Clear bra after 3yrs and 18,000 miles?

murphman · 10-20-2011, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gurneyeagle

murph - is that Baker Nissan North? Does their body shop have a good reputation?

I'm wondering who could quote me on doing a Nismo nose conversion for me. Parts are about $2,500, and I'm curious as to the cost of painting and the labor.

Yes baker North, on their website they have a collision section with prices on different panels to paint. Not sure if that is different then painting a bumper that has no paint of not but i dont see why it wouldnt but i am sure that is a non blending price. As for a rep for body work i dont know, Ron was looking into having his rear nismo bumper repaired but i dont know if he used them or not, shoot him a pm. One of my friends is an insurance adjuster and said they have a guy there that does body work that he says does the best work he has seen so far but he has only been an adjuster for 9 months. hope this helps.

gurneyeagle · 10-20-2011, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murphman

Yes baker North, on their website they have a collision section with prices on different panels to paint. Not sure if that is different then painting a bumper that has no paint of not but i dont see why it wouldnt but i am sure that is a non blending price. As for a rep for body work i dont know, Ron was looking into having his rear nismo bumper repaired but i dont know if he used them or not, shoot him a pm. One of my friends is an insurance adjuster and said they have a guy there that does body work that he says does the best work he has seen so far but he has only been an adjuster for 9 months. hope this helps.

Thanks!

kenchan · 10-20-2011, 04:27 PM

i bought a floor car in the past with aftermarket aero bits and it had quite bit of chips (for my standard). i touched it up and clear bra'ed it. the chips and fix looked much less noticable and from that point forward even after 6yrs ownership the car looked great.

it's up to you. if you do the installation yourself it will save you a couple hundred bucks.

Auto Paint Guard Inc. Tampa Florida Clear Bra 3M Paint Protection Film Car Bras

cjeezy · 10-20-2011, 08:44 PM

I bought my 2010 Z without a clear bra. At that time the bumper was nearly perfect. Literally after 3 weeks I had 50 pin hole chips all over it from rocks I guess. I got some touchup paint from the dealership and then had it clear bra'd along with 1/3 of the hood fenders and mirrors for $800. Yeah I probably should have repainted it all first but after spending $30k I was annoyed I had to repaint it already and was stubborn lol. So am I happy with the clear bra over touched up rock chips? Heck yeah. This car gets chips everywhere anyways. I'm to the point now where I have 26k miles on it so it's not gonna be perfect. You can't even see the chips under the bra unless you really look and there are 0 bubbles in the bra. Just my opinion

DJ-of-E · 10-20-2011, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011 Nismo#91

Clear Bra is so damn expensive, I was quoted from a few places about 3k or so just to do the bare bones minimum. And well over 5k to do the entire front half. IMO getting a clear bra now or repainting in 8 years or so isn't much different.

Dude, that's even more than the $1800 I was quoted....FOR CLEAR BRA THE WHOLE FREAKEN CAR!

FL 4Motion · 10-20-2011, 09:14 PM

imo, the dog's long gone, gate might as well stay open.

I'd personally respray the bumper, THEN, after the paint's set, do the clear bra.

Down here, a reputable vendor can do the clear bra for around $800 to $1500 depending on how much coverage you are looking to get.

gurneyeagle · 10-20-2011, 09:23 PM

For the prices quoted, sounds like a road trip to Texas for Doug and Michelle.

pjp98z · 10-21-2011, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murphman

OP i would check locally and see how much a respray would cost. In my area it appears Baker Nissan will repaint your front bumper for 300$ so in my opinion you could get a lot of repaints for the cost of clear bra. If you can get the clear bra before leaving the dealership then that is the way to go but for me since i do not have it and i have plenty of chips. Dr. color chip is my friend till i decide to repaint for 300$

Repaints bring down the value of the vehicle and you would still be left driving around with rock chips between repaints.

It's really a matter of when you want to "spend" the money. You either do it up front on a clear bra, or on the back end by painting one or two times and getting less return when it is time to sell.

View Poll Results: Should I do the bra now or is it too late.
Do it now before it gets worse.	10	26.32%
Wait til you do the repaint some day then do it.	28	73.68%
Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

10-20-2011, 09:23 PM	#22 (permalink)
gurneyeagle A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston/Saint Augustine Posts: 2,681 Drives: '18 Audi TT RS Rep Power: 20215	For the prices quoted, sounds like a road trip to Texas for Doug and Michelle. __________________ Waiting on the Z35! SOLD - 2011 Gun Metallic Touring 7AT w Sports Pkg & Nav, Nismo Bumper and Rims, RC Grille, RC Brake Ducts, H&R Spacers, Painted Door Hdls, GTR Start Button, Nav By-Pass, EVO R Fog Light, CF Ducktail, CF Interior Trim

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10-20-2011, 04:27 PM	#18 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	i bought a floor car in the past with aftermarket aero bits and it had quite bit of chips (for my standard). i touched it up and clear bra'ed it. the chips and fix looked much less noticable and from that point forward even after 6yrs ownership the car looked great. it's up to you. if you do the installation yourself it will save you a couple hundred bucks. Auto Paint Guard Inc. Tampa Florida Clear Bra 3M Paint Protection Film Car Bras

10-20-2011, 08:44 PM	#19 (permalink)
cjeezy Base Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: USA Posts: 131 Drives: 370Z Rep Power: 14	I bought my 2010 Z without a clear bra. At that time the bumper was nearly perfect. Literally after 3 weeks I had 50 pin hole chips all over it from rocks I guess. I got some touchup paint from the dealership and then had it clear bra'd along with 1/3 of the hood fenders and mirrors for $800. Yeah I probably should have repainted it all first but after spending $30k I was annoyed I had to repaint it already and was stubborn lol. So am I happy with the clear bra over touched up rock chips? Heck yeah. This car gets chips everywhere anyways. I'm to the point now where I have 26k miles on it so it's not gonna be perfect. You can't even see the chips under the bra unless you really look and there are 0 bubbles in the bra. Just my opinion

10-20-2011, 09:14 PM	#21 (permalink)
FL 4Motion A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: FL Posts: 4,776 Drives: Baby Shark Rep Power: 701615	imo, the dog's long gone, gate might as well stay open. I'd personally respray the bumper, THEN, after the paint's set, do the clear bra. Down here, a reputable vendor can do the clear bra for around $800 to $1500 depending on how much coverage you are looking to get.