Is clearbra worth it?
 

So i've been looking to get my brz clearbra. I've got a few dings and scratches from flying pebbled during car meets and i was devastated. I Went to NW Auto Salon in Lynnwood WA and for a full frontal wrap they quoted about $1700. Is it worth it? are there good shops around the seattle areas that would do for a slightly cheaper price with good quality?

Here is what i was trying to get done:
Full detail - $375
Paint touch-up(for those rock chip dings, i already have the paint) - $70
Window tint - $325
Full frontal clearbra - $1725

all together about $2500.... worth it? (i do want to keep the car for a while)

edit: to clearify, i'm doing the full front, including the entire hood, fenders, bumper, headlights and mirror.

I am pretty sure that my clearbra is more like $200.
You are getting raped.

I can vinyl wrap an entire car for less than $500

They mustve thought you had a maserati gran turismo

I would say no and here is my thought process:

The parts of your car that aren't protected after clearbra are going to wear (swirls, scratches, fade, etc) differently. Either clearbra all of it or not. It's akin to using a phone case that leaves the front unprotected. After 2 or 3 years, the front half will show wear and the protected half not.

Better suggestion (albeit more expensive): Get the whole car vinyl wrapped.

clear bra is a thicker vinyl and also clear typically 500-600 for a bumper and half hood with that the 1.7k seems crazy also that window tint and detail price are crazy...normal detail ~200 normal tint ~200 tell that shop you don't own a ferrari

They did clear bra on my last two cars for $200.
I bought the BRZ used and it alrerady had it, so I dont know the cost there.

And I was just pricing vinyl wrap and clear bra material.
Materials alone for bra ~$100

Yeah material is cheap its the labor that makes the price I'm sure some shops will do it cheaper but its typically around 5-600 from the quotes I got around Portland with that said I can get a full vinyl wrap for less that 1.7k

for a little context. the shop is definitely a high end shop. I just want a good quality work done, but i can see why they charge more than other people(they do a lot of super cars as well). I will keep looking around and see if I can get a cheaper price. I saw some companies would drive to your place and do it there, i'm just not sure if the quality will be up to par.

definitely do it at a shop they need a "clean" environment to install in your garage will have more dust and crap than their shop-

that's a lot for the clear bra but i'm assuming you're going with the full front (full hood and fender) Window tint at 325 isn't bad if you're getting the ceramic film that helps reflect UV rays (and keeps the inside of the car cooler)

full detail and paint correction is on par with their services, NW auto salon is one of the best in our area and who i went to see to get my car its original detail a week after buying and just before getting clear bra installed by accutint in bellevue http://www.accutintbellevue.com/

Now from my research in our area here's are the cost (keeping in mind this is from nearly 2 years ago when i first bought the car)

1/3 front clip (front bumper, lights, 1/3 of hood and 1/2 side fenders, edges of door and inside the door handle cove) 500 (low side with bad ratings) to 699 (great ratings and personal recommendations)

adding a full hood is typically 500 more however when i got mine done accutint was doing a special and i got it done for 300 more. adding full side fenders was another 200 and a pillars were 100.

What i had done is front bumper, lights, full hood, 1/2 fender and the small door stuff which with the special came out to 999 and i have to say it has been 100% worth it. more than once i've come out from work to find a nice big pile of bird shit on my hood that would have done serious damage to the pain and another time i was following a buddy, and i wasn't close, and a rock shot out from his tire, hit my hood then my window chipping my window. hood was perfect.

oh and in case you are worried about seeing the clear bra, go with the full hood at the very least, i did the 1/3 on my last car and hated seeing the line in the hood once the car was dirty.

however you can't really tell from a distance you have a bra on anyway :)

http://i57.tinypic.com/156cp6c.jpg

http://i57.tinypic.com/4jpeh5.jpg

FWIW, I have clearbra on the front 1/3rd from the previous owner. It's helped with minor rock chips and the like, but the transition from smooth paint to orange peel clearbra looks like absolute shit within 5 feet. If I were to get it done myself, it would be the whole hood or nothing at all.

sounds like the previous owner didn't get paint correction done before the clear bra was added. :(

Thank for the info! i'll check out accutint and see what their prices are. I definitely trust NWAS for detailing so i might do what you did. and yes it will be full frontal just like yours. there are a few chips and scratches from going on mountain runs with a pack of cars which I REALLY need to get touched up before getting it wrapped so $500 to get her preped might be worth it.

It's not the paint that is the problem, but the texture difference between the paint and the clear-bra right in the middle of a panel. All clear bras I've seen have a slight orange peel finish.

from my research, if the clearbra peels or change in color, either it was really old(for the 86, probably not) or it was a really shitty job. the yellow/orange are dried adhesive reacting to air and sunlight. newer clearbras shouldn't orange/yellow because they changed the adhesive formula. I'm planning on full front wrapping which mean there won't be a cruddy line going across the middle of my panels/hood. When they do full wrap, they should be tucking the wrap over the edges of the panel all the way to the other side(or they suppose to...)

I believe I am not explaining myself correctly, my clearbra is neither peeling nor changing color. There is an inherent, albeit slight, difference in both surface finish and index of refraction between a painted surface and a plastic wrapped surface. It bothers me.

correct, another thing is that it needs to be maintained. cleaned once a week and a fresh coat of wax once a month. I've noticed that the clear synthetic wax seems to do the best. it can lose its luster without that.

Keep in mind there can be a big difference in price depending on which PPF is used.


I would recommend a self healing PPF like Xpel Ultimate.
The price for a pre-cut kit for full hood, fenders, mirrors is $809.95
The front bumper kit is $419.95.

All that aside the quote you got does seem a bit high, $325 just for tint?

btw if you aren't set on ceramic tint and don't mind using a film without uv blocking properties, Andy over at prestige auto tint does amazing work at a fair price, it was 250ish to tint my wife protege (a lot more to tint than on our car) and i've used him before on my mazda3 and i've sent a couple friends his way. every job comes out perfect and he offers a lifetime warranty on his work and the film.
http://prestigetinting.com/

I would say its worth it to get just the front bumper done, stopping right at the bumper lines and not extending further up the hood or fenders. When clear bras extend upwards, thats when you tend to run into that line where wax wants to collect and if you ever remove it the wear on the exposed paint would look differently. Just my opinion.

the one they quoted was xpel

Yes, it's wortht it. I got mine done after getting enough chips, which is very noticible on white. Although, make sure you get the whole fenders/hood done. The line annoys me as well. I went 1/3 on the fender, and I'm already on my second big rock chip on the lip of the wheelwell. Never experienced paint so fragile as this one.

Self-healing Clearbra
 

Can't help with insight on the costs you've mentioned... but I can tell you that you should check around and try to find the brand that is "self-healing." That way, when small nicks, etc. happen, they will self-heal.

I have the "Factory OEM" Clearbra that is NOT self-healing... and now after two years of wear... the Clearbra is beginning to show some wear-and-tear.

the price was for xpel self healing brand.

I agree with @Turbo95eg6 in that the paint on our cars is just unbelievable in its softness, and lack of resilience. It's the biggest complaint I have when people ask me what I don't like, or am unhappy with about my car.

I purchased a clear bra, and I feel that it is absolutely worth it. Our cars are so low, that almost any car at normal, sedan-level height is going to be capable of kicking stuff up at our bumper - even when taking every precaution that you can to drive a safe distance back fro mteh car in front of you, etc.

Living in the Northwest seems to be especially shitty in that our roads are completely chewed up, we seem to share back-roads, and neighborhood streets with large semi-trucks the likes of which I've never seen elsewhere in the country, and to boot we call out that fleet of trucks to shit gravel all over the roads throughout the winter.

After only four months of ownership and precarious driving the front of my car was completely pelted - it made me really sad. I purchased my clear bra last year with some of the money from my tax return, and while there are a few things about the install that I think were shoddy, there isn't a single day where I don't feel it was worth it.

I had an empty milk gallon jug fly out of the back of a pick up truck in front of me that hit my car square in the bumper - there was no damage from it, but had I not had the clear shield I feel like that would have left some sort of nasty scratch or marring.


I definitely think it's worth it, but the price you were quoted was definitely too high.

I would try to shop around a bit - I have heard good things about TCT wraps, and I was told that they offer a Suntek line that is identical to the Xpel Ultimate shield (which I have). My detailer and friend Tom works there I believe, he told me to mention his name to get a good price there since I was inquiring about wanting to get my hood done - not sure if that will work for you, but you could at least ask them for a quote as I believe their prices are decent regardless.

Also, if the quality shop you're referring to getting it done at is 503 Motoring - don't go there; they caused damage to my car while I was getting my clear bra installed; the owner is a sociopath that will deny his shop causing anything of the sort even if you have evidence, and support - they reluctantly paid to have the damage they cause to my car fixed, but made me sign a waiver saying they did not cause it, and only "repaired it in good faith" before they would give me my keys back. They're also crooks with their pricing. I had to pay for the front "package" deal they had which included door edges that I told them I didn't even want done (I had the factory edge guards, anyway), and they refused to reduce the price any for wanting to exclude that part, insisting that their packages offer the "most aggressive pricing", and therefor the price won't change (even if you don't want or need an area of your car done that is included in their "packaging").

the place is called Northwest Auto Salon, got really good reviews and from what I can see, they got really nice garages and seem very professional. I suppose they charge more because they deal a lot of supercars (a few in the lot when i visited the place)

Ah - for some reason I thought you were in the Portland area. 'veh eard good things about NWAS as well, but yeah - it seems as though that is the shop that all of the super cars in the area get detailed at, so I imagine their prices are going to be significantly higher. For the $1,700 you were quoted - I feel like you could pay to have the whole front bumper repainted to look like new, and then find another shop to do the same clear bra for that same price all together.

hm its interesting... i just called accutint in bellvue for quote, they gave about the same offer as NWAS. maybe just a liiitttle cheaper. i guess that is the price nowadays.

500 for vinyl on the entire car? I paid like 800 for plasti dip wtf :o

Just an example for partial front bra:
Xpel Stealth 24" X 50 feet = $652
http://www.ikonwraps.com/Xpel-Stealt.../xpf24us50.htm
That should be enough for 5 cars for 130 ea.

Xpel Extreme 24" X 100 feet = $950
That should be enough for 10 cars for $95 ea.

If you want a whole hood:
Xpel Extreme 60" X 50 feet = $1200
or ~10 hoods for $120 ea.

And on that site, I just priced my whole car for $315 worth of matte vinyl.

and then you have to deal with cutting, prepping, applying, molding, and removing any air bubble.

my time was worth paying someone else to take care of that.

OP stated that "Full frontal clearbra - $1725"

And I show that the materials are about $200.
Total install time for clear bra only is about 2 hours (and that is generous).

1725 - 200 = 1525 for 2 hours work = $762/hour.
I am clearly in the wrong business.....

your expectations that it'll only take 2 hours to prep the car, cut the vinyl and apply it, is very ambitious.

but if you can do it in 2 hours, then yes, you are absolutely in the wrong line of work.

My bro got his WRX front end clear bra by a mobile guy. Pretty good stuff. Was under $600. Including behind the wheel well and door cups.

Ok Ok, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt:
8 hours to put a sheet of plastic on a bumper:

1725 - 200 = 1525 for 8 hours work = $190/hour.

Get the picture???
Certified Automotive technicians dont make that (district attorneys dont make that), and most of the "tint & Vinyl guys" I see doing the work, look like HS drop outs....

Point - $1725 for a clear bra is MORE THAN A NEW BUMPER!

you're painting the wrong picture, the 1700$ quote is more than just the bumper, you're talking bumper, lights, both front quarter panels and the hood, mirros, end of the door and inside of the door handles.

and your 200$ in material is not cut, if you order a pre-cut version from 3m (which is what most of these places use to ensure a perfect fit)

you're looking at a lot more than 200$

http://www.clearbra-kits.com/store/p...null&maincat=3

150$ for the front bumper.

450$ for the hood, quarter panels and mirrors

40$ for the lights.

that's 640$ for material, so really 1060 for labor and tax (which is 10% here).

I also already let the OP know that he should shop around because i got what he wants done for 1000$ (excluding the full quarter panels). i think paying 360$ for their 4-6 hours of time is well worth it for me (and you're paying for 2-3 guys)

so as i was saying, if you can prep-cut-apply the clear bra in 2 hours by yourself (or hell with a partner) you are in the wrong line of work and should consider opening up a business, i personally could not.

Like I said, it shouldn't be anywhere more than $6-800 for the labor and material. The guy my bro used was a 3m certified as well.

I think he was getting quoted for the Xpel Ultimate ("self healing") shield, which can get pretty expensive. It cost me $500 to get my front bumper done with Xpel Ultimate, and that was $100 off of what the place I went to normally charges. I was quoted $900 for the full hood (which I thought was ridiculous), so I can see a full frontal (assuming that includes the fender) being close to that, although it still seems a bit high especially for getting a package (full front, etc) done like that.

Just an anecdote from earlier this evening though - I was driving along a normal, 25 mph road, and I was in the left lane while a bus was pulling over in the right lane up ahead of me to let off a few passengers. I had a car jerk out in front of me to avoid stopping for the bus, and then they sped off as if to try to make up for being an ass. There were several thick sticks (sort of drift wood looking) on the road right in front of them and they kicked one up at me as they sped off.

Normally I am driving far enough back that I can avoid something like that hitting my car, but since the guy cut me off and was right in front of me the stick hit the lower portion of my bumper. It looks like it just left a small chip that is (thankfully) only in the clear bra, but had I not had the clear bra that would have caused decent damage to the paint on my front bumper.

I'll admit I hated that I felt like I couldn't start doing the "fun" mods on my far right away first because I spent a good chunk of money on the "protection" stuff such as the opti-coat and the clear bra, but times like this I'm so thankful I got them despite how skeptical I Was about them.

Honestly I think if it is something you think you want, you won't be disappointed with as long as you get a good quality shield that is installed well. Again, there are some minor nuances about the installation of mien that I wish were different, but I don't think anyone noticed them but myself, and it sure is a lot better than seeing my bumper chewed up with all sorts of chips, and such.

Hanson Subaru did the 1/2 hood/bumper/mirror/doorhandles/headlights and edge install for less than $800, financed when I got my first BRZ. It was an excellent job done by a local shop, and I took it back to have some peeling edges on the bumper trimmed without any fuss.

I'm getting it done again, just got quoted $900. Thankfully I know that's a rip. Older 3M and some others will yellow and fade, there are plenty of others that age better if you take care of them and avoid automatic car washes. After I get my CQuartz installed this week I'm taking it back to Hanson to have just the hood and fenders fully wrapped. Plastic is much easier to fix and correct, protecting your metal is much more cost effective and important.

I've noticed at least in the NW that the rear front fenders between the well and the door are also rock magnets, I got some spray-on 3M for those. It can be removed and replaced annually for about $24.

Did my entire car for $220 and it took me all of ~8 hours.
So I guess I'm just FOS.
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps4hp1i9ms.jpg