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Clear Bra

Cobra

Veteran CEG'er
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Welp, I've been trying to find a place to have a clear bra installed on the MS6 and I can't seem to find one. A co-worker of mine just bought an '05 Saleen Mustang and wants to have one installed on it too, so we were thinking of asking for a package deal, but we can't find a place to do it. 3M's website recommends a place in Derry, but its not there anymore. They also suggest a place in Rye but the answering machine always picks up. I'm going to try body shops next to see if they do it. Anyone know of any places that install them? Also, (Goonz) anyone looking to get one too could try to get in with us to try to get a deal.

They have the kits available online, but I can imagine its a huge PITA to install. We tried to install a similar thing on the Cougar's headlights and failed miserably!!
 
Not to take you into the lair of the enemy, but FWIW, Acura of Peabody, Mass used to install them. They're at 978-532-9110.
 
Not to take you into the lair of the enemy, but FWIW, Acura of Peabody, Mass used to install them. They're at 978-532-9110.

Thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind if I can't find a place that's closer to me in NH. FWIW, we almost bought a used TL instead of the MS6, but new and AWD FTW!! Oh, and the MS6 is faster.
 
I sent Pappy an email - I think he had something put on his Vette. Not sure if it was a full bra or not.

FYI - I like clear bras. Just not the ones for cars.
 
if you get some sort of group price I maybe interested ...

You got it. Only thing is that the Mirko part would have to be custom, because the pre-cut kit for the SVT obviously doesn't account for the mirko.

FWIW, I just called Henry's in Manchester (the place that did the Cougar's hood) and he said they have a guy come in to do it for them. He said its around $600, but I asked for a more accurate quote. When he gets back I'll ask about group discounts.
 
for that price I would rather try it myself with a kit from the internet ... oh well have to see I suppose ...
 
From Pappy Dick:

"I had mine done at Tint King in Billerica, MA (2004 - $650.00)

Have him call various Detailing / Window Tint places and ask if they install the 3M Clear Bra.
Some places order a kit or some have a machine that plots and cuts the peices from a roll of 3M film.
Another idea is to ask new car dealers, because a lot of buyers insist on having it installed before
they take the car off the lot. "
 
Sweet dog, that's a lot of cake. I could sandblast the front of the car for way cheaper -- then it wouldn't matter if I encountered sand or rocks :cool:

Some neatly cut pieces for the headlights would be neat, but I can't see doing the whole nose for the big bucks.

Sounds like a Covercraft bra, kept clean and maintained well, is the order of the day for those long trips -- about $100.
 
yeah but covercraft can only be put on on nice days. Not really useful for a DD, IMO.

If you're a DIY kind of person, you can get a kit for around $200-300, including installation guide.
www.invisiblemask.com

Since the Cougar has no clear headlight covers available, we tried buying the clear bra type stuff to install on them. It was a nightmare.
No way I'm going to attempt that with a front bumper, hood and mirrors.

Thanks Doug for contacting pappy.
 
Can you explain the advantage to a clear bra? Is it easily removable for car shows/washing/etc, or just something you replace every few years after it's gotten horribly pitted?
 
$650 is cheap, factory Infiniti was charging me $900

Mike its too late for me to get the clear bra, I already have minor pitting and light spot on my bumper so its really no use now. Perhaps once I buy the car, then I will get the whole front end repainted and clear bra'd. I really should dished out the cash right then and there :cry:

Clear bra takes away the lame leather bra people use. Its thick clear vinyl that upon taking care off, really doesn't show on the car unless your standing right over it. It protects the front quarter of the hood, bumper, part of fenders (depending on car) and side-view mirrors. Its clear so it doesnt show. Its not recommended you take it off and put it back on at etc, once you take it off, its junk pretty much. Just leave it on and it takes the small rocks on the highways and absorbs it on the vinyl protecting your bumpers paint. 3M has the best quality from what I have read around as well.
 
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It is expensive, but for a DD I think its a good investment. I'm anal about rock chips and sand blasting. We have the old school black bras for the Cougar and the SVT, but those can't be used in wet weather, or when the car is dirty. The truck's front bumper is destroyed already from DD service, so I want to do this now for the MS6 before it gets trashed.
 
$650 is cheap, factory Infiniti was charging me $900...its too late for me to get the clear bra, I already have minor pitting and light spot on my bumper so its really no use now. Perhaps once I buy the car, then I will get the whole front end repainted and clear bra'd. I really should dished out the cash right then and there :cry:

Having spent years in the car business earlier this decade, I feel I should jump in and illuminate a few truths. One, $650 is not cheap for a clear bra installed. That's a ton of money by any standard. Its becomes more absurd when one factors in the profit margin these dealers are taking. The cost of the materials and labor is significantly (read: hundreds of dollars) below this figure. The $900 "retail" quote from Infiniti is designed to take advantage of that brand's demographic -- well-to-do folks with little or no mechanical savvy. These people have money to burn and are not do-it-yourselfers -- they'd much sooner, on balance, farm out the work then personally attempt it, or search for a better deal. Any exception to this is hugely rare. Walk into any Infiniti, Acura, or Lexus dealership and take a look at all the coneheads in these places. They can tie a necktie, but the closest they've been to manual labor is watching their gardner through a living room window, or the picture of the service department staff on the waiting room wall at the dealership.

I sold for Ford -- we didn't gouge people on the clear bra -- fortunately, didn't even offer it. I would have been sorry to see people waste their hard earned money (especially after negotiating a good car deal) on such a ripoff. Over the years, I've had friends sell for other brands, including Honda. His insight on the clear bra echoed the statements above. He was aghast at how many people the dealership hosed on these things.

There's certainly a way to buy these for somewhat reasonable money, but it definitely pays to avoid the dealer install. Earlier in this thread, I mentioned a dealer, as they are indeed the most common purveyors of such an item, but they're probably best for just a lead. Once purchased through the cheapest channel, have a talented body guy do it. Someone who is used to analyzing contours and symmetry, light and shade.

Lastly, and unrelated to the thread at large, I would caution anyone against buying out a lease. Far more often than not, you're much better off just letting it go. If you want to do a buy, do one from the start. With the cap costs and amortization of leases, particularly in the foreign markets, and especially in foreign expensive cars, where buyers do not place high priority on value, you'll end up paying much more than necessary for the same old car. Why pay for the projected cost of depreciation by buying out a lease when you can address that same deleterious factor through effective negotiation on an initial buy?
 
Lastly, and unrelated to the thread at large, I would caution anyone against buying out a lease. Far more often than not, you're much better off just letting it go. If you want to do a buy, do one from the start. With the cap costs and amortization of leases, particularly in the foreign markets, and especially in foreign expensive cars, where buyers do not place high priority on value, you'll end up paying much more than necessary for the same old car. Why pay for the projected cost of depreciation by buying out a lease when you can address that same deleterious factor through effective negotiation on an initial buy?


I was trying to negotiate the clear bra into the payment but they were not giving me any break in the end so I said the hell with it
 
I agree that going to a dealer would hurt the bum a little. I was hearing the $800 figure on the Mazda forums, but when I called Henry's Autobody and they said it would be $595 installed, I thought that was decent. Plus, I could have bought the kit and done it myself for about $460. So $135 in labor to install this seems good to me considering that the clear bra takes some experience to get it right. Its a bit of an artform if you ask me. I wouldn't trust myself to do something like that after trying to apply a similar product to the Cougar's headlights.
 
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