jotafl

Hey gang, my friend who got the LS460 charcoil color just did the 3M bra protection for his car, I saw the car today and they did a very nice job ($600.00). You can see the line where the product cuts off but I guess that would be normal. Has anyone used the product and also have you been satisfied with it? For 600.00 if the product works I think will be a great investment against a $71+K car.

I went through a lot of headaches with the LS430 with the chips on the bumper that it drove me crazy, I am planning on keeping this car for at least 6 years (fingers crossed since I said the same thing with the LS430) and want to do as much as I can to protect the paint.

Any info will be greatly appreciated. If there is a link on the forum with that topic, please guide me to it since I can't find it, but when it comes to searching and so on I can be very slow.

Thank you.

dfiorito

I had some interior/exterior protection put on my car by the dealer. It cost around $1,200.00. Everyone on the forum said it was a waste.

I was so excited getting the car, I agreed to everything they threw at me.

It is over, and I am thrilled to have this car. If I overpaid, or got ripped off on a few things, so what.

Patric

If you do much highway driving I think the 3M protection is great especially if you plan to keep the car long term.

I have it on my Corvette and it has paid for itself easily in the five years I've had it.

The only potential issue is getting wax along the edges which can make them more visible so I would refrain from getting too close with the applicator or clean the edges with Q tips before it dries.

Pat

ojah

I had resist-all put on my LS460L. This is supposed to protect your car from the elements and things. I also had clearshield put on (similar to clear bra). However, I didn't like the look of the clearshield and am having it taken off next week. The clearshield was applied to the front bumper and front part of the hood only. The line dividing the clearshields's boundary from the rest of the hood of my smoky granite car is clearly visible. It looks like a scratch that traverses the entire length of the hood until one gets closer. Both my wife and I hate it. However, this is just us. Others may like it. Protection from scratches is a good idea but protecting the front of your hood and front bumper area only, leaving the rest of the car exposed seems self-defeating to me. If the whole car is covered, that's different. Before going for clearshield or clear bra, ask first to see a car that has it so you'll know what the deal is and what you might have to sacrifice in terms of appearance. My dealer told me clearshield is more transparent than clear bra. Indeed on my car, but for the ugly dividing line, you wouldn't know it was there. So there you have my take.

All the best.

(I hope you get this post. I am being told whenever I try to send it that it is too short and that I need to lengthen it by 10 characters!!! This can't be right. The message is already overly long so I don't know what's happening)

Thank you.[/QUOTE]

Car Nut

All cars sold in Canada come with the clear bra factory installed.I personnally don't like it for all the reasons mentioned in the earlier threads. However it is under warranty so I am reluctant to remove it. Let me live with it for a while and then decide and I will update the forum.

jjbodean

i like the clear bra - i will be getting one installed on my wifes GX470 before too much longer

jotafl

Thanks for all the replies.

LOL dfiorito, that was funny stuff there. I feel the same way. I don't feel I was rip off on the deal since I did not get anything extra but I felt like you, I was so hipnotized with the car that if they offer me anything I would have taken it.

Txs Patrick, I do a lot of HWY driving and especially here in S. Fla, contruction trucks are everywhere, and if you are behind them, everytime they can a bump on the street you immediately get a nip on you paint. I am glad it worked out for you. I did talk to my friend and they told him that if you wax the car, to make sure that you do as you told me or to try to use liquid wax in that area instead of the paste base wax.

Ojah, I did see the product on another LS460 and you are right on the line, the car was wet and you could see the line, but other than that it did not look bad at all, plus they way I feel is that you are protecting the paint job, and you can remove if it gets to the point of hating it.

Car Nut, although I will not be able to wait for your update, I really would like to see it anyway to see how much you love it or hate it.

jjbodean, I am glad you like the clear bra. I am pretty sure I will get it next Tuesday, if I do, since I have already pictures posted at the Gallery w/o the product, I will post new pictures with the product with zoon in so you can compare.

Ltr gang.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

awesome stuff i have to say. i have them on both our gs400 and sc430, and for sure we will have it on our future cars. prices depends on region, but usually around 600 bucks is a good price to pay

jotafl

Glad you liked the product romini, yesterday I saw my friend's car again during daylight and although the 3M bra is somehow noticeble at the line, I think it is worth it, he had plenty of bugs and little rock hits on the bumper and took a towel and cleaned it, everything was gone. I will go tomorrow at 9:00 to have it installed and like I said, will take zoom pictures of the before and after application.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

me knowing there are clear bra on the car, i can always see the lines. but when the car is clean and i show it to people, most of the time they don't see it at all until i point it out to them

LeslieRC

A clear bra is a must for me. I didn't have one on my first SC430, an `02; and discovering a new chip almost every month convinced me on the wisdom of having a clear bra. It sickened me to see chips and small blemishes develop so quickly on such a beautiful car. All of my cars now have clear bras. Having a clear bra installed is the first order of business after I take delivery. Some folks complain about the "line" where the bra ends but, frankly, after a while it becomes almost invisible and barely noticeable. If you're considering a clear bra, here are the questions you should ask yourself: do I invest $600-$1K to ensure that my car is virtually free of chips caused by road debris and which would bother me more - an almost invisible line running across the hood of my car or chips all over the front of my car? If you had seen my `04 SC430 before I traded it in for my 645Ci convertible in July, you would know what I'm talking about when I tell you that this thing really works. The finish was like-new, no scratches, blemishes, or chips. The same for the head and fog lights and side mirrors, which were also covered with the film.

ojah

Can they offer the same protection to the back bumper area? I've had clearshield on my LS460L for four days now and was bitterly opposed to it because of the line across the front hood area. However, I must confess that I am gradually being onverted to its virtues. I was going to have it removed but might keep it after all?

LeslieRC

Yes, I've seen instances where a clear bra was also installed on the rear bumper.

For such a beautiful car as yours, I would keep the clear bar where it is. Think about it this way: you remove it and within a month you see a few chips on the car where the bra used to be, and it gets worse because you notice more and more chips each time you wash your car!

ojah

Thanks, LeslieRC, for your good advice. I'll keep the clearshield. What's more, I'll arrange to have it applied to my back bumper as well.

All the best.

jotafl

Okay gang, what a busy day, got up early this morning to clean the front of the car to make sure I didn't have any chips or scratches and I did have one in top of the fog light, I guess it happened last night driving home, and was going less than 70mph . It is not bad at all (really tiny).

Went to Jim's house to do the installation, first time I met this guy, what a nice guy. He have a nice machine that cuts the 3M product to your car specification and he started cleaning the whole front again. This guy is very picky and did a great job making sure that he cleaned the car perfect for installation. BTW: If you are planning on installing this material, do not, again, do not wax your car until after the product is install since the material will not stick to a waxed car. The person can remove the wax but it is a pain in the neck. I did not wax the car but he was telling me about it.

It took him aproximately 2 1/2 hours to do the left/right/hood/both mirros/and the lights and fog lights.

He did a great job. You have to have lots of patience to do this type of work and be good at it.

I am very happy with the product and as Leslie said in the post, I am sure the line will become invisible. Inside the garage you can't hardly see it and I am sure at night will be very dificult to see the line. During the day when you look at it from 3 feet or less and you are in a special angle you can see the line but other than that it is hard to see. And if you see the line, SO WHAT? You are doing this for you and your car and as long as you are happy with the results and the purpose, the rest is history.

Next, I will post few pictures with the product on it, it is hard to see it. You can also go to the gallery and see the full pictures which I will upload in a few minutes.

Thanks for all the advices.

-J-