Life with a Bra

B

blackntan

New member
Here's my dilemma... The nose of my car was repainted a year ago, and is now horribly beaten up by rock chips and the like. It looks disgusting. The body shop agreed to repaint it, so that's the good news.



I don't want this to happen again. The majority of the damage occured during the winter, with the salt and gravel poured all over the winter roads..



I'm considering a bra for the winter only, just to stop this from happening again, after it's repainted. I hate the way the bra looks, and the damage it does to the car...



Any suggestions for limiting the damage the bra will inflict?



Any other ideas on how I can minimize the damage to the car without the bra?
 
Make sure you buy a bra that fits the car properly. A well designed bra will not damage the paint at all if it is properly maintained. You will have to take it off periodically to clean it. Check out www.carbras.com they make some of the best fitting car bras that I have found.



27603quarterfront.jpg
 
very nice. Thanks for the help.



How do they attach? Is there any mounting hardware that will need to remain on the car after I take it off?
 
The damage that a bra will cause comes from never taking it off. Car bras are a temporary thing. You should put them on when you go on long haul trips or when you know that there will be rocks and bugs flying into your nose. If you want a long term fix then you need to look at a clear bra. You should not put a bra on and then leave it on. That will pretty much ruin your hood over time. Dirt and crud gets underneath it and just rubs away at the car. You can cause worse damage with one than without one.



They should not be on the car in the rain or snow. You shouldn't wash the car with one on. There is lots of maintainance involved. They are not a low maintainance item. You have to take care of them. They are very worth it because of the damage they prevent, but its not a low effort item. You need to be prepared to take it on and off whenever you wash the car or when you aren't on a road trip. I've got one that I use when I go on long trips or for durring that time of the year when bugs are out everywhere. The rest of the time it is hanging in my garage. They are great protection but they are a lot of work. Very worth it though.



They usually just slide on different parts of the car. They have little elastic bands with hooks on them to help secure them. Around the wheel wells they generally have tabs that fold around to hold them on. No drilling or any other change to your car is needed. They are easy to work with once you get used to them.



Ok. Car bra rant is over. :D I get a lot of greif from my car club for having a bra. They say its ugly. Well, I say that rock chips and bug burns are uglier and those don't come off when I'm done with my trip. Give me a tempoary car bra to permenant damage any day of the week.
 
So getting one for winter only use isn't the best idea? During the winter, if it even hints at snow or ice, the roads suddenly become gravel filled off road courses, and with the softer repaint finish on my car, the nose takes a pounding..



I have no problem with the maint. but during the winter the car stays outside, and doesn't get washed all that often..



I put about 800 miles on my car per week, so every day is a roadtrip....



Is a bra a good solution to prevent winter abuse, or is there something else out there that will work better?
 
You can also consider a bug deflector. I have both a bra and deflector I use on my Grand Cherokee. I use either one of them if I go on trips or use the interstate. I usually take them off when I get home. They are useful.
 
Yeah, I was considering a clear bra too. It looks like that may be the way to go..



Anyone have any experience with them? Pro's? Cons?



Also, where should I order this from? And can I install it myself, or is it a shop job?



Thanks again for all the help...
 
I like Bob's suggestion of taking a look at www.carbras.com.



Their bras are made by "Perfect-Fit". They are all $89 and they are truly a perfect fit.



They fit very tight and have a nicely padded cotton backing. The tighter it fits, the less it can move and the less friction you will have.



The most important thing is to keep the paint clean under the bra.



I've never had a scratch with mine. You just have to be careful.



6491bra1.jpg
 
Jngrbrdman said:
The damage that a bra will cause comes from never taking it off. Car bras are a temporary thing. You should put them on when you go on long haul trips or when you know that there will be rocks and bugs flying into your nose. If you want a long term fix then you need to look at a clear bra. You should not put a bra on and then leave it on. That will pretty much ruin your hood over time. Dirt and crud gets underneath it and just rubs away at the car. You can cause worse damage with one than without one.
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This is something I wasn't really clear on in my post. I don't leave the bra on my car long term. I use mine just as Jngrbrdman does for road trips, driving in places where I know there is road construction and during bug season (love bugs). For long term every day protection I would love to get a clear bra put on. I don't have one because I already have some chips on my hood and bumper but, I do plan to get the car painted one of these days and I will put on a clear bra at that time and use the conventional bra over it for extra protection when necessary.
 
Seems like it's highly recommended to get a clear bra installed professionaly due to equipment, lighting, etc. If you do any of the clear protection yourself, it would probably just be for the headlights or doorsills. Surprised Deanski hasn't jumped in here yet.



Bill, is that a Tec II in your GT ?
 
newagain said:
stop going back in the cave days with those old bra go to this web site it answer all your question www.invinca-shield.com
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Those are not always the answer to all your questions. Not everybody buys a car that is brand new where they can have something like that put on. Most of us get them when they already have a rock chip or two in them and there isn't any point in preserving the imperfections forever like that. I like being able to have it on or off based on the situation. Having an "old bra" isn't a bad solution for the problem of avoiding rock chips and bug guts. They both have their pros and cons.
 
Another question about the clear bra....



If I get the car back Wednesday from the bodyshop with the new paint, when can I apply the shield? This way it is perfect upon application, and I don't have to worry about the imperfections...



Thanks for all the help guys!!
 
blackntan said:
Another question about the clear bra....



If I get the car back Wednesday from the bodyshop with the new paint, when can I apply the shield? This way it is perfect upon application, and I don't have to worry about the imperfections...



Thanks for all the help guys!!
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Ask the body shop guy how long the paint takes to cure.



You don't want the clear covering to pull the paint off during application. (If you should have to pull it up slightly to re-position it.)



I did some touch-up painting, then applied some decal inlays in the indented letters (PONTIAC) on the lower rear facia (bumper). When I went to re-position one of the letters, it pulled the paint off! My cure time was about 10 days (evidently not enough!)
 
Guys,



Get rid of those cheezy strap-on black bras that ultimatley ruin your finish!



Go with a clear paint protection film, such as Armorglove.



Here's a shot of my SC430 with Armorglove:

Armorglove on my SC430



I highlighted the areas where it ends on the hood as it's hard to see. I have it on the front bumper/air-dam, hood (wrapped), headlights, fender by headlights, rocker panels, side mirrors and door cups.



This is the best investment I made!



You can wax over it, just don't rub hard on it as it will scratch. Paint under the film will remain same once you remove it years later.



Anyone want a new in-the-box carbon-fiber bra for a Lexus SC430? Never used it!



Regards,

Deanski
 
very nice deanski. Where would I look to purchase armorglove? I've found the websites for the 3M stuff, but i'd like to look at this as well.



Also, did you install yourself? If you don't mind my asking, what was the total cost, install and all?



Thanks again! I think i'm set on the clear bra. Just gotta find a make and manufacturer.



Thanks for the help!!
 
Deanski said:
Guys,



Get rid of those cheezy strap-on black bras that ultimatley ruin your finish!
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They won't ruin your finish if you are careful with them. I had on on my Mustang that I maintained weekly and it didn't cause any damage at all in all for the length of time that I owned. it. It saved me from major damage from the construction on the freeway and the bugs in the country.







You can wax over it, just don't rub hard on it as it will scratch. Paint under the film will remain same once you remove it years later.
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Sounds like there are downsides of having a product like that just like there are downsides to having a regular bra. What about the paint that isn't covered? Doesn't that change over time? It doesn't matter which bra you use in the end. The exposed part of your car will still get more UV rays than the part under the bra and therefore will fade faster. The only difference is that the black bras that you can take off aren't on the car 24/7 so its not going to be as apparant. I don't care if you are using the almighty Z on the rest of the car or not. The part covered is going to still get fewer UV rays than the rest of the car.



Why don't you guys with your cheesy clear bras come over to the dark side and get a classy black bra on your car? :D You don't have to worry about scratching it if you wax it too hard because you don't have to have it on the car all the time. ;)



ps... This doesn't need to become a war between clear bras and normal bras. The fact is that not everybody has a car they can just slap a clear bra on. Any car can have a black bra on it. Saying that one is better than the other is ultimately just an opinion and shouldn't be passed off as gospel truth. Different strokes for different folks. If I would have known about clear bras when I bought my car then I probably would have put one on myself. Since I didn't do that I bought a Colgan bra instead and now I just put it on when I need it. My car is still protected, it just takes a bit more work.
 
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