Anyone Into Protective Front-End Films?

[Allen42]

I will definitely be doing this.

My in-laws have had this (3M clearbra) done to both of their Mercedes, and it takes very close inspection to see any edges. Both are over a year old, and I can notice no discoloration, etc. However, both of their cars are silver, and garage kept. However, we do live in Texas, so an hour outside is about a week in other states

 

[scottdk]

You can use this:

Install shop recommended it for the clearbra... works very well

This is my all time favorite product BTW!

 

[grtday]

Response: Anyone Into Protective Front-End Films?

Do a search in this venue for ClearBra.
I've applied it and LOVE it.
Personal application is NOT for sissies!

 

[GS300rich]

if you havent done it before I would strongly recommend having a professional do it. It was hard enough putting on the headlights and side mirrors of my Lexus and those are relatively flat surfaces.

 

[Solano]

I was skeptical to have it the clear bra installed I thought I had to have it done for protection.

I did a thorough research for 3M trained installer in my area and found one over the internet. I went over and checked their shop and credentials and I was satisfied they are, what they say they are. I also saw two brand new cars in their shop for the same job. I felt comfortable with them and had the whole front end done with the side mirror for 600.

The shop had the Genesis software to cut the film. Headlights, fog, even the moldings. Overall I am very satisifed with their quality work. They gave me 5 years warranty against workmanship and discoloration of material.

After the bra completely dried. I installed the hood emblem over the film. Looked good.

Titanium Gray 3.8
MODS:
Black shiny, Genesis Door Pillars, Genesis Badges hod and trunk, Wheel cap, steering wheel emblem, LED lights and get this. . . . I purchased the GENESIS (Letters) and the BH380. Put the GENESIS on the left side of the trunk and the BH380 where the original GENESIS was installed. . . . LOVE IT, LOVE IT LOVE IT. . . .

 

[Onedurwho]

Has anyone seen/tried the "paint on" kind? http://www.wingstuff.com/pgroup_list/gl1800/11380_goldwing_Paint_Protection/des/
Seems to get pretty good reviews from our Goldwing group and I'm ready to give it a try on the bike and Genesis.

 

[jmasters]

That was the very first thing I did. Cost $900.00 to do the entire frond end, rear bumper lip, door edges, etc.

Glad I did it, I believe it was worth the money.

 

[LLT]

The 3M protective film was installed on my 5yr old 45' motorhome at the factory. Many other owners said after 5yrs it begins yellowing, spidering, etc. Right about the 5yr mark, it started doing just that! I have about 25hrs into removing it now.... heatgun, pull a little, heatgun, pull a little, cry, pull a little, etc. It's very hard to get off, especially as it ages.

Of course, I'm not talking about a little slice on the front of a car.... this is a very large surface on a very large motorhome - so maybe the difference is night and day on a car. Most RV owners I know that have had them don't get them replaced, they just take them off and touch-up/repaint as necessary. On a large surface like the front of a motorcoach, it's ~$1500 to replace and $500-1000 to repaint, so it's a no brainer in that case.

 

[Stormy]

Trust me, you will regret your ClearBra. I had one done on a 2001 Acura and it was great for the first few years, but after 3 years or so it started to turn yellow. This was a silver vehicle and the yellow tint was very noticeable compared to the silver around it. It seemed to be worse on plastic parts like side view mirrors (I had both side view mirrors done as well).

I know it looks great the first year or two, and protects against rock chips, but seriously, when it turns yellow and the only way to remove the ugly thing is to completely repaint the front end, you will regret it. It might require body work to remove as well... I'm just saying: nobody is going to say your car is worth less if it doesn't have a ClearBra when you're selling it, but if it has a yellow looking piece of plastic stuck to the front end you're going to lose money on the resale value. Paint chips can be fixed easily, ClearBra cannot be removed easily...

 

[scottdk]

When I bought my 530i years ago and joined a Bimmer site like this for a while, there was a flurry of postings by new owners who were anxious to have a transparent film applied to the front end of their cars to protect the finish from rocks, bug guts, etc. (A much smaller subset installed the so-called "bras", but most rejected that option as bras tend to create a two-tone paint effect over time.)

Are any of you Genesis owners inclined to install a clear protective film around the grille and headlights? I'm thinking about it, and it occurs to me that one would have to get it done sooner rather than later in order for it to be worthwhile (otherwise you just end up covering whatever initial "dings" you've picked up from gravel and the like).

It's probably too soon to expect a commercial outfit to have custom-fit pieces for Genesis, but perhaps not. I checked koreanautoimports, but didn't see anything there.

Whaddya think, gang?

This is why as a window tinter I do not like the clear paint protection film. I'm aware many brands offer this, but I think many of them look like Poo in the near future. Saw this silver Audi as I got out of work and was walking to my car. Let the comments pour in

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[QuantumRift]

... a transparent film applied to the front end of their cars to protect the finish from rocks, bug guts, etc. (A much smaller subset installed the so-called "bras", but most rejected that option as bras tend to create a two-tone paint effect over time.)

Are any of you Genesis owners inclined to install a clear protective film around the grille and headlights? I'm thinking about it, and it occurs to me that one would have to get it done sooner rather than later in order for it to be worthwhile (otherwise you just end up covering whatever initial "dings" you've picked up from gravel and the like).

It's probably too soon to expect a commercial outfit to have custom-fit pieces for Genesis, but perhaps not. I checked koreanautoimports, but didn't see anything there.

Whaddya think, gang?

Here in my town, Sierra Vista, AZ, the tinting place where I got my ceramic tinting applied also applies the clear stuff.... The price for my Genesis is about $550. We have had the car just over a month, no stone, nicks, dents or whatever and will probably get it done.

Is it worth it? I had a black 2006 Sonata and I had it done the first week we owned the car. I even had pieces fitted for the indented scoop areas behind the Sonata's exterior door handles, because people's FINGERNAILS can scratch paint...

Can you obtain the film and apply it yourself? Yes. Is it worth it? Probably, but the dude who does it for a living can do it quicker and probably look better, unless you practice. When I was looking, I saw them available on eBay (the film kits for a particular model car).

 

[iqjumpuw]

I had it on my Lexus. I wouldn't do it again. It does a great job of protecting your front end from rock chips and scratches. However, it looks very bad. My Lexus was black (so is my Genesis) and it was very noticeable when the car got dirty (especially after rain). I would only get it if it was free but I wouldn't spend that much money to get it installed.

 

[DominicJE]

I think I might get it just on the front head lights and maybe the door handles, since I don't want the rocks to leave a lot of scratches on the headlights like it did on my Lancer I had, eventually you could see tons of them after awhile. But I'm going to get a quote in Orlando next week on other parts as well.

 

[QuantumRift]

Yesterday (20 SEP) I ordered headlight and fog lamp protection for my 2012 3.8L from rl]https://www.xpel.com/products/headlight_protection.asp[/url] as it should be fairly easy to install myself.

Not sure about the rest of the front end protection. We have the pearl white paint so it would prob look OK.

 

[dg_moore]

I had it on my Lexus. I wouldn't do it again. It does a great job of protecting your front end from rock chips and scratches. However, it looks very bad. My Lexus was black (so is my Genesis) and it was very noticeable when the car got dirty (especially after rain). I would only get it if it was free but I wouldn't spend that much money to get it installed.

I have a Venture Shield full front wrap (everything from the bumper back to the front doors) on my black 3.8. I've had it for a year and it looks as good as the day it was applied. It's virtually invisible -you can't tell it's there, regardless of whether the car is clean or dirty. It has protected against a lot of dings and scrapes. If your film looked bad you must have been given inferior film, or had it done by an unskilled installer. My installer serves the D.C./Balto metro area Rolls/Bentley/Maserati/Ferrari/Porsche/Mercedes dealers, and I watched him do my car: this is no do-it-yourself project. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge of how the film is going to behave, which comes only with long practice under the supervision of somebody who knows what he's doing.

 

[QuantumRift]

Yea, the videos make it look EASY (actually, I believe the headlight films to be the easiest to do) but after I tried doing a TINT job on my OldZuzu many years ago, I would not try it again.

 

[QuantumRift]

Haven't received my headlight films yet but I'll post pics when I get them done.