# 3M Paint Protection Film - "Clear Bra"



## RRRRR32 (Mar 7, 2007)

New Audi Owner here...

So I did a search and didn't find much information on Clear Bra on this forum.

When I got my VW R32 6 years ago, I had a custom Clear Bra installed by a local installer, Julius Poa. I did a write up at that time and the R32 guys thought it was informative.

We just got a new A5 Cab and drove it home from the dealership and parked it. Before we got any rock chips, I immediately called my Clear Bra installer and got him lined up to do an install on the new car, which he just completed.

I thought I would write up my experiences with the clear bra and post up some pictures. Hope this is informative for you all...

As I learned on the R32, there are pre-cut kits available that can be professionally installed or self installed. Of course my installer didn't recommend do-it-yourself because it is not that easy to get right. Julius, does not use pre-cut kits, and prefers to do custom installation because of the following advantages:

- Custom cut means maximum coverage. With pre cut kits there is always about a 1/4" gap in coverage along every body panel edge. The kit will probably have multiple pieces that will need to be aligned to each other and multiple pieces which increases the number of edges which can potential collect debris and that much more edge to potentially start to peel. With custom cut, he was able to cover my entire front bumper from wheel well to wheel well, with one piece. There is a piece for each fender, one on the hood, one for each mirror, one for each headlight, one for each foglight and one for each door handle. I also had the areas behind the rear tires done, as opposed to adding mud flaps and also the top of the rear bumper where things could scrape going in and out of the trunk. He did not do the grille - even an expert like Julius finds that area too difficult to cover.

- With custom cut, he is able to have the product wrap around and under the lips of the body panels, which protects these edges - hood, something that pre cut kits can't offer. At the joints of the body panels, the custom application goes right to the seam within about 1/16" or less - you cannot see any un-covered area.

- Pre cut kits do not cover the edges of the panel - but thats where you get most of your chips! The custom kit takes care of that.

- Another advantage with custom is that YOU can choose which areas to cover. Julius has done many exotic cars entirely covered with film!

- Custom installation has one big downfall in that the pieces are cut while on the car and it is up to the installers skill level not to nick the paint with his razor blade. Make sure you get several references before you let someone near your car with a razor knife!

Julius has been doing this for 15 years so I was lucky to have him in the area. He has traveled to other parts of the country as his skill for custom (expensive) cars is sought after.

Anyway I think I got a good installation. Here are some photos of the process. I thought it would be interesting for those thinking of doing this themselves...


He measures an area and cuts the appropriate size from his master roll. He makes all cuts with a razor knife. He trims all factory edges as the edge of the roll can get banged up or abrasions on the ends of the roll and he doesn't want that bad edge going on the car.










He first cleans the areas to be covered. Then he sprays the area with one of various solutions - water, water/alcohol or water/soap. He applies this to the car and the sticky side of the plastic bra material. This creates a large slippery sheet of plastic, which is applied to the car like a giant decal - you know the ones you soaked in water and applied to plastic models when you were a kid?




























He aligns the product by sliding it around.










He squeegees a couple of areas to tack it in place.









He puts a slight stretch into the material to make sure is will not have any wrinkles.










He squeegees the area to remove the water/air from underneath. He does one half of the hood then moves to the other half.










He trims the free edges that will wrap underneath. Leaves about 1/2" to wrap around.










He uses a combination of heat gun, finger & squeegee pressure to tuck the edges in place - around the lip and underneath. The stuff actually conforms to all kinds of irregularities.



A perfect completely wrapped edge.



























The hood is the easy one - it only took 1 hour. And then on to the rest.



























































































The whole job took him 6 hours, with excellent results again!





























The only seam you can make out - from certain angles - is the one going across the hood and fenders. From most angles the seam is invisible. Much better than a big black vinyl bra and definitely better than rock chips. (Look at the bottom edge of the post-it note to see the edge...)









My experience with the Clear Bra on the R32:
- It is now 6 years old and holding up well.
- Both the R32 and now the A5 have the 3M brand of Paint Protection Film. There are other brands out there, but after 15 years of working with them all, Julius prefers to work with the 3M.
- I have zero paint damage on the protected surfaces. I have a couple of chips - on the fender and above the hood, where I did not put the film. If I had to do a coupe again, I would choose more coverage next time. (On the A5, I did have a wider swath of the fenders and hood done - about 24" from lip back).
- I wax the car with three coats of wax - once a year. The 3M film can be polished and waxed - just don't use a wheel on the film - do those areas by hand. The paint under the hood and the unprotected areas are still the same color. The film has not discolored or clouded in 6 years.
- I did get backed into by a black car, 4 years ago. I was left with a big black scrape on my LF bumper - just under the drivers headlight. I brought the car to Julius. He was able to remove the Clear Bra in that area and replace it. The black scrape came right off with the Clear Bra. The bra did it's job and the paint was perfect underneath!

I am a believer in the Paint Protection film. :thumbsup:

If you have any questions, post up here. If you want Julius's contact information, PM me - I don't want to get accused of breaking any forum advertising rules.


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

So, for 6 hours of work and the materials, how much did this set you back?


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## RRRRR32 (Mar 7, 2007)

$750, but it is variable on amount of area covered and your location.


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