Having a clear bra professionally installed is the way to go to have it look right while protecting your investment. Installing them is not a simple matter of 'slapping it on' as one of you said. There are many options available when it comes to clear bra's. There are several different 'raw materials', 3M is the industry leader - and up until recently the ONLY film with a clear coat. Avery has com out with a coated film, but it is as of yet unproven, their non-coated film wasn't that hot. Venture, LLumar, Bekaerd, etc have a variety of non-coated films. Every non-coated film that our supplier has tried has turned an un-cleanable gray in less than a year. Although they may look good initially, I would avoid them if you are in it for the long haul.

Pre-cut kits are the only way to go, but again there are a lot of coverage choices. How much does it cover, how well does the pattern fit, are there noticeable seams, etc. We saw a new Mercedes with a 6" strip across the leading edge of the hood, and the guy thought that's what a clear bra was - all of them.

For the guy who said he would just repaint his car every year, that is wildly expensive, inconvenient, and probably something you wont do any way. While you might be able to get Macco to paint the front clip for cheap it will look like it! If you trade your car in, most dealers - including our - will be able to tell it has been repainted and deduct heavily for it!

Cost is relative. When you get right down to it having a 3M clear bra professionally installed is like opening a CD at the bank. You put your money in and in a few years you get your money back. Want to know how much you will get back? Look it up on NADA, KBB, etc. Look at the various paint conditions of a 3 year old (what ever car you have) and see what the impact on value is.

Keep in mind that a top shelf full clear bra for the 05 G35's runs $525-575+ (depending on model and coverage) Un-installed, so I'd be leery of a $250 price installed. You do get you pay for you know.

 

It depends on what you get with it. That price is high if it was for a G. I bought one from Infiniti of Kirkland as well for $1100. It covers the ENTIRE front end all the way down the front bumper lip and a third of the way up the hood. The front head lamps are also covered and so are the rear-view mirrors, behind the door handles, and the edge of each door. With all this, they warranty it for the full 4 years some odd number of miles (but plenty). If a rock comes up and tears some of your clear guard, they'll replace it. If it tears some of your clear guard and damages your paint, they'll fix the paint and replace the clear guard. If a rock comes up and cracks one of your $800 headlamps, they'll replace the headlamp and put new film over it. No claims to your insurance. Not too bad in my opinion.

I do hope your $1799 was for a QX or something. Ouch. But at least you're getting a lot with it.

 

Would u guys still get it done on a 10 month old G that already has some chips on it? i'm thinking i'll just use some touch up paint.

 

do it now and it will never get worse, skip it and you know what will happen based on your existing chips. is it worthwhile? not sure, that is your call. I did my wifes car shortly after we got it and mine was delivered with it already installed. having had it on a variety of cars now i think of it as a must, but that is just me.

 

I did this, plus the side mirrors, plus the front pillars, and about a 6 inch part on the roof in the front for 545 including tax.

Didn't have the same warranty as you had however.

 

FYI & FWIW - I've been reading a lot of back and forth on the issue of price, and whether a clear bra is a good DIY or should be professionally installed. I just made this post on another forum but thought it might be wrth repeating. The illustrations are for a car other than G35 but the points remain the same.
************************************************** ****

You asked:

Q - Will the paint under the clear bra fade over time?
A - 3M Scotchgard is UV transparent - so if your paint is going to fade, the area that is covered is going to fade at the same rate as the exposed paint.

Q - I hear that dust & wax will collect along the seams and look bad.
A - The dust line / wax line is probaby user installation error, or a result of lazy maintenance practices and so not a real issue. IMHO. However....

Maybe it should also be pointed out that not all Clear Bras are made alike. I've seen threads on some other forums where guys are paying, say, $1,000 - $1,500 for an installed clear bra and then another poster will come along and say, "$1,000? Man you got ripped off. I only paid $250." He did not necessarily get ripped off.

Here's an example: look at Brand A's template:

You can buy as little as 3 pieces, or as many as 15.

Now look at Brand B's template:

6 pieces, and that covers the whole front end of the car, down to every detail.

Installation is a helluva lot easier with Brand A's kit because it's composed of many small pieces. And, naturally, the starting price is cheaper, because it's only 3 small pieces. Lots and lots of seams in Brand A, almost none in Brand B.

Two very different products with very different prices, but both clear bras, and both cut from the same raw material.

 

Every film on the mkt has its limitations and the installer should make an effort to educate their customers of them. There has been an ongoing debate of different films on the market....given installation is equal of course. Yes, there are films on the mkt that have clearcoat to protect it from the environment; however, as many of us already know, clear scratches fairly easily....more noticeable on black or darker colored vehicles. Non-cleared films are more susceptible to environmental degradation, but this is why installers should educate the customers on proper care of the film....make sure to have the film waxed or coated w/ a sealant.

In the end, no film is perfect. Be sure to get an experienced installer for the job........here are some pics of vehicles we do on a daily basis: https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-coupe-v35-2003-07/53334-clear-bra-concerns-just-had-done.html

 

Actually aftermarket paint from body shops is much better than the factory paint itself.

 

Aftermarket paint vs. OE - that's really tough. It depends on the quality of aftermarket obviously. If you go w/ Maaco or Earl Scheib, then needless to say, you're going w/ cheap paint and workmanship. There are certainly high-end bodyshops that use nothing, but the best paint and the best painters around. This comparison would be best left to individual comparisons than a general rule of thumb

 

I got 3M installed and love it. A lot cheaper than what your dealer quoted.
C.

 

You are correct. The clear-bra is one of the biggest swindles around. The actual cost of the film itself is no more than $20. This is especially troublesome for customers who have very few installers providing this service. Because they are the only game in town, they are screwing their customers. I would rather buy the NISMO front bumper for that kind of money. These one-man shows are bilking customers at $900 a pop! This is the same situation in that installers in Michigan are charging over $500 for Huber Optik tinting.

 

Actually, paint protection film costs a lot more than $20 per vehicle and that's not even counting for the software, plotter, and other business expenses. As for window films like Huper, Vkool, Formula One, & Madico NG, these are all high-end films that are much thicker than conventional tint, which makes them a lot more difficult to work with. In addition, purchasing these films cost 3 times as much than regular tint, so this is where the price variance is between IR film and conventional automotive tint.

As for what dealerships charge for the clear bra , they just have a local company perform the installations for them and then mark it up some for a profit.

 

Someone mentioned a place in irwindale, which place did it?

 

Well howdy neighbor. Yes, Frontier Infiniti. Good job talking them down to $600. Hopefully they didn't hook you into other add-ons. Congrats on the new ride BTW.

My ETA was 5/5/05 too but arrived a week early 4/27/05. When did yours get in?

 

Neighbor, yes ... :-)
I wanted few other add-ons, like wheel locks, graphics mats, ... so I guess it might have given me a little bit more leverage.

They had called me that it was going to be there on 4/27 instead, as well, but then called back and said it was set back on 5/5. It got in right on time.
Congrats on your new ride too :-)

--Rno.