Invisible bra..can you see it.

[skunk]

I had the 3M paint protection film put on my Lincoln to protect the front end & headlights. Great product and you can't really see it at all. The guy at the shop took a small sample of the cutter and had me try and put my key through it. The key wouldn't puncture the material but it streched pretty far. I only wish I did it to my contour years ago totally worth it. here are some pics..

you can just about see the edge on the fender.

another shot showing the edge going across the hood.

close up of the edge.

They put a small piece under the gas door so the gas cap won't scrape the side when it hanges and on the edge of the bumper by the back tire to protect it. hard to see.

from the angle you can just about see the edges.

they also do the cups under the door handles and small strips on the door edges and a strip along the top the rear bumper by the trunk opening, nice touch.

lastly they do the headlights also to protect the lenses. again great product it's a little pricey but worth it in the end for protecting the car IMHO.

 

[SVTWHAT]

if you dont mind me asking, how much did you pay for it all?

 

[skunk]

if you dont mind me asking, how much did you pay for it all?

It was around $560. It sounds like alot but for the amount of work done and the protection you get, it's worth it. He showed me pics of a customers car. he rubbed the edge of the garage and white paint rubbed onto the side of the front bumper and a little on the fender and it looked scratched. they peeled of the damaged section and the paint was totally unharmed, the material didn't even rip. they repaired the section and it was good has new. That sold me, i know you can't drive it into a concrete wall and not expect damage but you get the idea + how much is a paint or faded, pitted headlights. I still may do the contour in the spring since I know the lights are still brand new lookiing but I do have a few chips on the front end I may have fixed 1st.

also here is a link with info and dealers ..

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...t_Protection/Film/Solutions/For_the_Consumer/

 

[CarpePoon]

When I saw the title I was expecting something else...... disapoint!


But yeah, thats cool I guess..... if you like THOSE kind of bras.

 

[skunk]

When I saw the title I was expecting something else...... disapoint!


But yeah, thats cool I guess..... if you like THOSE kind of bras.

LOL yeah sorry. after I posted and looked at how i worded the title I pretty much new it would bring in the dogs :laugh:. I hate to disapoint..sorry.

 

[Joey]

When I saw the title I was expecting something else...... disapoint!

+1

But since I'm here now, I'll ask...for what you paid on the clear bra (which I'll be the first to admit, I don't know), wouldn't it be easier just to get the front repainted in a few years?

Again, just asking (don't shoot the messenger)...as I was looking to get one from my wife's cousin who installs and mentioned this to me.

 

[skunk]

+1

But since I'm here now, I'll ask...for what you paid on the clear bra (which I'll be the first to admit, I don't know), wouldn't it be easier just to get the front repainted in a few years?

Again, just asking (don't shoot the messenger)...as I was looking to get one from my wife's cousin who installs and mentioned this to me.

The main driving point for getting the front end protection is the amount of highway driving my wife does to go to work. you can get a good amount of chips in just 1 week of driving for sure but our other car looked like hell in a year after all that highway driving and a winter. the headlights where getting pitted and it was looking sad. after 3yrs it needed a repaint but we got rid of it. I decided not to go through that again. The car just looks like crap until it gets to the point to repaint it and I'm pretty sure it's going to cost more in the end to renew the front of the lincoln if i kept it long term. i don't get things painted with the grille, headlights and stuff on it looks cheap masking around that stuff and hoping it was done right. pull the bumper off, prep , paint + hood and blend fenders will about what I paid, only to get a chip pretty much right away. I figured in the other areas of protection, the fact that the material doesn't chip, fade or discolor and went for it. If the car only really did local driving and some highway like my explorer then maybe I wouldn't have but even then my contour only has around 55,000 miles is babied, doesn't see winters and I hate the damn stone chips it has on it. touch up paint sucks and the leading edge of the hood and bumper and has gotten nailed over the years not alot a few here and there but I wouldn't have anything, zero on it with the clear bra after all these years...that would have been money well spent in my book.

 

[Blast47]

This is like the invisishield i have on my iPhone just on a larger scale...

 

[ZomzSVT]

if you like THOSE kind of bras.

I don't know about you, but imo the invisible ones are the BEST kind of bras.

This is like the invisishield i have on my iPhone just on a larger scale...

I just replaced mine under the free replacement just to do it. I figured I'd test it out to see what it could handle and I'll tell you what... that is some strong stuff.



Anyhow, I think the $560 is a very good price for the amount of protection you get and even the level of thought that the installer put into placement of some of the protection film pieces. I know on my truck, the bed has some bad scratches from the gas cap. I took the leash that holds the cap off after I polished/sealed it this spring to avoid it happening again. I plan on getting a new vehicle in the spring, and will most likely have it done to it, so thanks for the link of dealers.

 

[Joey]

I'd be really interest to see how this holds up after spring time (before all the cinders are taken off the roads). While a repaint might be less...I think I agree with you on the how the car looks until it gets painted.

 

[frenchblueC2]

a full front repaint less than $560? mm I don't think so.
Not a quality job anyway.

We have a clear bra on the Mazda. It's been on it for 3 years now, although a piece had to get replaced due to a hit and run. (insurance covered it btw)
Definitely polish the bra a good 4 times a year. Take care with which polishes you use.
Ours has held up very well.

 

[Tex]

I should have done this to my G8 when I first got it... Stupid thin paint.

 

[skunk]

a full front repaint less than $560? mm I don't think so.
Not a quality job anyway.

We have a clear bra on the Mazda. It's been on it for 3 years now, although a piece had to get replaced due to a hit and run. (insurance covered it btw)
Definitely polish the bra a good 4 times a year. Take care with which polishes you use.
Ours has held up very well.

I'm using the 3M polish the installer uses/sells for it. I waited the full 36hrs for it to cure and then put a coat on it. I looked a few of the workers vehicles that have had them on for a few years also and they still looked great so I'm hopefull. your right about the cost of a quality paint job, even with labor rates today you can't get away with much for cheap.

 

[elraido]

a full front repaint less than $560? mm I don't think so.
Not a quality job anyway.

We have a clear bra on the Mazda. It's been on it for 3 years now, although a piece had to get replaced due to a hit and run. (insurance covered it btw)
Definitely polish the bra a good 4 times a year. Take care with which polishes you use.
Ours has held up very well.

Just because someone has to.......Show us your invisible bra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!