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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Go buy a clear bra now



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      11-19-2005, 03:50 PM   #1
petefalzzz
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Go buy a clear bra now

I had the misfortune of having some rocks kick up and hit my car while traveling down the highway at 90mph. I was left with a few nasty chips. I was able to repair some of the damage with the touch-up paint kit. However, it just doesn't look right in a few spots. I guess its now a trip to the body shop Hopefully it will not require a full repait of the hood.

A word of advice, invest in the clear bra.
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      11-19-2005, 04:00 PM   #2
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im thinking about getting a clear bra...but i heard they sometimes fog up and make the car look really bad.
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      11-19-2005, 04:40 PM   #3
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No perfect answers. A clear bra on the hood will over time discolor it. I went with it just over the front bumper and lights.
P.S. Love the E90 in red!

Last edited by bobnaz; 11-19-2005 at 04:48 PM.. Reason: Forgot to ad something
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      11-19-2005, 04:52 PM   #4
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curiously... in Europe car bras are a complete unknown... I personally don't like them, imagine buying a Ferrari but covering up with "protection"
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      11-19-2005, 07:44 PM   #5
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Thanks. You don't see too many in electric red. I think it makes a bold statement especially with the zsp.
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      11-19-2005, 07:46 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobnaz
No perfect answers. A clear bra on the hood will over time discolor it.
That's just not true. I've had the 3M film on my 2002 Mini since it was new, and it's exactly the same now as the day it was applied. There's no fading, cloudiness or anything else for that matter, and that's with the car parked outside daily in Australian sun. Absolutely no stonechips either -- the front of the car looks brand new. I also have the film on the front bumper (again, it looks brand new) and on the loading lip of the rear bumper which tends to get marked with loading/unloading items from the boot/trunk.

I couldn't recommend the clear film highly enough (the 3M one, anyway) and I'll be having it applied to my E90 325 M-sport the very day I take delivery in a couple of weeks.

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      11-19-2005, 09:39 PM   #7
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I've got chips too but they are inevitable. It's like having a clean mirror in front of 3 yr olds -- sooner or later, it's gonna happen.
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      11-19-2005, 10:06 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mowog
That's just not true. I've had the 3M film on my 2002 Mini since it was new, and it's exactly the same now as the day it was applied. There's no fading, cloudiness or anything else for that matter, and that's with the car parked outside daily in Australian sun. Absolutely no stonechips either -- the front of the car looks brand new. I also have the film on the front bumper (again, it looks brand new) and on the loading lip of the rear bumper which tends to get marked with loading/unloading items from the boot/trunk.

I couldn't recommend the clear film highly enough (the 3M one, anyway) and I'll be having it applied to my E90 325 M-sport the very day I take delivery in a couple of weeks.

--m
Absolutely agree...same for both my E46 323Ci & my E90 330i.
Only thing that happened to my E46 is that the film did yellow a bit in some areas where I used Armor-All to clean it off,
which is a no-no. You should only use soap & water, or some of the other specialty solvents reccommended by 3-M.
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      11-19-2005, 11:30 PM   #9
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I had the clear bra since day 1 and it has a few saves already....definitely worth it. It's 3M and was done through the dealer.
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      11-19-2005, 11:49 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobnaz
No perfect answers. A clear bra on the hood will over time discolor it. I went with it just over the front bumper and lights.
P.S. Love the E90 in red!
It shouldn't discolour it. If u get cheap film, 3M (first generation) film with UV inhibitors or VentureShield with UV inhibitors, that will discolour your car just a bit. If your get 3M (second generation) film withOUT UV inhibitors or Llumar film withOUT UV inhibitors, your paint will be protected and look just fine. I'm personally getting the Llumar film.

And yes, colour has a "U" in it!
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      11-20-2005, 12:01 AM   #11
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It irritates me that car manufacturers themselves haven't done more with this over the years. You mean to tell me that an OEM company cannot come up with kind of factory protection system that will guard against stone chips? It's just like with pickup truck bedliners. Everyone buys a truck and then has to turn around and pay another company to something that should be done by the OEM.
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      11-20-2005, 12:21 AM   #12
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I have owned my own custom aftermarket business for 3 1/2 years and my painter took a look at my car and said that the paint chips very easily. I have other cars and never had paint chips this easily. I have a jet black e90 and I think the paint sucks.
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      11-20-2005, 02:15 AM   #13
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the bmw clear bra covers the whole front bumper plus a quarter of the the hood right? but is it possible for it to cover only the bumper?
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      11-20-2005, 02:30 AM   #14
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you can cover as much or as little as you want.
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      11-20-2005, 03:54 AM   #15
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Instead of red touchup paint, you could of used clear touchup paint to stabilize the damage and prevent rust. I too had many rock chips on my bright red C230 Kompressor, the chips were small so clear touchup paint handled the job with little ill effect.
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      11-20-2005, 10:18 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by icedragon
It shouldn't discolour it. If u get cheap film, 3M (first generation) film with UV inhibitors or VentureShield with UV inhibitors, that will discolour your car just a bit. If your get 3M (second generation) film withOUT UV inhibitors or Llumar film withOUT UV inhibitors, your paint will be protected and look just fine. I'm personally getting the Llumar film.

And yes, colour has a "U" in it!
uh, I have the Venture Shield film and it is NOT cheap - race cars use this film on their cars. I've had the film on my car for a couple of months now and there is no discoloration whatsoever. Especially on a dark car like mine you would think it would be more obvious, but people can't even tell it's on there unless they look very closely.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cannonspike22
the bmw clear bra covers the whole front bumper plus a quarter of the the hood right? but is it possible for it to cover only the bumper?
hey cannonspike, the film is pre-cut into pieces so you can specify exactly what parts and how much of the film you want the car to be covered in. I got everything done except the rear bumper, and you can even get the whole half of the hood covered with the extended kit, which is what I have.

I think the Clear film is one of the best investments you can make, esp. if you drive on the freeway. It is expensive but imagine how much much more expensive it would be to replace one of your Xenon headlights if it got cracked due to some debris...
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      11-20-2005, 10:41 AM   #17
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Rock chip protection

My dealer in Ottawa, Ontario offered me a protective clear coat for my car. I said "Definitely". It is done by ClearShield, www.clearshield.com, and it is guaranteed for 5 years. No discolouration under the film, no peelling, no rock chip marks, hardly noticeable. To get the front 8 to 12 inches of the hood, whole front bumper, back of mirrors done will cost $500 Cdn. Which is approx $425 US. Well worth it. You can wax it, buff it, and do your normal beauty care as you normally do.
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      04-19-2006, 08:51 PM   #18
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Smile RE: Go buy a clear bra now

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums and wanted to drop a line about the clear bras. I am an installer of 3M's Scotchgard brand PPF. I noticed that some have posted reporting that their clear bras have "faded" or "hazed". If these are 3M PPF's and were installed by a certified 3M installer and your 5 year warranty is not up then I would think you could easily make a warranty call on that item, provided the installer is 3M certified. The 3M products are warrantied to never dis-color, yellow, peel or bubble. As long as the installer didn't make a mistake installing your PPF then it should be covered.

I also noticed another post that a dealer had the PPF installed and it began peeling and the customer took the car back to the dealer, then the dealer simply cut the peeling part off. The installer should have been contacted and a possible warranty claim made. Again the 3M warranty states that it warranties against discoloring, peeling, yellowing and bubbling (as long as the product was applied to the vehicle properly by the installer, stretch marks and finger prints underneath the film on the adhesive is not covered by warranty).

Also, a tip on the 3M PPF product. You can apply paint sealant/wax etc. to the product which as many have already stated just adds protection to the film etc. as well as giving the film a very nice polished look along with the rest of the car.

Also, just to give everyone an idea of pricing in my area (NE TN/SW VA) I install FULL protection on 3 series BMW's for $600 (Hood, Fender, Mirror, Bumper and rear bumper). I only install headlamp protection if the head lamps are not the Xenon lights (Voids warranty on the head lamps according to my local BMW dealership if protection is installed on Xenon lights). If the kits offer extended coverage then that is all I order. I never order a standard protection kit if there is an extended protection kit available. If someone is looking for just Hood/Fender/Mirror/front bumper I charge $450. Those prices are for the product (extended coverage included if available) and installation.

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      04-20-2006, 12:50 AM   #19
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[QUOTE=HallsMARS]

I only install headlamp protection if the head lamps are not the Xenon lights (Voids warranty on the head lamps according to my local BMW dealership if protection is installed on Xenon lights).
/QUOTE]

Are you serious?!!!
I just had mine done and although he did my headlights for free, I'd peel them up in a heartbeat if it voids the warranty if you have Xenon's
I need to call my dealer tomorrow
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      07-06-2006, 06:50 PM   #20
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Quote=BzsBimmer
Are you serious?!!!
I just had mine done and although he did my headlights for free, I'd peel them up in a heartbeat if it voids the warranty if you have Xenon's
I need to call my dealer tomorrow
/QUOTE)

Yes I am serious about the headlamp protection. What is strange is that the fog lamps on vehicles with the Xenon headlamps can be installed and are no issue. So you can have the protection on your fog lamps and signal lamps. I was told that there was something with the Xenon's getting too hot due to the headlamp protection. On Porsche it is the same way, I have done a lot of kits for the local Porsche club and those with the Xenon's tell me not to install the headlamp protection due to voiding the warranty.

What did your dealer tell you?
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      07-06-2006, 08:34 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cannonspike22
the bmw clear bra covers the whole front bumper plus a quarter of the the hood right? but is it possible for it to cover only the bumper?
There is a kit from Xpel that you can only cover the bumper and not the hood. The hood is another kit.
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      07-06-2006, 08:53 PM   #22
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I called one dealer and he said that it was possible because of the intense heat from the Xenons. I'm going to call X-pel tomorrow and find out from them.
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