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Clear bra

6K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  Jinx 
#1 ·
How much coverage is needed on the CTS-V? Nose, half-hood, full-hood? How bad do the rocker panels get hit?
Has anyone had the headlights done?

While we're at it, anyone in California tinted the windows? Did you do anything to the fronts? A guy at work says he's gotten away with tinting the fronts by keeping them lighter than the rears... but I look at his truck and the tint is still obvious and think he's only gotten away with it by looking like a mature law-abiding citizen.
 
#2 ·
3M has the new spray-on clear that I can't wait to try. I'll do the front nose, and about a foot up the hood. I haven't had many problems on the rocker panels at all. Each state has it's own laws on the amount of tint allowed. "Normally", the darker stuff can go behind the drivers head.
 
#13 ·
In retrospect, I should have clear bra'd my whole wagon. A couple of new scratches from flying dust on my 4000 mile road trip so far. OBM is like black, it shows every. single. imperfection. UGH! I did the typical front third of hood, front bumper, front fenders, rocker panels, above rear wheels, side rear bumpers, and rear cargo shelf, so those look good.
 
#15 ·
I like my partial hood but the line is noticeable up close. I chose the partial hood based on my previous raven black sedan experience. Although I never tracked my car it did see a lot of highway miles and the hood was not chipped/scratched beyond about the first 12". I will say that if I were to clear bra again I would do the entire hood just so I wouldn't have the line.
 
#20 ·
I've never had a clear bra and have just driven my cars as normal. So they have a few rock chips on the front spoiler after a few years...big deal. They didn't need a repaint.

My Escalade had 130K miles when I traded it and there weren't enough rock chips that the average person would even notice.

Taking care of a car is one thing; clear bras are the equivalent of the Italian grandmother with the plastic on her furniture! These are mid-price production cars, not 1932 Auburns on their way to Pebble Beach.
 
#21 ·
Yeah...

I want to get a clear bra for the retentive "protect my investment" side. But then I think about what else I could do with that $800+. Then I think about... "okay, so how long do I live with a mucked up saran wrap coating before I peel it off and do it again for another $800?"

After a while, I feel like it's a waste not because it doesn't work - but because everything wears out eventually and the only car I had where the paint became an issue was 20 years old, on it's second motor/trans/differential and looked so dated that no one wanted to take it for free. :D

And if you trade the car in for another, the dealer doesn't really care about "normal" wear and tear on a 10 year old car.
 
#23 ·
I did full front bumper, headlights, half hood, mirrors, full rear bumper, and above the rear wheels where it flares out. I also went with the thermal tint that blocks out the heat, not just light, at 30% all around as it is just too dark and hard to see behind the car at night with 20% imho. I think for everything it was around $1300 if I remember. If I was not keeping the car forever, I probably would not do this.

As for it looking bad in time, my 2004 GTO has most of the same areas as this V, and the film still looks new. Granted I only have 13k on that supercharged beast, but the film does not degrade with time. Both are XPEL ultimate, same installer.
 
#26 ·
But you bring up a good point - you no longer have the car. The Wagon is the third car I've said "I'm going to keep this one!" in the past 6 years. The other two are gone (one had a clear bra that was scuffed from bad wax jobs).

And in your case, the clear bra was likely a non issue on the sale because the car was so new/low mileage. Yeah yeah "the car was mint!" but realistically it would have sold anyway. I consider the clear bras a definite plus, but I wouldn't not buy a late model car because it didn't have one.
 
#28 ·
I did full front bumper, headlights, half hood, mirrors, full rear bumper, and above the rear wheels where it flares out.
In retrospect, I should have clear bra'd my whole wagon. A couple of new scratches from flying dust on my 4000 mile road trip so far. OBM is like black, it shows every. single. imperfection. UGH! I did the typical front third of hood, front bumper, front fenders, rocker panels, above rear wheels, side rear bumpers, and rear cargo shelf, so those look good.
What around/above the rear wheel needs to be done?

I'm getting Xpel Ultimate done tomorrow night + Sunday -- full custom front, full hood and front fenders, behind the rear wheels into the rear bumper, and the top of the rear bumper.
 
#31 ·
Does anyone have photos of the film they had done on the rear fender and rocker area? I know the film is invisible from a distance, but the edges are visible close up, and I'm curious about how you / your installers chose to go in that area, since there aren't any body lines that can be followed.
 
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