Some Clear Bra Questions and Paint questions
06-15-2009, 11:26 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Some Clear Bra Questions and Paint questions
I am looking into having a clear bra, or protective film (as it is called) installed on my 2005 C6 Z51... I've seen all the other threads, and there is a lot of good info out there but I have a few specific questions i would like to ask, and I am hoping somebody has the answers to them.
The company that is doing the install only uses LLumar Protective Film. I am interested in feedback from anybody who has this installed on there vehicle. Does this stuff actually protect? And if so, how much life can I expect out of it before it looks like crap?
I was told prior to installation that I would have to polish the paint. Not a problem. But my headlights and fogs have a bit of tarnish and little speckles all over them. Is there any way to polish that out before they install the bra?
I am not sure what to do about my fender wells. I have the traditional corvette fender well fading issue that seems to have plagued all the Corvettes in my family. Do I, A. Get the fender wells blended and then have the bra installed, or should i just leave it and install the bra anyway. Will it be less noticable?
Sorry if I seem to be beating the horse again. This is a big investment and I just want to make sure i am going with the right company.
Thanks,
Dan
The company that is doing the install only uses LLumar Protective Film. I am interested in feedback from anybody who has this installed on there vehicle. Does this stuff actually protect? And if so, how much life can I expect out of it before it looks like crap?
I was told prior to installation that I would have to polish the paint. Not a problem. But my headlights and fogs have a bit of tarnish and little speckles all over them. Is there any way to polish that out before they install the bra?
I am not sure what to do about my fender wells. I have the traditional corvette fender well fading issue that seems to have plagued all the Corvettes in my family. Do I, A. Get the fender wells blended and then have the bra installed, or should i just leave it and install the bra anyway. Will it be less noticable?
Sorry if I seem to be beating the horse again. This is a big investment and I just want to make sure i am going with the right company.
Thanks,
Dan
06-15-2009, 11:46 PM
#2
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
No ideas about Llumar altho it's been around for awhile. I've only had 3M. So, I also can't comment on how long it'll last. 3M lasts quite a bit longer than the anticipated five years.
As to polishing, most places tell me (and others) not to, or they don't have to wax or polish first. I'd say you're being told to polish mostly to remove either bumps or blemishes, is that right? If so, some on here say to clay bar. I personally don't like the idea of clay bar, but you can get a similar result with a little more work using the various types of cleaners, and then polish. For the headlight, I might try the Meguiar's headlight kit. You might ask them by calling to make sure it's ok for your headlights.
And I have no idea what you're referring to re wheel wells. ARe you talking about the black plastic INSIDE? Or the lip in body-color nearest the wheel well?
As to polishing, most places tell me (and others) not to, or they don't have to wax or polish first. I'd say you're being told to polish mostly to remove either bumps or blemishes, is that right? If so, some on here say to clay bar. I personally don't like the idea of clay bar, but you can get a similar result with a little more work using the various types of cleaners, and then polish. For the headlight, I might try the Meguiar's headlight kit. You might ask them by calling to make sure it's ok for your headlights.
And I have no idea what you're referring to re wheel wells. ARe you talking about the black plastic INSIDE? Or the lip in body-color nearest the wheel well?
06-15-2009, 11:57 PM
#3
Drifting
Thread Starter
No ideas about Llumar altho it's been around for awhile. I've only had 3M. So, I also can't comment on how long it'll last. 3M lasts quite a bit longer than the anticipated five years.
As to polishing, most places tell me (and others) not to, or they don't have to wax or polish first. I'd say you're being told to polish mostly to remove either bumps or blemishes, is that right? If so, some on here say to clay bar. I personally don't like the idea of clay bar, but you can get a similar result with a little more work using the various types of cleaners, and then polish. For the headlight, I might try the Meguiar's headlight kit. You might ask them by calling to make sure it's ok for your headlights.
And I have no idea what you're referring to re wheel wells. ARe you talking about the black plastic INSIDE? Or the lip in body-color nearest the wheel well?
As to polishing, most places tell me (and others) not to, or they don't have to wax or polish first. I'd say you're being told to polish mostly to remove either bumps or blemishes, is that right? If so, some on here say to clay bar. I personally don't like the idea of clay bar, but you can get a similar result with a little more work using the various types of cleaners, and then polish. For the headlight, I might try the Meguiar's headlight kit. You might ask them by calling to make sure it's ok for your headlights.
And I have no idea what you're referring to re wheel wells. ARe you talking about the black plastic INSIDE? Or the lip in body-color nearest the wheel well?
Meguiar's offers a headlight repair kit?? Cool... I will get on that lead tomorrow
I am referring to lip in body-color nearest to the wheel wells. They are slightly faded from sand and rock chips... they are much worse on my fathers C5, and the back was horrible on my last C4.
DG
06-16-2009, 01:10 AM
#4
Racer
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Clear Bra
Will it help? Very definitely. If you take the blunt (handle) end of a screwdriver and press on the film you will notice a definite resiliancy that small rocks and gravel will bounce off of.
I wasn't asked to wax or polish but was told to make sure the car was clean. I clay barred the car just before taking it in.
I don't know how long it will last, but I would suspect a few years easily.
Mine cleans easily and I put polish on it like the rest of the car. Getting bugs off is easy because you can rub pretty hard and not worry about scratching the paint.
The wheel wells are a great place for this stuff. You might want to have yours repainted first if they are looking bad. I have a combination of clear bra and splash guards (colored).
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the clear bra. It is nearly invisible and since I drive very fast on the Autobahn on a daily basis the damage so far is zero. My C5 had lots of chips in the front after awhile and it looked like crap. Since I had pearl coat it was impossible to touch up.
There is a polish for the lenses and you can also buy protective covers for them as well. I dont' have those, however.
Hope this helps.
Chuck
I wasn't asked to wax or polish but was told to make sure the car was clean. I clay barred the car just before taking it in.
I don't know how long it will last, but I would suspect a few years easily.
Mine cleans easily and I put polish on it like the rest of the car. Getting bugs off is easy because you can rub pretty hard and not worry about scratching the paint.
The wheel wells are a great place for this stuff. You might want to have yours repainted first if they are looking bad. I have a combination of clear bra and splash guards (colored).
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the clear bra. It is nearly invisible and since I drive very fast on the Autobahn on a daily basis the damage so far is zero. My C5 had lots of chips in the front after awhile and it looked like crap. Since I had pearl coat it was impossible to touch up.
There is a polish for the lenses and you can also buy protective covers for them as well. I dont' have those, however.
Hope this helps.
Chuck
06-16-2009, 10:00 AM
#5
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
They want me to polish to remove all the blemishes and swirls... I was told not to follow up with wax
Meguiar's offers a headlight repair kit?? Cool... I will get on that lead tomorrow
I am referring to lip in body-color nearest to the wheel wells. They are slightly faded from sand and rock chips... they are much worse on my fathers C5, and the back was horrible on my last C4.
DG
Meguiar's offers a headlight repair kit?? Cool... I will get on that lead tomorrow
I am referring to lip in body-color nearest to the wheel wells. They are slightly faded from sand and rock chips... they are much worse on my fathers C5, and the back was horrible on my last C4.
DG
There's actually at least a few different products out there for the headlight renewal: one by 3M, the newest and in a box by itself, the Meguiar's one, and I saw at least one other brand, can't remember the name.
Having had this on the wheel lip, I know what you mean. And I also had it on the portion behind the rear wheels on a C4, so I understand that one, too. I'd say, clean up the wheel lip as much as you can and let them have at it.
Another thing to do is to have the GM-GCA splash guards put on, or at the very least, Nakid Parts, splash guards. I started with the clear bra, added the Nakid Parts splash guards, and replaced them with the GCA splash guards. Needless to say, everything is fine.
Just remember to treat the clear bra carefully (not saying baby it; it's tough). I'm sure the installer will tell you everything you need to know.