Clear Bra and Tint, my poor car

[ArKiTeCkT]

To be honest I feel bad for you. If I were you I would:

Step 1: talk to the guy on 6/13 and see what he does for you, at the very least, get a full reimbursement. You can try to see if they will pay out any money for the repairs, if not, try and sue them. Definitely have the clear bra removed by them.

Step 2: Upon removal of the clear bra, definitely go to a detailer and see what they recommend.

Here's a list of them: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7164

Step 3: Go to another place to get a clear bra done. OR you can apply opti-coat which is suppose to be better than a clear bra. Deatils about opti-coat is given in the link above.

[RiskyTrousers]

We bumped up the visit to this Monday, I'll let you guys know what happens.

[CU2MIKE]

Originally Posted by RiskyTrousers

We bumped up the visit to this Monday, I'll let you guys know what happens.

Sorry I couldn't be of any help. That gauge unfortunately is $3000 a piece, not something I could afford at the moment. Without it I'd be too uncomfortable doing it, especially on a brand new car.

[wrxneffect]

Originally Posted by mattles

Its very hard to apply 3M clear bra on a new car that doesnt have a template. They have to literally trim the clear bra while its partially adhered to your paint. You WILL have scratches in atleast the clearcoat from this practice. NEVER EVER EVER get clear bra without the installer having a template, so that the bra is printed and cut before being applied to your car.

I am so sorry you had to learn this the hard way, and with the amount of money you paid I hope you bitch up a storm until they fix every single little detail.

Originally Posted by CU2MIKE

I've seen custom fitted clear bras (not template, but actual roll and cut to specs) without any scratches on it from the blades. This is usually quite a bit more expensive than having template ones put on because it requires more time and labor. So, this installer just sucks, and I hope you didn't pay too much for it/get it all sorted out soon.

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

That's why I suggest going to places that use plotters to cut the patterns instead of a knife Sorry to hear man. A good custom one can fit better but unless you can see reference work it's too large a risk for me.

I had clear bra done to my car the other week. The installer didn't have a template and the install went perfect with no scratches. I saw him using a blade and he said that you don't have to actually cut the film all the way through. You can just mark it with the razor and it tears away. This installer has many years of experience on all types of cars and has done many exotics, I've seen the pics he's posted before, so I'm sure he has perfected his technique.

Sorry to hear that the OP got screwed. Any good installer should be able to apply the clear bra without scratching the paint. Hope you get it sorted out, especially for the price you paid.

[Longhorn248]

That job looks absolutely horrific! I'm the guy that had the XPEL templates made from his car. When I walked into the shop they had 3 Land Rovers and an Aston Martin DBS sitting there waiting to be worked on. All my reservations were lifted when I saw that, and they ended up doing a great job.

[Draco-REX]

Mine was custom as well. Remembering this thread, I took some REAL close looks when I was washing it today. No scratches like the OP. My installer always does custom applications. He recently did an Aventador, and there's no way that owner would have accepted scratches as "normal".

[RiskyTrousers]

Took the car in yesterday, updated the original post.

[FRSCoupe]

Why don't you let us know the name of the shop and write a review on Yelp too.. maybe when this is over.

As mentioned its a very skillful job to score the film just enough and not score the paint. I think it is also easier to see screws up on a black car.

I think you paid top dollar for the job from the price you mentioned.

[HunterGreene]

Amazingly horrific job, I would be finding a lawyer if I were you, regardless of if they re-do everything for free, if there are still defects they refuse to repair. However, Shop X should be on its knees, willing to do anything to fix the problem.

Also, if I read that correctly and the owner himself was trying to BS you, that would be a major red flag, and I would tell him that if it wasn't fixed completely the next time (including cost of paint repairs) that I would see him in court for the cost of the botched install plus the cost of repairing the paint to factory spec (plus a couple extra layers of clear coat for good measure).

Good Luck!

[mattles]

clear bras by their product definition are for the MOST detail-oriented and MOST picky/particular owners. Most people dont bother with that shit because its already too finicky and expensive to begin with! Sounds like that place is just full of asshats. I am glad they are fixing all of the damage for you, since they directly caused all of the damage.

Yea I know, someone is gonna say its only a 25k car, but you know what, it isnt a piece of shit rental-spec/grocery getter/utility car. For some people, this is the most sports car they will ever get to own in their entire lives. Some people barely bring home $25k in a year...

Now its time for me to hop off my soap box and wish your car a speedy recovery.

[TPO]

Can't believe it cost $1800.

[RiskyTrousers]

Updated the original post.

[Liquidsnake]

I would lawyer up. Get compensated for the time you were without your car, and for mental anguish.

[RiskyTrousers]

Updated with repair costs.