Clear Bra question...

[FreeRideXX]

I want to remove the clear bra that has been on my car for about 4 years now. The bra is looking very aged, has one or two small rips in it, the edges have picked up so much wax that the whole thing is outlined with a white line ( I never found a way to remove the stuff very easily) and it just needs to go, it makes the front end look very dull. My question though, is once I remove it, I'm afraid the part it once covered will look very clean with fewer swirl marks, rock chips, etc vs. the exposed hood, is this something I should worry about? My car is black and my hood is not flawless by any means. I think the previous owner was a dish soup/wash cloth user, and he had a cat that I bet jumped on the hood once or twice... needless to say it has its fair share of rock chips, minor scratches, and swirl marks. Has anyone out there with a black car removed the bra after it became so aged and later regretted it because of the differences between the exposed hood and the covered part? Any thing I should know prior to taking it off? As of now I'm just going to peal it off, use a heat gun where necessary, and then follow with some 3M adhesive remover or goo-gone, then just wash and wax the rest. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh and about the swirl marks. They came with the car when I bought it... I've been using Imperial Hand Glaze and although better, they are still there. Any other products out there that do a better job of getting rid of them? Thanks a bunch in advance.

[DeutschDriver]

[FreeRideXX]

[DeutschDriver]

with that you'd be able to remove a great deal of the "non-bra'd" part of the hood... basically as close to getting the two parts of your hood to match without having the entire thing re-sprayed.

[RickM]

The clearbra is old, dull, aged, ripped, and outlined in white, and you're afraid it'll look worse when you take it off? LOL. I doubt it! This sounds like a perfect opportunity to get serious with a full detail. I've never dealt with your situation, but I'd do more than just wash and wax at this point. Doing a thorough job on the whole hood will be the best chance of getting the clearbra'd part to "match" the adjacent areas that haven't been protected.

[LI-S4]

The IHG will temporarily fill the swirl marks, not get rid of them.

Use Menzerna Intensive Polish followed by Final Polish (or 3M Swirl Mark Remover, then Machine Glaze) and say good-bye to the swirl marks. Follow either method with wax of course..

Alternately, try Zaino.

But what ever method you choose, unless the rest of your car is really bad...I mean REALLY bad, you should be able to bring it up to the quality of what's under the clear bra.

In any event, have another clear bra installed..the best money I should have spent and didn't...my front end is nasty.

[S4Lee]

The Hand Glaze isn't abrasive enough to take them out. I highly recommend an orbital polisher.

[nynyvtecjstkickdinyo]

[FreeRideXX]

I just ordered the swirlmark remover(3M Perfect-It^TM Foam Polishing Pad Glaze Swirlmark Remover, PN 39009) and machine glaze(3M Perfect-It^TM III Show Car Machine Glaze, PN 39012) from 3M. I also just went to Lowes to pick up/look at a 'PC', is a random orbital buffer the same as a random orbital sander? It was 109.99 at Lowes, good deal or no? Is PC the only brand I should look at? Whats the difference between the other brands and a PC? Anyway, I didnt pick it up as I have a few days before my 3M stuff arives. What pads will I need once I buy the PC or alternative? Once again, thanks for all the help!

[LI-S4]

Long Island Winters...