I just bought an 07 Si Sedan last week so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with putting a clear bra on theirs. I have to do a lot of highway driving so I want to protect the paint from chips, etc. If you could give me an idea of how much it cost too that would be great, thanks.

 

dont get a bra. go to your dealer and see if they have 3m paint protection, basicly clear film adhesive. 10x better imo

 

ahahah. didnt you even read the OP???


get the clear bra. you will not regret it. the paint on the civic is not so good and will easily chip. i regret not getting one when i had the chance.

 

I've seen the 3m paint protection thing.... it's awesome, saw it on a Porsche and it was almost seamless

 

whatever you do, MAKE SURE that if you get a clear bra, that you have someone who really is good at paint correction refine the surface so it's perfect before you put the applique on.

i've seen so many people apply clear bras on new cars with swirls and/or holograms in the paint under the bra.

clear bra is a great idea though, esp on hondas, but really on any new car nowadays because of the EPA regs as well as penny pinching by the manufacturer to get the least amount of paint on the car to get the job done.

 

Here's a link for you to a company called Xpel. They can ship out pre-cut kits to you in all kinds of variances and cut styles. On top of that they also make protective films for headlights as well in Blue, Smoke, yellow or clear colors.

They're a little pricey, but their film is some of the best you'll ever use on your car.

I have the smoke-colored film on my headlights and it's truly awesome stuff.

Look into it.

https://www.xpel.com/products/paint_...720&series=936

 

I have seen the 3M stuff turn yellow after number of years, I would have it repalced every 2 or 3 years.

 

3M stuff is very nice, you can only tell it's there up close and it protects well. I've only had it for 2 years though.

 

ok I am the guy who got burnt on a clear bar kit.....in my honest openion they are a complte waste of effort and money......read only if not installed by a EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL INSTALLER.....&&& trust me they will charge you an arm and leg to install a clear bar roughly around $700-800 easy.....well I got my kit from ebay it was the 3m kit for which i payed roughly $200...got it installed from a well experienced guy payed $150 for the install that ****ing thing peeled off in a couple of days.....if you want protection get an OEM bra they are best fit and have a small 'Civic" logo embossed on them and trust me they will do the job for you...I drive 110 miles everyday when i frist got the clear bra installed and drove for a couple of days that bra did not stop chipping on the front inside of the hood alond the front edge......does not happen with the bar as it wraps around the front end.....BRA's are the best trust me......and dont get burned......well if you go with an exoperienced installer they will want you to buy the kit from them and it is close to a 5-6hr install with 2-3 people wokring on it at the same time no joke and they will make you pay for it ......where as a bar will cost you aooprx $$70-100 will give you better protection than a clear bar and you can DIY that ****.....even if I have to chanage the bar with a new one after 1-2yrs it still works out cheaper and better for me......

 

your experience is 1 in a million. your problem=ebay. 3m applied by a professional is A+ material and will last/and is warrantied. not to mention your estimate of 7-800 dollars is wayyyyy off.

 

SIVIC 3 ..............have you installed a clear bar on your ride????

 

800 bucks to put on a clear bra? Man I never thought I would live to see the day when it costs more to install a clear bra than it does to swap out a transmission.

 

Regular bra's look ugly, bulky and may mess up your paint due to moisture build up from the bra. Trust me, if you have that thing on non-stop, that paint under there will not last. It might fog up.

I may look into a clear bra as I've already encountered a small chip.

 

How difficult is it to install/remove a regular car bra?

 

have I installed it? NO. did a tint professional install it? YES
and it is under warranty not to peel or fade for the LIFE of the car. and it cost NOWHERE near 700 bucks.

 

Blue painters tape its very cheap....

 

just spoke to a dealer for Xpel....he quoted me $695 for the front bumper, hood and both the fenders includes the kit, plus $55 for the head lights........GO FIGURE!!!!!!!!

SIVIC 3..........I was correct in what I was saying........people should do some research before they go out judging other peoples experience

 

mine cost 300 for front bumper, hood, front fenders and headlights. 3M

not sure what Xpel is or why? it costs that much, maybe they think you are a sucker *shrugs* but, you are in-correct sir

 

for the kit, installed? $300?

anyway, is this going to turn into pages of you guys telling each other how much it does or doesn't cost?

if someone wants to know how much it costs, just look up the kit you want, either ventureshield/lamin-x, 3m, starshield, xpel, whatever...then call the shop you trust locally to handle it for an estimate OR figure if you do it yourself it'll cost nothing add'l for the information.

is this really worth arguing over?

the real argument should be if it's worth it, if anything. i find it to be quite a worthy investment on most new cars, especially new hondas. the honda paint is entirely too soft and too thin. most new cars have thin paint as i've mentioned previously in this thread, but honda's is obsurd.

i have experience with lamin-x, which is ventureshield, and also starshield/3m. the products out now are all compareable and all very well engineered.

 

im done arguing. i just thought that the information civicguru was providing was inaccurate. i believe the "clear bra" to be a worthy investment and it sucks for him that his wasnt applied right, or whatever happened to his. its not the case with 99% of other owners out there.

 

I went to get it looked at but they were charging me close to 1000 dollars for the kit and the install. I figured it be alot cheaper just to paint the front bumper when it came time. Then I looked up the OEM bra and found that rocks get under it and make it worst. i dont know what your budget is but unless you can find a good installer plus the cheap kit like Sivic did. I would say it isnt worth it for that kind of money.

Oh well

 

i agree 100%. if the paint is prepped properly underneath and the product is applied properly (ie by a true professional), you will be hard pressed to have any issues for quite some time, probably not within the time you have the vehicle atleast. the stuff out now is really nice.

i'm sure most able enthuisasts could install the stuff properly, but for me, it's like window tint; why bother installing it yourself when you can pay someone a negligible amount of cash to do it, someone who does it everyday and has it totally wired, you know?

i'm still curious though SIVIC, did your kit cost 300 installed? i was confused by what you said previously.

100miles+, i'd rather have a clear bra in a heartbeat than tons of chips, which are a cumulative thing. that means that you have to live with them until they amount to a number where you are ready to do something about them. then potentially risk having to have parts of the car painted and not match, which is very possible considering most modern colors have 30 or so tint ranges within ONE color code.

then you drive on the highway after that fresh paint job and get a chip.

no thanks, hehe.

 

I told you they were pricey. But they make really good stuff. Their headlight kits are actually thicker than the clear bra and I believe are rated to withstand a pounding from 1oz. stones at up to 120mph if i'm not mistaken.

 

What I was actually trying to say was that if he doesnt get it done properly its just a waste of money. If its not done right it can turn yellow peel and possibly cause more problems for the OP than if he didnt. I dont know about you but I dont have 1000 nor do I want to throw 1000 dollars into something for it to peel off in a day or two. I know warrananties and all that good stuff but than you have to go back and blah blah.

TO make this short, If your not gonna get it done right dont do it at all. GO for the expensive stuff and research a few different people who are known around town to do good work.

I wasnt saying it wasnt worth it but more that if its done poorly your waisting your money.

ANyways, i seen you on the Mazdaspeed3 forums. My names SuperVillain brah, lets see that Speed 3 you been talking about.

 

my "kit" was 300 installed. (i also tipped him an extra 60 bucks)

bumper, hood, front fenders, and headlights.

im wondering if MY guy did mine under the table? I did pay cash $$........