hrmm, im still undecided.
Im probably more concerned with the front bumper than the hood with dings.
If I go on long road trips, ill probably use a bra anyways. I hate the bug gut residue.

 

Sorry to interject, I was reading along because I am seriously thinking about getting a clear bra application. I live in MI, and between crappy roads and too many trucks, paintjobs suffer ALOT.

Anyhoo, my questions are this:
1.) Are there any brands of clear bra to avoid? (i.e. "X" brand, etc.)
2.) Do any of the brands specifically advertise that they do not yellow over time? (different plastic type, etc.)
3.) Does a full clear bra kit application also include side view mirrors? If not, what is the rough estimate of how much it usually costs, if snyone has any experience with this.

Just curious. I just got my coupe three weeks ago, but would really like to do this before too many miles.

All of your advice and experiences to date have been very helpful, especially in the price area of things. Thanks again.

 

Alan did my car as well and did a flawless job.. his work is beyond top notch.

I paid $725, but I got the entire front end kit, mirrors, headlights, my ings+1 front lip wrapped in clear bra and 8 custom pieces made for the ings+1 sideskirts and rear bumper. It took him about 6 hours, he came to my house and was very professional.

jason

 

Try to get Llumar film instead of 3M of VentureTape. That is what my installer used and I can definitely see a difference in those 3 materials. When you hold up the films, the Llumar is clear while the others are cloudy, and once applied, the Llumar has much less orange peel than the others.

I paid $650 for mine. Don't go to a tint shop, it is not the same as applying tint. Ask to see some examples of jobs the installers have done. It's all in the installation!!

 

Thanks for the advice on the manufacturer, and the info on a whole kit price!

Very helpful!

 

I wonder where Alan's name came from... Well after hitting a damn deer this morning, the FIRST person I called after the body shop and the insurance company was ALAN SELIGMAN!!! Alan installed my first clear bra on my 2004.5 G35C-6MT and now that the entire front end of my car will be replaced, he'll be installing my second c-bra. The price is ~$620 and he has installed several THOUSAND c-bra's. I've referred him to 3 different G owners and every one of them has sent me a PM telling me that they were very happy with his work. I've seen about 10 different c-bra installs from Miami, to Boca, to J-ville, to Tampa, and even another one here locally in Orlando. NO ONE can touch the work that Alan can do, PERIOD.

The guy is simply amazing and I can not recommend an individual artist more than him for a job as important as the c-bra.

BTW, I've seen some pretty bad installs and I promise, if you get a bad install you'll end up being SO MAD that you'll tear off the c-bra and be out the $600.00. Alan will even guarantee his work to your satisfaction.

Also, if you have to drive several hundred miles you have 2 options.

(1) Call Alan and see if he will drive down South for free (or a small fee). I know that he has driven from Orlando to Jacksonville for free, just to do an install. It all really depends upon his schedule.

(2) Drive back up to where you live and just don't follow too closely to vehicles in front of you. Maybe make a night trip and wash your vehicle AS SOON as you get home.

If you do end up calling him, make sure to tell him Todd (Neffster) sent you along as a referral. Also mention this website as he may consider becoming a sponsor. If you do call him you'll thank me later...

 

neffster, sorry to hear that your car was hit by a deer.

Thanks for notifying me about Alan. He installed the clear bra last Friday and it is fantastic. The front bumper is entirely one piece and there are no seams!

Here is a link to his website so the original poster can get an idea of what Alan does:

http://www.invincaman.com

You're exactly right about wanting to tear off a crummy install and have it done over again! That's what happened to me! I wish I would have heard about Alan sooner.

I hope your G gets back on the road as good as new soon. There are a LOT of deer here in FL.

 

Gspotter,

Do you know if Alan used the Invinca-Shield or the Star Shield kit on your car? I just checked and he mentioned Incinca-Shield to me (and even gave me their warranty info) but he actually used Star Shield (I still have the shipping container that the bra came in).

TIA

-Neffster

 

Before you choose your clearbra, read my previous post and this one too.

Xpel makes very good patterns designed for professional installation. For the G35c, this means 1 whole piece for the bumper, instead of several pieces like DIY kits (Invinca). Fewer seams is desired! Compare the two kits and decide.

 

It's Invinca-Shield. The material is actually 3M. The backing for the material was covered in 3M logos. His business card has a 3M logo on it.

 

We've used all of the films on the market for the past five years we've been installing paint protection film. First of all, 3m is the most popular due to the branding and marketing. However, they're not the best paint protection film on the market. They've recently had to upgrade their film due to yellowing and fading issues. The only companies I would recommend you avoid now is Avery and Bekaert. They're still using the older urethanes that still have the orange peel and tends to fade in 2-3 yrs.

As for comparisons between Llumar and Venture. We've been using Venture for the past 2 1/2 yrs now and have not had any issues w/ fading, cracking, or yellowing. When it comes to clarity, these two companies are the clearest on the market. However, when companies try to compare the two on clarity, they only hold the two up before application. Due to Venture's adhesive properties, it looks "cloudy" compared to Llumar, but once water is applied on the adhesives, they're actually the same in clarity. This really comes down to how it is compared. If you look at both Venture and Llumar on similar colored vehicles, there aren't any differences as far as clarity and orange peel. Both films come with a lifetime warranty.

We've had customers tell us Llumar looks clearer than Venture when the two are compared side by side before application of any water. This really comes down to the experience and knowledge of the persons making these comparisons. Here are some pics of Venture on cars that we've installed (even on darker colored vehicles, it is not very noticeable):

 

Anyone have a recommendation for a clear bra installer in Los Angeles? How much for the bra and install is reasonable? Thanks in advance.

 

There's a guy on ebay selling 3m invisible bra for the g35 coupes for about $260 - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT.

Is it worth picking this up and paying to install locally. or, is it just easier to pay the higher local price that includes install?

 

either way, i bet it'll cost the same. because the $600 you would pay is probably half for materials and the half for labor. if you decide to get the ebay kit, make sure you bring your car to a reputable clearbra installer with experience with g35 coupes. the bumper is extremely difficult.

 

Install the hood part - it is very easy. Get a pro to put on all other ones. I have put on 2 hood parts with no problems.