I just spoke to alan this morning so he coule order the kit for my 05 black coupe. i was wondering how everyone feels about their clear bra. i know on black it shows the bra a tad more but i think i can deal with that over rock chips. how long does the install usually take?

thanks in advance
andrew

 

About 4 hours to do the whole job. At first you will be pleased with the quality of his work, but you'll see that faint line across your hood. You'll wonder if the bra was worth the money... then you'll go to a meet and see someone elses black coupe (someone like dabomb's) and you'll see all of the chips and dings on his bumper and hood and you'll KNOW the bra was worth the investment.

Infact, dabomb is having his bumper and hood repainted. This will cost him close to the amount of the clearbra...

Then again in another year or two, he'll have to have the bumper repainted along with the hood because he'd rather keep paying for repainting (and lowering the value of his car) than paying for the bra.

To each their own...

 

hey neffster i got a ? for ya. do u know if the paint on the g35 is better then the paint on the 350z or is it the same? i was told that infiniti used more coats

 

Same junk according to Rob and Richard (the club painters). I even think the Laser Red is the same color on both the Z and the G, it just has different color names...

 

hmm interesting i am still on the fence about the bra my z;s bumper has chips but i drive that car different the the g u know more agressive and faster dont know if that make a difference. and by the way u are fast with the replies lol

 

Chips will be unavoidable, regardless of how fast or slow you drive your G.

 

Well it's a tossup, the clear bra will show the most on black but so will all paint imperfections. If you'd rather have it painted down the line, black isn't as hard to color match as metallic/pearl colors. That's why I'd personally rather get the clear bra and be done with it, but YMMV.

 

please go to www.invincaman.com to see some of Alan's work. He's done some very expensive cars. Most recently he's installed clear bra's on a Lamborghini Gallardo and finished up on a Porche Carrera GT . When I had my clear bra installed, I went to him (i don't have a garage) and I got to watch him put it on. He did a very clean and professional install.

 

since i was mentioned in this thread, and i have a black G I'll give my input

My car had 2300 miles in the first 2 weeks (all highway obviously) then add a couple round trip Orlando to Memphis of 2600 miles each to that equals a lot of chips. Infiniti/Nissan paint is crappy and yes Im having my hood & bumber for under $400. I now have the colgan bra (i didnt have it for 6k worth highway miles). I personally dont think the clear bra is worth it because:

a) i havent seen a seemless one on a black car
b) what happens when the bra gets chips?? pay $600+ to re-bra it???
c) i can repaint for 60% of the bra price

you THINK clear bra means one and done but thats not true because the bra gets chips and wrecks or dings or anything causes u to spend the $600+ again.

*IF* you have an easily matchable color its cheaper and better looking to repaint and use a colgan bra ($100 one time fee) for long drives. This way you now have a better more reliable paint that wont chip as easily and you car looks better.

that's my opinion

 

Wes I want to see if you still have the same feeling after love bug season is over. When their all over your bumper they will eat away at your paint. This doesn't happen with the clear bra. You can let them sit on there for a few days before washing them off.
As for the chips I understand your point and yes it's cheaper to repaint your bumper than get a new clear bra. One thing you have to keep in mind is that the clear bra is tougher to markup than our paint.

 

well when it comes to love bugs if you have an exterior paint protection sealant on your car like perma plate or APC protection love bugs and other insects are no longer an issue. i have had these coating on all my cars on florida including my g and have let love bugs sit on the bumper for over a week with no damage. and if there was any damage which resulted from the instect they repaint that part of the vehicle under warrenty

 

I have to agree with dabomb still.

How much protection can the bra provide?
Try not to follow too close behind trucks or cars especially when the road is loose,stay backa nd let the rocks fall to the ground first.

 

I think that no matter how safe you drive, it's gonna be unavoidable. Simply passing a car is dangerous cause rocks could richochet off the other car's tires and hit your bumper. In my opinion, just drive and enjoy driving. I've learned to live with chips (and dings). I just got my first ding today at Home Depot. Some a$$ didn't return his shopping cart and left it in the parking lot so that the wind could drive it straight into my fender. I was pissed for about a hour, but I got over it. If it got worked over every little ding, scratch, or chip on my car, I'll end up in the mental institution. I'd like to have a clear bra, but I don't think it's really worth the $$ either. Neither is having the bumper repainted every year. Unless you got the coinage to do it, go for it. Otherwise, let it go or just have it repainted every 2 to 3 years. Your car will never be perfect. Just like any relationship, just learn to live with the imperfections.

 

haha so true, but everyone has there limits.

that being, you want to spend $600 plus on something go ahead.

If it was $50 I would do it, $150 maybe, $200 no way.

We all have our limits.

I'd rather put the money towards an IRA.