Clear bra, vinyl wrap or good coat of wax?

happytheman

Was talking to a friend the other day and asked what he thought of the clear bras with regards to paint protection effectiveness. The response back was that I'd do just as well to put a good coat of wax on...because if the clear bra chips, so is the paint.

Oh yeah...is a vinyl wrap perhaps the best way to go?

Thoughts comment based on your experience would be appreciated.

Xan

BS and I have a chip-less car to proof it.

The rock would have to break through the clear bra first.
And allthough not impossible, a clear bra is a lot stronger than a coat of wax.

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EL Diablo

Go look at the front bumper of a Z without a clear bra and compare it to one with a clear bra.
Then let me know if you think the clear bra works.

Wax being just as good made me laugh.

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happytheman

Hey, I just figured i'd post this up to see what kind of feedback it garnered. I have to think the clear bra would be more durable, but wonder how visible it would be on my MB?

EL Diablo

My Z is Black Cherry... the Clear Bra is virtually undetectable. Unless you are inspecting the edges of the bumper you won't see it.

IMO 100% worth it, but only if your Z has not already been sand blasted on the highways. It's something that should really go on ASAP.

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TheGreatOne

Ya, I've already noticed a chip and the car has been on the road for only a month maybe...trying to get my clear bra done in the next week or two

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Red__Zed

The clear bra is definitely helpful. I love mine. It is also virtually invisible, unless you are up close.

TonyD

Dropping my new Roadster off tonight to get the clear bra done. I won't drive it on the highway much until it gets done. Can't wait to see it and get some sunny cruising weather!

ImportConvert

Let me put this in visual terms for you.
3M Protective Film Clear Bra Test - Automotive Articles .com Magazine

The clear bra kicks ***, and has already saved my 'vette from several chips. Get the leading portion of your fenders, hood, mirrors, the whole front-clip including lights, the leading edge of the roof, and the rockers and areas in front of the rear wheels done.

Every picture of cars chipped up that I have seen seems to concentrate the damage in these areas unless special circumstances occur. I can vouch that my car has been well protected so far given this level of coverage. I already have one area on my roofline that looks like that pellet-mark in the link I posted. Glad it's on a $50 piece than on my paint. Lots of people say that a custom install is best. Well, yeah, IF you don't get your paint cut up in the process, it does look better, however, you then have to re-do a LOT more than if you had just gotten a good pre-cut kit in the event that the wrap is damaged in a certain area and you want it replaced. With the kit, just replace that one piece. I got the kit, and it offers about 97% of the utility and look of the full-on custom wrap. With the added advantage of piece-meal replacement option.

I have Venturshield Ultra on my car, and it looks way better than 3M's product regarding the orange-peel and whatnot that you see in the car/test I liked you to. For example, here is the front of my car. The visible areas on the car with the wrap are 1/4 of the hood and fenders as well as the headlights and the whole front fascia.




In person, you can see a little line if you look close, but the texture/reflection doesn't show up nearly like it does on that S2000 with the 3M.

sucasa

Get the ventureshield clear bra done by a pro..u will be very happy with the results..i got my MB done, love it.. Make sure to get rolled edges for complete transparent look..

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2010 Sport Touring | NAV | 7A | 3M VentureShield [sold]

happytheman

I had been thinking about the Ventureshield, but I'm unsure who installs it around here (Central Florida).

kenchan

i would consider clearbras if you do a lot of expressway speed driving.

also you can wax/sealant the clearbras as you do the rest of your paint... it's quite invisible.

i dont use clearbra on my Z because most of my driving is in light traffic on surface roads and i keep a good distance from other cars in front of me as much as possible.

Econ

you dont need a clearbra, I dont have one











oh and my bumper looks like sh1t.

happytheman

That's fantastic! Thanks for the input!

drarncruz

Bought the clear bra online prior to buying the car for less than $250. Got my car clean from the dealer and few days later applied the clear bra on myself. It took a day but well worth it. Next day I applied a fresh coat of wax on the car and clear bra. Now driving on the highway with bug splats on the clear bra - I have no worries. I use a quick detailer spray from Maguire's and the bug stains are gone. Amazing! My suggestion is to get the clear bra. With regards to paint chips, I have not seen any. The clear bra does protect the paint but you won't see any injury to the paint unless you remove the clear bra. They recommend the life span of the clear bra is 5 years. by that time the newer Z will be out and you won't have to worry about the paint chips. Just trade in your old Z for a new one and buy the clear bra before you buy the new Z and problems solved. If you are worried about paint chips from rocks, don't drive so close to cars or buy a carbon fiber bumper so it can withstands the rocks. Road injury is unavoidable and it will happen - just like taxes. Clear bras definitely help but i've learned nothing in this world is a 100% except death, oh yeah and taxes. Good luck