3M clear Bra

FrancoPhoto

Anyone have their front end wrapped in 3M clear bra ?

I have an appointment in 2 weeks to do 3/4 hood full front bumper ,headlights, fenders , mirrors and front half of rear fenders along with 3M window tint and 3m black vinyl roof for $1000


My last lowered car ( B7 Audi A4 ) was full of rock chips and looked disgusting .

Roadster4Us

A lot of people here have the clear bra. I have always used this on my sports cars. I would recommend doing the full hood so that there is no line running across. I also did full front fenders, then a strip on the rockers down the sides of the car and then finally a partial strip around the lower rear fenders.

__________________
Greg


2013 Camaro ZL1

370ZilverZ

Sounds like a great price for all of that. I was just quoted $850 just for clear bra and less coverage. I may have to look elsewhere for a better price.

__________________

370ZilverZ Journal

BMW Z4

enkei2k

true, that does sound like a good price, especially if it's around NYC area. where are you getting it done? I may need to look into going there for a quote myself.

FrancoPhoto

TintMax.com Window Film Solutions is the company I'm using

that price didn't come easy , i mentioned to them that i got a price quote elsewhere and i guess he wanted the business so he agreed to the lesser price. originally tintmax wanted 750-800 for just the front end with partial hood . so for an extra 200 I'm getting the tint and roof done

dennis26

Do the full hood. It is well worth any extra money for the job.

Telephone

I'd wouldn't drive it much until you get the film installed. A pat on the back for you for making this good investment.

Huck

that's a really good deal. I know that at the dealership where I got my car just to do 1/3 hood, front bumper and half the front quarter panels was $650. Luckily my car already had it on there.


Sent from my iPizzle using magic and new fangled science stuff.

__________________

sparky

I just had this done, bumper, front quarter panels, 1/3 of the hood, headlights, and back of the mirrors for $525. I would have done more but that was my limit for what I was willing to spend on this. The line on the hood doesn't bother me. Looking at my last car and all the chips on it in just a few years this is worth it imo.

stratburst

I live in the sand state (FL) and recently installed 3M on the full bumper, head lamps, 1/3 hood, mirrors, pillars and roof and kick plates. I highly recommend protecting the lower skirt panel just forward of the rear wheel. This area is getting sand blasted so I'm headed back next week to get this and the skirt done.

MacLean

I just installed the PPF (hood, side panels & mirrors). I'm getting bumper repainted b/c dealership put dings on the bumper. Once that is taken care of the bumper will have PPF on it. I have been told that you should NOT cover up your heads light b/c it will cause condensation and the bulbs will go out sooner bc it will get to hot. I got the PPF and ceramic nanotechnology window tint for $758 out the door at Executive Tint in Houston.

bamboo72

I am looking into getting the clear bra on my Z. The place that normally does all my detailing work is recommending against getting the full hood covered. I find that contrary to most everything I am reading, so I am coming here for some opinions.

For those that have had this put on, did you get the full hood covered or just partially covered? What were the pros and cons of each? Do you wish you would have done it differently?

Don't know if this will matter, but they use VentureShield.

Appreciate any advice, as I really want to do what is best to protect my Z and keep it looking brand new, but don't want to put something on it and regret it either.

Roadster4Us

I've never heard of an installer recommending against getting a full hood done. I originally had the partial hood and on the dark black cherry didn't like seeing the line so I had it removed and redone with the whole hood. You might want to check with another installer. Many of us have used pro shield with excellent results. He has done a lot of 370's.

The real con of doing partial is seeing the line and having part of your hood exposed. No cons for the full hood. Make sure they wrap all of the edges.

__________________
Greg


2013 Camaro ZL1

bamboo72

Yeah, I honestly was a bit surprised when he recommended not doing the whole hood. I have been doing quite a bit of research and pretty much got the impression that was the way to go. After talking to him though, I thought maybe I was wrong, so really wanted to hear from those that already had it installed to get the low down.

I have the same Z as you, same color to, but it's a 2012, so it was definitely nice to hear your thoughts.

mbowler

I just had my entire front bumper, whole hood, headlights, a-pillars, entire front fenders, and partial rear fenders done on a pearl white 2 days ago.

I researched 3M and Xpel Ultimate and ended up with the Xpel after talking to a couple of local installers, doing extensive research online, and watching the demo videos of the self-healing action.

I suggest just doing a quick google of "3M vs. Xpel Ultimate" or similar and look at discussions at AutoGeek and Autopia.

I would recommend the full-hood. I was trying to decided between 22", 24", 30" and full hood and I'm glad I went full hood. As I said, the only panel I have that is a partial is "rear tire area" as it's called which is the flare in front of the rear wheels. This is the only piece on my car that is visible and it's because of the line. Everything else is completely clear and feels like paint. In fact, I would go so far as to say that in good lighting, it adds some depth to the paint. It's THAT clear.

The downside is this cost me $1350.

If you do end up going with Xpel, go to their website and look for a dealer who can do their own pattern cutting (vs. ordering the pre-cut pieces). They can save you money by cramming more patterns on the sheet vs. someone who has to order everything pre-cut.