All,


After finally performing the touchup paint restoration process on my Aston, the Vantage was finally ready for a high end clear bra. (previous thread: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...up-w-pics.html )

Background:

After doing more research on the topic I realized that all the clear bra kits out there were half hood & fenders, which to me is quite unattractive. That simply was not going to be an option. Originally I was going to go with XPEL, but the cost was too much and there's was only for a kit, and not including rear rocker panels (more on this later). I decided to contact Terry @ Bear Clearbra (for Aston owners in Houston, TX). He had previously done my two Lamborghini's before this Aston and I knew he was the only one that could completely free hand the entire clear bra on my Vantage, and do it completely on-site for my convenience.

Normally, the thought of anyone doing a freehand full frontal clearbra on a car is terrifying, however, Terry has to be the best custom free hand clearbra installer in the state of Texas. Having done 3 of my cars, he has never laid a single scratch on any of my cars (and that's with a free hand blade). He truly does have the hands of a surgeon. Watching him work in action illustrates what a lost art form it is; there are only a handful of free hand clearbra installers in the country that can apply it this way.

Rocker Panels:

One of the most unsightly things Aston did from the factory was the hideous lower rear rocker panel clear bra patches. They do not follow any of the body lines and because of this it is a total eyesore. Also, back then clearbra films are not like what they are today, as a result they get very yellow and rough and look quite unattractive in general. They are especially gross on white Astons as the yellowing is even more pronounced. Terry is the only one that would take on the job of redoing the rocker panels in upgraded higher quality film and cut the film to the body lines so it would be far less visible. He even mimics the factory S-curve along the door lines to perfectly mask the edges shape. Only at the very bottom below the door can it be visible. Now you cannot even see the film's edge unless you look very closely from certain angle as the light hits it perfectly (demonstrated in pics below, took 10 mins of positioning car perfectly just to be able to show the film edge). Otherwise, it's pretty much invisible.

Parts covered on full clear bra job:
· Full Hood
· Full Fenders
· Full Front Bumper
· Mirrors
· Rear Rocker Panels ($250 optional)

Price:

PM for info

Summary:

For those that were looking to protect your Aston for years to come, all while improving the overall look of the car, I highly recommend getting the clearbra installed. For those that are not in Houston, TX and cannot have Terry install your clearbra, I do highly recommend finding someone that can at least redo the rocker panels and use my car as a template/guide. It really does transform the look of the side skirts and I highly recommend it for everyone to do on their earlier gen Astons.

Contact Info:

Terry @ Bear Clearbra
Phone: PM For info

Hope that helps,
007

(First Post includes pictures of before, the rest are all pictures of after).

 

After

 

After 2

 

After 3

 

After 4

 

Nice I like this stuff
I had a Full Venture shield kit including full bonnet on my S from new
My rear arch pieces extend up to the swage line on the wing and I had the whole cill done
(also a few other bits like door handles, lip below boot lid and bottom rear lip)

 

Looks like he did some good work, very nice.

I've had a clear wrap covering the entire front half of my car for over two years. When I had it put on, the shop said the half-bras weren't even being made anymore (at least for V8Vs).

The rocker panels on my '07 are still the original factory pieces and they're still as clear as they were on day 1. Not the slightest bit of yellowing.

Also, please refrain from advertising. Even if it isn't your company that you're promoting, our sponsors pay good money to advertise on this site (which, in turn, keeps our forum running). If you want to post pics of what you had done to your car, by all means do. If you want to give a shout-out to whomever did it for you, go ahead. But when you're posting names, contact info, prices, etc, it's a full-blown ad. Please remove price and contact info, and limit it to name and city. If anyone wants details, they can PM you.

 

Cool, edited. It's not advertising, just sharing info for users as this is an independent review.

 

Looks like a nice install... although I see a lot of areas where the film should have been wrapped instead of cut. But if he did all that without cutting the paint that is excellent work.

 

The problem with wrapping over the edge is over time it peels. If you want it to last you go right to the edge, then cut it, then heat treat it to make sure it will last for the life of the car. Never seen hands this steady, not a single scratch on the 3 cars he has done for me, it's too notch work.

The rocker panels are definitely a huge improvement and well worth it

 

The rockers definitely need to be full covered. But edges can be wrapped then heated... and they stay down... as long as there is a good flat area to bond the film to.

 

I noticed in the 4th picture of the 3rd post, that the bonnet weatherstripping is bent over the top edge. This is a common occurrence on the Vantage. The reason this happens is because when the bonnet drops down from its fully-raised height, it creates an updraft of air that causes the weatherstripping to lift and come to rest above the bonnet once it closes. If you let the rubber sit like this for too long with engine and environmental heat, the rubber will permanently warp into that shape.

To prevent this, lower the bonnet slowly by hand until you get past the catch. Then close it with slight force from that lower height while pushing down from the front edge only (to prevent warping the metal or pinching your digits).

 

Hey Karl,

You are 100% correct, honestly I think it's actually a design flaw from aston martin because they made the seal top narrow for that sized panel gap. If it was just a little bit thicker it wouldn't be an issue. Closing the hood slowly does help, you are correct. I just wish there was a more permanent fix/solution.

 

Talked to my clear bra guy. 1300 for full frontal, plus 200 for rockers. He said Excel was the only thing to use on a white car. He had an experience with an 2007 Vantage where the factory rocker panel film actually pulled off the top layer of paint. So he doesn't want to pull it off, but he has a way to put film over or around it where it protects the entire area and still looks good.

 

The factory uses helicopter tape which is much thicker than ordinary clear film. On newer Vantages it is applied on the leading and trailing edges of the sills and on the leading edge of the rear wheel well (the "shark fin"). The problem is that helicopter tape yellows and also gets brittle with UV exposure and age. The yellowing is particularly noticeable on Stratus White and Morning Frost cars and looks awful. If your installer applied it over the factory tape, I would foresee issues in the future.