Clear bra issues

[-Z-]

Folks,

I was almost all set to get the Xpel on my car as I talked to my detailer who does not have a bra on his own car ( he is 3M installer ).

He mentioned that his previous cars had 3M, and people tend to notice it, and when they do, they for some reason feel like they need swipe a finger along the line on the hood, and in case there is dust, it looks bad finger painted and dust/dirt may scratch paint during the finger swipe...

Now, I am starting to double question my current plans to install part hood bra on my car.

Should I go crazy and cover the whole hood? Or should I just settle for partial hood cover?

Any experience from 1addicts like the above?

The bra is a must, I hate repainting the car after a couple of years, and the rock chips are flying everywhere....

thanks.

[Amnizu]

IMHO wrap the whole panel.

[Yellowceta]

I did the Xpel partial hood and got a real nice rock chip / dent on my hood real close to the dispenser for the windshield wiper fluid. I regret not getting the full hood, but I don't think that even the Xpel material would have completely protected me on that hit. My experience with highway driving, especially around big rigs that almost always have mud and rocks falling off, is that a majority of the hits you take will be in the first 18", roughly, on the hood of your 1M. My GTI has a bunch of hits on the first 12" and has steeper slope to it than the 1M. Your aerodynamics will somewhat protect the rest of your hood from the small stuff. The larger stuff will probably leave its mark whether you have PPF or not.

My thoughts...

[sean67]

Stay away from Laminx.

[Vrumpkin]

I installed Xpel on 1/2 my hood. If you had a Porsche 911 with that low swoop hood I'd say do it all. The 1Ms hood is pretty high and chances of chips close to the windshield on the hood arent that likely. Not impossible but 1/2 should offer solid protection.

[1SerieStud]

Originally Posted by Yellowceta

I did the Xpel partial hood and got a real nice rock chip / dent on my hood real close to the dispenser for the windshield wiper fluid. I regret not getting the full hood, but I don't think that even the Xpel material would have completely protected me on that hit. My experience with highway driving, especially around big rigs that almost always have mud and rocks falling off, is that a majority of the hits you take will be in the first 18", roughly, on the hood of your 1M. My GTI has a bunch of hits on the first 12" and has steeper slope to it than the 1M. Your aerodynamics will somewhat protect the rest of your hood from the small stuff. The larger stuff will probably leave its mark whether you have PPF or not.

My thoughts...

It probably would have...you have no idea how much protection this film offers. On a different family car, we recently had someone backup into the front of the car, hitting both the hood and the front bumper, and I kid you not, the film looked like crap after it was hit/scrubbed/stretched, but everything underneath was literally intact after removing the glue.

[Yellowceta]

I will take a picture and post it. It's not your ordinary chip. However, if the Xpel would have protected the hood, I will beg the wife to let me wrap the entire car with wrapped corners!

[The Transporter]

I am pleased with my 3M clear bra. Mine covers the front clip and maybe the first 12" or so of the hood. Of course, right after I got it installed, I got nailed by something big enough to leave 4 nicks in the paint about 3" above the clear bra. Since then, I have only had two chips in the leading edge of the hood, which the bra does not cover (to prevent peeling). Perhaps it can be wrapped (? based on post above^), but that is not too bad for what it has been through. Nothing has hit me (yet) up by the washer nozzles.

My car spends most of its drive time in early morning, high-speed highway commuter driving over 1.5 hrs. Trucks, delivery vans, etc. abound. The bra is holding up to everything that hits it. I frequently see little halos of dust, where it appears an object desintegrated on impact, that just wipe away. The 3M product on my wife's Audi A4 is holding up similarly well and she is an indescriminant tailgater. Money well spent IMO.

[Dackelone]

You might take a look at my DIY clear bra install. I did not do it myself, but it turned out well. I would highly reccomend a clear bra to any 1addict.



DIY Clear Bra install...

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...ar+bra+install

[V TACH]

I always do the full hood, A pillars, door edges, headlights and fender flares on all of my cars. The relatively little extra money it takes is worth it for my piece of mind. For those that aren't bothered by rock chips great, but for me I'll fixate on the chip if it occurs. I also don't care for the line across the hood when doing just a partial hood. What's the price difference for the partial hood vs full?

[-Z-]

the costs of doing the full hood is 400% the amount of a partial hood,

$269.95 vs $1,019.95 for the hood and fenders kit,

and the total bill jumps to $1800 for just the front... I kinda question the sanity of doing it.
on the other hand I don't like the idea of people painting the hood with their fingers, and it
will get dusty as it's my DD, and I am unable to wash it every day even if I had time.

[flzrider]

Originally Posted by -Z-

the costs of doing the full hood is 400% the amount of a partial hood,

$269.95 vs $1,019.95 for the hood and fenders kit,

and the total bill jumps to $1800 for just the front... I kinda question the sanity of doing it.
on the other hand I don't like the idea of people painting the hood with their fingers, and it
will get dusty as it's my DD, and I am unable to wash it every day even if I had time.

You can get prices for individual pieces. The software the shops use give them the option to delete pieces.

That being said, I still went for the partial hood coverage (the longest one available).

[RaptorKTM]

do the full panel or dont do it at all

[Jayda]

I have venture film on my car (Z4 35i). I would have done the full hood in a heartbeat. The Z4 is one of the few cars that is too big in the hood for a full panel due to the size of the film. I prefer the line on the hood to rock chips!