I was reading Car and Driver the other day and they had an article about a new clear car bra. Ive been thinking of something like this for awhile now. I always thought it would be cool to have "tear offs" like on a nascar windshield for the front of our cars. I have a TA and the bumper cover is like a magnet for bugs and stones. Something that could be put on and tore off once its used up. Well there is a new product coming out that was designed for the leading edges of helicopter blades to keep debris from messing them up. It goes on like window tint. Because of this its not really a "tear off" kinda thing. Its supposed to last over 7 years tho. It comes in rolls, or pre-cut/pre-formed for some cars. Its clear and they say its really hard to notice. They put it on a focus...on the bumper, the hood, the side view mirrors. Its going to be around $300 installed. It probably isnt a good idea for the nicer show worthy cars, but for the daily drivers with decent paint...it might be worth it for those long highway drives. I have the company website. Atleast this is what I think it is... www.interwestdc.com Just thought Ide see what everyone thinks about it.

Justin

P.S. After looking at the website...it looks like its mostly sold in pre-cut form for higher end, exotic type cars.

 

no kidding about the . Maybe one of their pieces would work though.

I think this would be great to protect those of us with the trans am's that want to keep our paint nice while going to carshows or the like. That facia catches everything, and it all nicks the paint to hell.

 

i had one of my customers come in last week and I noticed he had one on his car. It was a 01 T/A. I wasn't real noticeable, except for the little bit of dirt that built up at the edges of it and made it stand out, but it was on a silver car so it makes it worse I guess. His front end was spotless though, so I guess they work great.

 

Yeah I have seen the same thing on a car show on TV about a year ago. But it was only on stirp the length of the hood and about 3 inches wide, It was for the front of the hood If I remember right.

 

a clear bra! Great idea, so now you can see the bra scratching your paint!

 

a clear one . most people buy them to cover up damaged paint and areas lol, seems like it would look funny? idk, i wanna see one lol

 

i already have it it's sold by the roll you put it on and take it off when it gets covered in bugs n crap





































Saran Wrap man LOL

 

From what I read it goes on like window tint.... So it doesnt damage your paint. Nothing can get under it like the regular bra. About the only area where dirt can build up is on the edges...and as long as you know how to wash a car that is easily taken care of.
As for tearing it off...it would be nice to be able to just tear them off. But there is surely a procedure for getting the stuff off...just like window film. It doesnt involve scraping with a razor. I forget how they said it comes off. But you dont just pull it off....
It'd still be nice for us guys who drive our cars everyday. I drive on the PA Turnpike regularily and I get bugs and rock chips everywhere....but im not about to put a le-bra on it...

 

old news... people have been doing it with static cling plastic for years.... you know, the same stuff you put your autoX numbers on with...



also 3M makes a perm one that isnt made to come off..... comes in rolls... if you look at where the rear top goes down on the cover on a convertible, you'll see the stuff.

 

So when are these clear bras going to be available for women?

 

Nice

 

It doesn't scatch the paint. It's an adhesive backed film that adheres to the paint. Nothing gets under it, and it doesn't move once it's on the car

 

Interesting idea

 

just my opion but i dont like the idea. before you know it someone will cover there whole car with the stuff to prevent scratches. and what if the stuff turns yellow in the sun? ewww

 

This is the reason why pain shops stay in business.

I'd much rather paint the nose every couple of years than to put a bra on it.

But I only drive the car like 100 miles a month if that, so I'm not too concerned. I keep the front waxed well enough to repell the bug guts from eating paint.

 

So you are telling me that if you could put this"slightly thicker" clear coat on you car and keep it show room looking you WOULDNT do it?

If it cant really be seen, I say GO FOR IT. But i definately think it will look better on some colors and worse on others...

 

its not clear coat its a film and no i wouldnt put a film on my car.

 

the reason bra's tend to be a bad idea is becase dirt and moisture get under them. The bra moves around on the paint and the dirt scratches the surface and the moisture creates mold. This film doesn't allow either of these to happen and it doesn't turn yellow. You can't tell it's on the car unless you're looking for it, and it's removable anytime you decide you don't like it.

 

would look ugly REALLY fast, things get under your bra you cant see. But with a clear bra, you'd see it, and it wouldnt be pretty.

 

Did you read any of the above posts? It's backed with adhesive so NOTHING CAN GET UNDERNEATH IT TO DAMAGE THE PAINT!!!!

 

ITS A STUPID IDEA! NO MATTER HOW BIG YOU TYPE! The clear plastic sh*t comes on cell phone screens etc. and Everyone takes the crap off and throws it away because IT SUCKS! I want paint on my car not a crappy bra or clear plastic. If you want clear plastic then go ahead its your car wipe your butt on it if you like.

 

so was that comment. You cant compare the film on a cell phone to that clear bra. it is like saying a stock camaro is the same as a Z06 because they are both cars. its cool if you dont like it for whatever reason.....but come on

 

Ive seen the adhesive bras, I've seen them get stuff under them, and I've seen them look like crap.. just stated my opinion..nothing more.

 

Unless your blind or just totally stupid you can click on the web site someone posted above and look at the product. Its exactly like the crap the put on cell phone screens! Why do you take peoples opinions so personal? The Stuff is sh*t plain and simple the end. You wanna cover your car with the crap go ahead. Now please drop it. where not gettin anay place with the subject i (along with others) think its sh*t. You like the crap the end. have a nice day.

 

Keep it clean guys... no need to fight about this.

 

Ya, Im the one thats taking opinions personal
I have no idea what this stuff looks like on a car, neither do you. All we have to go by is the pics on that site.....I never said I liked it. I said if it works and you cant see it that would be great
Notice the IF. Try reading what i am saying before you get an attitude with me.
If you could get a pic of this next time he/comes in that would be great......

 

And by the pics they post it looks like crap. Same plastic like stuff that comes on cell phone screens, clocks etc. It is not a "thicker clear coat" its plastic. And we all know what happends to clear plastic when the sun hits it. Look at any older car with a vert top. Yellow back window! Sure you can take this stuff off when or before this happends. It just seems stupid to me.

 

My moms Accord came with that on the front bumper and side mirrors. I think it works great! Its easy to clean, no dirt has gotten under it, and it keeps the scratches off the paint! Fairly easy to remove and put on a new one as well. Its been on for about 2 years and it still looks good. The car is white though so you really cant tell its there. If you had a black car it seems like it would stand out

my .02

 

If it is all like that, I agree all the way. I just want more information before I make my judgement...

 

What's to stop it from turning yellow and dingy like all clear items (see your parking lamps)

Mathius

 

Geez...if I only knew this was going to turn into a freaking argument... First of all, the stuff is no where near the film on cell phones and crap... Thats static cling plastic. The adhesive on the back of the film makes it stick to the paint, and once all the air bubbles are out, you can hardly tell its there. They put this stuff on the leading edge of helicopter blades...kinda hard to call it sh*t.... Not trying to start a fight. I did not realize this has been around. I figured it was in a new issue of Car and Driver that maybe it was new... Forgive me for not making it to SEMA that time around...
I agree with whoever said it would look better on certain colors...metallics would probably look pretty decent. Since I started this I saw a car that had it on the mirrors and bumper cover. Looked pretty good to me. He had it on for over a year and I had to get right up on it to see. Does anyone know just how hard it is to get off once its on?

 

same crap as on cell phone screens with the glue added. Thin flexible crap that'll turn yellow. Why do you think its so cheap! JUNK! You want junk on your car go ahead.
Read the web site you posted! The thickness is even the same as the cell phone plastic! IT goes on like window tint. This is getting very old already.

 

br()bert, you've stated your opinion 6 times already. Now sit down and stop preaching before this thread gets locked because of you. Like you said, THE END.

I think the idea is a good one, and since 3M makes it, I would give it a try on the front fascia. I would hardly call any 3M product "crap." But along similar lines of this thread, I've seen a type of top-coat you can apply to your car that has a very high hardness rating, almost like crystal. It doesn't get scratched from the usual bugs and small stones. A number of high-end cars have it on them from the factory; if I find more information, I'll post it.

 

and i can state my opinion 18 times more if i want, look at other threads with people posting right after their own post almost responding to themselves,nothing gets said about that, or someone posting"hey guys im outa beer" and then the VERY next post"they dont sell beer here on sunday" agian nothing is said about that. Just because a BIG company makes the product doesnt mean the product is a good one. Look at the xplod line of car audio! imo the stuff is CRAP like i stated before. And )like i also stated before) you want to use it on your car go ahead, its your car. Dont be so defensive just because i do not agree with you. This is not a "thicker clear coat" as someone on here called it or a crystal coating. Its plastic plain and simple. good luck with it if you choose to use it. And if you have good exp with it post it. Maybe im wrong about the product. Anyway good luck merry xmas.

 

strange.


with regular care, my verts rear window isnt yellow.

my clear plastic stuff under the rear edge of the top (same stuff as we're talking about) is still clear

my fog lamps are almost good as new........




and i doubt someone going thru the trouble of putting this crap on would just trash the car and not take care of it... and if its removeable, yellowing isnt a issue... just remove it...

but hey.. whatever..










in anycase, when i get new paint, if i had to take a road trip and its still soft, thick static cling plastic on the front isnt a bad idea..... besides, i can just pull it off....

and if anyone sees it with it in... hey what do i care? im miles from home anyway...


to put it in southern terms.... y'all be actin stupid in this thread.

 

also one note:



THIS STUFF IS FACTORY TOO!

look at any new car coming off the car hauler...

sometimes its clear, sometimes its blue tint or body color tint.


but its the same idea.... it keeps rockchips and bugs from smacking the fresh paint.

 

When I get my front facia repainted I'm definately going to try it. Of course, we are looking several years down the road before the car gets any repainting. The front of trans-am's are just a pita as far as bug/rock collecting goes. The bumper looks great, but it's just a brick wall magnetized and everything else small in the world has brick wall magnets. This, looks like a great help for keeping the noses clean.

 

Now if someone made some sort of material that could protect the front gfx from getting scrtched, I would be their first customer.....

 

Never heard of Armafend? its a thick transparrent vinyl that sticks to car bodwork anywhere stone chips and scratches are likely.

Try anyone who specialises in trackdays, or some sportscar suppliers, Porsches (i think) come with it on the front edge of the rear arches out the factory.

 

I didn't read the entire post so I don't know if this was mentioned yet.

Most cars here in Colorado are sold with clear bras now, even if they are used, the dealer will stick one on. I also visited Ferrari of Denver, and all their cars (more that just Ferrari's) had them, except one they just took in. They said, "oh look, you can tell this is not from Colorado because it doesn't have a clear bra." My guess would be that if most of the Colorado car dealerships (from Chevy to Ferrari) use them, then it is a good product.

PS, it's not noticible, but I think that was mentioned before.

Later guys, HTH,
Jesse

 

I've seen this stuff that you're talking about, it's a different animal. What we're talking about is fairly thin.

 

Armafend comes in all sorts of thicknesses, not just the super thick stuf, the thinnest stuff is just like normal sticker grade vinyl.

 

It's the "hardly"s and "almost"s in this thread that make me really not want to get it... if I can see it at all then I don't want it.

Quote:

and i doubt someone going thru the trouble of putting this crap on would just trash the car and not take care of it...

Well I'm not really sure on that logic... because someone going thru the trouble of putting this crap on probably needs it for some reason. (It's a daily driver, he lives on dirt roads, lots of highway driving, what have you). If it was someone who was going to completely and utterly baby the car it's probably a show car anyway and is going to get trailored around, so the bra thing would be a non-issue.

 

if its been properly applied (a skilled job) its very hard to see, it should have NO air bubbles at all.)

logic in applying it? armafend is cheaper that a respary when you go to sell the car, it prevents stone chips etc. on performance cars, it can be a sign that its seen track day use.

 

I know a giy who has it on his 00 FireHawk, actually he's the president of the club myself, and FalconIroc are a part of. Its a white car and you cant even notice it. Im not sure howd it look with other colors, but i did see it on the new Ferrari Enzo that was at Steve Harris Imports a few months ago, and its looks great on red too! As far as yellowing is concerned, they give you a bottle of conditioner that you spray on it once a month that helps keep it from yellowing and cracking. It was funny cus the guy at Steve Harris took the keys to the Enzo and tossed them across the hood to me. You should have seen the look on my face i thought i was gonna crap my pants! But he started laughin and told me it was ok, it has a clear bra. and it works great! When i repaint my front bumper cover, im gonna have on put on. Maybe on my headlight covers too.