Clear Bra or Chip Guards or ?? Chicago installers

It's been just over a month since I have had my 03 Targa. She is totally living up to her expectations. But It kills me to find that I have stone chips on the bumper everytime I go for a longer drive. I have been reading about chip guards and clear bras but I am unable to decide. What do you guys think about clear bra? I have not seen one installed on a 996. So, is the clear bra noticeable or is it almost invisible (as stated by installers)? Does it do a good job of protecting the car from chips? How easy is it to take it off? Are there better options out there? Lastly, any recommended installers in Chicago area?

These clear film work really well, I had it put on my daily driver and in 4 years there had only been a couple of small scuff from obviously larger debries, otherwise no paint chip from where the film has been applied. Removal should not be difficult with a bit of heat from a hair dryer or heat gun VERY gingerly applied on the film to loosen the adhesive. I wished this film was out 20 years ago! It really is worth the initial cost to keep the OEM paint undamaged.

I have a clear bra on my car and it is essentially invisible. At certain angles when you are right by the car you can see the seam where it ends. If you search on my username my first post has photo of the car when I picked her up and you can't see the bra. She also has the clear material on her mirrors and at the front of the rear wheel wells. I will post some better photos later (at work now) but they really are inivisible.

Posted some photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/1012085...856701/Forums# There is a clear bra on the front that covers the bumper all the way up to 1/2 the nose. There are a couple of different lighting levels (go clouds!) and several angles and you really can't tell it's there.

Ditto to the other 2 posts. Below are pics of mine. Full bumper wrap, hood, mirrors. You have to really look to see it. I purposefully tried to find the angle in order to take photos for you. I'd would have wrapped the entire car if it wasn't so darn expensive.

I suspect, but not 100% certain, that a lighter color car will hide the flim edge better, my DD is silver color and is very hard to see the line from the front of the car, my "new" 996 is dark violet metallic, it will likely be more visible under certain light.

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Firstly, that's a great looking car. Thanks for the picture. I am looking for body kits too and the one you ve got there is exactly what I would do. Is thar aero by fiberwerks? Can I ask you where you got it from? I would appreciate it if you can send me the seller's link or something. Before I put the bra on, I would either have to spray paint my current bumper to fill the chips or put on a new kit. Just depends on what deal I get for the body kit.

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Thanks KT for the pics. I am sold. I am definitely getting it on her. It truly seems invisible. I think it also gives it a wetter look too. Wonder how the waxing and detailing works once you have it on. Can I ask you how much I should expect to pay for the clear bra for fully body with installation. Thanks!

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Actually that is a bone stock body. :-) She's a 40th Anniversary Edition so she has the front end of a Turbo.

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Nice! Didn't realize that she was the 40th anniversary baby.. She looks great!

http://www.clearbraphotos.com/Sport-...98608666_j34TH This is my Porsche getting the clear coat installed. Super happy with the clear bra and would suggest it to everyone. I clean it with Plexus a cleaner used for aircraft windshield.

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I've used various shops in the past (on my BMW M3 cab and 545) but tried a different one for the 911 this time. http://www.bravoprotection.com/protection_auto.shtml I did the clear bra and full window tint at the same time. The clear bra covering the entire bumper, 18" hood, and mirrors was $500. This is actually a very good price as other shops were quoting $700+ for the same coverage. I was told to use carnauba wax on the bra to protect it. I did wax it for the first time last week. It made the surface nice and slick - just like the paint.

dont forget to do the headlights too.

Here's another 40AE with a clear bra on - and with a stupid front plate (thank you, state of Texas)

I am driving my third Porsche, and never used a clear bra on my first one because it was a 73, and I just think that it was "non-standard" so I wanted to keep it period correct. For the two 996's that I have had, the first one had a bra on the front bumper, half hood, half front fenders, mirrors and the front edge of the rear wheel openings. They work great, and will really protect your car. I was just annoyed by the line of the edge of the plastic. The cost was about $500. When I had my Turbo done, I had the full front bumper, full front fenders, full hood, mirrors, front edge of the wheel openings, and the full rear bumper. I have had experience with people squeezing past me to parallel park in a too-small space, and have screwed up my paint on the corners of the bumper. This protects the bumper totally, but they thought I was nuts to have it done. I used Umbra Window Tinting in Schaumburg. They charged me - I think it was $1,200 for my Turbo. The one thing to watch for is that they custom cut each piece of plastic film as they put it on the car. So, there is an edge to the film around every panel that they cover. The end result isn't noticeable when you drive the car around, but when you wax it, you will get a white build-up around the plastic edge. If you use Umbra, maybe you can ask them if they will wrap it around the body panel, rather than trimming it like that. As far as taking it off - it's not that easy. You need to use a heat gun to take it off, which needs to be done carefully, and then, the plastic will tear, and you will need to find a new edge to pull with. And, once you take the plastic film off, you need to wash the car down with adhesive remover, because there will be glue left on the paint. But why would you want to take it off? This is the thread that I posted when I had my bra put on. Detail and Clear Bra Installation Oh, and BTW, they charge $3,000 - $4,000 for a full car wrap. And I wax the bra just like I wax the rest of the car. larry

I'm all for clear bras, especially under see-thru blouses.

I just removed one from the hood of my 03. The edge was becoming visible and annoying me. It was truly a pain to remove and the adhesive was extremely adherent to the paint. It looks fine now, but took me 1-2 hours to do right. I was surprised at how yellow the film was after removal - might have been lending a cast to the underlying paint as well.

I had the Venture Shield film put on my silver color DD 4 years ago, zero signs of yellowing that I can detect, I recall at the time the Venture Shield film was guaranteed against yellowing etc. for as long as you own the car if the film was installed by one of their authorized dealers and the warranty is honored by any of their authorized dealers, where the 3M Clear Bra was only guaranteed for 5 years, the choice was easy, the 3M film at the time was also said to have more orange peel surface pattern where the VS film did not, some of the installers also stated on the forum that VS film was easier to install.

And, BTW, the VentureShield film is manufactured by 3M. It is the upgraded film. And yes, I heard the same thing in that it is smoother to the eye, with no orange peel. On my car, the only difference you can see is the edge of the film where they trimmed it, or the slight white edge from when I waxed the car. On the hood, bumper, fenders, etc, it is totally transparent. larry

3M bought out Venture Shield about 3 years ago, I guess they know a good thing when they saw it, AFAIK both products are still available with similar warranty conditions as in the past, however I haven't been following their status for a while now, it wouldn't suprise me if 3M quietly changed the warranty conditions.