What do people think of Clear Bra Paint Protection?

mick

haha. this reminds me of the scene from the movie "iglourious basterds" where brad pitt says a “Deal is too good to be true,” well it probably is"

HTP AutoWorks

Mick its not like this stuff just came out. 20 years on the market and still going... plus the military still uses it on their aircraft and helicopter rotors. So its been tested and works. The reason why you probably dont know much about it is because normally it is applied to high end cars due to the cost. Sure there is a market out there for lower end vehicles but most people that buy a 20-30k dollar car arent going to spend another 800 to protect it.

Like I said, a Google search will provide you with years of testing results, data, and customer reviews on the product. if your interested do a search.

370zlove3

HTP, do you know any good places in San Antonio that install these clear bra paint protection?

Right now I'm looking at here:
http://www.xpel.com/products/dealers...mit=Search+%BB

Also, what other parts are important to protect other than the bumper and hood?
Is covering the roof of the car worth it even though you are limited in money?

HTP AutoWorks

It is what the material is made out of. It absorbds the energy of the rock and spreads the impact out over the surface. Its very durable from punctures... but if the rock is large enough it can go through the film along with the panel. Its not bulletproof but will stop rocks from damaging your paint. This stuff has been on the market for about 20 years. So if it didnt work it would not still be around.

Auto manufacturers do not provide this from the factory because it takes a long time to install. Some cars do come with it in areas already... Porsches in front of the rear wheels, Ford GTs along the rocker panels... just to name a few. But those areas are simple flat areas that do not take any skill or time to apply the film. A full bumper is much different and takes much more time. Then there is the cost for applying it.

FricFrac

I'm clueless? That's a bold statement - but since I'm so ignorant would you care to back that up with a guarantee? I'm always a little leary about people who have a financial intrest posting on a hobbiest web page. I'm sure if this is the miracle film you claim it is you would never need to pay out a claim. Giving a guarantee would only bring you more business and make you even more money since you should never have to pay out. So are you willing to personally back up your statement and tell me that you'll pay for any rock damage under any 3M film I get applied on my car?

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'09 370Z - '93 300ZX Vert - '83 280ZX - '83 280ZXT -'81 280ZXT stroker - '72 240Z - Stillen CBE, HFC, G3, Grounding Kit, Sways // Swift Spring // H&R 15mm // 5% Tint // Clear Bra //

HTP AutoWorks

That is ridiculous to even post that. You are in Canada and I am in Texas. Like I am going to repair your paint damage if you get any rock chips. I wont even have any clue on wether you actually get film installed in the first place... and wouldnt put it past you to damage your own bumper just to make a claim. Look you need to read my posts above before making another post. Your only making yourself look bad here. Film has been around for about 20 years... and if it didnt work people wouldnt still be buying it. DO SOME RESEARCH. Its very simple. Type the word "clear bra" into Google and read up on a topic before you go making claims.

And to be honest I could care less wehter you get it or not. I have no financial gain to make from you... so go ahead and live with rock chips. I will sleep well tonight either way. But if you want to learn a little something and keep your car looking new, then join these discussions ask good questions and listen... not make comments on something you do not have a clue about.

FricFrac

Of course its ridiculous to expect any kind of warranty that this film will STOP rock chips on your car because it can't. It is very good at protecting your car and PREVENTING rock chips but it will not stop them. I know this and so do you which is exactly why it is ridiculous to expect any kind of warranty that states this will stop rock chips or dings. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of physics or even a little insight to the forces of nature will know that the film is not capable of stopping all force exerted on the front of the film from being transfered to the back of the film. If it did everyone would be using this for body Armour instead of Kevlar. That is precisely my point which you completely missed.

Now for you to state that I would intentionally damage my own bumper is nothing short of offensive. I am an honest person and I work diligently to be honest. For you to make such an unfounded statement is plain rude. Do you always treat strangers this way or just under the veil of anonymity of the Internet? You would think with the economy the way it is a professional business man would conduct themselves with some form of professionalism. It is good for everyone here in the state of Texas to see how you conduct yourself before they are accused by you of intentionally damaging the film if they have a problem with your product.

So once again to recap - this film will not stop rock chips. I think its important for the people on the forum doing research to know this. If they think that by putting the film on they will not have any chips or dings from flying rocks and spend $1000+ they will be sorely disappointed to possibly find the odd chip or ding. It is also important to know that the film is extremely resilient and will prevent the majority of rock chips from damaging your car. I highly recommend it. I'm happy with it on my 370Z and I'll be putting it on my 240Z when I repaint the air dam and my 280ZX when it's repainted.

Oh and here's some proof that it doesn't STOP rock damage.... (there were three rock chips before the clear bra was applied but I did not take pictures of those chips regardless of what you may infer HTP AutoWorks).

Attached Images

	Chip 1.jpg (270.1 KB, 162 views)
	Chip 2.jpg (479.9 KB, 162 views)
	Chip 3.jpg (468.1 KB, 159 views)

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'09 370Z - '93 300ZX Vert - '83 280ZX - '83 280ZXT -'81 280ZXT stroker - '72 240Z - Stillen CBE, HFC, G3, Grounding Kit, Sways // Swift Spring // H&R 15mm // 5% Tint // Clear Bra //

ryanboy

any suggestions around Chicago IL for this?

HTP AutoWorks

Rick Anstandt @ BodySkins is excellent. He uses 3M and VentureShield film, Xpel and Proform Designs patterns (the best on the market), is mobile, and has VERY good prices. I have known Rick for a few years and seen his work personally... and will vouch for the quality of his workmanship. Give him a call at 847-530-8443 and tell him Thom from HTP sent you. He will take good care of you.

tvfreakazoid

So what happens when it starts to get yellow or warn out? What would the paint look like when the clear bra is taken off?

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ryanboy

thank you! ill give him a ring and give your regards:-)

ZYGOTE

Fwiw, the clearbra films are not the be all, end all. I had the clearbra on my previous vehicle and will never get one again. Before I sold the car, the buyer asked me to remove the film and upon doing so, not only was the paint where the film was brighter than the rest of the car - but there were several areas where rocks had penetrated through the bra and damaged the paint. I can guarantee that if all the 370 owners pulled off their clearbras right now, 99% would find damage underneath.

The product does have some merits, but it will not make your car invincible from damage, only minimize it some areas.

HTP AutoWorks

99%. Interesting. So your say paint protection film has a 99% failure rate. How in the world would paint protection film manufacturers stay in business with a 99% failure rate??? Again its not bullet proof... and if a rock is big enough it will damage your bumper. But it would do EVEN MORE damage had you not had the film. And as far as the paint being "brighter" the film is optically clear, so it doesn not block UV rays. The only reason why the paint under the film would be brighter is if you didnt properly take care of the uncovered surfaces of the car... and your paint was oxidizing. The brighter paint was actually what your car looked like when you first got it. So I am guessing there was some length of time there where you were not properly taking care of the paint... thus causing it to look dull. So why is that a mark against having film???

Look people if you dont want it, dont get it. But there are thousands of posts out there of people praising film and how it has saved their paint. You would be hard pressed finding a Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche driving down the road without it... unless they do not have access to an installer (and in that case they will fly one in to install film... I went to 37 states last year for installation work). So there is a reason why they are paying good money to have it done. Because it works... and more than just 1% of the time.

JB1

Try Umbra in Schaumburg, did a great job on my car and at a great price too. He uses Ventureshield, no pattern but freehand, so a perfect fit.

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Zsteve

A couple of things I did see in the video was he didnt fully wipe boths sides of the panel so the uncovered side look more damaged than it really was cuz it still had dirt on it. Also they really didnt give a closeup look at the covered side afterwards before they peeled away the film. When peeling it away I did see some damage on the film that if this was applied to a car would look like road rash a little on the car. It did protect the underside though and is probably a good thing to get. Does it yellow after awhile?

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