Clear Bra Installed (PICS)
05-11-2008 | 10:30 AM
#16
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
From: So Cal
[QUOTE=wrathletik1;2331966]
The installer told me it was VentureSHield but I'm not so sure. They're all pretty comparable anyways(3M, VS, Xpel) and do what they are intended to do, so I wouldn't worry about brand as long as it is a major name. If you got 3M it should be good. Older 3M formula was prone to yellowing and orange peel effect, but they changed their manufacturing process, so as long as you got the newer version, you shouldn't have to worry.
I hade my stuff done by a pro with 11 years experience. I think I could have done it myself, honestly, now that I've watched him do it. However, it was very time consuming, and I'm glad he did it instead of me. His installation area was clean, and dust free, and he had all the right tools, so IMO it was worth the money to have him do it.
Yes he had to trim and he did trim a lot. Although most of it was a computer cut pattern, it is never a perfect fit, and there will always be some trimming involved. When you trim, remember to score the material, never cut all the way through, and rip off the excess. It's similar to cutting glass.
While laying on the film, use a lot, and I mean A LOT, of solution. Spray the car, really saturate the surface, and do the same to the film, both sides (sticky underside to move the film where you want it, and the top, so the squeegee will slide freely, therefore avoiding scratching the film). You should have two solutions. One is a 70% distilled/filtered water with 30% isopropyl alcohol. This is to clean prep the surface for the film. The other solution is a mixture of very little soap (dawn should be okay) and clean water. This allows you to position the film, and lets the squeegee slide.
When you are satisfied with the placement, go ahead and squeegee all the moisture from underneath the film. Don't be afraid to lift the film and re align the film if you've made a mistake, some debris is trapped underneath, or are unhappy with the placement, as long as the film is still wet and hasn't set in yet. The hood should be cake, everything else with curves WILL be a biatch.
That's all I can remember for now from my research and the people I've talked to. Anybody feel free to correct me if I have been misinformed.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Thank you very much for the speedy and thorough reply - I appreciate your insights and willingness to share info.
All the best,
Semper Fi
The installer told me it was VentureSHield but I'm not so sure. They're all pretty comparable anyways(3M, VS, Xpel) and do what they are intended to do, so I wouldn't worry about brand as long as it is a major name. If you got 3M it should be good. Older 3M formula was prone to yellowing and orange peel effect, but they changed their manufacturing process, so as long as you got the newer version, you shouldn't have to worry.
I hade my stuff done by a pro with 11 years experience. I think I could have done it myself, honestly, now that I've watched him do it. However, it was very time consuming, and I'm glad he did it instead of me. His installation area was clean, and dust free, and he had all the right tools, so IMO it was worth the money to have him do it.
Yes he had to trim and he did trim a lot. Although most of it was a computer cut pattern, it is never a perfect fit, and there will always be some trimming involved. When you trim, remember to score the material, never cut all the way through, and rip off the excess. It's similar to cutting glass.
While laying on the film, use a lot, and I mean A LOT, of solution. Spray the car, really saturate the surface, and do the same to the film, both sides (sticky underside to move the film where you want it, and the top, so the squeegee will slide freely, therefore avoiding scratching the film). You should have two solutions. One is a 70% distilled/filtered water with 30% isopropyl alcohol. This is to clean prep the surface for the film. The other solution is a mixture of very little soap (dawn should be okay) and clean water. This allows you to position the film, and lets the squeegee slide.
When you are satisfied with the placement, go ahead and squeegee all the moisture from underneath the film. Don't be afraid to lift the film and re align the film if you've made a mistake, some debris is trapped underneath, or are unhappy with the placement, as long as the film is still wet and hasn't set in yet. The hood should be cake, everything else with curves WILL be a biatch.
That's all I can remember for now from my research and the people I've talked to. Anybody feel free to correct me if I have been misinformed.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
All the best,
Semper Fi
05-24-2008 | 04:26 AM
#18
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Jtown Bay Area
I'm a little dissapointed with the install...the installer didn't wrap my edges and there is lots of exposed areas in the front. This is due to the computer pattern he used, but the installer was a great guy. I did find a little hair trapped under the film, and the tailight film has some bubbling, but that is because his film provider decided to change their adhesive to a crappier one. I'm going to talk to him as soon as he get's some better film and I hope he will change it because the tails look like crap up close. The bubbling and subpar quality of the film was the reason I had to take them off my headlights, they started rippling on the part where the foglights shine through due to the heat. (I have the PIAA fogs) He replaced the defective tint film with the clear bra material over the headlights, and it has held up better. That's really too bad because I loved the color, much better than the brownish hue of Bat's overlays. Despite this, Im still debating installing Bat's GTR style over the headlights anyways cuz the pattern is sick.
Motor: So far I've washed my car only twice since the install, and it is still shiny. However, I maintain the film by using Plexus spray.
Motor: So far I've washed my car only twice since the install, and it is still shiny. However, I maintain the film by using Plexus spray.
How come they did not "wrap" the edges? It sounds like you got a lot of issues there. Who did it? My sister who goes to UCLA just bought a 335i. I told her about this stuff and she has no idea where to look. I just wanna make sure she gets it from a pro.
06-03-2008 | 04:30 PM
#19
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
I do not recommend wrapping the edges. At some point the film will lift leaving a dirt line underneath. I always take the film to the edge of the car and seal it down there. It minimizes the lines on the car and still provides the same protection. After all... it is paint protection, not paint beautification.
All films are NOT alike. I use ClearMask after years of trying different films. It is a 3M film, but it is the industrial grade film which is free from any orange peel and very durable. 3M automotive is not a good film... very durable but has a lot of orange peel to it. I will not touch that stuff anymore... nor any other film besides VentureShield. I only use VS for full hood wraps because it comes in wider rolls than ClearMask. Avery is ok (not durable) and Expel is… well its not one I will use ever.
Your kit should have an excellent fit without having to trim. I never have to trim and of my kits (well maybe 1 out of 20). If they are making the kits well it should be prefect from car to car.
If anyone has a question feel free to contact me.
Thom Pettigrew
HTP AutoWorks
All films are NOT alike. I use ClearMask after years of trying different films. It is a 3M film, but it is the industrial grade film which is free from any orange peel and very durable. 3M automotive is not a good film... very durable but has a lot of orange peel to it. I will not touch that stuff anymore... nor any other film besides VentureShield. I only use VS for full hood wraps because it comes in wider rolls than ClearMask. Avery is ok (not durable) and Expel is… well its not one I will use ever.
Your kit should have an excellent fit without having to trim. I never have to trim and of my kits (well maybe 1 out of 20). If they are making the kits well it should be prefect from car to car.
If anyone has a question feel free to contact me.
Thom Pettigrew
HTP AutoWorks
06-03-2008 | 08:08 PM
#20
JdmAllTheWay: I dunno if I want to help a 3dirty5 owner, j/k. Yeah I've had issues, but it is mostly due to the tint on my tails. I think it's film made by LaminX (my installer didn't explicitly say it was LaminX but I'm sure it was as I've seen the material before) and my installer was also dissapointed with LaminX for changing their adhesive formula. LaminX is good, thick film but I would not recommend it over applications where heat is generated beaneath the film as it does not allow the heat to dissipate as well as the clear bra film (which is much thinner and breathable). He told me he sent what unused portion of that film he had back to them to get the film with with the better adhesive. This was about a month ago so everything should be all good by now. I haven't gotten around to calling him yet as I've been busy with work and other things, but I will probably call him this week or the next to finally change the taillight film. The subtle darkening of the red is awesome, it's just the ugly bubbling.
The clear bra itself has been holding up fine, but I'm meticulous with my car upkeep and maintain the film with quik detailer and plexus in addition to washing the car. One thing I notice is that ALL clearbra installers I've ever been in contact with speak highly of Ventureshield, so it should be a safe choice.
My installer has all the brands in stock, so you could get what you want (3m, Venture, Xpel, etc.) but I know that Xpel is expensive and there really is no advantage to it, so why pay extra. My installer has, 11 year's experience and the guys at my350z, g35driver and clublexus love his work and he has loyal clients from those sites. Really nice installation area and very clean. Tell him you're from G35driver and he'll hook you up. The company is called Aerotect and is over by the pomona fairplex.
Ask for Francisco or Jason.
www.aerotect.net
(909) 596-0053 or (866) 388-Aero
1935 McKinley Ave. Unit F
La Verne CA
91750
You might also want to talk to Ampd. He's a sponsor on myG37 and installs clearbras using Ventureshield. I would have went to him but I wanted to have my tails darkened as well.
If you need more help just PM me, I know more installers if those don't work out for you.
The clear bra itself has been holding up fine, but I'm meticulous with my car upkeep and maintain the film with quik detailer and plexus in addition to washing the car. One thing I notice is that ALL clearbra installers I've ever been in contact with speak highly of Ventureshield, so it should be a safe choice.
My installer has all the brands in stock, so you could get what you want (3m, Venture, Xpel, etc.) but I know that Xpel is expensive and there really is no advantage to it, so why pay extra. My installer has, 11 year's experience and the guys at my350z, g35driver and clublexus love his work and he has loyal clients from those sites. Really nice installation area and very clean. Tell him you're from G35driver and he'll hook you up. The company is called Aerotect and is over by the pomona fairplex.
Ask for Francisco or Jason.
www.aerotect.net
(909) 596-0053 or (866) 388-Aero
1935 McKinley Ave. Unit F
La Verne CA
91750
You might also want to talk to Ampd. He's a sponsor on myG37 and installs clearbras using Ventureshield. I would have went to him but I wanted to have my tails darkened as well.
If you need more help just PM me, I know more installers if those don't work out for you.
Last edited by wrathletik1; 06-04-2008 at 05:14 PM.
06-03-2008 | 08:22 PM
#21
I do not recommend wrapping the edges. At some point the film will lift leaving a dirt line underneath. I always take the film to the edge of the car and seal it down there. It minimizes the lines on the car and still provides the same protection. After all... it is paint protection, not paint beautification.
All films are NOT alike. I use ClearMask after years of trying different films. It is a 3M film, but it is the industrial grade film which is free from any orange peel and very durable. 3M automotive is not a good film... very durable but has a lot of orange peel to it. I will not touch that stuff anymore... nor any other film besides VentureShield. I only use VS for full hood wraps because it comes in wider rolls than ClearMask. Avery is ok (not durable) and Expel is… well its not one I will use ever.
Your kit should have an excellent fit without having to trim. I never have to trim and of my kits (well maybe 1 out of 20). If they are making the kits well it should be prefect from car to car.
If anyone has a question feel free to contact me.
Thom Pettigrew
HTP AutoWorks
All films are NOT alike. I use ClearMask after years of trying different films. It is a 3M film, but it is the industrial grade film which is free from any orange peel and very durable. 3M automotive is not a good film... very durable but has a lot of orange peel to it. I will not touch that stuff anymore... nor any other film besides VentureShield. I only use VS for full hood wraps because it comes in wider rolls than ClearMask. Avery is ok (not durable) and Expel is… well its not one I will use ever.
Your kit should have an excellent fit without having to trim. I never have to trim and of my kits (well maybe 1 out of 20). If they are making the kits well it should be prefect from car to car.
If anyone has a question feel free to contact me.
Thom Pettigrew
HTP AutoWorks
Yeah, I wanted the edges wrapped just for a cleaner look, but your reasoning for having it come to the edge makes sense, so I'm not too dissapointed anymore for having it come to the edge.
Is the reason you won't use Xpel is because of the cost, or are there any other specific shortcomings we should be aware of? Back when I was still shopping around for a clear bra, I got a quote from a company out in San Diego for something in the ballpark of $1200 for the equivalent Xpel kit/pattern that I have on my car right now with my Ventureshield. I paid half that.
What other companies have patterns/kits for the G37 besides XPel? I was told that there will always be trimming, but you say there should be very little to no trimming. Hmmm.... Have you done a G37 sport yet? What areas on the bumper are exposed with a pre-cut pattern?
Thanks
06-03-2008 | 08:47 PM
#22
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
I have a Corvette club meeting to go present at this will be short fro now. Expel is the most expensive film I have run into and also one of the worst. Very easy to install but the durability is terrible. I saw one scuff across the hood (which can normally be removed) and the Expel material was ruined. The hood piece had to be replaced... which I did with ClearMask. Having the two films side by side showed the difference in the clarity and finish of the films. Expel is just not that good of a product. A lot of installers use it do to the fact it saves time in installation. I think it is better to use a film that will last (and look better IMHO) and not have to replace it in a year... or less.
As far as the quote you were given, part of that was because of the film... the rest was the installer adding his rate to it. There is not that much of a difference between the prices of films. But some installers charge a premium for their installations. It doesnt make them any better... just more expensive.
Thom
HTP AutoWorks
As far as the quote you were given, part of that was because of the film... the rest was the installer adding his rate to it. There is not that much of a difference between the prices of films. But some installers charge a premium for their installations. It doesnt make them any better... just more expensive.
Thom
HTP AutoWorks
06-04-2008 | 05:54 PM
#23
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Jtown Bay Area
I have the bra on my car put behind the corners and edges and no such issues with the stuff coming up. I sent my sis over there and she didn't like how it looked. She couldn't describe it well, but just that she could see it with lines in some places. Not really what sure what she was describing, but she didn't like it. Maybe women are more picky
06-04-2008 | 05:58 PM
#24
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
Yeah you will have some seam lines around the edges, but if you think about it and what it is intended for... sure looks a lot better than the black vinyl bras you see running around. And it looks much better than having a lot of rock chips on the front of your car. It is paint protection after all...
06-04-2008 | 06:51 PM
#25
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: 000000N 0000000E
Durashield? Weird dealer answers...
Has anyone heard of Durashield? I called my local dealer to check out prices on a clearbra, and this is what he said:
1) They don't do the front bumper because it's a different material and doesn't chip like the rest of the car (!!!!)
2) They use something called Durashield
3) Price was "under $500" to do 18" of the hood, the side fenders, and mirrors
Anyone have any thoughts?
1) They don't do the front bumper because it's a different material and doesn't chip like the rest of the car (!!!!)
2) They use something called Durashield
3) Price was "under $500" to do 18" of the hood, the side fenders, and mirrors
Anyone have any thoughts?
06-04-2008 | 07:42 PM
#26
I have the bra on my car put behind the corners and edges and no such issues with the stuff coming up. I sent my sis over there and she didn't like how it looked. She couldn't describe it well, but just that she could see it with lines in some places. Not really what sure what she was describing, but she didn't like it. Maybe women are more picky
If she was complaining about the "line" where the clear bra ends along the hood and fender then I don't know what to tell you lol. No matter what brand film, there is always going to be a line, unless she pays more $$$ to get the whole hood and fenders done.
I'd rather have a line than rock chips.
06-04-2008 | 07:50 PM
#27
Has anyone heard of Durashield? I called my local dealer to check out prices on a clearbra, and this is what he said:
1) They don't do the front bumper because it's a different material and doesn't chip like the rest of the car (!!!!)
2) They use something called Durashield
3) Price was "under $500" to do 18" of the hood, the side fenders, and mirrors
Anyone have any thoughts?
1) They don't do the front bumper because it's a different material and doesn't chip like the rest of the car (!!!!)
2) They use something called Durashield
3) Price was "under $500" to do 18" of the hood, the side fenders, and mirrors
Anyone have any thoughts?
HAHA. I call BS. The bumper doesnt chip...hahahaha. He probably doesn't want to do the bumper because it's the hardest part to lay the film correctly. Never heard of Durashield, but unless you know how much under $500 it will be, I would explore other options. For about 500-600 out the door in Socal is what you should expect as a fair price, anything less is great. What you should expect coverage-wise from any installer are partial hood, partial fenders, full bumper and the side mirrors. I got other stuff thrown in based on the deal I worked out.
06-04-2008 | 10:37 PM
#28
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
Yeah I agree. Sounds like a bunch of amature installers to me. The bumper is the hardest part and the msot expensive. I would not pay nor charge $500 for the hood, fenders, and mirrors. Thats really ridiculous...
I have never heard anything about DuraShield either so I can not comment on them. Where are you located at? I might be able to refer you to a good installer in your area.
Thom Pettigrew
HTP AutoWorks
I have never heard anything about DuraShield either so I can not comment on them. Where are you located at? I might be able to refer you to a good installer in your area.
Thom Pettigrew
HTP AutoWorks
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