Unfortunately for me, I just got a couple of very minor rock chips in my hood the other day and my MINI only has about 1200 miles on it so far. :-(. I need to touch them up, either with factory touch up paint or Dr. Color Chip, but once that cures I was thinking about putting the 3M paint protection film on the front of the hood. There's a body shop near me that installs it for $150...a small price to pay to prevent chips, IMHO. Has anybody had this done? Does it stay clear or affect how your paint fades? Any opinions are appreciated!

 

that is very very cheap - are you sure it's legit 3m?

as posted in this thread, xpel ultimate is probably the best stuff on the market - which i suggest you get for something like clear bra

http://r56hs.com/2013/11/01/xpel-ultimate-clear-bra/

 

I'm not sure which brand mine is but it covers nearly every square inch of the bumper cover and hood. With the exception of a few big hits, it has done very well at protecting the area. It still looks great for it age too. Where paint gets contaminated with road grit, the film seems to resist holding pretty darn good. There is no fading or yellowing that I can tell. $150 seems cheap but there may be a lot of competition in your area. Around my neck of the woods, people pay upwards of $800-$1000 to have their bumpers, hoods and mirrors covered.

 

I had the clear bra material (SunTek-PPFC) installed before I took delivery of my MINI in January of 2013. It has held up very well--no yellowing, lifting, peeling, etc. We live in the "valley of the sun" near Phoenix, AZ, so it does get HOT! It was placed on the bumper, fenders, hood (bonnet) and mirrors. We tow our MINI behind our motorhome and that was the main reason I had the clear bra put on. No rock chips so far after 16 months.


BTW, the cost was closer to $600 not $150. I don't know what you would get for $150, but I would check very closely.

 

It's legit 3M. I just asked for the lower hood up to the top of the headlights. It's also the wholesale price. His is what they charge the dealers they do it for who in turn charge you $400.

 

BTW.....it was 150 for legit 3M for the front 18" of the hood. It would be $350 if I did that, plus the bumper, plus the mirrors. If I do Xpel, I can get that all for around $400. I think the cost really goes up because of the intricate work around the fog lights, etc. I supposed it doesn't make sense to just do the hood without doing the bumper.

 

ahh gotcha.

yea i did the front of the hood, headlights, bumper, got some trim of it on the door edges, and on the trunk bit that tends to get scraped on minis

http://r56hs.com/2013/11/01/xpel-ultimate-clear-bra/

 

fwiw - 2009 Cooper S: I've had the 3m "clear-bra" on front bumper, headlights, hood and front fenders. No problems at all (no yellowing, peeling, etc.). I wax it when i wax the rest of the car. Has held up well in the South FL sun.

 

At the price he's giving you I'd invest in going higher up the hood. Love my half bra, sometimes wish it was a full hood though

 

When I had my 09 justa, I had the protection put on the hood, front bumper, and the rear upper bumper, for $500.00. To now have it installed on my 14 clubbie, will be $600.00. It is all well worth the price.

 

I have the 3M bumper and hood kit. Also had them put it below the gas cap and door pulls to protect from fingernail scratches.