Tint & Clear Bra done!
 

Check it out! I'll upload more pics of the car after I get the racks finished (just got the Whispbar rails put on today...they look SWEET!)

15% VLT on this bad boy. It's just right (w/ the rear camera night backup is no problem).

Bra coverage (combination of Venture shield, std durable 3m and Xpel ultimate):
- Full hood, headlights/door mirrors, full front & rear fenders, A-pillars up and back across the roof line (protect the areas the rack sits), 1st part of the roof to moon roof opening, inside the doors on the rails where you step

Thanks for everyone's guidance to date!

That's a nice looking car. Congrats and enjoy.

Very nice!

I'll have to buy you another coffee some time in the future and check it all out in person.

The TINT looks great.

But, could you help me understand why people do Clearbra? I just don't get it.

Because we don't like rock chips or love bug acid stains and don't want to have to get a respray every couple of years because we like our original paint.

The reason some folks do clear bra is to avoid stone chips. Ever since vehicle manufactures started using water based paints the vehicle paint itself chips easily. Especially in busy highways where you have gravel trucks and heavy traffic like SoCal. I went with Xpel Ultimate paint film on my Q5 and have no regrets. With a proper install you do not even notice the film on the paint. Of course you forgo the paint film altogether but eventually you will have to repaint the front end. I see as pay now or pay later. Just my thoughts.

Are these protections removable without damaging the original paint? 4 years from now, Can you remove it And the paint looks brand new?

Yes, it can be peeled off at any time with no issues to the paint. Any remaining glue residue can be removed easily with a bit of isopropyl alcohol.

My full front Xpel Ultimate treatment has prevented all rock chips for 7000 miles and remains smooth as a baby's butt. It was worth every penny. My last Audi with no film applied had at least half a dozen paint chips by the same mileage.

Completely agree and that was my motivation. For me, since I'm using the car for a variety of purposes (i.e. driving up in the Colorado mountains to ski) there are a lot of "chip exposures" that I'd rather just prevent now vs. get annoyed by it and then have the "I really should fix that" conversation going on!

The guy I went to had awesome reviews and in daylight, you literally can stare at the car and not know it has a clear bra. Full hood = the way to go :)

I'm curious - you mentioned you have a combination of Venture Shield, 3M and Xpel Ultimate; why didn't you go with Xpel Ultimate all the way?