[Tova]

I wanted to get some feedback from people who have the clear protective covering on their bumper, hood, and mirrors (or have had it on previous cars). How well does it prevent rock chips and damage from small debris? My car just arrived yesterday and I will be picking it up later this evening. I'm debating whether this cover is worth the 800 bucks. I've seen it on some 5's, 6's, and 7's in the showroom and the lines are virtually invisible on a Tiag car.

[Explorer3253]

I have it and I'd say it saved me quite a bit of rock chips. I also have a black car so its a sound investment. I had the dealership do it however it seems to keep peeling. I took it back and they cut off the peeling part. I was upset about that and let the dealership know so they told me they will either refund my money or reapply a new one. I am def going to have them reapply. Better to have that on then a whole slew of chips.

[330South]

I received my car this past weekend and am taking it in tomorrow to have them apply the covering. I hope its worth it, I am planning to keep the car for at least 6-7years and would like the car to continue looking like new as long as possible. BTW - the dealership has some bargaining power on this service, my dealer tried to sell it to me for $715 and I initially told them no because I could get it aftermarket for $600 - the dealer then proceeded to knock the price down to $500 and that is the only reason I chose to have them do it. If they stick to their price I would say look at other options (i.e., stoneguard) because you can probably get a better price.

[Explorer3253]

Same thing happened with me.They wanted 715. I told them I could have it done for 550 elsewhere (I was bsing..) The professional I would have used was 650...but I knew the quality of work. They called me and gave it to me for 500...so I took it since I wouldn't have to drive anywhere w/o the protectant

[Carl]

I take delivery and got it for free! It was a special for cars delivered around Valentines Day - Free tinting or the clear bra

[330South]

Originally Posted by Carl

I take delivery and got it for free! It was a special for cars delivered around Valentines Day - Free tinting or the clear bra

Now that is a good deal, good for you.

[gdnyc]

Can any of you guys post a pic of the clear bra on? I ordered a jet black 330 and I was thinking about getting it. My old car was black and had rock chips all over the bumper. I was hoping to avoid it.

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by 330South

BTW - the dealership has some bargaining power on this service, my dealer tried to sell it to me for $715 and I initially told them no because I could get it aftermarket for $600 - the dealer then proceeded to knock the price down to $500 and that is the only reason I chose to have them do it. If they stick to their price I would say look at other options (i.e., stoneguard) because you can probably get a better price.

Actually, $500 installed is an AWESOME price for an E90. Just make sure
they use the BMW accessories kit (made by X-Pel for BMW) as this kit gives
the car extended coverage.

Ston-Gard and the others are good, but don't expect to pay less than $500 installed...the hood & bumper kits alone are at least $300. I paid $300 for the BMW kit and $280 for an install by an independent X-Pel dealer.

[Explorer3253]

Originally Posted by gdnyc

Can any of you guys post a pic of the clear bra on? I ordered a jet black 330 and I was thinking about getting it. My old car was black and had rock chips all over the bumper. I was hoping to avoid it.

I'll see if I can figure out a way to post them later on. If you have email let me know and I'll email it to you. I have Jet Black....At this point the only good looking thing is my front bumper =) Everything else seems to be filled with swirls

[Tova]

Hah, I was hoping to get more of a response from those who have it on how effective the cover seems, not how much you all paid for it, although that is insightful anyways.

[DILLIGAF]

I can't say how effective it has been on my car since I've only had the car for just under 2 weeks but it looks like it will definitely help. The dealer was asking $600 CDN to do it but I called around to some 3M stoneguard autorized dealers and got quoted between $200 to $300 CDN. So I cut out the middle man and paid $275 installed. You might want to call around if you want to try to save some $$.

[Tova]

Yeah, after hearing what you guys were paying for your covers, I did a little research on my own and contacted the company that BMW goes to for this service directly. They quoted me $200 less AND have a life-time warranty on their install. I got scheduled for tommorow. Although I haven't driven around with it yet, I'm sure it gives you guys a little more peace of mind when driving, and that's what I'm looking forward too.

[DILLIGAF]

You might want to double check the lifetime warranty aspect. The 3M installer that did mine told me its good for 3-5 yrs and warned of places that will give you a lifetime warranty saying that he doesnt think any similar product can be guaranteed for that long.

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by Tova

I wanted to get some feedback from people who have the clear protective covering on their bumper, hood, and mirrors (or have had it on previous cars). How well does it prevent rock chips and damage from small debris? My car just arrived yesterday and I will be picking it up later this evening. I'm debating whether this cover is worth the 800 bucks. I've seen it on some 5's, 6's, and 7's in the showroom and the lines are virtually invisible on a Tiag car.

my friend had this on his jet black car and the lines were mostly invisible at first. 2 years later it looked like and he had it removed.

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by Tova

Yeah, after hearing what you guys were paying for your covers, I did a little research on my own and contacted the company that BMW goes to for this service directly. They quoted me $200 less AND have a life-time warranty on their install. I got scheduled for tommorow. Although I haven't driven around with it yet, I'm sure it gives you guys a little more peace of mind when driving, and that's what I'm looking forward too.

Make sure its the EXTENDED coverage kit. X-Pel has 2 versions.

As far as how effective it is well, I've had it on my 2000 323Ci and when the car is clean it looks great with
barely any noticeable rock chips. You have to upkeep your car, though...
....otherwise it will look like shit, especially on a black car.

[Jogger]

I had the 3M film applied to my bumper, hood, mirrors and headlights and it seems to be working plus it is practically invisible.

In fact it looks so good that someone who also works in my building, tracked me down to ask about it so he could get it done to his car.

[AeroTect]

AeroTect is a Clear bra installer in Southern California and When You're shopping around in your area for a good installer, there are some key questions you should ask.Don't be afraid to ask for references. The paint protection business is a fairly new industry and you want to find an experienced installer.

Many times a window tinter will attempt to install paint protection film without proper training assuming that it is the same as tinting. It is really nothing like window tinting. Paint protection film is a stretchy polyurethane material that is designed to be installed around the complex curves of your car.

Having your Clear bra installed at your dealership may be a bad choice because of the constant employee turnover in the auto business.People don't work for a long enough time at the dealerships to get really good at installs.

There are also many different films & paterns on the market to consider.Some are much better than others.Some have a lifetime warranty. Some a 5 year warranty. Some come with no warranty at all.The new 3M film is much clearer than the older film and also has a top / clearcoat Venture film is another clear film that has a minimal orange peel texture but doesn't have a clearcoat finish and requires a little more maintenance. There are several other films available as well

There are also many choices when it comes to the patterns fo your make and model Xpel patterns are usually cut in one piece for a cleaner look.You may find that installers that use Xpel patterns will charge a little more because it is more difficult and time consuming to install a one piece pattern. The multi piece patterns don't provide a clean look and are designed towards the do it yourself customer.
We have removed and replaced many well intentioned do it yourself installs.

Please feel free to call us toll free at (866) 388-AERO if you have any Clear bra questions.

[NAWT]

I have it on my 330. The car is Electric Red and the leading edges are visible. One trick is to use rubbing alcohol on the bra if you get scratches and then polish and wax over it. I paid $540 for the standard hoood, bumpers and mirror covers. That includes $30 for the CF spoilers that I have on the car.

[sdorn]

For $600, can't you just get a good body shop to repair the rock chips every couple of years?

[PristineAutowerks]

Sdorn, you can. But you are back at square one. Once you start driving it again you get new ones. Another thing is the re-paint most likely will either be off in shade or the orange-peel will be off. If you get the Clear Bra from the begining, you can enjoy the car without the worries.

Christopher
Pristine Autowerks

[Asiann]

I recently applied Xpel to the front bumper, fog lamps, Xenons,hood, rear bumper, door handles and mirrors for just over $500. Make sure you try and get the thickest mil or else you are just wasting money since some are very thin and rocks will just eat them up. The xenons are very thick at 20mils I think. I put it on every car that I own.