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Old 09-14-2009, 08:23 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Installed: Cheap Clear-Bra from eBay (experiences and mini-review)

After reading through many of the posts here (and elsewhere) about clear bra, I was a bit deterred by the price quotes of anything from $500 on up... I found on eBay a guy selling kits for the GXP for $37 (shipped) for bumper and hood and decided to throw my money in for the 'good of the cause' and try it myself! I figured that the worst that could happen was that I ended up messing up and would have to remove it - I'd be out not too much money and some time.

Well, I guess the bottom line is that I succeeded. Maybe not the most professional install - maybe 4 or 5 tiny bubbles (see below), but it works good enough for me and if it lasts a couple of years I'll be well ahead

OK some more detail... The material I received seems thick enough to do the job, but the quality and ease of install is probably not as good as the 3M and Ventureshield. The main problem I found was that it's not so stretchy as the others seems to be (according to the install videos on Youtube, anyway). This has two downsides:

1) It's much more difficult to fit, both around complex curves and just to the shape of the hood.
2) Any imperfection - dust motes, paint chips - show as bubbles where the film 'tents' over the imperfection. (I assume the better stuff might stretch down and around these with less or no bubble).

For this reason (and maybe in general) HEAT is your friend! Be sure to have at least a heat gun, and also a radiant lamp if possible (I didn't have the latter and it might have allowed large area stretching better). Other important things are as dust-free an environment as possible and plenty of light. I had neither of these, ending up with more dust motes under the film than I would have liked, and the lack of light meant I didn't see these until it was too late (you CAN remove the dust in the application stages - if you see it - by peeling back the film and picking-rubbing it out). Lastly, the instructions recommend waxing prior to install to both protect the paint and allow easier removal when/if the time comes. So I washed, claybar-ed and waxed the area first.

Film application: I started with the hood as this seemed more simple to me, being one main piece with just two 'wings' down the outsides of the headlights. Plus the hood has fewer/simpler compound curves. Actually I think this turned out to be more difficult - mostly due to the stretching problems noted above. I did get it done in the end of course, but there were 1/4 to 3/8 inch gaps left down the inner sides of the headlights. The outer sides (wings) were OK 'cause I could apply enough heat on the thinner areas to stretch around to fit. By the way, when I started this, I almost immediately panicked at the huge ripples and ridges around even the smallest ofcompound curves. But don't worry, applying lots of heat and careful hand smoothing & stretching will get those ripples out and end with a tight fit. One thing to note with heat: the film goes very soft when heated well. Treat it gently, especially with your squeegee/spatula, or you could end up creasing or even tearing the film.

After a couple of hours doing the hood, I took a break, then went on to the bumper. The bumper cutout is very daunting in appearance - lots of holes and thin non-joining strips around the grill and foglights etc. But, apart from the initial peeling off the backing paper and positioning on the bumper (you REALLY need two people for that part), it turned out to be easier than the hood overall. Again mostly because the thin strips are easier to heat and stretch, and thus fit. Of course my new-found experience with the hood piece may have helped too . Perseverance and patience is the key (oh, and lots of spraying!)

In the end, it took about 4 hours total (excluding breaks) and turned out well enough. The fit of the kit was OK. Exceptions being the aforementioned gaps on the hood (may have been avoided with more heat/stretching) and a couple of quadrilateral gaps on the far outside/tops of the bumper where the film didn't reach - about 3 inches at the tallest point of the gap. Oh, and you don't get a piece of film for the center bottom splitter - but seeing that always gets scraped anyway, I'm not sure the film would last there! As I said, I did get a few small (1/16" or so) bubbles around dust and touched-up paint chips - oh, and one Siberian Husky hair! But these are not too noticeable unless you are really inspecting closely. That's the advantage of having a relatively light/bright color (Brazen) - those of you with black or dark blue cars may be better off staying away from the DIY route

In summary, the film is decently thick and should do it's protection job just fine. How long it stays on is anyone's guess, but I'm hoping it will be fine there too.

YMMV.
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Last edited by TomatoSoup : 09-14-2009 at 08:30 AM.
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Old 09-14-2009, 11:08 AM   #2 (permalink)
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Beware. These films are not Urethane and are just print lamination films. They will damage your paint. Over time this film will harden from sun exposure and will become brittle and crack. This film will not hold up for more than 6 months to a year in direct sunlight. I personally have had customers come to me with these films on their car and the end result was a complete paint job.

Wish ya luck tho.
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