Clear Bra not good for dark cars?

[jaay11]

Hey, just asked for a quote for tint and clear bra here in the Boston area. The guy at "X" shop told me he'd install Avery clear bra for $600 but would not recommend it on a dark car...like Jet or Jerez. I asked why and he stated it does not come out right and there are usually "bubbles." I mentioned I'd heard about the yellowish shade showing up on white cars and he stated that white cars are the best to receive the bra.

Can anyone substantiate this claim? Any pics out there of Jerez or Jet with clear bra? Thoughts? Thanks.

[newtom3]

that's sort of BS... actually our local expert (Premiere) says that it's tougher to do clear on white paint but not because bubbling but because anything on top of white will change the shade in a more visually perceptive manner than the same clear material on black... on my jet black their clear film is almost unnoticeable... and it's a helluva lot more than $600! This may be (another) a case of you get what you pay for.

[Nitromethane]

Yeah... I think that guy has it backwards. I just had Premier install the hood/bonnet, front bumper, front quarter panels, rocker panel, headlight, rear bumper, and carbon fiber roof.

The guys said white was hardest to do, although I'm under the opinion that metallic colors are probably easiest since the flakes hide imperfections? Flat/jet black just shows more if the installer screws up. Albeit imperceptible, flat colors show flaws more readily otherwise.

[newtom3]

Nitro... Premier just finished up my jetblack E92... I heard there were some guys doing an LA tour ... must have been your whip. seems like E92 is the opposite of mine... white/red vs black/black.... I'll post my pics by tomorrow....

[zacbol]

I've got VentureShield on the front on my car. Here's a pic of it:


Looks okay to me.

[newtom3]

Originally Posted by zacbol

I've got VentureShield on the front on my car. Here's a pic of it:


Looks okay to me.

great pic... how did you take it????

[WKBRDR]

My clear bra on my AW got discolored between 3 to 6 months.. I had custom wrap done hood, bumper, fenders mirror... I complained and the took it off and gave me full refund. Now I'm braless, but it looks so much better.. They said it would only discolor on AW all other colors are fine... not sure how that is but thats what they told me. I don't think the 120 summer heat in AZ helps either

[zacbol]

Originally Posted by newtom3

great pic... how did you take it????

It was not taken by me. I was asked to come to a photoshoot that some guys from my350z.com were having, one of whom is a friend.

They used a rig that attached to the top of the car, which you can see on the first pic in the original thread I posted here:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177974

There's a link to the original thread on my350z.com at the above link. The photographer mentions somewhere in there that he put it together using stuff from Home Depot, though I don't think he gives specifics.

[newtom3]

well he sure froze the cars action really well, though physics tells us that your two cars might as well have been at rest for the purpose of shooting the pic. But still both cars are bouncing in three dimensional space in uncorrelated manner, so the photographer still had to use very fast shutter speed to snap the pic... anyway it's a great car and a great picture taker!

[zacbol]

There was no second car.

As you can see from the first pic in that thread he attached the rig with a (quite expensive) camera to the roof of hte car. The camera was set to constantly take photos while I very slowly edged the car forward at about 5 mph. The photographer just walked in front of my car to make sure things were going okay (but he was not touching the camera)

The illusion of high-speed is just that...I was barely moving.

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by newtom3

great pic... how did you take it????

He took it with ease

[newtom3]

Originally Posted by zacbol

There was no second car.

As you can see from the first pic in that thread he attached the rig with a (quite expensive) camera to the roof of hte car. The camera was set to constantly take photos while I very slowly edged the car forward at about 5 mph. The photographer just walked in front of my car to make sure things were going okay (but he was not touching the camera)

The illusion of high-speed is just that...I was barely moving.

awesome... took a look at the thread this time... did he photoshop the boom arm out of the pic afterwards... looks like he took a nice long exposure..and still the boom would shake/vibrate a little... still wondering how the hell he did that!!

[inmotion]

Had it on my Balloon White G for about 2 yrs now and no problems yet.

Zacbol, you're a brave man to have black.

[nusevad]

one problem i notice with clear bra's on black cars is the residue of wax after waxing...it gets caught on the lines of the clear bra. I seen this on 2 black cars that recently were waxed.

[newtom3]

this is true, but if you're careful about waxing that part of the car, it lessens the problem. Still I am going to search for a way to toothbrush or otherwise get rid of that wax buildup there.

[spyderco10]

Originally Posted by zacbol

I've got VentureShield on the front on my car. Here's a pic of it:


Looks okay to me.

wow, the ventureshield sure makes your car look fast

[ideliver]

Originally Posted by newtom3

this is true, but if you're careful about waxing that part of the car, it lessens the problem. Still I am going to search for a way to toothbrush or otherwise get rid of that wax buildup there.

rubbing alcohol on a q-tip works for me

[newtom3]

would the q tip material scratch the paint though...

[newtom3]

it's a pretty good job.... there are a few minor nits, which I hope they will fix up, but overall it's a reasonably clean job.

[shiblanor]

Any close up shots of the fender, hood or even bumper vents by chance? Do they wrap it through/in and around? or is it just cut up close to the edge like most film bras? Just wondering if the Premier install offers a bit better look for areas like this...

[jbeene]

I have it on my Jerez Black E90 and have had no issues. I just use a microfibre cloth and continue to buff out any wax that stays on the edge of the clear bra. Takes some elbow grease but it works.

As for bubbling, I have none on the hood but because of the crap they use up here on the roads in the winter I had the installer trim around the inside of the wheelwells (metal edge) and behind each of the wheel wells. On the drivers side behind the rear wheel it has bubbled a bit but this is actually all the way around the back of the car so its only noticeable if you walk up behind the car and bend down to look at the underside of the back bumper. I'm going to go back and have it redone before next winter and will have them peel it off for the summer.

I'd rather have the clear bra with a minor bubble here or there than a bunch of zits on the hood from all the gravel they use here.

My guys actually recommended you use a paste wax on the bra to protect it just like you would the paint. So far it scratches less than the damn JB. Even with the softest Griots wash mits and microfibre towels the paint still gets minor swirls. Nobldy else can see them but they drive me freaking nuts.

JB is not the color for a perfectionist but I sure love it.

[newtom3]

its true... the BMW paints seem so damn soft.... quick detail lube + the best microfibers still will leave little scratches. It's sort of hopeless to think you can avoid scratching the paint if you at all touch it.