if you hit something hard or have large rocks pop up at your car it will still cause some dimpling and possibly even dents, what it protects against is scratching and chipping, but think about it if you have a large rock kicked up from a truck in front of you on the freeway that thing might not take any paint off but it will leave an impression; these things are only clear vynll

 

the line also shows up a lot more the dirtier it gets (wax build up, dirt, ect) this can be taken care of obviously by cleaning it and maintaining it just like you would any of the crevises on your car.

 

I've had a different experience. I paid about $650 for my clear bra. The entire front, front of hood, A pillars, fender area behind rear wheels and rear valance beneath trunk. To me it was well worth it. I wouldn't want to go through the hassle of having my hood repainted even one time. Matching metallic is even tougher to do. Your right, the line shows more on a dirty car. But a chip shows more on a clean car. If I get hit with a rock big enough to dent, it's not my day. But I may be able to have the dent removed by a Dent Doctor or the like, and not have a paint chip problem to add to my headache! I did get hit once with a rock that dimpled the clear bra. My installer told me to give it a few days to let the heat and humidity of southeast Virginia "heal" it. About a week later the dimple was gone! So I'm a satisfied customer, but like the saying goes "Your results may very"

 

I meant vary!

 

Okay, I can't decide without seeing some pictures. I know it's clear, but I still think it will help me decide. Maybe someone can post a shot from about 6 ft. from the hood so I can judge for myself.

 

yeah i need to find a place and have one put on my car. Anyone know a good installer in the south jersey/philly area?

 

I have it on all my cars. It works. There are application for headlights and fog light as well - and it is thicker. I have those on my car and it's already 'saved' a headlight assembly - some type of acid got on the 3M stuff and damaged it but not the assembly. Pulled it right off and replaced it.

 

I notice you're from Raleigh. I live in Cary. Where did you get yours done? Were you happy with them? Could you please post a picture?

 

Attachment 7040Attachment 7041Attachment 7042

The first one is farther than 10', the others are much closer. How visible it is depends on your car color and how clean you keep the edge.

Also, I live in Creedmoor, the car will be in Cary this Thurs. at Dannys Barbecue off of Tryon Rd. for the HCMC ( Heart of Carolina Mustang Club ) monthly meeting. Feel free to stop by and check out the club and the clear bra.

 

Thanks so much, Chuck. That REALLY helps - it looks great. I'm sold. Who did you use for the install? If you don't mind me asking - what did it cost?

I only live 10 miles or so from Tryon. I'd love to stop by, but I work till 6, and I'm leaving for the beach the next day. What time do you guys get together?

 

http://www.hcmcstangs.com/

We meet the third Thurs. of the month.

Also, there is a cruise in at Grill 57 off of 401. We try to get there early as LOTS of people show up. It spills into the parking lot behind grill 57. We try to get all the way to the back by the store ( catches shade early ).

I should be there with the GT unless the weather looks bad.

 

I have had mine on for about 1 1/2 years now and I have the torch red. I also have white painted stripes and you can now tell just a slight difference in color. I don't know if you would say it's "yellowing" but it's not the same color as the non covered area....I do believe it's worth it (I was at about 650.00 as well (hood,front bumper, lower rockers and even the door edge in case I open the car door into something. It also is unique enough that people actually look at it and think it's pretty cool. It is somewhat noticable but worth the protection. I admit that I wouldn't pay over that and even that seems a bit high for just a bit of vinyl tape.