Clear bra after 3yrs and 18,000 miles?
 

I have a few rock chips and am trying to decide to get the clear bra now or is it like shutting the gate after the dog gets out. What do you guys think?

I would hang in there until you decide it's time for fresh paint, seeing as the cost of a clear bra is pretty high to begin with.

I concur. Clear bra is like something you want before you leave the dealer's lot. If there's an imperfection, like a rock chip....now you're looking at an air bubble. :shakes head:

:iagree:

This is the way to go Doug. Get the chips repaired, wait a few weeks for the paint to cure, then get a clear bra installed.

I had a friend that used Dr ColorChip on a couple of chips on his BMW and then put the clear bra over. You couldn't find them if you had too. You could try the Colorchip without a major investment and then decide about the bra. Just food for thought.

Agreed. Dr ColorChip is really good stuff.

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.

My god, I need to start a clear bra company in the N.E.!

I got 1/3 hood, front fenders, rockers, mirrors, and full bumper (including fang area) for $500 here in Houston.

That is insane! Two of my friends and I (members here) had three Zs done the same day for half of that... $500 each. :shakes head:

Yeah that is way too expensive. The most I have heard around here is around $1800 which is still pretty high.

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$

Yeah it was insane, I was specifically requesting the 3M one, they did offer me some others manufacturer's clear bras for a bit cheaper. If I was getting quotes for 500 or even 1800 I would have done it.

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.

Respray and then put the clear bra immediately on.
protect that nice brand new paint job.


A clear bra is really something that should be done as soon as you leave the dealer.
I think I paid around $400 for just the bumper. It was under $500 for sure.

Thanks for all the replies and votes so far. I've been using just regular nissan touch up paint and it's not bad. I've been curious about dr color chip for a while. Think I'll have to give it a try. Might by me some time before a respray.

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!

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

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

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

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.

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

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.