Are these applications worth? How do they last/protect in the long run (5+ years)?

Dealers want $700+ , where/how can you find them for less.

My logic is that you can have a hood repainted for about $500+/-, and an entire front ent for about $1000+/- ...

 

Of course it's worth it. It will protect the front from rock chips/debris and will save your a few grand in the future if you didn't have it and end up repainting the front at a body shop.

$700 is high. You should seek certified clear bra installers in your area. The internet will give several numbers to contact and once you're in their web-site, you can specify your area and the web-site will indicate the closest installer in your area.

e.g. Xpel.com is one and I'm sure there's many others out there.

I've had my clear bra going on 4 years now and no issues other than minor discoloration.

 

YES it is VERY worth it... When tehre was major road construction in my town, my GS got a few front end chips and even some on the side mirrors.

 

yes, well worth it...
on all of my future vehicles, it will be my 1st mod

 

Getting mine on Monday - should've gotten it the day I picked up my car instead. 1300 miles later and one rock chip and a very small knick, I guess it's not too late yet. The installer is charging me $600 and he's using Venture instead of 3M. Venture comes with a lifetime warranty instead of 3M's 5 year warranty. Not a bad deal!

http://www.ventureshield.com/

 

I got my IS 3 weeks ago and at first I didnt even think I was going to get a clear bra. Everyone I this forum talked me into it. I havent been driving my IS at all because i'm scared of some sort of rock chip. I only have 500 miles in it.

Everyone recommended www.aerotect.net

I have an appointment on tuesday for installation. $500 for half hood, bumbers, headlights, fogs, full bumper, fenders, and side mirrors.

They use 3M.

 

Depends on the trouble you have to go through to repair any damage done to your car , I.E. we have it done on Dusty's Supra because damaging a very rare expensive front bumper and getting it repainted is not something we'd want to mess with. Our sister company mvp eurosports also has it done on their 99 Ferrari 360 Modena, because, well replacing a $10,000 Ferrari bumper or even trying to repaint it any delaer is well worth the $800 we spent on the clear bra. But if you just have OEM stuff that is easy to replace or repaint, I think you should calculate cost of the clear bra vs. repaints and see if it's worth it to you. I didn't bother putting it on my Supra because I have the OEM front bumper and I can live with repainting it, but it is a priority for my Maserati simply because again for the money it would cost to replace or repaint the Maserati front bumper, I would rather put the clear bra on there.

Regards,
Kevin

 

some shops are starting to offer spray on clear bra with the whole front end of the car being about 700

the shop i go to is www.autorecon.com in orange county, cali....

 

Pretty close to what we paid, if anyone in the DFW area in TX needs a good place. The RUF dealership has a small building right next to it that does an excellent job, don't have contact info on hand, but PM me if you need it and I will look for it.

 

I posted a thread asking this question yesterday, but since I haven't had a response yet, I will throw it out here, too.

Is it ok to put a clear bra on immediately, or do you have to wait a certain period of time after manufacture before putting on on.

When I had some body work done on my Subaru, the body shop said not to put wax, clear coat protectant or anything else that seals up the paint for around 3 months I believe. They said that certain solvent/fumes/something need to be able to escape the paint for a couple months and if you put wax on it, it will trap it in the paint and cause problems down the road.

My car was manufactured sometime in November and arrived at the dealership the day after Christmas. Do you think putting a clear bra on the 20the of this month is a long enough wait?

 

I do not have one but my friend's are very effective and I will be doing it on my next Lexus.

 

Cars are baked at the factory, it's ok to apply the bra right away. If you have body work (like your Subie) and the paint is not baked, most shops will have you wait 3 months so the solvents can burn off.

 

Ok, thanks for explaining the difference. I wasn't even sure about applying wax because of that.

I just double checked with the installer, because I thought it was going to be the full hood, but using his llumar film, he said that they put on whatever the computer cuts out, but it is usually the front bumper, 8"-12" of the hood, part of the front wheel wells, side mirrors, and there might have been on other area. He said it is the areas that are most likely to chip.

Is only 8"-12" enough covering on the hood to protect it from rocks?