What do people think of Clear Bra Paint Protection?

Brendan@Bwalk · 03-16-2010, 03:05 PM

It usually takes one hell of a hit to distort the film. I order StarShield on all of the Lotuses (Lotii?) in stock here, as they have really soft paint, and chip easily. The film has plenty of spots where it covers the sides aswell, as when you're turning it's easy to throw rocks up the side of an Elise/Exige.

I haven't seen one that had the appearance of rock chips in the film. I've only seen issues with it where the car took a good hit (tagged a bunch of wood etc).

For reference, the Evora that my friend was driving around the western US for Lotus had StarShield, except for a little band on the front bumper where the Europlate was supposed to go. The front looked perfect, and that little section looked like it got hit by a media blaster...

SoCal 370Z · 03-16-2010, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zsteve

I dont doubt that the film works to a degree, but what Im not clear on is this. If the film stops the damage, which is good, does the film itself get damaged , thus giving the appearance of damage to the area? I mean if the film is damaged and is on the car then whats the point, it still looks bad? Now if the film doesnt look damaged then I can see the advantage. but on one of the videos posted earlier in this thread, when they peeled the film off the area to show that the area was ok, which it was, the film looked damaged. So unless you can replace the film every so often at a low cost, Im not sure.

Depending on what object actually hits the film there might or might not be damage. If it is a sharp object is can damage both the film and the paint, BUT the damage will be reduced because of the film. What it does best is save your front end from the perpetual peppering of pits and chips that come over time. After having a clear bar I will never own another vehicle without it.

FricFrac · 03-16-2010, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal 370Z

Depending on what object actually hits the film there might or might not be damage. If it is a sharp object is can damage both the film and the paint, BUT the damage will be reduced because of the film. What it does best is save your front end from the perpetual peppering of pits and chips that come over time. After having a clear bar I will never own another vehicle without it.

Yes and this is what I'm trying to say. Get it - it greatly reduces the number of chips in your paint! I would get it again in a heartbeat. Its just important to note that it REDUCES damage and doesn't eliminate it.....

steveg78 · 03-16-2010, 07:59 PM

I'm sold based on what I've seen here. When I had my 90 300ZX it was chip city and looked horrible after all the years. The price I was quoted was the usual $800 for whole fascia (bumper), 20% up the hood, the fenders (I believe just about even with the headlights, I have to check on that) and the side view mirrors. I've only got 863mi on it and have been babying the F*#! outta her and staying off major highways during break-in. I know there's always a chance of that rouge rock flying up higher but I'd say 90% of the tiny road particles will be in the clear bra section. Just today I had a rock hit my windshield in my Jeep. I guess in a Z that would have been clear over the hood but if I can limit the damage and it's cost effective, I see a value in the investment.

eric3621 · 03-16-2010, 10:40 PM

Clear bras are a necessity in the south with all of these bugs around. Summer sucks down here....

Zigen5 · 03-16-2010, 11:41 PM

Yes it is... Don't forget road construction lol..

KingZee · 03-17-2010, 03:44 AM

any of the southern cali guys know any good installers around here with good deals? Hook a brother up

Zsteve · 03-23-2010, 11:05 AM

So I had some road debris hit my front bumper and sctrach the doodoo out of it, so I am getting my front bumper repainted by Nissan for $120. To me it might just be cheaper to get things repainted at times. And the debris that hit my bumper would have not been stopped by the clear bra so either way it would have had to be repainted.

steveg78 · 03-23-2010, 12:29 PM

Got my clear bra put on this past Saturday. In doing my pre-installation cleaning, I already found a couple tiny nicks at the lower most part of the bumper. With just over 1200mi on her I was glad that I was getting the clear bra. Looks good and hardly visible. When I first showed up to pick it up I couldn't even spot the seam on the hood until the guy pointed it out. It was bikini cut on the hood.

Robert_Nash · 03-23-2010, 12:41 PM

I realize I am very late to this party but I thought I'd offer my opinion anyway.

I do not use and likely never will use a "clear bra" product. I believe they are fine for basic paint protection such as from bugs and some very minor road derbies but I believe their effectiveness is very limited as compared to their cost.

When I want REAL protection for the front end of my vehicle I use a high-quality vinyl bra - over the 30 plus years I've been driving high-performance vehicles I've literally saved myself many hundreds of dollars of damage to my vehicles that a clear bra would simply not have provided effective protection against.

That said, I've nothing against clear bras and I realize that for those who drive their vehicles every day, they probably make more sense than a vinyl bra (they certainly require less "work" overall). That said, I find their usefulness a bit lacking for me.

Zultimate · 03-24-2010, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert_Nash

I realize I am very late to this party but I thought I'd offer my opinion anyway.

I do not use and likely never will use a "clear bra" product. I believe they are fine for basic paint protection such as from bugs and some very minor road derbies but I believe their effectiveness is very limited as compared to their cost.

When I want REAL protection for the front end of my vehicle I use a high-quality vinyl bra - over the 30 plus years I've been driving high-performance vehicles I've literally saved myself many hundreds of dollars of damage to my vehicles that a clear bra would simply not have provided effective protection against.

That said, I've nothing against clear bras and I realize that for those who drive their vehicles every day, they probably make more sense than a vinyl bra (they certainly require less "work" overall). That said, I find their usefulness a bit lacking for me.

Running a vinyl strap-on bra full time is NOT an option for me. Regardless, you can't insure 100% protection with anything. I like to know i at least have some protection every time i drive. In the last 4 years i've had 3 different cars with the 3M clear bra. I've yet to have anything penetrate the bra on any of my cars. My truck now has over 30k miles and the front end still looks new.

Zsteve · 03-23-2010, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveg78

Got my clear bra put on this past Saturday. In doing my pre-installation cleaning, I already found a couple tiny nicks at the lower most part of the bumper. With just over 1200mi on her I was glad that I was getting the clear bra. Looks good and hardly visible. When I first showed up to pick it up I couldn't even spot the seam on the hood until the guy pointed it out. It was bikini cut on the hood.

can you get a good up close pic of the line?

steveg78 · 03-23-2010, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zsteve

can you get a good up close pic of the line?

I will try to get a pic if the weather shapes up tomorrow. It's covered up right now. There are some pics of the seams I think of a blue 370z. I'll post mine so guys with PG can get an idea of what it looks like in that color. It is my understanding that the lighter the color, the harder to see. I would imagine silver and PW would be very hard to tell where the seam is.

40th370z · 03-23-2010, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveg78

Got my clear bra put on this past Saturday. In doing my pre-installation cleaning, I already found a couple tiny nicks at the lower most part of the bumper. With just over 1200mi on her I was glad that I was getting the clear bra. Looks good and hardly visible. When I first showed up to pick it up I couldn't even spot the seam on the hood until the guy pointed it out. It was bikini cut on the hood.

I was wondering which I would get the straight cut or bikini,some say the straight cut is more visible with a dark paint,think I'm going to get a bikini clearbra

Has anyone had their doors done, and do you think it is worth the cost ,I'm sure most of us walk the entire length of a parking lot to keep our cars as far away from door dings but ,but it never fails there are days where you cant park far enough away without someone parking next to you an swinging their door open into the side of your car.

J-BoneZ · 03-23-2010, 09:48 PM

Does anyone that has Ventureshield use their car as a daily driver? The closest installer in Tampa recommends either clear shield or 3M because he says it will hold up better. Where as ventureshield is not as strong, and it scratches easily. Is this true?

03-16-2010, 03:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Brendan@Bwalk Supporting Nissan Dealer Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Redwood City, CA Posts: 56 Drives: Unreliable V8 Rep Power: 17	It usually takes one hell of a hit to distort the film. I order StarShield on all of the Lotuses (Lotii?) in stock here, as they have really soft paint, and chip easily. The film has plenty of spots where it covers the sides aswell, as when you're turning it's easy to throw rocks up the side of an Elise/Exige. I haven't seen one that had the appearance of rock chips in the film. I've only seen issues with it where the car took a good hit (tagged a bunch of wood etc). For reference, the Evora that my friend was driving around the western US for Lotus had StarShield, except for a little band on the front bumper where the Europlate was supposed to go. The front looked perfect, and that little section looked like it got hit by a media blaster... __________________ Brendan Dolan Internet Sales Boardwalk Nissan Check out my current 370Z inventory! Check out my Nissan Leaf Blog and help me pad the analytics with unique visitors...

03-23-2010, 11:05 AM	#8 (permalink)
Zsteve A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: TX Posts: 3,298 Drives: the 2 balled club Rep Power: 23	So I had some road debris hit my front bumper and sctrach the doodoo out of it, so I am getting my front bumper repainted by Nissan for $120. To me it might just be cheaper to get things repainted at times. And the debris that hit my bumper would have not been stopped by the clear bra so either way it would have had to be repainted. __________________ 2010 LS3 C6 Silver coupe corvette

03-23-2010, 12:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
Robert_Nash Track Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Middle TN/Savannah GA Posts: 762 Drives: '14 Q60IPL/'14Armada Rep Power: 19	I realize I am very late to this party but I thought I'd offer my opinion anyway. I do not use and likely never will use a "clear bra" product. I believe they are fine for basic paint protection such as from bugs and some very minor road derbies but I believe their effectiveness is very limited as compared to their cost. When I want REAL protection for the front end of my vehicle I use a high-quality vinyl bra - over the 30 plus years I've been driving high-performance vehicles I've literally saved myself many hundreds of dollars of damage to my vehicles that a clear bra would simply not have provided effective protection against. That said, I've nothing against clear bras and I realize that for those who drive their vehicles every day, they probably make more sense than a vinyl bra (they certainly require less "work" overall). That said, I find their usefulness a bit lacking for me. __________________ Robert -My Basset Hound Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student and Barack Obama -

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03-16-2010, 07:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
steveg78 Track Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: MD Posts: 569 Drives: 09 370Z PG M6 +Sport Rep Power: 19	I'm sold based on what I've seen here. When I had my 90 300ZX it was chip city and looked horrible after all the years. The price I was quoted was the usual $800 for whole fascia (bumper), 20% up the hood, the fenders (I believe just about even with the headlights, I have to check on that) and the side view mirrors. I've only got 863mi on it and have been babying the F*#! outta her and staying off major highways during break-in. I know there's always a chance of that rouge rock flying up higher but I'd say 90% of the tiny road particles will be in the clear bra section. Just today I had a rock hit my windshield in my Jeep. I guess in a Z that would have been clear over the hood but if I can limit the damage and it's cost effective, I see a value in the investment.

03-16-2010, 10:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
eric3621 Base Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: St Simons Island, GA Posts: 21 Drives: 2010 Infiniti G37S Rep Power: 17	Clear bras are a necessity in the south with all of these bugs around. Summer sucks down here....

03-16-2010, 11:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Zigen5 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Wesley Chapel, FL Posts: 260 Drives: '10 BC 370z Roadster Rep Power: 18	Yes it is... Don't forget road construction lol..

03-17-2010, 03:44 AM	#7 (permalink)
KingZee A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Glendale, CA Age: 43 Posts: 2,612 Drives: Focus ST Rep Power: 425	any of the southern cali guys know any good installers around here with good deals? Hook a brother up

03-23-2010, 12:29 PM	#9 (permalink)
steveg78 Track Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: MD Posts: 569 Drives: 09 370Z PG M6 +Sport Rep Power: 19	Got my clear bra put on this past Saturday. In doing my pre-installation cleaning, I already found a couple tiny nicks at the lower most part of the bumper. With just over 1200mi on her I was glad that I was getting the clear bra. Looks good and hardly visible. When I first showed up to pick it up I couldn't even spot the seam on the hood until the guy pointed it out. It was bikini cut on the hood.

03-23-2010, 09:48 PM	#15 (permalink)
J-BoneZ Base Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tampa, FL Age: 43 Posts: 69 Drives: '11 Z W/Sport Pkg Rep Power: 17	Does anyone that has Ventureshield use their car as a daily driver? The closest installer in Tampa recommends either clear shield or 3M because he says it will hold up better. Where as ventureshield is not as strong, and it scratches easily. Is this true?