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LOL, some of you don't know what the clear bra is.
I have one on a LP560 and had one on a Gallardo before. The cost depends on the coverage. Basic coverage is just the front bumper and a little of the hood and front fenders. Full coverage adds on the side mirrors, the entire hood, the lower panels behind the 4 wheels, and leading edge of the roof. Price also depends on the difficulty of the installation; some bumpers are more complex because they have more curves, foglights, etc. For $600+ you better be getting a lot of coverage.
If done right, nobody will notice the bra. However, you might get some peeling over time (barely noticeable).
The only downside is that when you wax/polish your car, you'll get wax residue on the edge of the clear bra.
btw, the material isn't that expensive. There are places that will sell rolls of the clear film for $100 or pre-cut pieces of film for $100-250.
As far as care goes you can wax right over them. There are some products you don't want to put on them because it will cause the bra to yellow. For a wash you don't do anything different at all mostly. If I've got a mark on the bra I use Xpel products to get it off (when the wash doesn't do it).
If you use a machine to wax a car you need to be especially careful around the edges (ie tape them down). Hand apply wax on the edges and I use a very soft toothbrush to clean up any of the wax buildup on an edge that a microfiber towel can't get.
Some people have said "thats as much as a repaint!" which might be true, but I'd rather have my car mostly chip free rather than having to wait until the front end becomes bad enough to justify repainting it.
I really hope the sofa reference above is a joke, a properly installed clear bra won't be noticeable, and has zero affect on your enjoyment in 99% of personality types.
My advice to you - GET IT. Now it won't work miracles... a decent size stone at 80 mph will probably go through the bra, however, all those little chips that show up with highway driving won't ever show up on your car. Eventually the little rock chips that would have beat up your paint will beat up the bra instead, and when that day comes you can replace the bra rather than have to risk a repaint that isn't a perfect match (unless you want to go to the trouble of repainting the entire vehicle).
My car has soft paint too, and to me, clear bra is a life saver. One word though - if you're a really big paint snob, 30 coats of zaino and all that, a clear bra might not be for you. When detailing the car extra care does need to be taken at the edges. However I stand by my comment, and I won't own a car I care about that doesn't have it again.
My 2 brothers installed the peel and stick version (expensive) on their vehicles. A new at the time, 2005 Dodge 4x4, ( spent 40,000.00 on truck and today at 100,000 miles still looks show room new.
The other brother had it put on his 50,000.00 BMW so I gues it is worth it, I would like it on my 97 Ram 4x4 but can't justify 800.00 install.
My Cooper came with one. I'm sure it was factory installed. There are also bras on the rear view mirrors.
My car is used, so I don't know if they are standard or not, but on mine, it's almost invisible, and I live in Idaho, where rock chips are very common.
The car shows some minor chip damage, but none at all on the front, and I'm glad it came with the car.
I have used ClearBra on my sports cars before and I love it. I used it because in many cases repainting on sports cars kills resale value so I try to alleviate as much as possible.
Just wanted to update everyone on the status of this.
Got this installed on Monday and so far so good. I got it on all of the front bumper, fenders, mirrors, the front 18 inches of hood, and the back wheel gills (on the Camaro they tend to buldge out and are prone to rock chips) It has already been tested thanks to some idiot construction workers hauling landscaping rock in a truck bed. You can barely see it up to 5 feet away, and further than that it is invisible to the untrained eye.
I have never been able to upload pics to city data, but you can view pics of them on my flickr page here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54186309@N04/6056986682 - broken link) and here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54186309@N04/6056438425/ - broken link).
It wasn't cheap at $775 but it comes with a lifetime warranty against peeling and yellowing. Plus it can be waxed with any wax on the market so long as its not dyed (but it does need to wiped off with microfiber only...no old bathtowels!)
All in all, would highly recommend the XPEL clear bra.
Location: Butler County Ohio and Winters in Florida
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I bought a new 2003 Dodge Dakota Sport back in '03. It had the painted bumpers and grill. The dealer sold me a clear bra for about $300.00. With the FL love bugs alone I thought it was worth the cost. I drove the truck for 4 years, 80K and it still looked great. I also enjoy cleaning my vehicles and wash them weekly and wax monthly. But I drove the I-275 north from Tampa twice daily and ran through the worst love bugs twice yearly and they never stained nor damaged my paint. The clear bra stayed 100% clear never yellowed. And my truck stay outside in the FL sun.
Glad to hear your are happy with it. We have it on any number of cars and it has saved them from the road rash of rock chips. Nothing worse than a car with a bunch of "touched up paint" spots all over the hood! The trick is to have it installed correctly so there are no bumps, fold overs etc. It is not for the novice to install! Good luck with your new ride! Enjoy!
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