Got A New Clear Bra Installed On The Prius

[The Critic]

I just had a new clear bra installed on Saturday by the guys at Premier Protective Films International.

Premier installed a "pre-cut" kit using a film by Prestige Film Technology. This film, Prestige Clear Guard, has much better clarity than the Ventureshield Ultra film I was previously using. The Prestige film has a 7 year warranty, is 8.5 mil thick, and I believe it uses an "embedded" clear coat technology that is similar to Avery Dennison NanoFusion.

Premier used a combination of XPEL patterns and custom pieces for the job, even though this was priced to be a "precut" installation. The fenders were of the larger pattern from XPEL, the hood was completely custom with wrapped edges (made from a 24" roll, so almost 24" of coverage) and the bumper was from the XPEL pattern. They were originally going to use the XPEL pattern for the mirrors, but they decided to do a custom mirror because the quality of the mirror pattern from XPEL was not satisfactory.

Also, for the fender pieces, they were able to get the film within 1/16"-1/32" of the edge. The hood was custom and the edges were wrapped. The mirror was custom as well, so the film was at the edge. The bumper, due to the size of the piece and the curvature of the bumper, was within 1/8" of the edge on most parts; some areas nearest the tire may have been closer to 1/6" though. They also "removed" the tow hook cut-outs from the bumper pattern and manually cut and tucked the film into the tow hooks.

Overall, I am very happy with the quality of the job and clarity of the film. Their work is 95% perfect-- the few minor imperfections I could find were on the bumper, and that is expected due to the bumper being a pre-cut pattern and the size/curvature of the bumper. I highly recommend Premier and the Prestige film, even though the price was a bit high at $790. You definitely get what you pay for. And I also looked closely and could not find any razor cuts. I just wished that I had paid them to do the job the first time, instead of spending $500 on my previous clear bra and having to peel it off (and almost destroyed my hood's finish while doing so) due to a poor installation.


I took these pictures the day after the installation, so the car is a bit dirty and some of the white stuff you see is dust and/or sealant residue.

View from two feet away:

Clarity of the film:

Picture of the custom hood with wrapped edges, and the closeness of the bumper piece to the edge:

Distant view of the mirror:

Since my installer felt the XPEL pattern for the mirror could be better, he did a custom mirror. It was too risky to cover the entire mirror due to the possibility of lifting, at least for this design:

Distant view of the amount of coverage:

I also bought Premier's PF1 ppf cleaner and will also be using the XPEL PPF sealant twice-a-month to keep the film in good condition. Hopefully the film will remain in good condition for 5-7 years.

 

[sciphi]

That looks fantastic! Much better than the previous install.

 

[jigen]

How much do they charge for a professional install like that?

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: jigen
How much do they charge for a professional install like that?


Originally Posted By: The Critic
Overall, I am very happy with the quality of the job and clarity of the film. Their work is 95% perfect-- the few minor imperfections I could find were on the bumper, and that is expected due to the bumper being a pre-cut pattern and the size/curvature of the bumper. I highly recommend Premier and the Prestige film, even though the price was a bit high at $790. You definitely get what you pay for. And I also looked closely and could not find any razor cuts. I just wished that I had paid them to do the job the first time, instead of spending $500 on my previous clear bra and having to peel it off (and almost destroyed my hood's finish while doing so) due to a poor installation.

 

[daves87rs]

Looks good!

 

[JHZR2]

Looks beautiful, but I really dont get these things.

If it practically destroys the finish of the car removing a new one, what will the damage be after the 7-year warranty and summer sun for all that time?

At 7 years, the car might have 100-140k miles on it. Sure, maybe the hood paint will be OK, but the rest of the car might be beat up so it doesnt matter.

I have cars with far worse aerodynamics that show very little damage on the hood/front after 150k miles.

The more aerodynamic cars (like my saab which has a Cd of 0.27 similar to the prius) tend to get chips on the sides rather than front surfaces for whatever reason. SO a front bra doesnt really help.

Then you have to clean and seal it like you would a painted surface?!? So its not a maintenance-free benefit either.

Just thinking out loud.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I don't like them either. Our Acura had one. It was real beat up, but not from chips. The softer vinyl or urethane or whatever they are scratches easier than paint, so you end up with a weathered-looking scratched up piece of plastic that's very difficult to remove. It's not at all unlike how Plexiglass weathers and scratches easier than glass.

I also don't like the "line" (edge) across the hood. It's unavoidable. Call me crazy, but I'd much rather touch up a stone chip once or twice a year.

But they did the install on Critic's car beautifully. I hope the material his is made out of fares better than the one that WAS on our car (it's not anymore).

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Looks beautiful, but I really dont get these things.

If it practically destroys the finish of the car removing a new one, what will the damage be after the 7-year warranty and summer sun for all that time?

At 7 years, the car might have 100-140k miles on it. Sure, maybe the hood paint will be OK, but the rest of the car might be beat up so it doesnt matter.

I have cars with far worse aerodynamics that show very little damage on the hood/front after 150k miles.

The more aerodynamic cars (like my saab which has a Cd of 0.27 similar to the prius) tend to get chips on the sides rather than front surfaces for whatever reason. SO a front bra doesnt really help.

Then you have to clean and seal it like you would a painted surface?!? So its not a maintenance-free benefit either.

Just thinking out loud.


The finish was practically destroyed, most likely due to my inexperience with removal. I'm sure if I had a heat gun and a bit more experience, it may not have been an issue. However, I think the intense paint polishing I did prior to the installation helped tremendously it improving the appearance of the bra.
In the 1100 miles I drove without a clear bra, I had two chips, one of which was very deep. If I did not have a bra, then I think I would need to repaint the hood annually. All of the chips were on the leading edge of the hood (edge nearest the bumper), which is why wrapped edges are important for the hood piece—whether it is pre-cut or custom.
You do have to clean and seal it like paint, unless you get the 3M scotchgard film, which is practically maintenance-free. But 3M’s film has a tough acrylic clearcoat (good for durability) that makes it prone to stretch marks during installation and an undesirable orange-peel appearance. Special PPF cleaners and sealants are recommended for the care and maintenance in order to maintain the best appearance. I plan to seal mine every two to three weeks with xpel’s ppf sealant to prevent the bug etching that I was getting with my previous film.

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I don't like them either. Our Acura had one. It was real beat up, but not from chips. The softer vinyl or urethane or whatever they are scratches easier than paint, so you end up with a weathered-looking scratched up piece of plastic that's very difficult to remove. It's not at all unlike how Plexiglass weathers and scratches easier than glass.

I also don't like the "line" (edge) across the hood. It's unavoidable. Call me crazy, but I'd much rather touch up a stone chip once or twice a year.

But they did the install on Critic's car beautifully. I hope the material his is made out of fares better than the one that WAS on our car (it's not anymore).


Many advances have been made in the area of durability, so the films of today are much different than the films of two years ago. However, the film is a bit more maintenance-sensitive than paint and is more prone to scratching, so care must be taken. Generally, unless you are an auto enthusiast who plans to maintain your vehicle's finish and the bra meticulously, you probably are not a good candidate for this product. Unless of course, you get the somewhat indestructable 3M film, but that stuff doesn't look as good as this.

The line across the hood IS avoidable. It is called having a custom wrapped hood done. They probably would've charged me another $200 or so in this application.

Also, in the 1100 miles I went without a bra, I got two chips. I think I'd need to have my hood resprayed annually if I did not have a bra.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Also, in the 1100 miles I went without a bra, I got two chips. I think I'd need to have my hood resprayed annually if I did not have a bra.


I wonder why you get so many rock chips. Even on cars I've owned that have been fairly low to the ground, I might need to dab a chip with touch-up paint a few times a year, if that. Maybe the SUVs being higher up don't tend to get them as bad, I don't know. Sounds like you live in a particularly stone-prone area.

 

[surfstar]

Rock chips are like scuff marks on shoes - you get them from using it. You want a chip free car? Let it sit undriven in a garage. A show car can be art/investment; a daily driver is a tool to get you from point A to B.

Priorities are perplexing sometimes.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: The Critic

If I did not have a bra, then I think I would need to repaint the hood annually.


Thank goodness for Earl Schieb!

 

[Jim 5]

Mike/Sursfstar, with the gravel we have spread all over the roads 3/4 of the year because of the snow, I had this done to my new car before it left the dealership. It's rare to see newer car here without at least a basic clear-bra treatment because of it. Also, we are used to replacing our windshields nearly every 2 years because of gravel thrown up from the roads. Some are experimenting with clearshielding their windshields to make them more resistant to rock chips/cracks.

I went with ventureshield, and had the entire hood, front fenders, rocker panels, A-pillars, the front half of the roof, the front of the "flares" on the rear fenders, the rear spoiler and the top of the rear bumper where the trunk opens done.

I based this on where I see rock chips on cars, and where I see damage on rental cars. Still considering getting the door skins done to allow for paintless dent removal for door dings.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Also, in the 1100 miles I went without a bra, I got two chips. I think I'd need to have my hood resprayed annually if I did not have a bra.


I wonder why you get so many rock chips. Even on cars I've owned that have been fairly low to the ground, I might need to dab a chip with touch-up paint a few times a year, if that. Maybe the SUVs being higher up don't tend to get them as bad, I don't know. Sounds like you live in a particularly stone-prone area.


Exactly. Ive found that the more aerodynamic, the less rock chips Ive seen, especially on leading edges. And having a car that lived its first 160k in CA (LA area), there is some marking on extremely vertical front surfaces, but everything else is clean.

 

[Cutehumor]

critic, one day your gonna wake up and say "dude, I just spent 1300 bucks on a clear bra on a prius! I could have blew all that money on chicks instead!"

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
Rock chips are like scuff marks on shoes - you get them from using it. You want a chip free car? Let it sit undriven in a garage. A show car can be art/investment; a daily driver is a tool to get you from point A to B.

Priorities are perplexing sometimes.

Agreed. For the amount of money that was spent dinking around with the Saran wrap, the front of the car could have been painted a couple of times.

And in all honesty, it's a Prius-it's not as though it's something unique or highly valuable. It's a complete waste of money on a car that's designed to save the owner money.

 

[JHZR2]

I can see why the Critic would want to keep his car looking as good as possible for as long as possible. Whether the Prius is a tin can to be traded in 5 years or a valuable car that will retain interest long after production stops is somewhat irrelevant. The reality is that $20k+ was spent on a vehicle, and it is nice to have it looking new long after the car becomes "old".

That said, it is a lot of $$$, and I find it hard to believe that rocks are so bad that the car would need yearly repainting of the hood. I can see in calgary or when cinders are used for snow traction. But in CA?

Im curious what Im missing...

 

[MrCritical]

$790?

Remind me to never complain about the price of a service contract again.

 

[hypervish]

My RX300 has a few rock marks on the hood, and it has no bra. I opted for the bra on the RX450h this time around, it was installed by the dealership and it came out perfect! < luckily!

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Also, in the 1100 miles I went without a bra, I got two chips. I think I'd need to have my hood resprayed annually if I did not have a bra.


I wonder why you get so many rock chips. Even on cars I've owned that have been fairly low to the ground, I might need to dab a chip with touch-up paint a few times a year, if that. Maybe the SUVs being higher up don't tend to get them as bad, I don't know. Sounds like you live in a particularly stone-prone area.


I think the newer water based finishes are also less durable, but I have no scientific proof to support that. I make this statement because my mom rarely takes her car on the highway and does 99% of her driving in-town. In the 10+ years she had the Saturn, she had maybe 2 chips, tops. The Nissan already has 3 chips and has less than 10k on it.

I think my Prius gets a lot of chips because it is driven mostly on the highway.

Originally Posted By: MrCritical
$790?

Remind me to never complain about the price of a service contract again.


Can't say that every person will take full advantage of the benefits of a service contract.

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit

Agreed. For the amount of money that was spent dinking around with the Saran wrap, the front of the car could have been painted a couple of times.

And in all honesty, it's a Prius-it's not as though it's something unique or highly valuable. It's a complete waste of money on a car that's designed to save the owner money.


I sure hope people don't buy Priuses to save money. It is a car that carries a risk of extremely high repair costs! Well, it rarely happens as they are fairly reliable-- but the risk is there.

Regardless, I do feel that cars should be well taken care of-- whether they are 10k or 75k. By your logic, I should be using SuperTech oil in the Prius and not Mobil 1.

Also, aftermarket paintwork is never as good as factory paint and should be avoid whenever possible. The hardness and adhesion is never as good since the surface cannot be heated to the same temperature. That is why vehicles with prior paintwork will see diminished value upon resale.

To each their own, though. I realize that not every person will be as anal about their vehicles as I am. At least I am not as nuts as the guys who spend 5-6k getting the entire car wrapped.

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
critic, one day your gonna wake up and say "dude, I just spent 1300 bucks on a clear bra on a prius! I could have blew all that money on chicks instead!"


Lately, my ROI on women has been pretty bad. I think my loss on this clear bra fiasco is still far better than on women in general.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Jim 5
Some are experimenting with clearshielding their windshields to make them more resistant to rock chips/cracks.


Jim, my installer, Premier, recently began offering an in-house product called Diamond Fusion Windshield Protection Film.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/997-t...ction-film.html

It is supposed to do exactly what you described and is advertised to be significantly more durable than clearplex. I am not sure how much they charge for it, but it is probably at least a few hundred bucks, considering what Premier charges for anything.