Carbras.

[MNBoxster]

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

[tqtran]

Don't forget the yellow stains from bugs that seem to never go away......

[Ronzi]

As you can see from the picture above, I use the conventional bra or mask as well.
I have been very satisfied with it in terms of protecting the paint, etc.

The only issue I have is that if you drive the car in the wet (seldom, in my case) you have to take the bra off and dry the car and the inside of the bra before replacing it. According to the instructions packed with the bra, allowing water to dry underneath the bra can cause dulling of the paint.

Another point is that little bits of road grit can lodge in the edge of the bra where it crosses the hood, and also in the fabric on the underside. Whenever I remove the bra I vacuum the inside to get this stuff out.

I'm not a big fan of the clear bras for the reasons mentioned by mnboxster, plus I have been told by an installer that the clear bras yellow over time and must be replaced.

I think the total cost of the bra and the two mirror muffs from a Porsche dealer was about $150, which I think is a lot less that having the clear film put on.

On the other hand, if you are going to track (driver's ed, autocrosses, etc.) you may have no choice but to use a clear bra, as PCA for example will not let you run with a conventional bra on the car.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by Ronzi

As you can see from the picture above, I use the conventional bra or mask as well.
I have been very satisfied with it in terms of protecting the paint, etc.

The only issue I have is that if you drive the car in the wet (seldom, in my case) you have to take the bra off and dry the car and the inside of the bra before replacing it. According to the instructions packed with the bra, allowing water to dry underneath the bra can cause dulling of the paint.

Another point is that little bits of road grit can lodge in the edge of the bra where it crosses the hood, and also in the fabric on the underside. Whenever I remove the bra I vacuum the inside to get this stuff out.

I'm not a big fan of the clear bras for the reasons mentioned by mnboxster, plus I have been told by an installer that the clear bras yellow over time and must be replaced.

I think the total cost of the bra and the two mirror muffs from a Porsche dealer was about $150, which I think is a lot less that having the clear film put on.

On the other hand, if you are going to track (driver's ed, autocrosses, etc.) you may have no choice but to use a clear bra, as PCA for example will not let you run with a conventional bra on the car.

Hi,

I agree with what you say. Unfortunately, there is no solution to the Water issue. Also, even though the OEM Bra is Felt lined, it is mildly abrasive and over time, if left on, will leave a fine line. This can be avoided by putting a good layer of Wax on the Hood so the Wax, not the Paint takes the abuse.

I quite like the look of the Bra on the Car, though admit this is a matter of personal preference.

So far as Tracking the Car, if you're not Racing (such as Timed Runs, Auto-X, etc.) , there's no Traffic ahead of you anyway making the issue with Chips somewhat Moot. Add to that that anytime you Track a Car, you invariably are subjecting it to extreme use and there is always a consequence to this.

Touching Up Stone Chips isn't really that hard and you can make the repairs invisible withh a little Practice. I Touched-Up over 20 small chips on my Boxster this Spring and at a show had several people say that they couldn't believe the original condition of the paint, that there were no chips whatever, one even asked if it was an '04 or '05 - he couldn't believe it when I said it was a '99... if they only knew...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Chris C Atlanta]

Originally Posted by Ronzi

On the other hand, if you are going to track (driver's ed, autocrosses, etc.) you may have no choice but to use a clear bra, as PCA for example will not let you run with a conventional bra on the car.

Ronzi: I have used both Colgan and Porsche full vinyl bras at numerous PCA DEs at Road Atlanta with no objections. Unless they've recently enabled a national rule, I think this might be a chapter by chapter rule. Peachstate PCA has never objected.

BTW, a little 3m painters tape under the leading edge of the hood and on the fenders helps prevent minor scrapes from bra vibration. Also, I have seen magbras fly off at track speeds, and they also tend to collect dirt underneath and can scratch if you're not careful

[mtch]

My wife has had a clear bra on her Mini COoper for about 2 yrs now, and it is great. Her car is red, and the clear bra is very difficult to see unless you are looking for it. SInce that front end is not very aero, it get more bugs and debris impact than any of our cars will, and it has held up well. It cleans up nicely, and has protected well so far. I'm considering one for the Box, but I'm reluctant because it's white and I want to see a white car with the clear bra before I decide

[eslai]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

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

Good points! I know it's not "invisible" but it looks better than a regular bra. Th e bit about the dirt line is definitely true on light cars, but on my seal grey, no problems and the dirt line can be erased with a little work, supposedly.

I've never seen paint touch-ups that really satisfied me and wow, I get a lot of rock chips apparently--my other car is covered on the front. Resprays never adhere as well and so you end up with more rock chips than before and then you end up on an expensive schedule of respraying the car all the time.

I'm trying to protect the original paint on the car as much as I can, so disregarding the cost, I went with the clear bra. Since this is my daily driver getting over ten thousand miles a year, the cost-benefit thing doesn't end up seeming as ludicrous as it might for someone that owns a multitude of vehicles.

The UV issue is the one that freaks me out the most. SUPPOSEDLY it's not going to do that... but we'll see. In any case, it's certainly going to be less of a difference than if one were to leave a regular bra on a car year-round!

Oh, and tqtran, maybe it's the version you've experienced, but on my car, the yellow stains disappear very fast. That had me worried the first time I saw it happen, but when I looked later, the stains were gone.

[insatiable]

Thanks folks for your comments. Clear is not available here so not an issue , however, RONZI is the fit across the bonnet (hood?) close and tight ,no "uplift" excuse the pun, at speed?
The price here for a vinyl soft lined Bra is AUD$407 (USD 300), think I should get one of those $150 jobs!
Cheers

[denverpete]

Originally Posted by eslai

The UV issue is the one that freaks me out the most. SUPPOSEDLY it's not going to do that... but we'll see. In any case, it's certainly going to be less of a difference than if one were to leave a regular bra on a car year-round!

I wouldn't worry too much about the UV issue - at least from a yellowing of the material. They've made great strides in UV stabilizing plastics. I have a clear bra on my 99 and it still looks great.

I'd have to agree with all of the other points - I think it's just a matter of taste. I do have a conventional car bra as well which I've used on longer trips.

[Uncle Bob]

Does anyone know of a painted on clear bra?

[tqtran]

That would be difficult to install without cracking the "clear bra paint" and cutting the clear bra with a razor blade.
Also to answer your question, no painted clear bra available. That would be a bad idea because you would have to match the clear bra paint with the car paint without looking like the car had a bad paint job.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by tqtran

That would be difficult to install without cracking the "clear bra paint" and cutting the clear bra with a razor blade.
Also to answer your question, no painted clear bra available. That would be a bad idea because you would have to match the clear bra paint with the car paint without looking like the car had a bad paint job.

Well, it's done and I like it. Here are several pics on a nice sunny day. You have to feel for the line. I had to take several pics to get a good look at it. They did a great job painting it as well.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

There is an alternative to both the Clear Bra and the Traditional one. it's called Mag Bra. This is some precision pre-cut synthetic magnetic material which sticks to the Hood by magnetism.

They claim it won't ride up in speeds exceeding 120MPH. Check it out at: www.magbra.com

Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99