Invisi-Bra?

[bushmg]

Just bought a nice '06 911 C2S with 4K miles (!). It has some clear film in front of the rear fenders, I suppose to protect the paint. I have seen several references to clear film paint protectors instead of a fabric bra, and I'm thinking it might be a good idea get some more to protect the fender and trunk from those Texas gravel truck dings. Llumar and 3M seem to have good products, but I was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with, photos of, or recommendations for any of these products? Thanks!

[londoner06]

Congrats on your new 911 ;). Rennlist.com has a lot of threads/posts about clear bras. You can give them a try. Best to join in order to use search feature, then just enter 'bra' in the search field in the 996 or 997 forums.

Alex

[dphatch]

Just bought a nice '06 911 C2S with 4K miles (!). It has some clear film in front of the rear fenders, I suppose to protect the paint. I have seen several references to clear film paint protectors instead of a fabric bra, and I'm thinking it might be a good idea get some more to protect the fender and trunk from those Texas gravel truck dings. Llumar and 3M seem to have good products, but I was wondering if anyone out there has had any experience with, photos of, or recommendations for any of these products? Thanks!

I installed the clear bra on my '07 C4S with the help of my oldest son and, while it was a challenge requiring some degree of patience, it came out pretty well. With that said, the 3M film I used may not have been as thick as the stuff the pros use which makes it easier to apply but might compromise its protective qualities somewhat.It came pre cut for my specific model for about $ 350.00. It covered the front bumper, hood, front fenders and mirrors. Overall I'm, pleased with the way it came out and unless you're looking for it you can't really see it. Keep in mind I put it on because the fabric bras are ugly, combersome to install and remove and shouldn't be left on the car all the time. The clear bra eliminates all those issues for all but the terminally anal. My install had a few flaws but they are preferable to chips in the front bumper which, after 6 months with the clear bra, I do not have. The following link is to an technical article about the clear bra film and is interesting reading.

www.automotivearticles.com/Clear_Bra_3M.shtml

Edited December 24, 2008 by dphatch

[raloise]

I have a 2000 911 and had a clear bra professonally installed by Premier in Northern California, and I understand they just opened up a shop in SCal. I had the entire hood done and partial fenders and the mirrors. I should have had the entire fenders done, as the seem is barely noticeable, but would have looked better had I done the entire fender. Cost was about $1,200. They did an excellent job. You must be careful to make sure that any blemishes that exist are fixed as once the clear is over them, it makes them show worse. Have had no trouble with it buckling or puckering. For the most part, you can not tell it is on the car

[bushmg]

Thanks so much for the info and the link! I will start looking into the 3M product and local installers.

[nontien]

I had a Z3 I put the invisible bra on - it worked very well. It cost about $300 from Bavarian Automobile. Then I just bought a Bosxter. I wanted to put the film on again so I checked out eBay this time to see if there was an opened kit or something to get it cheaper. The fact is - they have kits on eBay for around $25. I figured since they were so cheap, it would hardly be worth buying. WRONG. I bought one anyway and as far as I can tell, it as the same quality as the 3M. I can't tell the difference. It was just as easy/difficult to install. It was perfectly laser-cut to fit. It is waranteed not to yellow for 5 years, but at this price - I'll just get another one.

[manfrommars]

We install the clear bras in the Sacramento area and I can tell you this it is not the easiest thing to install if you have not done it before. The idea is that it is to be invisible after it is installed and if you have not done a lot of installs it is hard to make that invisible part of the bra come out. Also, yes you can most likely find kits on ebay for 25.00 bucks but you do get what you pay for. There are 3 films out there that are the best Avery, xpel and 3m if you use anything else you are just asking for trouble. Here are some of them, some films are not very strong so if you get hit by a mean nasty rock it might just go right threw the film, also the cheaper film will yellow and even though they might have a warranty on the film you will still have to remove the old stuff send it back to the company and then they might send out a new one, if they are still around. Then comes the problem of removal of the old film. If it is a cheaper film you run the risk of the adhesive lifting your clear coat right off of your paint and if that happens how much money have you saved. It is my opinion that you find an installer in your area that installs the Avery film only. It is the best and strongest film out there and with a name like Avery you know that the company is not going anywhere. Go to my site at www.marsyourcars.com and I have a link on there so you can find all the kits that they have for you vehicle. Or you can just go right to www.proformdesign.com and you can find an installer in your area. Hope this helps, feel free to contact us if you have any questions.