987 clear corners

[eslai]

Generally, I abhor appearance mods. You won't find me sticking a wing on the car or any kind of body kit. However, one thing that kind of irritates me is that in all of the Porsche literature--brochures, posters, website, etc.--the Boxster is shown with clear turn signals.

False advertising, if you ask me:



$30 later I had a couple of these from the dealership:




I'll be installing them tonight, I think.

As well, I splurged and bought their silly gas cap. It's not even metal--just painted:




Also, for anyone interested in putting a clear bra on your car, here's some pictures of the one on mine. You can see the reflection is a lot different than the paint, but it's not obvious in daylight unless you're trying to see the difference. Depending on which angle you're at too, you may or may not see the line.





I like it. I don't have to worry about rock chips anymore. A little pricey at $750 but it should protect the car's residual value somewhat and keep me happier anyhow.

[Brucelee]

Sweet car.

Nice nice nice!

[eslai]

Well, that was remarkably easy. This guy's 986 clear corner guide made it apparent that it wouldn't be any problem. Although, geez, it kind of seems too easy to remove them!

edit: after further investigation, the proper procedure for removing a 987 side marker is documented in your owner's manual. It involves putting a screwdriver through a hole in the wheel well and disengaging the metal clip that holds the side marker to the car. This is much better than forcing the side marker out of the car, as the 987 clip is a little different than the 986 clip and seems to be designed to make the unit harder to remove.

Before:



After:





Still plenty of illumination at night--although the front half doesn't light up at all. Looks a lot more clean during the day.

Amber side markers have never bothered me in the past, but this time around I guess I had already become accustomed to seeing the clear corners on the car so this looks more "right".

When you pull the 987 clear corners out, the retainer gets bent out of shape though. This next picture shows what I mean, although I've already bent it back down some--it was pulled out a lot more than that. No big deal, just thought I'd mention it. edit: So yeah, doing it the proper way as stated in the owner's manual is probably better.



Also, here's the back of the two lights so you can see the difference in part numbers. The US amber clear corner is on the bottom:

[bhduxbury]

great post -- thanks! -- i love the multiple before & after pix of mods i so often only read about

[mrsparkle]

Eslai, where did you get your clearbra and how long is the warranty? The dealer was asking for $950 so I declined.

[eslai]

I had mine done by a body shop near me that specializes in Porsches. I know the guys that work there so they cut me a deal. Even so, it was $750. That's the typical 3M film. It was the first time they'd done a Boxster but I'm pretty positive that it was some kind of kit. They covered the whole bumper, the headlights (with a really thick plastic), part of the hood and fenders. In addition they cut out some pieces for the rear of each fender to protect them from rocks flung up by my tires. A nice addition!

What I really like about it is that I can scrub the bugs off the front with impunity--don't have to worry about swirling the paint or anything.

[rickhuizinga]

Originally Posted by mrsparkle

Eslai, where did you get your clearbra and how long is the warranty? The dealer was asking for $950 so I declined.

My dealer was asking $1895!

I found a local shop that will do it for $495. The shop happens to be located right behind the dealer. I'd bet that the dealer just sends the cars there...

[Uncle Bob]

Some pics of a painted clear bra

[eslai]

I meant to ask you this in that other thread you had about this, but what's the point of painting the clear bra? I'm a bit confused on the concept.

[Uncle Bob]

It's more durable than the 3M, no edges and looks a lot better as well as provides better chip resistance. Other than that? Not much that I could see. Just mho.

[eslai]

But I can totally see the line in those photos...how does it look better? Less "ripple" to the surface than a clear bra? You can get a clear bra with wrap-around sides so you don't get any edges too.

Can you tell us more about this product? It's not a clear bra that's been painted, I take it. Who makes it, etc?

[Uncle Bob]

The only line you will see is the one where it ends at the upper edge. Other films applied in pieces have many edges. More info on the product is available here:
http://armorcoat.armorauto.com/
I saw two Porsches side by side with brand new applications and this was "clearly" (pun intended) better.

[eslai]

OH now I get it. Hahaha see, here's why I was confused--I thought you were saying that you had some type of clear bra that had been painted with Arctic Silver paint or something like that.

Hmm, a sprayed-on/painted-on clear bra sounds a little permanent to me, but it does look pretty good. You CAN get a clear bra that wraps around the edges of each body panel so you don't see the lines though--it's just more expensive than getting a regular kit.

[Uncle Bob]

Yes, but it will still have edges this doesn't and from what i saw, this is more resilient and thicker. It also cost me right at 65% of a film product.

[eslai]

Very good!