For thoughs of you in the Los Angeles area; I just had Dan from Valley Clear Bra – (818) 766-8291 - out to my house where he installed a 3M cover on my 1997 911 (993) cab. For the front bumper euro turbo bumper it was $325. I had quaotes as high as $650. Great job and he comes to you. His email address is clearbra@earthlink.com

 

So it looks like the Clear Bra is a worthy investment. And from the sounds of it not very noticable when on the car. But I do have some questions about them.

1. Because it is a clear polyurethane (vinyl-like) cover could it act like a magnifying glass when under the sun and basically eat the paint that is being covered by it? (ie. Fade, warp, etc)

2. It looks like most of you went with the 3M Xpel stuff, some others have also mentioned VentureShield. Between the two is one better than the other or offer anything over the other?

3. Even though the clear bra can be washed and waxed on, does anything else need to be put on it to better protect it from the elements (ie Aerospace Protectant?)?

 

Hey Seal6, I saw your post in the Oregonian section.

I can answer one of your questions regarding the paint underneath from experience. The car we're giving up for the incoming coop has a clear bra on now. I have seen no changes to the paint underneath it and I've had it on there for 8 years. The only draw back has been the dirt that has collected on portions of the seam. I'm told with current bras, they've reduced this by wrapping the bra around the hood, tucking it away in others, and reducing seams. I have three spots where meteorites have peeled back the bra, but no damage to the paint! I absolutely recommend the clear bra without pause. If you wanna see pics, see this post at mini2...http://www.mini2.com/forum/2nd-gen-e...rotection.html

Great question about 3M versus Venture Shield. I'm in need of doing research on this one myself. Will post what I find.

 

One of them offers a "lifetime warranty". I believe it was the Vertureshield, but not 100% sure.

Usually though that "lifetime warranty" is only as good as the installer, or lasts as long as that place stays in business. Many window tint, auto detail, clear bra places come and go. I had my dealer do the 3M stuff. At least I know where they'll be during the warranty period (5-years, I think).

 

I'm also wondering if anyone has experience with a clear bra that partially covers the bonnet vs. a complete cover. Is it worth having protection higher up? Or is the bra less evident if the entire bonnet is covered?

 

Thanks for the info there Evergreen! Sounds like its a safe bet!

 

Paid $ 995 for my GP 3M clear bra. I love it !! Next are going to be the two convertibles (should have done this earlier!!)

MD MINI GP
MD STREGA2

 

I just don't understand the difference in price. 500ish to 900ish. Does Burt Rutan put the 3M bra on himself for that price?

 

You can thank OPEC for pricing on clear bras. They are a Petroleum product. I had a 3m type put on my 03 MC for 300 now 3 years later the VentureTape bra for my GP ran 500. The key is a good installer and good product!

GET ONE TODAY!

 

If you have not put a "clear bra" on your mini, I'd suggest you think twice before doing it. Here's my experience.

I put 3Ms "Scotchcal" on my Corvette a few years ago for all the right reasons: great protection, hardly visible, doesn't yellow, 8 mils thick, yada-yada-yada. Fast forward and now I've got some small chips in the film. The paint beneath looks good, but the film is marred.

I know how to touch up paint, but what do you do with the film? There is no touch up. What's worse, try to take that stuff off. It breaks in small chunks about the size of a pencil eraser. It would take a full day, and more, to get it off the front of a Mini.

I've tried contacting the vender, Xpel in this case. They basically said I'm SOL. After the film has been on for a few years it kind of gets welded to the surface. If you are still determined to use it, wax the hood before you apply the film. I'm told that if you get it right, it may ease removeablility down the road.

As for me and my Mini? I'm much better with touchup, clearcoat, successively finer grits of sandpaper, rubbing compound, polishing compound, and finally wax. Do it right, be patient, and you would need a magnfying glass to see the imperfection.

 

From what I understand, you're not suppose to just pick it off the hood, you need to use steam to heat the bra, make it more willing to peel off. Call a detail shop for either suggestions or to have them remove it. Don't just pick it off yourself. Follow removal with waxing and buffing and presto!

The bra isn't suppose to last forever. You will get rock chips on the bra... that's the point, on the bra not on the paint.

I would also suggest waxing before application, but talk to an installer about the above mention concerns, they'll be able to address them. Going at it alone will yield bad results.

On the other hand, if you don't mind touchup paint and the like, then more power to you. Just so long as we're all keeping those beautiful MINIs beautiful.

 

For you Oregon dudes, check out Clearbra of Oregon in Hillsboro. http://www.clearbraoregon.com/ I had my black MCS done by them and I couldn't be happier. They use VentureShield and it's superior in smoothness vs. the 3M Stongard film used on my black VW.

I had the entire hood and bumper done for roughly $700. The reason why I went the full coverage route was that the seams from the Stongard kit on the VW sticks out like a sore thumb. Wax collects and you can't get it completely off. Also, I have chips where the Stongard doesn't cover.

The guys at Clearbra of Oregon did a fantastic job!

 

Thanks for the reference! I've been in contact with them about their services and told the guy about all the positive feedback on NAM. He seemed surprised and glad to hear it. It's hard to argue the price!

 

You can buy the kit direct from Xpel for $190 and install it in a few hours if you're handy. They rate installation as four stars out of five. Having done it, the key is to follow the instructions, use plenty of spritzer (50% alcohol, 50% water, few drops baby shampoo), and squeegee from the center of the applied film outward to the edges.

For those interested in stripes, Advance Auto Parts carries 20' of fat mini stripes for less than $15. I got mine on sale for $5. Installed them in about 30 minutes with the spritzer formula above. The "stealership" wanted $150. I'd give stripes a 1-2 star degree of difficulty out of five.

I've never heard of using steam to remove the marred film. There are a lot of references to using a heat gun, or even 3M Woodgrain Adhesive Remover. I'll check into it, but frankly I don't think it will work out that well. The problem is that heated vinyl tends to rip easily. Steam has a higher specific heat capacity than dry air, so all that means is the vinyl will heat faster for a given temperature of impinging air. What is really needed is hot glue underneath and cool vinyl. I've tried that by setting the car in the sun, but it doesn't help much.

I'll keep looking for a solution until I find it. I'm determined to get this crap off my car. I don't mind paying someone a couple hundred bucks for someone else to do it. And I don't mind doing it myself if I can find some reasonable method -- reasonable defined as 4ish hours. Worst case, I'll put paint remover on it and just spend a day or two repainting the front bumper. That way you know what it's going to look like when done.

Hopefully everyone contributing to this thread is like me, no affilations impacting their post.

 

[FONT=Verdana]If you have “clear bra” on your car, you want to read this. If you are considering “clear bra” you also want to read this.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]I originally put 3M’s Scotchguard on my car seven years ago. It seemed fine for a while then started yellowing, splitting, and hardening when I moved into the hot Florida sunshine. After seeking professional assistance to get it removed, and getting turned down, I spoke with the 3M HQ staff and proceeded to do the removal myself. Here are the key points.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]All clear-bra products harden and yellow over time. The color change is especially noticeable on a white car, less so for other colors. The more sun, the more the skin will age. Mine went after 3 years in the Florida sun, even though the car was generally in the garage, (other than when in use). Oregonians – you might be good for a while. Southern climates should understand the risk.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]The local Florida installer said he never leaves a skin on his car for more than 3 years. Also, he tells customers that if it doesn’t “look good” for any reason, bring it back right away. It is much easier to remove a skin earlier, than later. (I question the economics of paying an installer $1k for a 3-year product life, then “time and materials” to remove it.) In my case, they didn’t want the job because of the high risk of damaging the paint.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]The two popular removal methods for skin that won’t easily peel off, are pressure washer and steam cleaner. I had access to both, but only tried the pressure washer. I found that hooking the inlet to hot water (I taped a faucet), made the job easier.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]If you do use a pressure washer, you need to be VERY careful. Use the 40 degree nozzle, 2400 psi, warm water, and learn on the lowest part of the bumper first. You’ll find that if the nozzle is exactly at the right angle, it will zip off a strip of vinyl about an inch wide for as long as you can precisely move the wand. The key is that too much impingement and you will strip the paint, too little and the vinyl won’t come off. I found that keeping one hand on the nozzle and the other on the trigger worked best. I stayed close to the action to see what was going on. Also, I actually rested the nozzle head on the car, then let the trigger hand elevation control the angle. The other hand on the tip guided the direction. Given the curves of the front of a car, it is quite easy to peel the paint. I peeled paint half a dozen times, the biggest being a patch about 1” long by ½” wide. All the peels are on the lower section, so after touchup, they will be hard to detect.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Once you have the vinyl skin off, you are about ½ done – that’s right, only half! The rest of the time is spent trying to remove the unbelievable 3M adhesive (gooey mess) from the car. Apply “contractor strength” Goo Be Gone, let it set, then use a plastic putty knife or finger nails. After you remove most of the goo, use a series of paper towels and spray to get the rest off. That’s right, you are removing sticky adhesive – like the crap from old duct tape - from the front of your car for 2 ½ hours! [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]I won’t be using this stuff again. Frankly, I don’t think it is appropriate for consumer use. Installation and removal are too expensive when done by a pro shop. I’m surprised there isn’t a class-action lawsuit on this stuff. The 3M guy kept saying to me that it wasn’t “guaranteed for life”. I kept telling him that if owners knew that it would have to be removed in 3-5 years, and that there was significant risk that the paint would be removed with it, that no one would buy the stuff. He argued that the warranty was clear. I asked if there was any documentation that mentioned the product would harden with time and should be removed in 3-5 years. He said there was none. I couldn’t believe it, 3M usually manufacturers such innovative and great products. Not this time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]As a heads up, I’d bet the same goes for racing stripes and other decals.[/FONT]

 

(Sorry for the previous post. It's what happens when you copy/paste from MS Word.)

If you have "clear bra" on your car, you want to read this. If you are considering "clear bra" you also want to read this.

I originally put 3M’s Scotchguard on my car seven years ago. It seemed fine for a while then started yellowing, splitting, and hardening when I moved into the hot Florida sunshine. After seeking professional assistance to get it removed, and getting turned down, I spoke with the 3M HQ staff and proceeded to do the removal myself. Here are the key points.

All clear-bra products harden and yellow over time. The color change is especially noticeable on a white car, less so for other colors. The more sun, the more the skin will age. Mine went after 3 years in the Florida sun, even though the car was generally in the garage, (other than when in use). Oregonians – you might be good for a while. Southern climates should understand the risk.

The local Florida installer said he never leaves a skin on his car for more than 3 years. Also, he tells customers that if it doesn’t "look good" for any reason, bring it back right away. It is much easier to remove a skin earlier, than later. (I question the economics of paying an installer $1k for a 3-year product life, then "time and materials" to remove it.) In my case, they didn’t want the job because of the high risk of damaging the paint.

The two popular removal methods for skin that won’t easily peel off, are pressure washer and steam cleaner. I had access to both, but only tried the pressure washer. I found that hooking the inlet to hot water (I taped a faucet), made the job easier.

If you do use a pressure washer, you need to be VERY careful. Use the 40 degree nozzle, 2400 psi, warm water, and learn on the lowest part of the bumper first. You’ll find that if the nozzle is exactly at the right angle, it will zip off a strip of vinyl about an inch wide for as long as you can precisely move the wand. The key is that too much impingement and you will strip the paint, too little and the vinyl won’t come off. I found that keeping one hand on the nozzle and the other on the trigger worked best. I stayed close to the action to see what was going on. Also, I actually rested the nozzle head on the car, then let the trigger hand elevation control the angle. The other hand on the tip guided the direction. Given the curves of the front of a car, it is quite easy to peel the paint. I peeled paint half a dozen times, the biggest being a patch about 1" long by ½" wide. All the peels are on the lower section, so after touchup, they will be hard to detect.

Once you have the vinyl skin off, you are about ½ done – that’s right, only half! The rest of the time is spent trying to remove the unbelievable 3M adhesive (gooey mess) from the car. Apply "contractor strength" Goo Be Gone, let it set, then use a plastic putty knife or finger nails. After you remove most of the goo, use a series of paper towels and spray to get the rest off. That’s right, you are removing sticky adhesive – like the crap from old duct tape - from the front of your car for 2 ½ hours.

I won’t be using this stuff again. Frankly, I don’t think it is appropriate for consumer use. Installation and removal are too expensive when done by a pro shop. I’m surprised there isn’t a class-action lawsuit on this stuff. The 3M guy kept saying to me that it wasn’t "guaranteed for life". I kept telling him that if owners knew that it would have to be removed in 3-5 years, and that there was significant risk that the paint would be removed with it, that no one would buy the stuff. He argued that the warranty was clear. I asked if there was any documentation that mentioned the product would harden with time and should be removed in 3-5 years. He said there was none. I couldn’t believe it, 3M usually manufacturers such innovative and great products. Not this time.

As a heads up, I’d bet the same goes for racing stripes and other decals.

 

Interesting read...bears some investigation. I am presently planning on having a clear bra installed when my MINI arrives as it did save a ton of stone chips in my first MINI. Cost around here is $500-$600...the dealer outsources all their MINI installs to a local shop. Thing is, as of now they have done no R56s!!! I'll be darned if I'm going to be their first install so the situation bears watching.

 

I used to work in a few dealerships and have installed the 3m before on toyota's so I went to ebay and for 20.00 I bought a complete nose bra kit. And walmart sells a protective bra remover - basically bodyshop adhesive remover.

 

I didn't know if I wanted to have a clear bra. By the time I made up my mind the front end was sporting some stone chips.

If you want it get it asap.

 

Thanks for the heads-up 07cooper. A '07 clear bra for $25 after shipping and DIY is a possibility. Here's the ebay seller is xtremecity, for those interested.

The greatest risk of damage by rocks is to the vertical surfaces - where a rock goes 60 to zero in a few nanoseconds. Those surfaces have the added benefit that they are rarely perpendicular to the sun -- might last longer. Still, I don't know if I'm ready to venture into the 3M waters again. I'll do some rock touch-ups first on my easy to paint, non-metalic, O2Blue R56 first.

I'll try the Walmart stuff on the remaining goo on the Vette. (I still have a little more to do.) However, if the stuff was that good, I'm sure the 3M guy would have mentioned it. Unless you have the vinyl peeled away, I'm sure it won't do much.

 

That is why you go with a reputable installer who will give a lifetime warranty. I had a venture shield installed with complete coverage for the front and mirrors, we even had it put on the doors. Our installer will repair any nick or cuts in the product, if it yellows or starts to peel off, they will replace it for free under the warranty. The company has been in business for 25+.

I had initially thought of installing the 3M product myself but changed my mind, I would rather spend a little bit more money to have it professionally installed with a lifetime warranty than take my chances that I'll install it right and that the product will hold up over time.

 

You should check into Venture Shield product.

 

i've heard some people mention that the clearguard doesn't seal well over the bonnet stripes. is this true?

 

Regardless of any potential sealing issues, I would do the bonnet stripes *over* the clearbra, even if it means removing the bonnet stripes and buying a new set to put on over the clearbra. From what I've seen, the clearbra holds up to time/weather/sun better than the factory bonnet stripes, and putting the clearbra over the stripes will make it difficult and expensive to replace the stripes, since you'll have to replace the clearbra as well.

Also, I don't know how well the clearbra sticks to vinyl, but I know that vinyl has no problems sticking to the polyurethane clearbra material. And if you put the stripe over the bra, you only have one "step-up/ridge" where the stripe passes over the edge of the bra, and it's only as wide as the stripe, as opposed to two longer step-ups where the bra would pass over the edges of the stripe.

 

Seems to be very one sided so I will chime in There is nothing like the feel and look, IMO, of freshly waxed (Zaino'ed) paint. I'd much rather deal with a few stone chips every once in a while and get the extra benefits of "bonding" with my paint. Sure it will take some damge, but one cannot expect a well lived life w/o any scars. With that said, if you have no interest in detailing and drive on the highway alot, then maybe the clearbra is worth it. Before you decide, find someone with Zaino and use the full process on a portion of your car, the results are unbelieveable. Also, avoid driving close to big cars and trucks on the highway, the more wheel you see the more potential for damage.