The 3M bra was recently installed on the truck and I am not satisfied with the front bumper. The 3M has cuts above and below "bend" at the outside corners to accomodate this vertical contour. This left gaps in the film that doesn't look good.

They did a great job on the LS460 which has no such cuts in the front bumper film.

Has anyone had a similar result with the 3M?

 

the cost of putting the clear bra on and problems associated with it when it comes time to take off is not worth it. By the time it is ready to come off in 3 or 5 years, the bumper part and or hood will be cheap to replace and repaint. Yes i am speaking from experience, not worth it imho...

 

That's certainly a valid point of view. The front bumper of the LS looks good and you can see where the film has protected it from the numerous impacts of rocks, etc. The film has been on there for close to four years now.

 

Did they put on a kit or was it customed?

 

Three GX460s were done before mine, so it is a semi custom. Some changes had to be made on the bumper because the film was pulling away in the areas mentioned after installation.

 

The install is not as nice as it was on my GS350 since the bumper is so big and you cannot use just one piece. Intially when the install was new, I could see some gaps. After few weeks I don't see it at all.

The only part I was unhappy about was the hood install. It was not installed all the way to the front edge and meantime I got a nasty chip right on the edge all the way to the metal.

 

I totally disagree. I have had the 3M fil on all my cars and it is all about the installer. In my case it has protected the front of my cars and trucks. This is a great investment if you plan on keeping your car for a while. The best part is 5 years down the line you can just peel it off and you are good to go. Painting you car affects its resale value and not a smart decision.

 

my dealer wanted 500 for the clear bra. hmmm, 5years down road, i could buy a new bumper and get it painted for that much, maybe even less. What the heck are you talking about it affecting resale value? I would not paint over the already painted sections of the car. Heck if i really wanted could even get a new hood and have that painted as well. Not so hard to take off the bumper and hood. ITs all your perspective. In my eyes, not worth it. Id rather put that money to something else, like getting REAL mudflaps put on this baby and putting the tow hitch on.

 

well, some jack *** put a scuff mark down the car on passenger side, from front panel, across doors, and then to back panel. It came off though. If i find the sob that did it, watch out. It looked very intentional.

I am now having 2nd thoughts about the clear bra 3M, but i think i am going to install it on the doors. The only problem is, and for those that already put it on, the paint needs about 3 months to cure. Thats the sucky part. Sobs out there to ruin a nice car in the meantime.

 

Sorry to hear about your car. Someone put a big dent in a door as soon as I got my GS350.

When it comes to the paint, I wouldn't worry about paint curing. With paint baking technology is not needed. Body shops recommend just to be sure to wait 30 days but is not needed. Since the car is build in Japan, by the time it gets to the dealer it is at least a month.

When it comes to the 3M tape, I have not seen anyone who have done it on the sides of the vehicle. The only pieces I have seen are the advertisments where they wrap the car with, but those are very thin and don't think would provide that much of protection.

 

I was goinng to get one of those big sheets off ebay measuring 30 by 96 inches or so and cut one out to fit the doors. The sheet is 8 mill thick and should provide some level of scratch, scuff protection. I am not expecting it to block those dents that you described. That sucks your car was dented. The side mirrors would also be covered and maybe some of the front fenders.

The front doors shouldnt be that hard since its mostly flat, the rear door will be issue given the creases that bulge out and merge into the wheel well. I may have someone do that part. I think i will also put it on the hood as well. Bumper is too hard and that will have to be done by someone also. Ive never applied this myself but doesnt look that complicated and i think anyone could do it as long as sheet is correctly cut. Looks like theyve improved on these sheets. I previously had a clear bra on from 2001 and that thing left so much crap and glue behind after taking it off and it still looks bad.

 

Has anyone here used Xpel instead of 3m. did a search, lots of opinions, seems xpel may be better.


also found another website. clearmask.com. They have kits for the gx, aeroguard vs clearmask ar, dont know which is better.
http://www.clearmask.com/vehicle_page.php

 

I have 3M bras on our GS430 and one of our Lincoln LS's. I can't say enough good things about it. The LS has had it for 4 years now and still looks great. I wax it about 3-4 times per year. I will be puting these on our future cars as well. Great investment in my eyes. Oh, and be sure to have your headlights covered in it as well.

 

Do you see any seams in the film? Does it cover your full hood?

 

Yes you see the edge of the 3M film. You have to be looking for it though. As long as it is kept clean and waxed, you will not notice much. And you only notice the seam when you are up close, otherwise everything truly looks invisible. Once again, I feel as if this is a great investment for your car if you are the meticulous type who has to have a perfect looking vehicle.

As a note, I only have 2 small chips on my Lincoln LS after 4 years. I assume they must have been pretty decent size rocks to puncture through the film.