I was thinking of getting a 3m or clearshield protection on my car. Do you guys know if there is a difference between the two products? Also, I have the option of doing 24 inches of the hood and fenders (along with the front bumper, rear view mirrors, and headlights) or doing the entire front. I guess the benefit to doing the entire front is that you won't be able to see any of the lines of the plastic. The downside is that it costs twice as much. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is doing a clear bra worth it?

 

I think its well worth it, especially if you drive a lot. I went with a full front end coverage. I did not want any lines showing. If done correctly you won't even know its there.

 

Clearshield is made by a company called Baekart and isnt a very good film. I had an installer that used to install it and he didnt like it at all. 3M would be a better choice but there are still better options out there. Avery Nano Fusion, Xpel Ultimate, and Ventureshield Ultra are all better films and I would recomend any of those three over 3M anyday. In your area I would recommend the Xpel film if you are going with the full hood/full fender install and the Avery Nano if you are going partial. Avery Nano is very stain resistant but doesnt come in 60" widths yet. Xpel and Ventureshield does.

I always recommend getting the full install asa it never fails that you will end up getting a rock chip where the film stops. The cost is more but what is the point of keepign the leading edge of the hood perfect if the rest of it can get chipped? If your car was a Challenger than I would not recommend the hood at all since it is all horizontal to the road... but your does face the road quiet a bit so it will be succeptable to damage all the way up the hood.

 

go with 3m.

as for full or partial coverage, that's purely depends on your budget. if you choose full coverage, make sure the installer is reputable. full coverage means custom install which involves trimming the film on the car. an inexperienced installed can cut into your paint.

 

I went with the 3M, 24" of the Hood.
Front bumper, mirrors and sides front of rear wheels.
32k miles and no chips etc behind the 24 on the hood.
I think it looks better than doin the whole hood.

 

Just traded in my 99 Cab. I thought about getting a clear bra when I bought it new 12 years ago. Then I decided if the stone chips got so bad that I would see them at the distance I would see the clear bra line I would just repaint the front end. I never did and you have to get about a foot away to see the three chips I had. For my new 2012 S Cab NO Bra for me.
They always look better bra less you know!

 

I have the 24" 3M on my C4S and I have Clearplex on my Windshield. SO far has worked well. I was just talking with my clear bra vendor today to do my Fisker when it arrives. They are pushing Lumar as someting that is better than better than 3M. Still doing research on that so if anyone has a perspective.

My recommendation on full hood vs half: If you have a dark color go with half...you won't see the line on half...white, like my fisker, go with full since the bra may have a slight yellow color which will make it visible.

 

I have full on mine and I would go that route again (in fact I probably will soon because mine is getting to the point of needing to be replaced). It's just good piece of mind. I wish the windshield was done at the same time because it is soft and showing some hits. I would look at doing that at the same time if I was getting a new one.

 

Personally, a great investment. I tapped a square cement pylon in the parking garage and the bra took 90% of the damage. I filled in the chips/tears *in the bra* with a 000 artist brush and Dr. Colorchip touch up paint which I used successfully on an unrelated small scratch on a fender as well.
Full front install, 1/2 frunk.

 

im in the minority here. I have mine and wish I didn't have it. The line created by wax getting stuck at the interface point is annoying and highly visible on black cars.

 

don't know if this is still true but I had the impression among most of the clear bra's out there, 3M's tend to have more "orange peel" feel to it. I have a full front end ventureshield which i had upgraded from a half hood because of visible wax lines on a black car. Looks so inconspicuous I need to always remind detailers there's a clear bra on there.

 

I was told Ventureshield was the best when I did it, but as with everything opinions vary. I did the entire front because you don't want that line across your hood and fenders. To me, it's definitely worth it. I had an M3 prior to this and after 3 years, the front of my car looked like a snow storm (black car with a million white spots).

 

One last thing, just as important as the product, is the installer. Make sure you find someone in your area with a ton of experience.

 

there are several mfg of clear bra material. as a rule 3m is a leader in all automotive products. But the best bra shop in my area uses Llumar which is also one of the best window tint materials available, so it depends on the shop and what they have found is the best to use.
Is it worth it?? my view is it isnt worth if it costs more to put the material on than it would cost to repaint the bumper

 

This argument goes on and on about repainting or clear bra. When would you repaint? When you sell? Then, the person buying it gets to have the perfect paint job and not you. Or, you can repaint it every year, but know this.. repainted anything is worse. It will chip even easier because unless they can bake it on, it isn't a solid as the original. Also, some people buying cars don't like to see resprays. There is an argument where "well, it's the bumper so everyone knows why it's repainted". I don't agree. I want the original paint and I want it perfect, but that's just me.