Hi guys I have a few questions around clear bra'ing Im not new to the whole clear bra thing, the first thing i do on any car is clear bra the entire skirts - and ive since had the skirts and front lip clear bra'd on the GTR Im now thinking about clear bra'ing the entire front bumper, all in one piece and folded over the panel edges so as to not see any lines/seams The reason being, every time i wash the car im finding scuffs on the edges of my front bumper from people walking around the car and brushing against it when parked - and its only ever been on the front bumper edges, 4 seperate occasions now in just over a month of ownership And its really pissing me off, there's only so many times i can polish them out So im thinking if i clear bra the whole bumper it'll protect it against scuffs and also stone chips My question is, how do i go about maintaining it. With my side skirts, ive only ever used paint cleaners and just waxed over the top while doing the rest of the car But the bumper is alot more noticeable, so for someone like me who is always trying different paint cleaners and waxes, would i simply wax over the top of the clear bra? would the finish of the bumper then match the rest of the car? Thats my only concern - id hate to have the whole car looking a deep black, then the bumper looks off because of the clear bra Thoughts, anyone with first hand experience? I know the pro detailers on here would come across this often
Bumper Covers Difference in Colour - Polyurethane bumper covers (including side skirts and aerodynamic spoilers, etc) will always change colour especially in metallic colours. The plastic has a static charge and the metallic paint will settle different than on the sheet metal parts, causing pigment floatation that will shift the colour darker or lighter. The other reason is surface temperature, if the sheet metal is colder, the bumper will look lighter, if the sheet metal is hotter than the bumper cover, and the colour on the bumper will look darker. The third reason is flex additive. The Clearcoat is applied on the bumper with a flex additive and a catalyzed adhesion promoter, which will shift the colour slightly (See also Flex additives) Polyurethane has very poor thermal conduction; meaning that friction applied heat will not easily dissipate. For this reason be careful of ‘spot burns’ when machine polishing bumper covers, spoilers, air dams, side skirts, etc. Note - Paint blending is basically painting an area larger than the defect and then blending or feathering the clear to match the surrounding paint, then wet-sand to bring the surface back to level with the surrounding area. I would advise a clear bra type covering as you can only polish so much clear before ....
thanks for the info mate ive found heaps of threads where people are using the same LSP as the rest of the car on the clear bra, and i get that but no one mentions whether that 1k crystal rock looks the same applied over clear bra vs the rest of the car, and thats my concern given im always testing new LSPs also my car is solid black, so prob not so much of an issue with the clear bra changing the colour of the paint, but the flipside is it will easily show a difference in finish between the adjacent panels
just found these pics on the forum and just as i thought, you can see a difference in finish bw a waxed panel and waxed clear bra
Developed by the 3M Company, Scotchgard™ Paint Protection Film, 3M Crystalline 70 99.5% optically clear 8Mil (0.008-inch) film designed to reduce stone chipping and bug damage on painted surfaces. It’s a blend of acycloolefin, copolymer and a thermoplastic urethane, a tough, conformable material that is covered by a clear coat layer. I think a better solution would be to refine the finish to your personal taste and use a coating system (Aquartz) then there would be no worries about a 'paint-clear bra' line
You dont want to use anything with dyes or propane in it. So I recommend against using wax, or any colored product. You want something that is clear. Pretty much any clear spray on sealant which contains UV protection will be good.
i follow that, something like 303 would work well yeh? but then it wont match the rest of the paint i think ill just do what i did with my M3 and budget on a bumper respray once a year
+1 on optiseal. I'm also pretty sure that since carnauba is not optically clear, that it would yellow the film.
but then wouldnt an opti-seal'd clear bra'd bumper look different to my lusso'd bonnet where the two meet along the same angle/plain ?
Even if you use the same LSP on both, they will still look slightly different. Thats just the way it is, gotta live with it or dont get a clear bra installed.
thanks for the advice i might just stick to the clear bra on the lower skirts im too fussy to have a different finish like in the pics above on top panels
I would go with the clear bra but you want to make sure you find the best installer possible since the installer makes the biggest difference. In some lighting you will see a slight difference in the texture between the film and the paint since most films have a little bit of orange peel finish to them. That said it looks MUCH better than a bumper with road rash or no clear coat because you polished it too much. It is an acceptable trade off IMHO. Go for the clear bra. JUST FIND A GOOD INSTALLER. You also want to steer clear of the guys that wrap the entire panel or front end because no matter what they say you have to cut the film on your paint and there is a chance they will cut your paint. There may be a few installers that can do this without cutting your paint but it is a gamble I would NOT want to take. Get one of the pre cut kits for your car.
I have just waxed the car bra successfully. The other advantage of JW's line is that it seems to be my favorite sealant to top with a carnauba wax. Some lines (like Zaino, IMO) do not change the look with a nuba, almost like you just wipe it off when you remove it... With Werkstatt I feel that I can alter and add to the look with a carnuaba.
I have seen spot on matches to a quarter panel sprayed on bumpers and not match a bit. It's caused by the angle, also known as the flop. Your kind of at a real bad spot with your car in my personal opinion. You always want it perfect, who's not guilty of that, but it's just not gonna happen if you drive it often. Also find a installer of the clear bra who custom cuts the film from a solid roll much like Phil does. Some installers download patterns of the internet and print the out. Def. worth the extra money.
love my clear bras but never even thought about i net ordered sheets that might not match. really good point. as a detailer i am about as anal as anyone but as a driver who would use a veyron as a daily driver i value the drive over the shine any day.
