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Originally Posted by eslai
What issues do you have with clear bras? I'm pretty happy with mine and from what I understand they don't damage the paint. If you know something I don't, now's the time to tell me while the car is young.  |
Hi,
A lot of people like them, but there are a variety of issues with them. The Lotus Esprit crowd experimented with them several years ago and here's the general concensus:
a.) They are NOT invisible
b.) As they age, a
Dirt Line appears, making them even more visible, especially on light colored cars.
c.) They scratch easily when washing/waxing/claying and look old before their time.
d.) They offer some UV protection and so the paint underneath will fade at a lesser rate than the non-protected paint, making it noticable over time.
e.) They offer
some protection, but for larger impacts, they merely hold the paint chip in place - remove the Mask and the paint comes away with it requiring a respray when this is exactly what one spent $$$ to avoid. A conventional Bra offers much greater impact protection.
f.) A friend who had it on his Countach had a pin hole penetrate the Mask unoticed and he got some corrosion because of the water it trapped underneath.
g.) Inevitably, use a Clear Mask, and you get chips just
above it, so you're Touching Up anyway.
I guess in sum, they offer
some protection, but at a price which is out of proportion to what you get. If you're keeping the Car for 2 years, maybe worthwhile for preserving the Resale, but keep it any longer and the Mask becomes more a burden than a blessing. As always, just my humble $0.02...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99