They are against my religion. I would rather spend $300 every couple of years to have the Bumper repainted than to spend $200 on a bra and $300 on a repaint as soon as I take the bra off. Double negative right there. It's well documented that a strap on vinyl bra cause far MORE damage than it prevents...

If you want to protect it, get a good quality 3M Clear Bra installed by a professional.

 

Women & cars should ALWAYS go braless........what a wonderful world it would be.......... .

Had a bra on only one car I've ever owned (Probe GT) & it beat the crap out of the paint job. I suppose if I could've kept in nice & tight or removed it more frequently there may not have been a problem.
I could never keep the darn thing tight enough so, of course, you'd get all kinds of tiny pebbles, sand, wood chips &

(like Danimal mentions. Pain in the as_ loggers. Drive like maniacs when empty, drop shi_ all over the road when they're not!)

bugs wedged under the thing. Everytime you'd take it off you'd have to spend 'x' number of minutes wrestling with it to get it tight enough again. I eventually just yanked it off, took the punishment & ended up getting the front end a new paint job.

 

Well, shucks! Looks like I hit a nerve with the bra.... now, wait a minute, that don't sound right! Anyhow, it's great to see all the talk of experience wearing one (gotcha, it was your XF). I don't drive mine too often. I've had it since late November and only have a little over 1200 miles on it. On my last drive to work, I got a very tine ding on the front bumper and another in the front part of the hood. That got me rather peeved. Well, I got over it but I was thinking perhaps I should get a bra but was struck by how I've not seen any that had one (now I stand corrected that a few do). The clear overlays or whatever they are called sound interesting. Can I get one of those from Shuck's or NAPA?

 

I have a black vinyl bra that I only use when the car is on track - the crap getting thrown up in that setting is amazing, and dangerous. I'll put it on for a long road trip as well, but take it off right away. Otherwise, the things are terrible if used in the rain and allowed to stay on as the car dries. The trapped moisture can quickly cloud the paint and, although usually only a temporary condition, it looks terrible. For regular use, however, it would be a royal pain in the butt.

Sadly, there was one day that I debated whether I should use it or not, and ultimately opted not to. It was extremely windy - 60mph gusts - and there's a lot of potential for blowing sand around here. There was one very short stretch of divided highway with maybe a 50 yard long stretch of sand in the median. As I approached it, coming out of a sweeping curve doing close to 80mph a huge gust blew fairly heavy debris right at the car. Trust me, with a closing speed of 140mph that crap did a serious number on the front of the car, with quite a bit of crap actually getting under the paint like a bunch of tiny slivers. While the bra would have prevented all that, it still wouldn't have prevented the windshield from getting sandblasted and a couple of small chips being taken out. Worst of all, the car had less than 2500 miles on it at the time.

Oh, and in my experience with clear bras, this problem would have done some noticeable damage to one of those as well. Of course, you can fairly easily pull a clear bra off and replace it, but still.

 

Why hide your pride and joy...>!? Those things are FUGLY!

 

Heck, add a mullet to the back window of your car to go allong with your 1980's car bra and you are stylin!

 

A bra free world is very important!

Those things are not only distructive but look extremely odd!

Owned them many years ago when I was new to car customization. I now know that customization is an art and not an "attempt" at art!

 

It depends whether or not your driving a man's car or a woman's. The man's would of course be a "manzier" or "the brozier". The womans would be the brazier or bra for short. Both designed for a casual fit and minimum protection. Although I personally believe the Limited looks much better without a bra. Of course it's subjective..next.

 

I use 3M PPF clearbra on the fenders and hood - nothing on my bumper.

 

According to that funny Seinfeld eposiode they labeled it the "Bro" LOL!

Either way, man should not wear one and if they have to its definitely time for the gym!

 

Hey Bro, where would I shop for one of these 3M PPFs? Are they available at any auto parts? or have to be ordered special? Thanks!

 

If a man could use a Bro then he has a little too much estrogen in his system as well as need a regular work out. He might also fit a bra to his Xfire, blame that on the hormones, a lack of taste or both.

 

I have Chrysler bras on both my 05's and the only complaint is that I can't take them off with one hand, like back in......wait, that's another story.

I agree they can hurt the paint if you don't take precautions. But first off I rarely run the cars in the rain so mud and crap don't get under them and I remove them several times a summer, vacuum them real well, and wax multiple extra times where they touch the body. No problems at 32k with the roadster. Best of all, with a little Armorall dressing, bugs wipe right off. I do not enjoy being on my knees scraping heat-hardened bug splat off the grill work.

I've had a bra on my A6 for 100k miles with, admittedly, a little roughage on the bumpers from crap getting underneath. But it is mostly a winter driver and when you're stuck behind a truck on an icey, newly salted road, having your bra on saves a lot of damage to your front end. And heaven help you if you have to pass a sand/salt trunk at 70 mph.

 

Here's some comparisons of clear bras from an experienced hand:

Who makes the best Paint Protection Film?

With more and more Paint Protection Film companies weighing in on the market, how do you choose the best one for you?

In my 9 years as a Paint Protection Film (AKA clear bra, stongard, scotchgard, etc.) installer and as a kid growing up in an auto accessories shop, I have seen a great many changes in the business of putting sticky stuff on cars. I was 10 years old when my Dad hired his first window tinter in the mid 80’s. Their choice for film was made by 3M, who else? In the same way, when I began installing PPF, 3M Paint Protection Film was the only real choice, and just like their first window films, it was a real nightmare to install. Since then they have changed their window film and their PPF, and, although they are both far better, they are certainly no longer the only choice.

This is the way of the world in most cases. Competition makes for better products. But who is now making the best Paint Protection Film? Well just like window film, it depends on who you ask, or what you’re looking for. Is the best determined by ease of install or how long it lasts? Is it the type of topcoat you want? Some can be repaired some cannot.

From my experience, there are too many factors that play in to the final result of a Paint Protection installation to isolate the film as the only factor, not the least of which is how well it is installed. However, some main differences in PPF are noteworthy and might help you decide which option makes the most sense for you and your beloved new car.


3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film


The Good

Its good points are undeniable. The brand name of a juggernaut, huge R&D budget and more years in the business of gluing things to other things than anyone has made them the top dog in PPF. The film is tough, the top coat is the toughest by far, and you can even wet sand and buff it, but don’t try that with any of the others, unless you feel like putting a brand-new sheet of film on. The 3M PPF resists growth of fungus and algae, yes it is true, oogies can grow inside your film. 3M’s point of purchase materials are good, probably the best available and if you have a good distributor, they may throw in the promo stuff if you order enough film. Now for the bad news.

The Bad

I will set aside my ego for a second to say that 3M Paint Protection Film is all but impossible to put on flawlessly. I have installed almost all the films on the market over the course of nearly a decade and it’s no exaggeration. One false move and you get a permanent flaw. It seems that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Yes, the very thing that makes the topcoat so easy to repair and so durable, also makes it easy to crease, stress and mark with your squeegee. Unfortunately, many of these types of flaws are not repairable. It does yellow on white cars, but then, all PPF does to some extent.

Conclusion; 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film is good for long-term use, it does its job well on vehicles that will see a lot of miles and for the customer who can accept some stretch marks and wrinkles here and there in exchange for durability, reparability and a brand name that they can trust.



Venture Shield Ultra

A lesser-known film, but growing in popularity so quickly that it was snatched up by the company mentioned above. Although 3M says that their acquisition of Venture Tape was not related to the PPF market, it is pretty hard to believe that it was not a factor. The fact is that Venture Shield Ultra was starting to grab PPF market share hand over fist, so draw your own conclusion.

The Good

It is remarkably easy to install. I mean the stuff looks really good right off the bat. It is less expensive than 3M, Xpel or Avery film, so if you are an entry-level installer just striking out into the world of PPF, Venture Shield Ultra could be the film for you.

The Bad

Again, its strength is its weakness. Since a soft top-coat equals good looking initial install, it also means no reparability. This is bad for longevity, and bad for installation, if you mar the finish of the topcoat during install it can be tough, if not impossible to fix.

The rolls of film come with this annoying sheet of Mylar on top of the film, put there presumably to protect the film from itself while in storage and transit, maybe to prevent growth on the roll, I don’t know. I have never asked anyone from Venture why it’s there but, holy cow it sucks! You can’t plot the kit with the Mylar on, or the film will not track right, so you have to take it off pre-cut. Well, this is not all that easy, it’s hard to get started peeling, then, once you have it going, you better hope that you’re nowhere near your plotter because there’s so much static electricity you will fry the electronics in nothing flat (you could probably cook a dog with the amount of static you get). In case you’re wondering, yes static electricity does attract lint and debris from the air, ground and clothes near-by.

Conclusion; the money you save on film and install time will be nothing compared to the time and money you loose fighting lint, fried electronics, and massive amounts of extra garbage, which, by the way, is what the film will be in 2 years with its wimpy top-coat.




Xpel Technologies Standard PPF

Amid rapid growth in the Paint Protection Film industries’ adolescence, springs a new kid on the block. For the past 13+ years, Xpel has established itself as one of the best producers of PPF patterns in the industry. At the 2007 SEMA show they stunned the PPF world by introducing their own Paint Protection Film. Amid rumors of stealing technology and simply taking someone else’s film and re-branding it, they bravely threw themselves into the fray.

Some would cower in fear of uber-massive corporations like 3M, but not Xpel. In reality, history is on their side. Remember that 3M invented window tint film, now 20 years later they fight tooth-and-nail to retain a respectable market share. No, in reality, it is inevitable that, as the industry gains popularity among the public, more competition will enter the marketplace with billions to gain. Smaller companies can move more nimbly to adjust to market, consumer and re-seller needs. This is where a company like Xpel has the advantage. Like Llumar and Madico did with window film, Xpel is determined to show the world that there is another, better alternative for PPF.

From what I have seen of the film, it is good. It goes on with relative ease, the initial look is clean, and surface marring can be addressed, though not as easily as 3Ms can, it does not have an annoying Mylar transit coat and it tracks well on the plotter. It has an anti-fungal like 3M. Fingers lay with ease, although they do tend to want to pop up later, so be careful of that. Overall I think that it is a nearly perfect balance between the Scotchgard and Venture Shield Paint Protection Films. With a 7-year warranty and an aggressive marketing campaign, they should build market share with speed. Time will tell how well the film holds up to real world application, but at this rate it won’t be long before they have a giant looking over its shoulder.

http://www.guardlineppf.com/Product_Compare.aspx

 

Yes, I've always hated taking the bra off on previous cars everytime I washed them..Pain in the ARS!

 

I like the bra on long trips, it keeps the front end from sagging.

 

Great read BlazingSaddle, lots to think about.

 

Great info Blazing Saddle, Whichever way I choose to go, you've convinced me to have it done professionally. Thanks!

 

Blazing, an excellent synopsis!
Thanks for all the info.