Opinions on "Clear Bra" - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

MHBoxster · 03-07-2009, 10:39 AM

I am considering the clear bra on my '99' Boxster. I haven't had the opportunity to speak with any car owners who have the product; just to the retail sellers; and of course they have nothing but great things to say about the product!
Can I get some feedback from car owners who have applied the clear bra to their cars? How is the maintenance of the bra? Does it make the car less attractive?
Is it overly noticeable?
Thanks for any/all feedback!

MHBoxster

kabel · 03-07-2009, 03:20 PM

I do not have the clear bra installed on mine at this time. Would really like to though. I would recommend a very thorough detail prior to having the clear bra installed. The better your cars overall appearance and finish prior to install, the less noticeable it is. What color is your car?

If you already have significant chips in the fascia I personally would be hesitant to apply the clear bra. It could create even more damage when it comes time to remove it. Just my thoughts...

MHBoxster · 03-09-2009, 08:00 PM

Thanks Kabel!
My Boxster is Ocean Blue! The finish on the car is EXCELLENT!!! I just purchased the car Febr 18; it only has 15,200 miles!!! This car was pampered to an extreme!

I am really good at detailing my vehicles and had the dealer include a bottle of the "Zaino" car polish that they use on their vehicles. I'm also looking into the "SWISSVAX"polish that I read about in the 911&Porsche World magazine, issue #178.
I am taking my car to an authorized clear bra installer for an eval and pricing. I'm not sure what price they will charge for 'the works'; there has to be room for price negotiations!!!

I will let all know the price guidelines asap for others interested in this process.

angman · 03-10-2009, 11:04 AM

Most exotics around here have them on and my best friend has it on his boxster and the car looks flawless. Seems to work really well. If my car was flawless i would do the same.

Scbrindley · 03-10-2009, 01:42 PM

I have a '99 Boxster in Ocean Blue and it is really chipped up on the front end due to rocks and bugs. I think the paint is very soft in this color. My car has been pampered beyond belief, always garage kept and never driven in the rain for atleast the first 5 years of ownership (had it since new). I would get the clear bra on there if I had the chance to avoid all of the chips if I could. The car is flawless minus the chips up front which are really only noticeable from a few feet away.

I have the clear bra on my new 997.5 Carrera S and am so far pleased with it. It doesn't shine like a the rest of the car but it really isn't that noticeable. The 997 has seen a few hundred miles on the track and the paint is still perfect. Having said that, go for it.

SB

Topless · 03-10-2009, 01:56 PM

Many of our local PCA members have the clear bra. Most look very good, some have yellowed somewhat. I could go either way. Maybe on a new car, probably not on my 11 yr old stone chipped, touched up, stone chipped, Boxster.

Topless · 03-10-2009, 01:58 PM

Hey Scbrindley,
How do you like your new PDK Carrera??
Thread jack apologies

Bobiam · 03-10-2009, 02:06 PM

Personally, I think it looks like a toupee!!! You're not supposed to see it, but you do.
If you had a light scratch that wound around the car like the edge of the bra, you'd go nuts trying to remove it, so why put it there in the first place?

Don't follow too close, especially when roads are dirty. In most cases a tiny chip or two, when touched up well, is only seen by you.

Scbrindley · 03-10-2009, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topless

Hey Scbrindley,
How do you like your new PDK Carrera??
Thread jack apologies

Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but the PDK is amazing. Go test drive one at the dealer. I haven't driven the new Cayman or Boxster with PDK but I'm sure they are amazing as well. I've driven a lot of fast cars, Ferrari, Aston, Bentley....but the Carrera S with PDK definitely feels the fastest.

And back to the clear bra, a lot of people in our chapter of PCA have them and I'm yet to hear complaints from anybody. Also, my friend has one on his Ferrari 355 and it still looks new.

SB

2TrunkSteve · 03-10-2009, 04:50 PM

I don't have the clear bra on my Boxster, but we installed it on my wife's X-5 in 2002 when it was new. It looks great and has done a great job protecting those areas from the rock chips. My only complaint is that something hit the side mirror and heavily scratched the applique. Since then the wound has spread open a little and is pretty visible. Not a big deal on the family hauler, but I would not want that on the Boxster.

987gator · 03-17-2009, 11:43 AM

I have the 3M clear bra on my 05 in Atlas Gray. It is nearly invisible, you only can see it 5' from the car at certain angles. It performs as advertised.

There are negatives. Waxing the car takes car at the clear bra edges. Wax can get caught there, and it creates a white line outlining the bra. If you do not carefully remove, you could force the wax under the bra.

THe other negative is on the side view mirrors. On one mirror, the bra edges have lifted maybe a half a milimeter. When driving with the windows down over 70 mph, there is some wind whistle from the seam.

Overall, I would install again, as it has saved my paint from many dozes of stone chips. Hope this helps

Banana S · 03-17-2009, 07:03 PM

I have the clear bra on my Speed Yellow 2002 Boxster S. It was installed by one of the two prior owners. It covers the nose, rearview mirrors, the rear quarter of the wheel arches, and halfway up the hood.

It isn't noticeable unless you're within a few feet of the car, and I like the protection it provides to the finish. Wax on the leading edge isn't a problem since I use Zaino instead of carnauba wax or the like.

I would pay to have it done (and pay a little more to have it done right) if I were buying a car like this brand new.

Jeph · 03-18-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobiam

Personally, I think it looks like a toupee!!! You're not supposed to see it, but you do.
If you had a light scratch that wound around the car like the edge of the bra, you'd go nuts trying to remove it, so why put it there in the first place?

Agreed.

I don't get it though. It protects from chips... but who benefits? The next owner? You'll still be driving around with a chipped/scathed layer of thick Saran Wrap. It reminds me of those people that put plastic over their furniture.

Cloudsurfer · 03-18-2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeph

Agreed.

I don't get it though. It protects from chips... but who benefits? The next owner? You'll still be driving around with a chipped/scathed layer of thick Saran Wrap. It reminds me of those people that put plastic over their furniture.

Am I the only one to get a laugh out of this?

944boy · 03-18-2009, 10:09 PM

I would suggest a clear bra. Another option that may be harder to find is what one installer up here does. He wraps the whole front of the car, the entire hood and front fenders. There are no seams or lines anywhere. I saw two identically colored 997TT's sitting next to each other. One had the traditional clear bra and one had the half-wrap. The one with the whole front wrapped you could not tell it was there. It was amazing. Not cheap, I think he quoted 600-1000 depending on the car and surface area.

My 987 at 4 years old needs a re-paint on the whole front half of the car. The front bumper is trashed. I would do it if I ever bought a new car and not one driven 20k+ a year (unlikely)

Bobiam · 03-19-2009, 05:10 AM

My Boxster is 8 yrs old and 38K. I"m in CT, so it's garaged winters. I've had to touch up a few little chips, but overall, if I give it a really good bug cleaning and wax, it's perfectly acceptable. And I'm a fussy guy. If I had owned it the entire 8 yrs, it would be much better.

Give yourself plenty of following distance. You don't ever want to tag the back of another vehicle with one of these cars. Might be your last tag!!!!!!!!

MHBoxster · 03-27-2009, 03:03 PM

Hey All!!!

I have one price quote (Midwest area, of course) for the Clear Bra installation. This shop does the application for a majority of the car dealerships around town and is supposed to be one of "The Best!"
Mirrors: $30 ($15 each)
18" up Hood and the fenders: $215
Bumpers: $300
There is a 5 yr. warranty that protects from discoloration, scratches, peeling, bubbles; basically covers any defects and they will redo the car.

I was told the bumpers are expensive to complete due to the lines, curves and difficulty in application.
I have one other place to get a price quote from. The two quotes will represent two of the best in area!!!

I had to laugh at the "...plastic on the couch..." comment! I had friends and cousings that did that! This, however; is not quite the same....I think.

Still waiting for decent weather to get "Baby Blue" out and take some picts! Will take "before the Clear Bra" and "after the Clear Bra."

Great driving to ALL!

MHBoxster