Clear Bra
I bought my A/M DB9 Volante two years ago with 13, 800 miles on it in excellent condition. The color is Ghillies Green. I drive it every day and love the car. The problem is that small chips are developing at the front edge of the hood and at the back of the flared rocker panels. I am considering touching up the chips and applying a clear bra to either just the back of the rocker panels or to the entire hood, bumper, mirrors and entire rocker panels. I would very much appreciate hearing about the experience of those who have done this and what your advice is.
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I had the clear bra on all three of my vantages, almost a mandatory item. My 2015 GT I had the full clip done full hood and fenders, for about $1500. My 09 Vantage needed some correction done, was just the front partial 3M, which ended up being about $900.
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to what extent would the clear bra cover/hide existing minor rock hits/chips on a 996 hood?
with no touch up paint Car has numerous small pits from many years of lovin' I think small blobs of touch up paint in each pit before clear bra, might even make the chip stand out more? |
Clear bra was one of the best investments I made in mine. Not sure about coverage of touch-up to chips on the Green. The darker colors seem a little more difficult to blend, especially with a daily driver in sunny Florida :cool: and the potential for fading. If you were closer to Central FL I have a person to recommend, he's excellent++. PM me if you'd like his contact info. He might be able help with some professional guidance.
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Originally Posted by Rusty Heap
(Post 4412735)
to what extent would the clear bra cover/hide existing minor rock hits/chips on a 996 hood?
with no touch up paint Car has numerous small pits from many years of lovin' I think small blobs of touch up paint in each pit before clear bra, might even make the chip stand out more? Basically, if you haven't had a clear bra installed immediately you will have to weigh the cost of having it taken care of perfectly (or as close to it as possible) or just adding the clear bra to prevent further incidents. I do the front bumper, full hood, headlights, front fenders, full doors (potential door ding mishaps) and mirror caps costs about $1800. |
I've had good luck with them so far. Definitely fix the chips before installing, I only had a few small chips and they are more visible with the film installed.
About a month ago I was showered with gravel by on oncoming car, several pieces hit my hood (with clear bra installed) and windshield. Long story short, my hood fared much better than my windshield which now has a few small pits. Clear bras work! |
I have Xpel Ultimate covering most of my Quantum Silver V8V roadster. It was costly but gives me a welcome sense of security when driving about. I recently tested out the film's self healing properties (google the videos) and was pleased with that. After cleaning the car, I had noticed a couple very small marks on the finish, so I heated up a wet micro fiber cloth in the microwave for 20 seconds and gently rubbed them away. Pretty cool! I agree with getting the paint sorted before getting any film; as many on the forum have suggested, even with a new vehicle, a professional color correction can greatly improve the look of the paint.
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Have the front bumper, headlights and lower portion of the hood clear wrapped. Both passenger and driver doors are wrapped in 3M material. Was original since day one of ownership. The only drawback is when looking at the doors from various angles, it appears the paint has orange peel. The paint is pristine, but the plastic refracts lights a bit. Best investment and thrilled the original owner had the fortitude to select this option on day one.
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A high-quality clear bra is worth every penny and more than pays for itself over its lifetime.
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clear bra is the first item i put on my car. When I got my aston, I didn't drive it more than around town for almost 2 weeks waiting for my clear bra guy to have an open slot for me!
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I had my entire V8V wrapped before it hit the road from the dealership. The full custom wrap was about $7k, worth every penny. Make sure you get Xpel as it "self heals" and protects your car from bird poop. The wraps are much more advanced and are porous so you shouldn't have different shades of paint if you remove the clear bra (so they say). I recommend you go to a professional who does custom jobs rather than factory cut. If you plan to get a clear bra, go with the full hood so it's not noticeable.
The clear wrap has already paid for itself. My drunk ex girlfriend decided to pull my car out the driveway and the right fender slightly scraped against the garage wall. Luckily, the wrap protected my paint and body 100%! Another time my investment paid off was when a I noticed a imperfection on my hood and figured it was from an airborne rock on the freeway. I learned the hard way in the past with my black M6. After about one year, the front bumper had small white chips everywhere. Don't make the mistake I did. Good luck! |
The clear bra is a must. Make sure when you touch up the paint that you let it cure for about 30 days prior to putting on the bra.
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If I have a clear bra applied to the front bumper, headlights, rocker panels and lower portion of the hood (or full hood), what do I do for washing, waxing, polishing, etc. After that?
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Wash, Polish, wax as normal.
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Any recommendations on the best place to have this done in the southeast?
Thx! |
I was told after doing my full front not to hit it directly with high-powered spray and to make sure bird droppings were washed off as well as bug splatters relatively timely
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A couple of us in the Atlanta area have a guy that does awesome custom work for the Aston.
I did a full paint correction, clear wrap, and Modesta coating, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Best decision I ever made! :D Message me if you'd like the contact... |
No best decision you ever made was buying the Aston- maybe 2nd best was bra
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XPEL is a fantastic clear bra, yes it's pricier but it's the best. I would avoid 3M clear bras bc they have way too much orange peel.
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Originally Posted by Batman-76
(Post 4421010)
A couple of us in the Atlanta area have a guy that does awesome custom work for the Aston.
I did a full paint correction, clear wrap, and Modesta coating, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Best decision I ever made! :D Message me if you'd like the contact... |
Originally Posted by 007 Vantage
(Post 4421749)
XPEL is a fantastic clear bra, yes it's pricier but it's the best. I would avoid 3M clear bras bc they have way too much orange peel.
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PM sent Batman! Thanks for the help! I will have one soon! I have been wanting to do this but wanted the person doing the job to have some Aston owner references.
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Originally Posted by Rusty Heap
(Post 4412735)
to what extent would the clear bra cover/hide existing minor rock hits/chips on a 996 hood?
with no touch up paint Car has numerous small pits from many years of lovin' I think small blobs of touch up paint in each pit before clear bra, might even make the chip stand out more? |
Originally Posted by scottsilv
(Post 4420154)
If I have a clear bra applied to the front bumper, headlights, rocker panels and lower portion of the hood (or full hood), what do I do for washing, waxing, polishing, etc. After that?
For the hood many people here can tell you full hood, because even while the line is hard to see at certain angles, it gathers dust and dirt over time. |
Originally Posted by Montana107
(Post 4420395)
Any recommendations on the best place to have this done in the southeast?
Thx! |
Originally Posted by Prefurbia
(Post 4420408)
I was told after doing my full front not to hit it directly with high-powered spray and to make sure bird droppings were washed off as well as bug splatters relatively timely
Regarding the bugs and bird droppings it depends on which brand/bra was applied. XPEL ULTIMATE is self-healing so even if you don't remove the bird droppings/bugs right away it should be okay. With regular paint if you don't remove bugs/bird droppings they can damage the paint and leave a haze/etch in the clear coat. With the self-healing technology of XPEL ULTIMATE once you remove the bird droppings or bugs if there is any hazing/etching, just use our film cleaner, wash and let it sit in the sun to self-heal. |
I think clear bra is the best investment you can make to protect the finish of your car. Go for a full front coverage as it doesn't show seams at all. In my wife's S550, we did the half coverage and a rock landed a few inches after the bra ends. For my SL and DB9, we have full front done. Most recently, the installer is using a brand called Suntek. It is very smooth and shinny. Matches the shinny AM finish very well. Much better finish than the 3M products that has an orange peel look on the other cars we have.
Robert, the installer tells me Suntek is a self healing film. If I have light scratches, he can fix it by applying some heat to the film. He did that for me and it is just simply amazing. Most importantly, find someone that has wrap DB9 before and doesn't just use pre-cut film if you want all the edges covered. The person who did the wrap for me in Belmont CA, he even cover the mirrors, door edges and headlights. |
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