In discussing the cost of having a Clear Bra (CB)installed on my MCS it seems that process will run between $450 -500. Considering I'm going to have a Black MINI and the effect stones will have on the plastic, (ie white nicks) I'm wondering if I'm better off living with the chips and touching up with a paint pen. When they become too numerous, I curious if the money saved on not getting the CB could be better spent on having a new coat of paint shot on the front end?

 

I would go with the clear bra...touch pens can be nasty looking blobs if you are not careful. I have seen a couple black cars at work(not Coopers) that have the clear bras and they look great.

 

Trying to touch up all the stone chips on the front end of a car could possibly drive you insane and result in a very messy appearance anyway. And I would imagine that to get a good repainting job done would cost you far more than the $500 the clear bra would cost you now.

I put the clear bra on my IB car and I am thrilled with it. It's barely noticeable and I know the car will look great years down the road. My other car is a testament to how bad a car can look when it has no front-end protection and I have no desire to repeat that. Yeah, $500 is a lot of money but it's a worthwhile investment.

 

I installed mine myself...but man, was it a painstaking process.
If I had to do it over again, I would pay someone the extra $250 or so to install it (the parts themselves are about the same price).
It doubles the price, but it's worth not having to spend a Saturday doing it and praying you don't mess it up.