3M Clear Bra

[CakeDaddy]

Pro's, Con's, +'s, -'s, do's, dont's... I'd like to hear what you all have to say, especially you black car owners. I'm considering the 3M bra. I heard and seen where wax & dirt gets trapped in the edges and creates problems.

http://www.detailingdynamics.c...g.htm

[szh]

Question: is this the same stuff that is sold on http://www.stongard.com?

Z

[szh]

Ah ... I checked on the Stongard web site. Their pre-cut products are made by 3M, so it well might be the same thing as what you mentioned.

Z

[MATTEO]

I have a clear bra made by 3M. I got it installed at a certified dealer and they did an amazing job.

My car is silver.

You can barely see the line.

One think I can advise you is to do the wntire fromt bumper and the hood (part of it) It is really worth it...In my case the dealer payed for it and it costed ~ 500

[paperfootball]

We install LLUMAR paint protection film in my shop--it's also what's on my car. As long as the installer is well-trained, etc then I would highly recommend the install. All of the "major" players in the paint protection film game are putting out quality product IMO. We chose LLUMAR because in our testing it held up the best long-term, looked the best(clear, lack of disturbed adhesive, etc), and had a life-time warranty. I think that 3M now carries the life-time warranty as well.

About the wax--that is user-error. We tape the film lines off before applying wax or polishing the vehicle--it takes about 10 minutes.

If you have any questions feel free to hit me up.

[email protected]

Why don't we have a PM function around here?

[maxnix]

Why don't we have a PM function around here?

Powers that be believe it forces information onto the board that would otherwise be lost. So we get a lot of "You have mail" type posts.

The 3M and other film bras are great provided:

1) They are one piece

2) They are installed by a competent installer on a flawless (i.e. - new) vehicle.

[infinitiandbeyond]

This applies to the 06-08 M.

I have a Twilight Blue M and had the 3M film installed a year ago at 1000 miles. It is imperative to first call and visit to see the installers work!! I did not and I paid for it. 3M listed two "certified" installers and I chose the wrong dude.

It looked lousy. Had stretch marks all over, hood/fender lines didn't match up, the list goes on. However, I will applaud 3M as they hired an installer to completely redo the entire job UNDER WARRANTY! This speaks volumes for 3M for sure.

The guy showed up and did it in my garage yesterday and maaaaaaan does this look stellar now!

1. See their work in person first2. Make sure it is genuine 3M film(you know they'll stand behind it)3. Unless you decide to do your entire hood, request only the 3M kit.

Beyond the hood, fender corners, mirrors and front bumper(expect to pay about $1,200), 3M also has patterns for the M's front "A" pillars, the roof section in front of the sunroof, door edges AND for the top of the rear bumper.

I couldn't locate a 3M web site to see the kits but for reference you can go to http://www.xpel.com, a competitor to 3M and their kits are similar. I noticed the xpel kit leaves two extra seams in the lower front fenders compared to 3M.

For those like CakeDaddy and I with dark cars, you may want to consider the whole hood if you can afford it.

A Q-Tip with alcohol will remove any build up of polishes, waxes, etc.

The only drawback, speaking for myself, is that it does leave an "orange-peel" look. The long-term benefits are well worth it.

[Sazar]

Powers that be believe it forces information onto the board that would otherwise be lost. So we get a lot of "You have mail" type posts.

The 3M and other film bras are great provided:

1) They are one piece

2) They are installed by a competent installer on a flawless (i.e. - new) vehicle.

I thought it's supposed to be a 3 piece kit?

I have a 3 piece jobbie on mine and it's factory installed. It looks so good most people don't even know its there. Heck, I can't tell it's there half the time