First Time Clear Bra

[alberttien]

So I finally decided to purchase some bulk film and attempt to clearbra my mirrors. After many different attempts and literally wasting a few feet of clearbra, I got the results I wanted. You can see the "fingers" or "drapes" where I haven't squeeged down. I just left it like that so you could see the difference between what was clearbraed and what wasn't. Process: 1. Make a template: I used packing tape and literally formed an outline of what the mold should look like wrapped around the mirror. 2. Make your template flat: I then flattened the 3-D mold that I made out of packing tape. 3. Trace your template into the clearbra. I used a permanent marker to trace an outline of the flattened template. 4. Cut your template: Since the Olfa nice was really sharp (mistakenly make a small cut in my tip of my finder with very little pressure), i used a cutting board as backing. 5. Wrap your mirrors: There will always be some "excess" material when you start stretching the clearbra. I would mark the excess, lift the edge, and cut it with a pair of sharp scissors I had on hand. 6. Squeege everything down: This is the toughest part. I used isopropyl alcohol to get all the "fingers" and "drapes" down. It required a little bit of finesse. Lessons learned: 1. NEVER cut on the car itself. I learned that when I tried to wrap the mirrors in duct tape. Even with "scoring" the film, it still left a bit of a line. Not a problem. The line was so small that a small bit of wet-sanding took care of the problem 2. Olfa knives are very sharp. I had a small pin-size cut applying almost no pressure. 3. Patience is key. Buy lots of materials and practice stretching and conforming compound curves. The lessons learned will make wrapping anything else easy.

[xradman]

I have to ask why? You bought a $150K+ car, so why are you cutting films on your car? There are pre-cut film kits for almost every model of car including R8 if you really want to do the work your self. However, I would recommend that you find a really good professional in your area to wrap your car.

[alberttien]

I think it's more of having the ability to say I've done it. It's kind of like detailing your car. I have tons of detailing supplies and through trial and error, I've finally learned to detail the car properly. Although the learning curve on clear braing is a lot higher, I feel that if you can wrap the mirrors, everything else will be much easier.

In terms of pre-cut kits, I had one on my Porsche done by a professional installer and had the edges roll after only a few months. I had it re-done by a different installer and watched him roll the edges and round the corners.

It's not an issue about money. Like you said, the car is 150k+. It's about having the ability to do it.

[alberttien]

I should've probably posted that the car was clear bra previously. It's a 2012. I wasn't happy with the clear bra that was put on. In all fairness, I only paid $1200 around the time of purchase. Whoever did the clear bra left small nicks in the paint that I promptly removed. I asked Phil over at Detailers Domain what would remove the small imperfections and got the imperfections out with Griot's black pad & meg's 105. Brought the paint back to new condition. Instead of handing the car over again, I decided to go down the route of learning to clear bra myself. I would say based on the picture, I've done a pretty good job of it. Not professional, but not bad.