Clear bra? Wrapped hood?? Plastidip??

[mnm4ever]

OK on to the next big debate I am having. How to protect the front of my new car. My last car got horrible rock chips all over the front and hood, we have a lot of construction zones and I have barely been driving my new car until I get it protected somehow.

First I was going to get the front plastidippped like a bra, mostly because I have a friend who does it professionally and I can get it for essentially free. That would buy me time to make more decisions. But then I heard the dip doesn't really help with chips, regardless of what he claims. So I then decided to just go with the clear bra, but to do it right is going to be something like $1000, which admittedly isn't a huge price for a car I plan to keep for a decade or longer, but heck, the dealer hasn't even submitted all the loan papers yet!

Complicating the matter is the fact that I have been considering doing some stripes, or maybe a blacked out hood and roof, or maybe a carbon fiber wrap (or does that look tacky on american cars?).

Would vinyl stripes over the clear bra look bad? Has anyone tried blacking out the hood on the 2015 yet? I can't find any good pics online of that? Anyone have any experience with any of the options that they can share why they would or wouldn't choose it?

I don't like to rush $1000 decisions but if I get a nasty chip because I didn't do something I am going to be really upset.

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[Tony Reco]

I also would be interested in doing a clear bra for my stang but don't have enough info on the reliability of them. Was your $1000 price tag just for the hood and front fender ?

 

[mnm4ever]

The entire front bumper, front of the hood and leading edge of fenders, A-pillar and leading edge of the roof, mirrors, headlights and fogs. It's even more if you want the entire hood done, the entire fenders, rocker panels, etc.

What worries me is the stories I hear about removing it, that it cracks and takes hours to pull off. I could save a lot of money if I wrapped the hood and roof instead, and just got clear bra on the bumper. But I think I like stripes better than solid wrap.

 

[El Diablo]

I have had a clear bra on all of my cars including my '13 Mustang GT.
I've never had any discoloring issues with the clear bra and I never got a rock chip. I would recommended one.

Plasti-dip isn't going to protect you from rock chips. You need protective film that is durable.

I'm not sure about the vinyl stripes but I'd imagine the clear bra would go on top of the strips.

I would ask a professional installer any questions you have.

 

[mnm4ever]

My guy is really good, tops in the field, I've known him for 10 yrs or so now. He said stripes can go over or under the clear. Matte stripes might look better over, but then there will be a slight line, I'm OK with that.

 

[Terminated]

OK on to the next big debate I am having. How to protect the front of my new car. My last car got horrible rock chips all over the front and hood, we have a lot of construction zones and I have barely been driving my new car until I get it protected somehow.

First I was going to get the front plastidippped like a bra, mostly because I have a friend who does it professionally and I can get it for essentially free. That would buy me time to make more decisions. But then I heard the dip doesn't really help with chips, regardless of what he claims. So I then decided to just go with the clear bra, but to do it right is going to be something like $1000, which admittedly isn't a huge price for a car I plan to keep for a decade or longer, but heck, the dealer hasn't even submitted all the loan papers yet!

Complicating the matter is the fact that I have been considering doing some stripes, or maybe a blacked out hood and roof, or maybe a carbon fiber wrap (or does that look tacky on american cars?).

Would vinyl stripes over the clear bra look bad? Has anyone tried blacking out the hood on the 2015 yet? I can't find any good pics online of that? Anyone have any experience with any of the options that they can share why they would or wouldn't choose it?

I don't like to rush $1000 decisions but if I get a nasty chip because I didn't do something I am going to be really upset.

I have the clear bra on my '15 as well as some vinyl work on the hood and roof. This isn't my first vehicle with one and I absolutely recommend it. If you get striping done, I wouldn't recommend layering the bra and the vinyl... the overlapping edge will lift a little and dirt/water will find its way in and cause issues down the road. With my hood, I have the clear bra butted to the center stripe so there's complete coverage without overlap.

As for blacking out the hood/roof or using CF, that all comes to personal preference. IMO the only carbon fiber I like, is the real deal. Hope this helps

 

[mnm4ever]

Have pics of your hood and how they did it?

 

[Terminated]

Here ya go. I don't know how well you can really see it. It doesn't exactly stick out... which is kind of the point.

 

[souprmage]

I just got off the phone with an installer of clear bras and stripes. They use DuraShield. He did say he normally puts the bra over the top of the stripes, but recommends glossy stripes since it would turn glossy where the bra is, since it's glossy and would look funny.

I'm thinking I'll go with gloss metallic black stripes, and a bra over the top of that. $450 for the stripes, and $750 for the front of the car (18" of hood), the door handles and rear bumper.

He also said don't get the paint protection from the dealer as it has silicone in it and nothing will stick to it. Says, it takes 5 months before he can get anything to come close to adhering.

 

[mnm4ever]

So I am going to bite the bullet and get the clear bra. Everyone I know who has one swears by them, I haven't heard one bad story from my friends yet, and it turns out I know a lot of people who have them.

Now I am not exactly sure on the price because I found two price sheets on my guy's website, one is a bit less than the other. If I get lucky and he uses the lower priced sheet, I would be looking at $700, which isn't as bad as $900-1000. That would cover the entire front bumper, the hood and fenders (to right past the hood vents), the mirrors, the A-pillars and about 9" of the roof, the headlights and fogs, and a panel under the trunk opening. I am going to ask about the door handles, that's a good idea!

I decided to go with the stripes over the clear bra. First because I want matte stripes, second because vinyl doesn't offer the same protection that clear bra offers, and third because I might want to remove the stripes or maybe use dip for the stripes. My wife hates the blacked out hood and roof idea so to keep peace I think I will forget that idea for now.

My appt is for 9am tomorrow, so I will get some pics, maybe some of the process too if I end up hanging around. Of course if he does the job right you won't really see anything in pics!

 

[mnm4ever]

Oh, in case anyone wanted to know, I am using Auto Paint Guard in Tampa, guy's name is Ryan. I actually have only used him for one of my cars about 10 yrs ago, but I have recommended many friends and family to him over the years. He used to always use 3M but now he said he recommends XPel, but he also works with all the major brands in the industry.

www.autopaintguard.com

 

[souprmage]

Well, clearly if I go over the stripes, I'm committed to them. At least for the duration of the bra life. I'm actually fine with that as I'm fairly certain I won't want to remove them. But that is a good point.

I also need to have him do the mirrors, that seems an important part to get done.

www.stripeline.net

 

[mnm4ever]

"Clearly" - hehe pun intended...

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