Zatoichi

My old A4 was absolutely riddled with stone chips after 3 years. It seems like this is unavoidable.

The idea of 3M Clear Bra sounds good but I feel like it would be a lousy trade off as instead of looking at ugly stone chips, I'd be stuck looking at an ugly plastic seam (I know it's barely visible, but so are tiny stone chips and I notice them just fine).

In addition to the seam there's the added hassle of having to wax around the bra so as not to leave any residue.

Now factor in the fact that the cost to totally repaint the hood is about the same as a clear coat install and I find myself coming down on the "don't get it" side of the fence.

Any input from owners who regularly detail their cars? Are certain colours better with clear bra in terms of it's visibility?

Thanks

Toecutter

If I had a light-colored car such as silver or white I might forgo the 3M clear bra and just deal with the stone chips. However, with Estoril blue I think the stone chips would really be highly visible. I can see the transition from the clear bra to paint on the hood, but I've gotten used to it and it doesn't bother me.

helix139

Get full hood coverage and you won't have a seam. Also get Xpel Ultimate instead of 3M. It's self healing and orange peel free. You won't notice it on there.

Additionally, there is the issue of if you have to get your hood repainted, your car will go down in value because it no longer has its factory paint.

I have my whole front end covered along with a few other parts and I'm glad I do. Rock chips drive me crazy and with all the dumptrucks around here that haul gravel or sand my front end would be chewed up within a year.

If you choose to do a partial hood, the easy way to avoid build up around the seams is to either mask them off with painter's tape, use a q-tip to remove the excess, or use a sealant instead of a wax which will give you more durability anyways.

snagitseven

I have the full front and rocker panels coverage with Xpel Ultimate with wrapped edges and 100% agree with everything you wrote. 7000 miles and not one rock chip. No visible seams and until you get within 6", you can't tell there's film installed. I wax it like the rest of the car (no abrasives) and it looks great.

deviruchi

Sorta off topic, but would an opticoat help in the same manner as a clear bra?

Or is getting both advisable?

helix139

Opticoat is better than nothing, but opticoat isn't going to completely prevent rock chips like clear bra will. If you have clear bra, you don't need to apply opticoat to those surfaces.

RickFLS4

I have Xpel on bumper, headlights, 1/3 hood and 1/3 fenders and find that coverage adequate. I stopped noticing the seam on day 2 and don't see the seam as an issue at all. I tore up the front end of my 2008 Lexus LS with paint chips and have gotten the film for 4 cars since then. I don't think I will go without it in the future and re-spraying the bumper will affect car value and get expensive if you do it more than once.

As far as build up goes, it just takes a swab with alcohol to clean along the edge of the seam. White cars are probably the worst for showing the seam. You can see it in this pic if you look closely, but it is pretty easy to ignore unless you are looking for it.

Toecutter

I went with both. First I had the clear bra installed (standard front mask) then I applied the OptiCoat on top of that, but if I could redo things I would apply the OptiCoat first then apply the clear bra. That way if I ever remove the clear bra, the entire car beneath will have complete OptiCoat coverage.

I suppose if you applied clear bra on the entire vehicle then there's no point in getting the OptiCoat, but since most of my paint is exposed I chose both.

DrGP

Xpel is the way to go.

snagitseven

Xpel Ultimate. (Xpel has other lower grade films that don't have the self healing properties and it's own clearcoat).