Clear Bra Film Brands?
 

Does anyone have any thoughts, experiences, opinions between these different clear bra material brands?

3M
VentureShield
Xpel Ultimate
Avery Nano Fusion

No one huh?

Ive heard good things about 3M and Xpel. Havent heard much about the others.

I used 3M on my WRX and it was on there for 10 years without any issues until the day I sold it for my BRZ. I went with Xpel Ultimate on the BRZ due to their self healing properties. It also is clearer than the 3M I had previously without any orange peel effect, but I have not seen the newer 3M material lately so they may have gotten rid of that, but it was present on my WRX application.

Ventureshield is good protection but hazes from contamination (yellowing) and scratches easily.

XPEL Ultimate is what I went with this time, self healing and better gloss to it.

XPEL Ultimate

XPEL Ultimate. i just got it on my BRZ and you can barely tell its there. I went with the XPEL Ultimate because of its self healing, it doesn't stain and the 10 warranty. the 3M VentureShield only comes with a 5 year warranty.

also the XPEL doesn't have a "orange peel" look to it

Can expel be applied over an opticoated surface? My question is the same as the OP.

Yes it can. I had mine opticoated.

XPEL Ultimate. :thumbsup: I have it on my car too!

Suntek!!!

Xpel

Xpel Ultimate

After sema and talking with manufactures and people that install film I've changed my mind, I was used to old Xpel ultimate but apparently the new stuff they are having problems with. The suntek was really impressive, I scratched the crap out of it with a steel brush and they took it right out in a few seconds with a heat gun. The Avery was impressive in its resistance to love bug staining.

To those who had the XPEL clear bra applied, would you mind telling me how much you had paid. I'm looking into getting it installed on my car, got a quote for $1000....

Quotes for film are tough to compare without mentioning coverage. A price of $1000 is hard to judge without knowing what you are being quoted for (what will be covered). With film you can literally cover anything, and the extent of coverage ranges from a 6" strip on the hood to entire cars; so knowing exactly what the quote includes is important.

The quote included the whole hood, full fender, full bumper, rear bumper, roof, headlights and wheel flares. Comes with a 10 year warranty.

That's pretty good. It's usually around $1200 or so for full bumper, full hood/fenders, headlights, mirrors around here

Xpel Ultimate


That's a pretty good price, I had the above and a few other areas covered and it set me back $1300.

Jacob

Man I got quoted 1000 just for full hood, bumper and fenders....granted I don't know what they use.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Paid $950.00 for mine. Included everything (half hood to fenders)full bumper and mirrors too.
3M. Mind you, I used to do accounting at a window tinting business where we also tinted cars, and moved up to clear bra.
3M is the way to go. We tried Xpel, but you can see the little lines (texture)...

I love the work on mine.

I just picked up my BRZ after having Ventureshield installed. So far I'm pleased with not being able to see it on the lightning red, and the bikini cut on the hood/fenders helps hide that line too.

SunTek. It has a self healing coating just like XPEL and its actually even more optically clear. It's also easier to apply and cheaper. The only big difference is that it has a 5 year warranty vs. XPEL's 10, so its up to you to weight the cost vs warranty.

If that is a quality film (ventureshield ultra/xpel/suntek) from a quality installer, that is an excellent price. A ballpark range for bumper/front hood alone can be anywhere from $800-$1000. Full fenders on an frs/brz is normally $400+. I would almost make sure to confirm converge, because the film alone for that job (assuming FULL hood/fenders (not a partial), bumper, lights, partial on roof, and front wheel flare) with any of the three films mentioned would be something like $500-$600 even for someone who buys a lot of film. That means you're paying ~$400 for labor on what is easily an 8 hour job for an experienced guy. So ya, a deal.

I paid $1500 for the Xpel Ultimate with a Full Hood, Full Front Bumper, Full front quarter panels, Mirrors, headlights. So yea, $1000 is a steal...

I'd go with XPEL Ultimate. I paid $1000 for XPEL Ultimate clear film. Full front bumper, full hood, partial front fenders, side mirrors. Possibly also the headlights, I forget if it got applied to them, I'll have to check tomorrow.

Why would you put a clear film on top of opti-coat instead of the other way around?

I covered my entire BRZ with Xpel Ultimate.
Self healing is definitely awesome.
There are a few things I do want to mention though.

I continue to wax even with the film on because I love the feel of a waxed surface.
It doesn't seem to last as long as for bare clear-coat though.

The very second day after getting the car back I had a bird take a dump on the hood.
It definitely stained.
It's only visible from one angle and invisible from other angles but it still bugs me to no end. Might see what that warranty will do.

Also, choose your installer wisely...

I just dropped my car off today to get it covered with SunTek. Like DSOmegaX said, it only comes with a five year warranty. The shop I dropped it off at doesn't use Xpel. Front bumper, front fenders, hood, mirror backs, and headlights/fogs set me back a little more than $1,000 after a 10% discount.

I think one thing people need to make sure of is that they find a quality and reputable installer. Don't just look for the cheapest price. Sometimes you just need to pay a little more to get it done right the first time. I've seen too many times people having to get their clear bra redone because they wanted a good deal first.

were you the one that had the whole car done by Cliff up in columbia Md? if so i deal with him a lot. we just did my frs a few weeks ago.

Yup that was me.
I've been meaning to do a full review. I will get to it at some point.

Price wasn't at the top of the list when I was searching for an installer, which I understand can't be so for everyone but I strongly recommend not letting it be so.

My original car budget was 50k, I had awesome financing lined up before going car shopping.
I'm glad I didn't spend it all on the car, things you need/want right after getting a car didn't occur to me right away. Also I'm really happy about the choice of vehicle :thumbup:.

I pretty much went with who I thought would give me the best result according to what research I did online.

fyi, I paid less than $1k for 3M VentureShield on bumper, partial fenders and hood (bikini cut), and Suntek CXP window tint (45% on sides and rear, clear on windshield). It would have been closer to $1200 with out my race industry discount.

I just picked up my car this morning. SunTek. It was very well done. I could barely tell it's there unless I'm looking for it.

what about the new stuff thats kinda like plasti dip, armor all custom shield. its clear. it was 16 dollars or something. im not a cheap guy, just on a budget since im only 19 lol

Its decent for trips. Not sure how long it'll last in day to day driving.

Sent from my Nexus 4

What about the Scion branded accessory installed at the port? Opinions? My dealer is offering to discount it to cost for both kits, a little less than $600 for most of the hood, fenders and front bumper. Is it up to the quality if better aftermarket installations? Warrantied for 36 months/36,000 miles.

http://www.scion.com/cars/FR-S/acces...wAll&view=grid

Most paint protection films are very close in price but what you pay for is a quality install.

That's the difference from a $500 install vs a $1500. Installing clear bra is harder than vinyl or tint. It takes a lot of patience and experience to do right.

If you do not mind me asking, how much was getting it applied to your entire car? I am thinking about it as well since I have random chips all over the car.