Clear Armor?
 

Has anyone considered putting the clear armor (the 3M plastic) on the front of the car? I knew about this a long time ago with my old car, but didn't get it. Now with the new boxster, I am thinking about of getting it. Anyone has experience with this plastic? Is it a good investment? If you have done it, how much did it cost you?

http://www.cleararmorinc.com

Thanks!

Great Results-clear armor
 

I had it applied ( hood&mirrors) on my 02. Excellent results. Lots of highway miles and virtually "chip" free. I'd do it again.

After my car is done in the paint shop, Im having it done for free because it's being done for a car magazine story by Marshall Spiegel. Hes the photographer, He used to race in nascar professionally as well as Rally. Lucky me!

Do a "clear bra" search. There were a lot of discussions here on the subject.
I had the clear bra installed on my Box right after I bought it last year. Can't remember but it was around $1100 for bumper, full hood, lights, full front fenders, installed. Cheaper for part-hood, part-fenders. Had it for a year now and am very satisfied. It's invisible and people only notice it when I show them the two 3" edges at the end of the hood under the windshield. There are no other visible edges. One note though, the installer chose Avery's film (instead of 3M) for my black Box -- apparently doesn't yellow with time and has the same finish consistency as the original paint, thus making it indistinguishable from the 'naked' panels . So far, he's been proven right.

Just in case anyone thinks it's a DYI. The bumper is a 5/5 difficulty installation. Took him two attempts and 6 hours to line up all the bumper lines right. And he does all the Ferraris and Lambos from the local dealers, and is considered to be one of the best in the area. Perhaps it can be done cheaper but there are hack jobs that just cut and plaster pieces one next to another with edges galore.
Z.

I just picked up my car from the autobody shop last night. I had Autobahnd applied for $595. This includes the hood, front bumper, 2 mirrors LT/RT side fender. And they also applied a strip right after the front tires.
I really haven't had a chance to take a REAL good look it's been raining.
http://www.myautobahnd.com/

fab, did you apply the cover over fresh paint? I think my installer told me that 1-3 (I don't remember) months of paint curing is necessary before the cover installation.
Z.

Where to get the clear armor done?
 

Thanks for the info. Where do you suggest that I have it done? Should I take it back to the dealership or have it done at a specialized autoshop? I assume that the dealership would cost me more. What do you think?

That depends on the paint application. Air dry will need some curing time. Baked paint needs almost none.

The films are porous. They can be applied to paint that is not fully cured.

The Boxster is one of the most difficult cars to cover. I have a friend who did mine free (he has done a few other very difficult cars) and it turned out great, but I would not suggest anyone try it themselves unless they're willing to ruin a lot of film attempting it.

You also have to consider what the curing from the paint will do to the plastic. I'd wait for a cured surface.

What could curing paint do to plastic?

John, I'm no expert but this doesn't make sense. I can imagine this would bake (cure) the film into the paint thus making it impossible to remove without taking the paint with it.
Z.

Yeah, cause if the surface is cured, which it usually is before a shop allows the car to leave its facility, the dried/cured surface wouldnt become permanetly attached to the Film... You probably wouldnt be able to peal off the film without striping the paint until its 100% cured.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint

not an answer.... when i said curing paint, im assuming the surface of the paint is dry and hard, what could happen to the film of you lay of the already dry surface?

How do you know it's fully dry and hard?

Sorry, my fault for not being clear, i mean "dry to the touch" on the surface or whenever the paintshop allows it to be driven in the streets by the owner.

It depends on the paint, and the painter probably knows when the paint is done outgassing, but it can still be outgassing when you drive the car off. I'd just trust what your painter tells you.

z12358
My autobody shop did it all. They had the car for 2 weeks.

Yes, you're right, I was mistaken. On my M3, I had the front bumper resprayed and then applied the film, but it indeed was cured before clearbra installation.

Dealer or body shop?
 

I got a couple of quotes on doing to clear bra. The dealer quoted me around 1100 while the local body shop with certified pros is around 800. I think that is easy call right? The body shop? Sorry if the questions seems silly, but really have not had any experience with body shops for these stuff. So better check with you folks then be sorry later.

BTW, I shouldn't have this done on a rainy day right?

The dealer outsources the job to someone else anyway. Go to the shop but check for a couple of references first. Ask them for contact info of jobs they've done in the area (Porsches or other sports cars, preferably), call them, and/or take a look. Or at least take a look at some cars that they had just finished in the shop. Don't worry about the rain. Hopefully they have an indoor facility, and they'll know what and when to do if they're real pros. Btw, they keep spraying water when applying the film.

Just curious, what (panels) did the $800 quote include?
Good luck.
Z.

This is a tough call but I decided not to do it again when I got the Boxster. I had it done on an MDX that is now 5 years old when we lived in Texas the rock chip, windshield crack capital of the world. It looks fine for a year or so and you tell yourself you can't really see it but the reality is the car does not look as good as it does without it. After 3 years it really looked bad. It gets beaten up and shows wear and age more so than the paint on the hood. After 5 years it looks very, very bad. It shifts over time and crinkles as well. It's coming off the MDX as soon as the sun comes out.

So after 5 years I hope to have no difference in the color of the covered and uncovered portions and no chips in the hood. The car really didn't look all that great for the past 4 years though. Granted a chip in the hood will bug the daylights out of me but if it gets really bad I'll just get it repainted eventually. Frankly you can only see a really big chip from a few feet away or small ones when you're waxing the car. Tough choice but I decided I just love the look of a newly waxed Boxster without it more than the risk of a chip.

Thanks for the info. i will defo think about this. They are all using 3M products so both have a 5 year warranty. Did anyone else had a bad experience with clear bras too? want to share the problem you have?