I have a small rock chip on my painted front bumper, right on the edge of my foglight housing (f150) and it it driving me up the wall!

Does anyone have any experience with a 3m clear bra? I mostly worried about how much it would stand out over my paint on my silver truck.

Also how much did you pay to have it done?

 

They usually don't stand out. Noticeable if you look close, but even then it's just a tiny line across the top. They work well, I have seen them on a few high end cars (BMW M3, Benz CLK-63 AMG, Corvette etc.). As long as they are installed properly there are no bubbles or creases to be seen. Not sure how much they go for...

 

My Grandmother just got one on her new Lexus GS400. If she didn't tell me she got one I wouldn't have noticed. The only giveaway is the line across the hood, which is very hard to notice and only from certain angles.

I priced one for my F150 when I used to drive on the interstate a lot (damn semis and thier rock throwing). It was something like $400 for the entire front end. That included bumper, upper bumper, front of hood, headlights, and a small portion of the front fenders. The protection is no doubt great.

The thing that really turned me away (besides the price) was the fact that the installer told me that it would eventually dull and yellow a little bit over time, like vinyl eventually does, and would need to be replaced. He estimated about 5 years. I plan on keeping my truck for a while and I park outside 95% of the time, so the sun would definitely not help the vinyl from fading.

It would probably be less noticeable on a silver truck and if you keep it garaged it would more than likely last a long time.

 

I have a clear bra on my Medium Wedgewood Blue '05 F-150 and there are pictures of it in my gallery. It's not noticeable at all, in my opinion, and would be even less noticeable on a silver vehicle. I also had one installed on my wife's '05 Escape the day after we picked it up from the dealer.

My opinion on them is that they are great for daily drivers, and can personally attest that it has saved the wife's Escape from several rock dings in the years we've had it.

However, I can also say that I would not have had it installed on my F-150 had I known exactly how I was going to use the vehicle. My truck is a true garage queen (only 1400 miles since new) and I am extremely careful in the situations I drive the vehicle. In retrospect, for my F-150 I would have traded the protection it provides for the slightly better aesthetics of a vehicle without one.

But when I buy another daily driver for either myself or the wife, I will definitely have one installed again. The cost on both the F-150 and the Escape was around $350.00 if I remember correctly.

 

The dealer had installed one on the upper bumper on my 2004 F150. I never noticed it until months later when doing a full detail. I loved it. On light color vehicles, it's not noticeable. When you start putting it on Black and Dark Blue, you'll be able to see the edge.

 

Hey thumper i got another question for you.. How did it react to polish/sealant? Did it look the same as the rest of the truck or did you have to do something different to get it to blend

 

I never polished it, just applied a LSP.

 

Man, I thought this was about to get gross... then you went on...

In all seriousness, though, I think that they can look nice and be worth it, but yes, you will still end up with rock chips. The best idea is the leather bras, but those arent too stylish for trucks. But for a buick or something, the leather ones actually do something to prevent chipping...But this isnt going to help you, so I will shut up...

 

[nasty] eww, leather bras, who the hell would want that??[/nasty]

 

I'm not calling you out but have you ever had a 3M Clear Bra? .. like I said, I had one on my 2004 F150. I beat the hell out of that truck offroad and never had any rock chips in the 3M Clear Bra. On a side note, I've seen some leather bras really tear up the front of vehicles.

 

No, I have never had a bra of any type (this applies to both the clean and the dirty thoughts...).

My friend has a Buick with a leather bra, and it pretty well keeps rock chips out. Granted, the paint under the bra has some medium-level swirls, but since it is hidden...

As for the 3M one, how did it perform when it came to rocks slung up by semis in front of you? That is where I see the most chips coming from...

I do, however, wish that I had invested in a clear bra when I got a new bumper. Within a week of getting it painted/put on, it was chipped all to hell... So I guess on a new vehicle or one with new paint (or any paint that is not chipped already), I would say that it is a good idea, having heard Thumper's story.

Having heard this, Thumper, I have decided that my next vehicle will have it. (I trust your opinion here )

 

The idea of a leather bra is to keep the front end of your truck looking good...but what's the point if it looks like garbage the whole time the bra is on there? I'd rather have rock chips... the 3M shield is the ultimate solution.

 

I do not know which brand my dad has on his 02 Z06, but it does have problems of things penetrating the surface and causing a bubble in the film. Every time I detail the car I find myself removing a little more of it because of bubbles.

 

My brother has one on his Subaru STI, which he takes to the track, on and off road, and he has no problem with his. I've helped him detail it and I didn't notice any chips. I only noticed it when he put water to rinse the soap off.

 

I appreciate the insight.. guess i'll call around and find out what's up!