When I took delivery of my new G in July with a clear bra product on front and rear bumpers called "roadblock," I informed the dealer before I drove it out of the lot that I was dissatisfied with the application: clear bra was too far from the seams where the bumper meets the body and was asymmetrical side to side. Worse, the installer had cut some of it jagged. I also noticed that the application comes in two pieces, one on each side of each of front and rear bumpers, leaving a sizeable gap in the middle both front and back. And the front lower fascia on the sport model seems barely covered.

At the time the dealer agreed the job was botched and offered to have the clear bra reinstalled by their subcontractor.

Eight weeks later, I brought the car in for the first oil change and to have the clear bra reinstalled and was told that the product I had is standard for the G and that the clear bra shouldn't go all the way to the seams. If I wanted to "custom order," I'd have to pay double the price--$1190, or I could keep what I have and take $100 for my dissatisfaction.

Is there a better product out there? Does the 3M product have better coverage? And what is this custom order nonsense? Isn't there a standard sport G application?

Or I am I being overly fussy about the whole clear bra issue?

 

SOunds like dealer b*****t. Google "Clear Bra" and lots of online order and installation places will pop up. "Invisible Shield" has kits to cover various areas of the car. The Complete front, bumper and top, can be ordered for $266. They have videos of the installation if you want to do it yourself. From their installation video the kit pieces will install without any gaps and seem to fit exactly to the natural panel demarcations on the car.

 

You are NOT being over fussy. Sorry, but as a matter of fact, you might have let them off the hook by not having the clear bra done right before you took it off the lot (when you have the most leverage).

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by front and rear bumper which would indicate they may not have used a "good fitting" pattern for the car.

The clear bra kit should be a perfect fit. The problem is the installer! It also sounds like the dealership want to charge you for a job that should have been done right in the first place.

3M is only the film manufacturer. Then there are pattern makers (such as XPEL). Find out who your pattern maker is and someone here will probably have used it with success.

Couple of suggestions ... see if the dealer will let you pick the installer (one that has good references). The other option is to have them agree that if the installer messes it up again, they have to pick up the tab ... AGAIN.

Also keep in mind, if an installer messes up an installation, it's his nickel. If you try the install yourself, you are SOL if you mess up which is why I always recommend getting as professional install.

 

I agree with Terry above. When I had my clear bra installed, the company that my dealer works and recommends also has their own guarantee. Mine is guaranteed for as long as I own my car.

"Tell" the dealer that you want another "reputable" company to reinstall your clear bra and for them to pick up the tab. Otherwise, wouldn't the constant reinstallation of the clear bra ruin the paint eventually?

Let us know how it goes.

 

Go to the 3M website to find a factory certified dealer. I had mine put on the same week I purchased the car and it looks great. Total cost......$600 for the extended coverage kit (hood, mirrors, upper and lower front bumper, and the leading edge of the front fenders) installed.

Good Luck,
Trey

 

Thanks for all the help. But a few questions for terrycs. How do I find out who the pattern maker is? Do you mean there are specific pattern makers for specific models of cars--like 07G35S?

And then there is the issue of removing the clear bra without damaging the paint. My dealer offered to remove it with a full refund. But I can imagine the installer of a new clear bra will bitch about what the previous bra did to the paint.

Anyone know any reputable installers in New York/New Jersey area?

 

The dealer (original installer?) should know who's pattern is being used. There are not that many companies that make clear bra patterns. XPEL just happens to be one of them. They make patterns for many different cars.

I just checked out their website at xpel.com It looks like they have a lot more choices in kits for our 2007 sedan now. It's very likely that the one on your car came from xpel and if it is from xpel, there should be no gapping seams.

Removing a clear bra made of 3M material should not damage the paint at all and there should be no eveidence that a clear bra was ever installed on the car.

 

terrycs, why should I trust the original installer to give me reliable info when the installer claimed that what he installed was standard and that a "custom" pattern will cost almost $1200.

I also looked at the Xpel site and see that they have many different styles. Thanks for all the help.

Can't seem to find a site that provides installers in NYC area.

 

They are full of it. My dealer used to have someone install them {contract}, But had to stop because buyers were bring the cars back unsatisfied. They were at least nice enough to remove and give the borrowers money back. I am glad i did not have mine done at the dealer. There are different kits for cars, and some fit better then others. Only a qualified installer would now what kit best fits our cars.

 

Oh ... I never said I trusted them . I wanted to show you the standard patterns that are out there. By comparing the standard patterns to what is intalled on your car, you should be able to tell who makes the pattern. I'm sure you'll find posts of successful installations using that pattern. You can then ask your dealer why everyone else got a good fit with a standard pattern and why you did not.

 

Pics!pics!pics!

 

Just installed the top bumper portion of a Clear Bra kit. Just ordered the top part to make sure I can do the install before I spend more bucks for the bumper bottom and the hood.

Took me a little longer due to the learning curve. Went pretty fast once I figured out how to position, temporarily tack, stretch and final sqeegee of an area. Will order the bottom bumper part next week.

Anyone with patience can do this. Just start with a small peice without too many curves to get the hang of it.

 

sorry to hear about the bad installation...that's the thing that gets me about dealer installs, you would figure that they would install anything well since they work on the cars all the time but i bet they have worked on so many they just try and rush through it rather than taking their time.