Just had the front bumper and hood painted; looking for advice on a clear bra

Matt Knight

Matt Knight

Experienced Member
Joined
8 April 2009
Messages
346
Location
Warrenton, OR
I have seen the posts on the 3M product versus Venture Shield and don't see a clear (no pun intended) winner. Have these products improved in the past few years? Is either product better on Berlina Black? Are there new products that you would trust?

I drive my car about 6K a year (it's a garage queen during the winter) and don't plan on tracking it.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Matt
 
I install clearbra in Colorado and can tell you that 3M ages much better than any other film. Other films can get dull water spotted and bug stains if they are not constantly cleaned and waxed, so on a NSX its not as big as an issues as it is on a neglected daily driver.
The disadvantage of 3M is it is harder to install so typically you get more flaws during installation.
I actually went through window tint training at Alexas Window Tint in Beaverton a great shop if you ever need tint.
For clearbra I would call Jason at Fresh Start Detailing ( a great detail shop) and ask him who he recommends for a good clearbra installer, tell him Travis from Steamboat Detailing referred you.
One thing to be aware of is that on a non factory painted car it is a slight possibility to peel the paint of while installing the film if the paint was not prepped properly, and rather likely to peel the paint if the film is removed in the future.
I want to remove the clearbra installed on my NSX and redo it to cover the entire hood but it is not factory paint so I think I am going to play it safe and just live with what I have.
 
Hi Travis,

Thanks for the help. I was planning on going through Alexas. I was also referred there by the shop owner who is doing the painting (Steve at Lucky Auto Body).

I was told to wait at least three weeks to allow the paint to cure before having the clear bra installed. Do you think I should wait any longer than that?

Thanks again,

Matt
 
MATMBL said:
Hi Travis,

Thanks for the help. I was planning on going through Alexas. I was also referred there by the shop owner who is doing the painting (Steve at Lucky Auto Body).

I was told to wait at least three weeks to allow the paint to cure before having the clear bra installed. Do you think I should wait any longer than that?

Thanks again,

Matt
Click to expand...


3 wks ??? .... I heard at least 60-90 days

If they have to peel that clear bra off during a install the paint might come off with it if not cured
 
Matt,
Letting the paint cure for 3 weeks should be enough as 3M recommends a month. Although I typically will install clearbra one day after its been painted and baked as people don't want to drive there car for a month in Colorado and get a some chips while waiting for the paint to cure.
 
On one of my cars, I have one side 3M and one side Venture Shield, installed for about 3 years. The 3M side has started to yellow visibly, it shows up very easily on white. The Ventureshield side does not. I installed both times, the Venture Shield I actually found harder to install because of the difficulty in cutting it as it would bunch up more when you would slice through it.

I prefer Ventureshield as it seems to have held up a lot better on my car. DIY I thought the 3M was a lot easier to install personally...
 
I have considered vinyl wrapping. My understanding is that it does little to protect the paint from rock chips.

If the 3M product is prone to yellowing over time will it be that noticeable on my black paint?

I'm trying to find the balance between being able to enjoy it on the road and keeping it looking good. (The eternal struggle of black car owners everywhere:smile:)
 
MATMBL said:
I have considered vinyl wrapping. My understanding is that it does little to protect the paint from rock chips.

I have not had my NSX done, but I am considering. As for protecting from rock chips, I had this installed on my VW Jetta, and yes it does protect the paint from rock chips. I was actually impressed, although it does seem to yellow to some extent.
Click to expand...
 
Joe Wollbaum said:
MATMBL said:
I have considered vinyl wrapping. My understanding is that it does little to protect the paint from rock chips.

I have not had my NSX done, but I am considering. As for protecting from rock chips, I had this installed on my VW Jetta, and yes it does protect the paint from rock chips. I was actually impressed, although it does seem to yellow to some extent.
Click to expand...

I think the stuff that goes yellow is the cheaper stuff, if you get the good stuff, it should not go yellow, even so, this is probably only noticeabl on a white or silver car.
Click to expand...
 
MATMBL said:
I have considered vinyl wrapping. My understanding is that it does little to protect the paint from rock chips.

If the 3M product is prone to yellowing over time will it be that noticeable on my black paint?

I'm trying to find the balance between being able to enjoy it on the road and keeping it looking good. (The eternal struggle of black car owners everywhere:smile:)
Click to expand...

You won't notice it so much on black paint, but on white it really shows...
 
Malibu Rapper said:
The 3M side has started to yellow visibly, it shows up very easily on white. The Ventureshield side does not.
Click to expand...


+1, I got ventureshield for this reason. The installer said it was more color stable and thus preferred to use it on white cars. I did not want the yellowing so I got it for my BB. It has held up well for the time I've had it on, I would recommend it.
 
Last edited:
Malibu

I'm on the phone right now with a company that does clearbras and they are saying that Ventureshield only has a 5 year warranty on the materials now. Yet, I spoke with another guy yesterday and he said it was a lifetime warranty.
Which is it?
 
He read me a letter dated March 9th from 3M (who owns Ventureshield), that they are no longer giving the lifetime warranty and is now 5 years for material only.
 
Matt_337 said:
Malibu

I'm on the phone right now with a company that does clearbras and they are saying that Ventureshield only has a 5 year warranty on the materials now. Yet, I spoke with another guy yesterday and he said it was a lifetime warranty.
Which is it?
Click to expand...

Matt,
Let me know if you want to borrow my Flex to buff out your bumper and hood before you get a bra put on. You could do the whole car while you're at it if you want, or we could set up a detail day. I did a full detail on my bumper before I put it on because I knew that it was going to be awhile before I touched that paint again. Also, I don't know if it's safe to use wax on it or not but I never do --I'm afraid of yellow residue getting into the clear bra. They do make something specific to clean it with but I never did get it, and I don't think it has gotten swirls in it.
 
I still have another couple of weeks to wait for my paint to cure.
Thanks for the offer`
 
I went to two reputable shops to get estimates on a clear bra. Both said they would need to do the installation in two peices and that a seam would be visible.

Has anyone here had a clear bra installation done that does not show any seams?

This does make sense as the 3M material does not stretch enough to fit over the horzontal and vertical curves of our front bumpers.

Is there anyone here with a black NSX with a clear bra who can post some shots of what the finished product looks like?

Thanks for the help,

Matt
 
the nsx bumper is two pieces, so the clear bra is two pieces.

since the seam on the clearbra is where the two halfs (top and bottom) of the bumper comes together you don't see it.
 
socalx said:
the nsx bumper is two pieces, so the clear bra is two pieces.

since the seam on the clearbra is where the two halfs (top and bottom) of the bumper comes together you don't see it.
Click to expand...


Both installers told me that the 3M product could not be stretched enough to compensate for the vertical and horizontal curves on the top part of the bumper to have a seamless application.

Are there techniques that allow for a seamless installation?

Thanks again,

Matt
 
I contemplated getting a clear bra put on my car, yet they always seem to pit, yellow or end up showing their outline either with dirt or wax at some point. I've opted just to not tailgate people and repaint the front bumper / hood every 8-10 years if it needs it.
 

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