I'm going in at lunch today to talk numbers w/ my sales guy. I'm going to require that he throw in the clear bra install (based on all the paint chip complaints here ), but I don't have a good feel for the dollar value of this. Can someone give me an idea?

Thanks,
Chris

 

When I bought my sedan I drove an '03 with 15k KM w/ the clear bra and the one I ended up with (30K km, aero/luxury) and they told me the clear bra was ~$300 option. Realisitcally I'd expect them to tack on $300-$500 for it. I didn't get it and I sort of wish I had.

 

I was told 600. I paid 1000 for that and lojack.... for a savings of around 300 bucks. I'm sure I still got hosed between the two things, but I had little fight left in me at that point. They're all thieves.

 

...depends on the girl wearing it.

 

To clarify on these values. Are you people talking about just the front section of the hood or the front section of the hood plus the front end for coverage?

 

DAMN - he beat me to it! I can't believe someone else didn't go there already though.

 

I would like to see some close-up pics of a clear bra installed on a G35. Anyone?

 

I hadn't even finished typing the subject/title line of my original post, and I just knew there'd be someone to pick-up on it!

 

Yeah, good point to qualify. ... I hadn't thought about it. But wouldn't the chipping only be a problem on the (metal) hood? Isn't the front bumper/grill housing some sort of non-metalllic substrate where the color is infused, not painted? The area below & btwn the headlights, I'm talkin'.



More clarification needed I guess!!

 

I did a install myself. Product was from X-Pel.
Hood and 2 side panels was like $120.00

 

Whoops, sorry - when I said $300 I meant the front section of the hood only. I expect it would cost more to do the entire front end, but I was under the impression that the front end (not hood) was not prone to chipping like the hood.

 

Well, picus112, if that is true, that would be great for me. Can anyone else confirm that the chipping problem is primarily the paint on the metal parts? Or at least state where the chipping is most prevalent.

 

The clear bra is not totally immune to nicks, I have a couple on mine, but guess the paint is okay under it. (don't want to find out, LOL)

 

I've seen my friends' cars without the clear bra type protection and after sometime, the front end of the cars are a mess. This can also be attributed to following to closely to the car in front of you.

When I got my G, I didn't give the clear bra a second thought. I got the hood, fenders, headlight lens covers, bumper, and door edges protected.

I figure it would be cheaper than a paint job down the road. No guarantees against future chips and blemishes, but at least I have limited the amount.

 

The clear bra is definitely worth the investment. Expect to pay anywhere from $500-$700 for an installation. I went to several meets in Nor Cal and So Cal, and I've seen what happens to cars without the clear bra, and it ain't pretty. When you do decide to get the clear bra, make sure you get it installed by a reputable installer because that is the key to making it come out as clean as possible. You will definitely get what you pay for. There are also several brands of clear bras, this will usually depend on the preference of the installer. In Cali, you can't go wrong with Premier Mobile. Check with user name "Wil" on this forum. They are one of the best in California. "Wil" or Sam also has a G himself. You could probably find out more if you ask him at sam@premiermobilegroup.com. Hope this info helps.