Clearbra installed..finally

Driver72 · October 13, 2004

After weeks of waiting for the right cut out, I finally got my Clearbra put on the car at Star Shield Armor in Irwindale. My 05 LGT was their test mule, and they masked and cut the final kit to my car. They call it "invisible bra" but it's more aptly named "clearbra" because though it is very clear and hard to see, it's not invisible. I convinced them to offer an introductory price for any LegacyGT.commer who has an LGT. They agreed...price is $437 installed (includes tax too). Regular price is $550 installed. No, I'm not getting paid, or even getting a commission for this plug. Heck, the $437 is what I paid as well, even being the test mule. I just promised them I'd put in a good word for them on the forums. I know, worthless without pics. And since I don't have a good photo sharing site that allows me to post the pics on another site (like this one) I have to give you a link. Go to: [url]http://www.photoisland.com[/url] Enter Guest Id: pictureisup Enter password: legacy Click on "Legacy GT" album on left. Click on thumb nails for larger view. Click on "View Original" on the left to get HUGE picture.

Ken S · October 13, 2004

Looks great! You can't even tell in some of the pictures. Ken

jim1969 · October 13, 2004

Ken, are your window's tinted? If so what %?

Ken S · October 13, 2004

Yes, they're tinted. 20% Madico Onyx film on all the rear windows. Ken

Driver72 · October 13, 2004

[quote name='jim1969']Ken, are your window's tinted? If so what %?[/QUOTE] Ahh, you could PM him and not hijack this thread. If you were referring to the pictures of my car at photoisland.com with the clearbra, my tint is 35% smoke all around. The black interior makes it look darker than it really is. And Ken, yes, that's what great about the clearbra, you can't really see it at all. Did I mention it covers the entire bumper, from wheel well to wheel well too.

**awdG35killer** · October 13, 2004

nice, how long would it normally take to install? is there a warranty?

LandShark · October 13, 2004

Driver 72, What's the "clearbra" made of? Is it rigid like plexiglas? How thick? Do you expect that after it rains you will get ugly water spots and dirt/crap collecting in between it and your car? not trying to be a downer,.....just thinking it through. I live within 50 miles of L.A. and might want to do this on my dark blue LGT sedan.

**sde** · October 13, 2004

i took the liberty to upload them here

.. looks more invisible than i thought it would.

**axis008** · October 14, 2004

Finally some pictures with it installed! You can't even tell it's on. Looks good Driver72.

Driver72 · October 14, 2004

Okay to answer some questions: 1. How long would it normally take to install? Probably 2 1/2 hours 2. What's it made of? It's made by 3M and is essentially a very thick window tint like material. I think it's polyurethane or something like that. 3. How think? Take about 4-5 pieces of printer paper...about like that but "rubbery" and flexible. 4. Do you expect it to collect stuff on it or under it? No. It's like window tint, it's nearly impossible to get anything "under" it. Yes, around the edges it will "collect" a bit more dirt, just like any crack or crevice in your car. But like getting wax out of the crevice, a soft tooth brush around the edge will remove all. You can wash it and wax it (non compound or abrasive wax) like you would the rest of your car. It can be sprayed with Quick Detailer or similiar product for easy of wiping down. Star Shield does a ton of high end cars...they're doing everything from Lotus to Vipers to STI/EVO's to you name it for many for the upcoming SEMA show too. They're also now the official installer of clearbras for all Lexus cars that come to port here in LA. Lexus apparently offers it as an option (I'm sure they charge their customers more than Star Shield does, no duh) on all their new cars. 5. Warranty? Star Shield offers a 5 year warranty. I think 3M has a lifetime warranty on discoloration of the film, but Star Shield offers 5 years on the installation of the film, so if it should start to peel up or anything like that. It's pretty hard to see, but can be seen. It looks many times better than the old school black bras that actually damage your car/paint more than if you didn't have one. And the REALLY old school bug/rock deflectors that Subaru offers is just silly and pretty much useless by comparison. Is the clearbra perfect? No, it's not as flawless as window tint, but your bumper and hood aren't perfectly smooth like windows, and since the film needs to be thicker in order to keep a rock from damaging your car, it doesn't conform to the car absolutely faultless too. But 99% of the people that walk by your car probably won't see it. If your car is dirty, they'll see it a bit better because of the line, but again, if you're one who goes around washing your car only a handful of times a year, doubtful you'd care if it has rock chips, so the clearbra would be unnecessary for you. For me, it looks MUCH better than my 2 1/2 year old Maxima that has literally a couple dozen rock chips on the front bumper and front part of the hood, and backs of the mirrors. I like knowing that if I'm driving down the freeway at 75 mph and I see one of those God aweful (dual upside down triangular looking) rock carrying trucks spewing dirt and rocks all over the freeway and I hear that spine tingling peppering of rocks all over the front of my car, I know the only thing I have to worry about is a large one coming up and cracking my windshield. I can no longer worry about how much damage that son of a beyotch truck just did to my car. Those d@mn rock carrying trucks need to be regulated by the government...I wonder how many millions of dollars each year people have to spend fixing windshields and fixing damaged cars because of them. Anyway, that's another rant all together.

**axis008** · October 15, 2004

I have one question for whoever. How easy is it to peel off the clearbra once it's installed? I'm not wondering about removal of the product, just if it's easily removed or not.

**awdG35killer** · October 15, 2004

thanks driver72, damn that looks good...but i wanna get a grill before putting it on, does it cover the grill?

Driver72 · October 15, 2004

No, it goes right up to it. As for removing...it can be done, but it's not "easy" per se. They laid a test cut down on my car first, and once they noticed it wasn't quite right had to peel it off to mask out a new one, and even though the adhesive was still wet, and had only been on the car a matter of minutes, they had to tug on it pretty hard to peel it off. Now that it is dry, I asked them, if I ever wanted to take it off, could I and would it damage or peel off the paint? They said yes I could take it off, and no it wouldn't damage or peel off factory paint. It's on there good enough that they said, if someone with a repainted bumper (say after an accident) wanted to install a clearbra, it would peel back the aftermarket paint job. So, if you are worried about somebody peeling it off...don't! It would take a lot of work, and makes quite a bit of noise. Plus, little did I know, but our cars have motion sensor alarms too. I had my alarm set while they were doing this and in the process of peeling off the first one that wasn't cut right, they were actually rocking the car around enough that the alarm started issuing warning beeps and the blinker lights started to flash. So, I don't think anybody would go through that much trouble just to vandalize a car. The clearbra is useless if it's peeled off, it can't be re-applied!

**axis008** · October 15, 2004

Haha, alright. Thanks for getting back to me with that information :p.

Mindflayer · October 16, 2004

Do you know if the paint underneath the Clearbra will fade differently due to UV blockage, etc? Looks good - actually looks better than the job on my friend's new Corvette. [quote name='Driver72'] I can no longer worry about how much damage that son of a beyotch truck just did to my car. Those d@mn rock carrying trucks need to be regulated by the government...I wonder how many millions of dollars each year people have to spend fixing windshields and fixing damaged cars because of them. Anyway, that's another rant all together.[/QUOTE] It's a growing concern over here. People are losing matresses, lawn gear, etc on the Beltway and bridges, and causing injuries and deaths. You're SUPPOSED to have the back covered, but a lot of times, I don't see it happening. My old Subaru was no more than a week old when I got a rock in the windshield.

Unilat · October 16, 2004

Darn it. Now that I've finally seen some good photos, 3M on the front is back on the "under condsideration" list. I had already reallocated the budget to different items. Thanks a lot Driver72! :)

Driver72 · October 16, 2004

[quote name='Mindflayer']Do you know if the paint underneath the Clearbra will fade differently due to UV blockage, etc?[/QUOTE] I don't think that's an issue. The film is clear, so the sun should shine through it. Therefore, I'd think your paint would fade the same amount under the clearbra. By the way, go to the photoisland website/link I posted to get a better and much larger view of the pictures than the "attached" photos to see better detail of the clearbra.

Mindflayer · October 19, 2004

[quote name='Driver72']I don't think that's an issue. The film is clear, so the sun should shine through it. Therefore, I'd think your paint would fade the same amount under the clearbra. By the way, go to the photoisland website/link I posted to get a better and much larger view of the pictures than the "attached" photos to see better detail of the clearbra.[/QUOTE] Yeah, some clear films do block UV.... I am tempted, but that's a concern. I guess by the time it's a problem, though, I'd be reapplying or buying a new car. ;) Do you still like it? Still happy overall? My wife keeps telling me that I should buy NOW, before I get the first real ding.

**DEI99662** · October 19, 2004

Looks good.

Driver72 · October 19, 2004

[quote name='Mindflayer']Yeah, some clear films do block UV.... I am tempted, but that's a concern. I guess by the time it's a problem, though, I'd be reapplying or buying a new car. ;) Do you still like it? Still happy overall? My wife keeps telling me that I should buy NOW, before I get the first real ding.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I'm still happy, but I have to say, it's killing me that I haven't been able to drive the car much. I still only have 285 miles on the car and haven't driven it in a week!! I know I know, what in the h3ll are you waiting for? Well, as stated before, I'm currently working on a show that's 51 miles in EACH direction from my home, and we're having to park in a rut filled dirt parking lot. Don't want to drive the car into that mess while it's so new. Then this past weekend when I was going to take it out, it was raining on and off. And it's been raining ever since. Our first real rain here in LA in 6 months. I know I'm a bit of a pansy about getting my new car dirty, but why do so, when I have 3 other cars I can drive instead. Once the "newness" wears off, I'll drive it in the wet. I have all next week off, so I'm looking forward to some drives. I have no regrets with the clearbra though, I'll give updates from time to time to see how the progress is going with it. But again with a 5 year warranty on the film and installation, if anything starts to peel or look bad, I'd get it replaced!

Invisiguard · October 20, 2004

[quote name='axis008']I have one question for whoever. How easy is it to peel off the clearbra once it's installed? I'm not wondering about removal of the product, just if it's easily removed or not.[/QUOTE] This film is designed to be removed safely after any amount of time without damaging the factory paint job, we wouldnt be in buisness very long if this pulled paint off cars!:eek: The film lets light and UV pass through so the finish will depreciate evenly, since one of the worst things about the black vinyl is after a year your paint is two different shades. Driver72, in So Cal another fantastic installer is Envisage Design labs, great work and very reasonably priced!;) [url="http://www.envisagedesignlabs.com/index.shtml"]http://www.envisagedesignlabs.com/index.shtml[/url] If anyone has any other questions about paint Protection film feel free to drop us a line!:) Jeremy [email="Invisiguard@sbcglobal.net"]Invisiguard@sbcglobal.net[/email]