Well my 05 6MT will finally arrive at the dealer on the 4th of Feb. They are offering me a Lumar(sp?) Clear bra installed for $500 and i have a few questions for those of you that did and did not get a clear bra on your G.

1. is $500 a good price?

2. is it really worth it? i know a lot of people complain about the stone chips you get on the G, which is why i'm leaning towards getting it, but I really do not like the line it leaves across the hood where the bra ends. Is the clear bra the lesser of two evils? (line vs chips)

3. those of you that have the clear bra: do you regret getting it?

4. those of you who do not have the clear bra: do you regret not getting it?

5. maybe stupid question, but if i were to get the clear bra do you wax/wash it the same as if it were normal paint?

6. just out of curiousity, is there any way to have it removed in the future if i was so inclined.

I plan on keeping this car at least 5+ years and at least for the first few years will be driving it year-round.

They also offered me all the usual paint protection/interior protection/rust proofing etc, but I am not getting any of that stuff.

thanks in advance... I need to let the dealership know in the next couple days.

 

These are good questions that i would like to know the answers to, too.

 

1. is $500 a good price? Yes, what does that cover?

2. is it really worth it? i know a lot of people complain about the stone chips you get on the G, which is why i'm leaning towards getting it, but I really do not like the line it leaves across the hood where the bra ends. Is the clear bra the lesser of two evils? (line vs chips) The line is not that bad and I drive without worring about chipping.

3. those of you that have the clear bra: do you regret getting it? No, its pertected the front bumper many times from little rocks and bugs. I also hit part of a tire on the freeway once and the bra protected my bumper from scratching.

4. those of you who do not have the clear bra: do you regret not getting it?

5. maybe stupid question, but if i were to get the clear bra do you wax/wash it the same as if it were normal paint? Yes, everything normal!

6. just out of curiousity, is there any way to have it removed in the future if i was so inclined. The bra can be removed for any reason.

 

Don't have it. Don't regret it.

 

1. is $500 a good price?

That is a decent price.

2. is it really worth it? i know a lot of people complain about the stone chips you get on the G, which is why i'm leaning towards getting it, but I really do not like the line it leaves across the hood where the bra ends. Is the clear bra the lesser of two evils? (line vs chips)

Very much worth it. Unless you are right on top of the car, you cannot see the line. It paid for itself within a week when I was behind a dump truck that dropped a bunch of rock chips in the road. I heard them hit the front but, no damage at all!

3. those of you that have the clear bra: do you regret getting it?

No way. Would do it again as my first mod.

4. those of you who do not have the clear bra: do you regret not getting it?

N/A

5. maybe stupid question, but if i were to get the clear bra do you wax/wash it the same as if it were normal paint?

I use Zanio and have washed/waxed it along with the rest of the car. Just be aware that you will need to clean along the edge as the wax tends to deposit in this area.

6. just out of curiousity, is there any way to have it removed in the future if i was so inclined.

The brochure and installed that did mine said it can be removed. However, it should be done by the installer to be on the safe side.


Lastly, find out the history of your installer. How long has he/she been doing the work? How many G's have they done? Can you talk to a previous G customer or see the work?

 

which dealership is doing yours, and how much are they covering?

Mine is doing it for 675, and they do the whole front end with the exception of the lamps. The do mirrors also.

 

if you have a little extra cash i believe i read somewhere that it is "possible" to get your entire hood clearbra'ed, meaning no line. But might be hard to find a place that has such a big piece of the clearstuff.

more importantly you should be asking which brand is the best. for yellowing, invisibility and durability.

 

It will cover all the normal areas: Front of hood, bumper, front fendors and mirrors.

The edges will not be wrapped.

The dealer had a G in the showroom with a clear bra installed. I did not see anything that would let me know it was a bad install, but I do not exactly know what to look for in a clear bra as this is the first time i've considered one for my car.

still a good deal?

 

A very important question to ask is what brand kit they use, like Xpel, Stongard, Invcinashield, etc. Some kits are more for DIY'ers and they use more pieces over the bumper, which means more seams and not as clean-looking. You can view kits online.

Kit maker is how the templates are cut. If you SEARCH, you will find a few recent threads where we've gone over this, and I included the diagrams of the kits. I'm not going to repeat that effort here.

 

Have it, love it, don't regret it. You will get chips above it though. Install expertise is the key. Mine was installed so-so but I still don't regret it. They can remove them with a heat gun.

 

Don't got it, don't regret it. Same with all my buddies. Then again here in cali we don't have snow/salt/ ripped up roads from snow plows. All we got are bugs and torn tires on the road, and for the latter, just gotta pay attention.

 

I have wondered this myself. Since I did not see any pictures of a car with this installed, I inclined towards NOT having it in case it looked bad. Can anyone show a pic with this installed?

BTW at least brand is great Lumar.

 

word. i'm a "just repaint the damn thing" kinda guy.

 

repaint?? whew, too expensive for my blood. Im lazy about that...clear bra all the way for me

 

I don't have it and don't plan on getting one either.