ZO6VB

Comments Please

HIRISC

In my limited, pre-Z research:

3M - 5yr warranty
Venture - Lifetime

3M - Some 'older' stories of yellowing over time - may have been cleared up
Venture - alleged to be clearer

3M - Some orange peel visible - I've seen this - not great IMO
Venture - Not so much

Longevity and happiness completely tied to installer in both cases.

YMMV

That's all 'I Know'.

Chris

4pipes

I believe the best professionals in our area use the Ventureshield. I don't know why.

I've decided to go nude. I've read many posts by folks that have the clear bra and it seams that they can become damaged and scuffed over time and some sections need replacing. A professional installation can cost $1000 to $2000 depending on coverage. I figure after a couple of years I can have any stone chips fixed professionally for less that that and I don't have to look at the lines or different surface finishes.

Just my $.02.

jimman

I got Ventureshield and after 12000 miles in two months, scuffed and scratched, dented and you name it. Cost as much to replace as to repaint. Seems one forgets is just a plastic sheet and is soft as hell unlike hardened paint.

HIRISC

Hmmm.. Interesting.. I've been thinking about the same thing.

What about just doing mirrors/headlights/rockers/rear brake intakes?

I've been a little put-off by the (only 2) installs I've seen in person. There seems to be a lot of seams (no pun intended) on the front bumper area

(I know, I know, it's all about the installer)

Anyone??

DouglasWc5

I had the 3m on my 05 silver coupe (on there for 2 years, no problems, yes there were a few dings from rocks that would have chipped the paint). It was a good product I had no complaints about it. Pretty hard to see, but you could tell it was there, but not like on a darker car.

I have just put the ventureshield on my 07 RF Z06. It is nearly impossible to see, I have to point it out to people that want to know what it looks like. I had mine installed in my garage for $675..which included the hood, fenders (custom cut around the RF stripes), upper and lower front fascia, side view mirrors, all the way down the rocker panels and at the rear brake ducts. There are a lot of seams, due to the curves on the front of the car. You can stretch the material but then you'll see discoloration in it especially if like me you were polarized sunglasses. So the trade off is having the seams.

I had an 01 Black coupe and had a custom flame job on the hood etc. 5 weeks into the 'new' paint, I picked up a rock smack dab in the center about 5 inches up from the hood line. I told myself that I would never 'not' have the clear bra...I'm sorry, but a new paint job is a lot more than what I paid for mine. Just my .02c

HIRISC

Good points 'for' the clearbra...

The plot thickens

Z Fast

I hahve a custom 3M install. I covered the entire front 18" up the hood and that line contiued across the fender. Also covered the fender behind the front wheels(just below the Z06 emblem down), the lower part of the door and rockers, rear quarters just below the gas cap and covering the front part of the fender flare, the leading 6-7" of the roof and mirrors. Also had the thicker product(20mil) on the lights and fogs. My installer use a 24" roll when doing the front bumber. I do not have as many seams as my frient who had his installed by someone else who used 18" rolls. It wasn't cheap - $950 - but I got a lot of coverage. Light colors lke my VY do not show the lines very much. Under flourescent lighting, it looks like you have orange peel, but outdoors it looks great.

The best parts; I wash and wax without the headaches of removing a regular bra, and I get to drive it without any "oh $hit" moments. I know I'm protected and I don't need to worry. I just get out and drive. The peace of mind is worth it. And as far as some who said they would repaint, I avoid repaints as much as possible.

Bills Z06

Verrrryyyyy interesting

BigJag

Had 3M on my 05 Coupe for the 2+ years I owned it. Looked exactly the same as the day it was installed on the day I traded it. Two important things. 1) the installer 2) how its cared for after. I prefer the look of the car without the 3M but wouldn't go without it. The ZO6 gets done next week. Can't wait to finally start driving it.

radstoy

I've had my last three cars Clear Shielded and each have saved me expensive paint fixes. Wouldn't be without it.

jimman

How many miles was it driven, friend of mine has a C6 bought Aug 04 and just turned 1900 miles last week???? I just turned 18000 miles since Feb 07 and I have a different story on how it holds up.

AP

I have about 32,000 miles on my ClearBra for my Acura ... 3M ... it has a few scratches, but nothing as bad as to require re-doing it. It all depends on the roads in your area ... here we have snow which forces us to put salt on the roads, which in turn scratches your car.

MADMAX1

I went with Venture..It looks great and works as advertised..I did bumper & Hood package and mirors....$750.00

jimman

Well chips usually come from cars or trucks in front of you, since Los Angeles as over 8 million registered cars alone, which is probably twice the population of OH itself. That means traffic along with desert sand and mountain bugs, an environment for disaster. Long and short of it the paint really held up better than the plastic on my previous cars. Unfortunately the standard bras look worse than stone chips so it's down to a choice. I'm currently traveling on business and can post photos later this week. I currently have a C6 with 67k miles and looks cleaner than the Z with 18k and plastic, go figure.

UberR32

I've posted on this topic before, but I've had 3 clearbras now. The first CB job was venturetape, and over 1.5 years and 7000 miles it yellowed and the edges peeled up enough to let dirt in.

The second (corvette) job was 3M. The material has a less glossy finish, but it is absolutely perfect after 2 years and 7000 miles. No peeling, discoloration, etc.

The third is on the wife's car, and I was suckered into using venturetape again. Had adhesion issues from day 1, and can notice scratches in the much more glossy finish. Frankly, if installed correctly, Venturetape will look great at first, however, in my experience, venture tape is much stiffer and is much more difficult to install.

On the overall subject of clearbras, tho, I will never have another "nice" vehicle without one. If I buy a used beater to commute, I wouldn't do it.

rpanesar

My brother has the Venture shield on his G35 coupe and it is clear as clear can be and it has saved his front end from pesky rocks. It's a small price to pay for a front end that'll look brand new many years down the road.

NavyVet

We had the 3M product installed on our Machine Silver '04 Z06 before it had 50 miles in March of '04 - nose, 18 inches up the hood, behind wheel wells, and full rocker panels. New, it was barely detectable (unless you look through polarized sunglasses). The car is always garaged or in covered parking. It protects VERY well. However, we had it repalced under warratny after 18 months because it yellowed badly. The installer (UltraShield franchise) said the newer 3M product was 7% clearer. Had it replaced again at the 30 month point with "3% clearer film." It is noticably yellowing again. BTW, it is also very difficult to remove dark cone marks!

Two notes - the 3M on our '96 Collector's Edition never yellowed, which is why we did it on the '04. And, we live in Phoenix, so maybe the heat has some affect on the current versions of the 3M product, but, eventually, the yellowing is too noticable for us.

We are trading the '04 Z in on a new black Z06 in a few weeks. We will not do the the 3M bra again. We will use a high quality bra on road trips and, since we are doing a painted hood stripe design, we will end up with a bit more clear coat and that may protect a bit. After a lot of thought, we decided that some touch-up and maybe redoing the clear coat might be a better way to go.

ken-rx

Originally I saw the 3M product at the NY Car Show. There were no dealers in NY at the time. I liked it som much I became a dealer and a authorized 3M installer. I was offered Venture tape and tried it on my own vehicle nad a friends. Afer 9 monthe the film dulled and was water marked. It is in my opinion nice to install ( softer and more flexible) but not as dureable. It will look like crap. period.
I also heve used Avery film. The new clear coated one is very good, but the newer 3M product is excellent as well. I now have Avery or 3M on my GMC Danali and on my 07 Z06. THey are about equal in apperance but you must wax it to prevent water marks.
Overall I like the concept but the installer must be good or the job looks terrible. Darker colors are more visible and show stretch marks if not applied correctly. I think it is worth it, not because I am a dealer, because little chips annoy me and after 2 or 3 years I will replace it if necessary and my car will still look great. I don't think the hood has to be done but my vote would be for the whole hood, entire fender, brake ducts, front bumper, mirrors and door edges. More then 2 cents worth but I couldn't help myself.

Norm_427

I live where they spread dumptruck loads of gravel on the roads in the winter so you can bet your 427 hood emblem that I'm gonna use a clear bra.

The installer is key to either happiness or embarassment. I had one installation that I had to peel off and have re-done by an experienced installer.

My 3M yellowed slightly on my Artic White '05 (the worst color for yellowing) but that should not be a problem on my 3M'd silver Vette. My son has the white Vette now and has taken it off as he lives in SoCal.

Next week I'm adding 3M material to the wheel flair of the rear fenders (above and behind the brake vents) because I'm finding that debris from track days are starting to pit the paint in that area.