Clear Armor? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

n4ally2 · 04-17-2007, 08:55 AM

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!

Frank Patrick · 04-17-2007, 09:07 AM

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

CJ_Boxster · 04-17-2007, 09:19 AM

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!

z12358 · 04-17-2007, 09:32 AM

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.

fab · 04-17-2007, 10:01 AM

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/

z12358 · 04-17-2007, 10:11 AM

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.

blue2000s · 04-17-2007, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by z12358

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.

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

n4ally2 · 04-17-2007, 10:15 AM

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?

1JB · 04-19-2007, 05:23 AM

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.

n4ally2 · 04-19-2007, 08:05 AM

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?