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.