I actually totally agree that the cost of the clear bra is rediculous, especially since the film couldn't be that expensive to make. But we also have to consider the cost of developing the pattern, and the cost of 2 guys for 4 hours of labor. I'm guessing that XPEL takes the biggest chunk of the pie though.

As for whether or not it is worth the $625, that is obviously dependent on one's situation and the value of the car. If I am leasing the car with the intent to sell it, of course I wouldn't do it. In my case, I never sell a car after I buy it. Heck, this G is replacing a 1986 Honda Accord DX . Thats 20 years, so if that record holds up, this is a good investment for me.

My other car is a 1989 T-Bird SC which I still drive. Because clear bras did not exist back then, the front of that car is pretty thrashed. This is even though I had a Colgan bra on there most of the time. Of course, I had to be religous about keeping the car clean so no dirt gets under it and making sure it does not get rained on. And that thing already cost between $100 and $200 back in the good old days.

 

well...to repaint my entire vehicle (same color) its gonna cost me a little less than 1.5 grand...


so instead of clear bra, you could just spray on a harder clear coat...and that would be even cheaper than an entire repaint in my case

 

looks great man, it looks like an excellent install job for both applications.
great choice of tint!

i'm with a lot of you thinking thats a bit much to spend on paint protection but hey....if you're **** about the chips its worth it

 

The 3m clear-bra and full bumper wrap works fantastic in my area during the winter. They use lots of sand and salt on the icy roads and this protects you from the constant sand-blasting the front of our cars take. So it for me it is a deal.

 

To each of his own, I guess. It might be cheaper to repaint your bumper every 3 or 4 years, but matching it to the rest of the body might be difficult due to the oxidation of the paint.
If you change car every 3 to 4 years, then I don't suggest to do it. Like Terrycs, I have the intent to keep my car for a long time. I still drive my 93 Civic to work everyday. The front end looks like crap but the rest of the car is clean. I painted the front due to a minor accident. After that, I put a vinyl bra on because I can't justify to spend $600 on a 13 years old car. Just to give my point, you can tell the front has been painted because the paint on the rest of the car is somewhat faded.

 

Very nice.

 

The dealer gave me a good deal on the clear bra so price isn't an issue. But the two main reasons I did it was to keep the front end looking good, nothing worse then a good looking clean car with a bunch of white spots on the front of the car and two, trade in value since I don't keep a car more then a few years.

 

Got a question about your tint job. Do you have the CD changer in the trunk? Was it difficult for the shop to install the tint without having to cut around the third brake light? Were they able to remove the deck and put it back so that it was as good as new? Thanks

 

nice work!

 

gymcshoe...

Yes, there is a CD changer, but they did not have to go into the trunk. As a matter of fact, there should be no need to remove any part of the car. The shop I went to carefully masked off all the door panels and speaker grills before working on it (to keep water out). Do not let anyone take apart your car to tint it!

The back window is actually the easiest to install. They did not cut around the third brake light. There is actually a small gap between the housing and the glass where they slide the tint in, then used a squigee that looked like an elongated putty knife. The back was all one piece.

When talking to the installers, the hardest window to do is the rear quarter ones (the ones that do not move). That is because it has a rubber gasket and the glass has no black border. The hard part is getting the film cut perfectly so no light comes in between the film and the gasket.

 

sedanman7 ... I didn't even think about trade in value ... good point.

 

Thanks, terrycs! Your answer is much appreciated

 

Any issues with the metalized tint and radio reception? AM or FM? Any other quirks?

Thanks.

 

your car looks sweet. i like the tint %. Now it is time to debadge.

 

No issues ... everything works fine. Keep in mind I did NOT do the windshield or sunroof though.