I know the question sounds stupid, but generally, do you guys without clear bras have problems with rocks chipping the paint on the front of the car? I am debating getting this but i dont know if it's worth it to spend this much money. Everyone who has a clear bra is always saying how glad they are they got it, but what about you guys who don't have them? Is it worth it to save your money for something else?

 

If you do any highway dirving at all no matter how careful you are you will get stone chips. Going price for 3m product is between 600 and 700 for the g including the headlights closer to 7 if you have a chin spoiler.

 

i regret not getting one. i would get the nismo front bumper and have that cleared bra since my bumper is pretty bad but i am selling the car before the year is up. on my new car i will have a clear bra intstalled.

 

it does help,i just dont like the way it looks,so i opted to go without it.btw,it isnt just nissans paint,it is all new autos.the paint and clearcoats are enviro friendly,so they are not as durable.my friends toyota has the same problem,along with my dads lexus.this is just the way it is.i had a 1994 acura legend with 160k miles,with orig paint.not one stone chip.its amazing.

 

I use one on my cooper-s because it's got dealer aftermarket bumper and paint.
It chips so damn easily it was rediculous without the clearbra.

On my G though, I don't use it. Factory paint is strong. If you use your car
on the expressway a lot for commuting you might want to consider getting one
cause you never know when the truck infront of you might kick up a good dime
sized pebble at your frontend. I only use my cars on the weekends in light traffic.
Im leasing a civic for my commute.

 

I must be somewhat lucky. I don't have a CB and drive the interstate every day. In 13 months I noticed 2 pin size marks which are barely noticeable unless your breathing on the front bumper while looking. I guess the upside with heavy traffic is that you never get to go freeway speeds. I also don't tailgate which probably helps. With these 2 factors, I have a hard time justifying paying 600 for a Clear Bra.

 

Amount of road debris and traffic also plays a lg role in what gets kicked up. Some people avoid traffic by staying a little further away from the cars ahead and actually works, but here in California, if you leave a fairly lg gap between yourself and the car ahead, you will get cut off. This basically brings you back to sq one. Paint chipping will happen.....how much of it will depend on the type of driving you do and road conditions. If you do a lot of highway driving, then you will likely pick up quite a few chips. You should also take into consideration how long you are planning to hold on to the car. Having the front-end in pristine condition at the end of your lease or when you sell it does help the resale value of the vehicle..........

 

I'm curious whether rock chips show up on the clear bra just as they would on bare paint. It would seem a dime sized pebble hitting the front of the car at 55 mph would make just as noticeable a chip on the clear bra as it would on bare paint. I'd just as well save the $500-600 up front, use it instead to pay off the car or mortgage or other interest bearing debt and just repaint the bumper and hood at the same cost in 4-5 years.

 

Damaged film will show in certain lighting conditions at a certain angle, but it will not look like a rock chip. The film is made of durable urethane that helps take all the beating over the years. Repainting is always an option, but new paint prior to curing is very soft, which means just driving the car from the bodyshop back home could easily pick up a few nicks from the freeway.

Having the clear bra on the car doesn't mean it will stay in mint condition. That really isn't the point of it. It's there to protect some of the most prone chip areas. If the film gets pretty beat up by the time you sell the vehicle, just remove the film and still have factory paint as if the bra was never put on.

This is one of those "mods" that some people swear by and others would never touch. It really comes down to personal preference.

 

Put it this way, I already have chips in less than a week. I would highly recommend getting the bra if you can afford it. $700 is a lot of money though but worth it if you're really picky about your bumper's condition.

 

I drive close to 400 + miles a week on the freeway and I plan on keeping the G for a Very long time! I think I'll pass on the clear Bra and use the $$ to Repaint the fron end when needed in a few years!

 

I dont have it on mine....the dealer didnt even mention it to me.... Now my front end looks like someone did a little sandblasting on it. I have to use touch-up paint to fix it every week....

I drive mostly highway....

 

Just curious, when you remove the clear bra, will it leave any marking? or any sticky residue? Also where can you get a quality clear bra installed in socal?

 

I must admit that the paint on our car is very soft. $700 is a lot of money. I rather spend that money on getting the car repainted with a stronger paint, this is after the front has been beat up for a while. Clear bra is nice, but it really depends on how long your planning to keep the car. PLUS, the clear bra could and will get damage over the year, so whats the point? What if you get some rock chips in areas where the clear bra didn't cover? Then you would be SOL. I rather get a repaint to the same color or even a color that you really wanted.

 

It shouldn't at all, as if you never had it installed in the first place. Just depends on how good the person is that is removing it for you. BTW, I have several rock chips already, biggest one being on the hood. Still, its either that or a messed up clear bra from the same rock chip. I will take my chances and either do a lil retouch on the rock chip areas or just get the car repainted.