has anyone installed the clear bra themselves?

choestein · 05-05-2008, 11:32 AM

i just went on Paint Protection for your vehicle. Also known as Invisible Bra. Welcome to InvisibleMask.com and they have a coupe kit for 127 plus free shipping, free installation kit and extras. it comes with fenders, mirrors and hood. but what do you guys think? they say its easy to do, have any of you bought from them or installed yourselves?

j-bo · 06-01-2008, 08:05 PM

Bump this back up as I'd like to know if anyone has installed this and how difficult it was.

***lovecheese*** · 06-02-2008, 05:07 AM

I wanna know too.... I'm getting my car repainted so... I MIGHT buy one.

***shingles*** · 06-02-2008, 08:43 AM

It isn't hard, but I would exactly classify it as "easy"...
I've installed clear bras on MANY cars... our cars are actually relatively easy to do. The key to installing these kits is that you have to stretch to fit. They are typically purposely cut to be a tad smaller. For the hood, don't start the installation from 1 end and then pull to the other, start in the middle and pull both sides. BTW it's cheaper on ebay...

darkdan · 06-02-2008, 09:09 AM

You're better off spending the extra money and:

1.) Getting it installed so it is "clear"
2.) Lined up properly
3.) Has a warranty

brdhouse · 06-02-2008, 10:56 AM

I did it. It wasn't easy and I made a few mistakes, but in the end, I could live with them knowing I saved about $400 by doing it myself. After doing it once, I know I could do a better job in less time the next time (took 8+ hours). The bumper and fog areas are the hardest part (coupe). Patience is key.

darkdan · 06-02-2008, 04:04 PM

Take some close up pictures and show him what he can expect from a DIY job.

stealth · 06-02-2008, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brdhouse

I did it. It wasn't easy and I made a few mistakes, but in the end, I could live with them knowing I saved about $400 by doing it myself. After doing it once, I know I could do a better job in less time the next time (took 8+ hours). The bumper and fog areas are the hardest part (coupe). Patience is key.

8 hours to install a clear bra??? Damn! What was the biggest difficulty you encountered? Any tips or advice?

darkdan · 06-02-2008, 06:14 PM

Just the fact it's not easy to do. LOL. Took me years to get good.

brdhouse · 06-03-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkdan

Take some close up pictures and show him what he can expect from a DIY job.

I actually did a great job on it, IMO, which is probably why it took so damn long. My car has since been in an accident and the front end has been repainted, so the clear bra is gone. the only flaws were a stretch mark in the hood piece, and some of the edges in the fog light area would not stay down (because I repositioned them so many times). You can't actually tell it's even there in my pics, but here you go anyway:

here you can kind of see where the film is coming up on the edge (in the fog light area):

Quote:

Originally Posted by stealth

8 hours to install a clear bra??? Damn! What was the biggest difficulty you encountered? Any tips or advice?

Yeah, that's 8+ hours... the "+" stands for the mental breakdowns I had during the process. j/k. The bumper was BY FAR the most difficult... partly because of the pre-cut kit not being cut to fit perfectly, and partly because of all the complex curves and edges that all need to line up perfectly.

Tips would be to seriously consider paying a pro to do it, lol. Otherwise, just be patient and have a hair dryer on hand to help with the sharp curves... don't use it too soon, though, do your best with the soapy water and alchohol, and use the hair dryer when you feel you've done the best you can without it.

Also, DO NOT unroll the film on a dirty surface (such as the carpet), unless you want pubes preserved and displayed on your hood. LOL. No seriously, I had a couple small grains of dirt and a cat hair embedded in my bumper. lesson learned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkdan

Just the fact it's not easy to do. LOL. Took me years to get good.

Also, having a pro do it, will likely mean the edges of all your body panels will be wrapped. With the pre-cut kit, the material is cut about 1/8" - 1/4" short, so the edges are not protected. something to consider.

j-bo · 06-03-2008, 04:14 PM

Dang.. kind of expensive to pay an installer. $400. Plus, I can't find one in my area that would even do it.

Has anyone bought the ebay stuff? I don't mind if I pay $20 and I mess it up. Paying $200+ and messing up, that I'd cry about.

Dasllamas · 06-03-2008, 07:27 PM

you can go relatively cheap and pay ~$200 for hood and fender alone but personally I got full on hood fenders bumper and mirros ~$500 there

darkdan · 06-03-2008, 08:23 PM

If you pay $20...........it's not paint protection film. It will be clear 2 mil or 3 mil vinyl which isn't thick enough to stop a rock and will be yellow very quickly.

j-bo, there has to be a qualified installer somewhere in your area.

Find a Professional Installer

VentureShield.com Dealer Locator

j-bo · 06-04-2008, 08:56 AM

The ebay stuff states 8 mil, the only thing I'd worry about is yellowing.

I did finally find an installer.. $654. Yikes.

05-05-2008, 11:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
choestein Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 186 iTrader: 7 / 100%	has anyone installed the clear bra themselves? i just went on Paint Protection for your vehicle. Also known as Invisible Bra. Welcome to InvisibleMask.com and they have a coupe kit for 127 plus free shipping, free installation kit and extras. it comes with fenders, mirrors and hood. but what do you guys think? they say its easy to do, have any of you bought from them or installed yourselves?

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06-01-2008, 08:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
j-bo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 114 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Bump this back up as I'd like to know if anyone has installed this and how difficult it was.

06-02-2008, 05:07 AM	#3 (permalink)
*lovecheese* Protector of Cheese Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Al Udeid // Qatar Age: 25 Posts: 1,442 James iTrader: 0 / 0%	I wanna know too.... I'm getting my car repainted so... I MIGHT buy one.

06-02-2008, 08:43 AM	#4 (permalink)
*shingles* VIP Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 98 iTrader: 1 / 100%	It isn't hard, but I would exactly classify it as "easy"... I've installed clear bras on MANY cars... our cars are actually relatively easy to do. The key to installing these kits is that you have to stretch to fit. They are typically purposely cut to be a tad smaller. For the hood, don't start the installation from 1 end and then pull to the other, start in the middle and pull both sides. BTW it's cheaper on ebay...

06-02-2008, 09:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
darkdan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Owatonna, MN Posts: 728 Dan iTrader: 0 / 0%	You're better off spending the extra money and: 1.) Getting it installed so it is "clear" 2.) Lined up properly 3.) Has a warranty

06-02-2008, 10:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
brdhouse Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Burnsville, MN Posts: 912 Lloyd Christmas (Bill) iTrader: 4 / 100%	I did it. It wasn't easy and I made a few mistakes, but in the end, I could live with them knowing I saved about $400 by doing it myself. After doing it once, I know I could do a better job in less time the next time (took 8+ hours). The bumper and fog areas are the hardest part (coupe). Patience is key.

06-02-2008, 04:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
darkdan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Owatonna, MN Posts: 728 Dan iTrader: 0 / 0%	Take some close up pictures and show him what he can expect from a DIY job.

06-02-2008, 06:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
darkdan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Owatonna, MN Posts: 728 Dan iTrader: 0 / 0%	Just the fact it's not easy to do. LOL. Took me years to get good.

06-03-2008, 04:14 PM	#11 (permalink)
j-bo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 114 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Dang.. kind of expensive to pay an installer. $400. Plus, I can't find one in my area that would even do it. Has anyone bought the ebay stuff? I don't mind if I pay $20 and I mess it up. Paying $200+ and messing up, that I'd cry about.

06-03-2008, 07:27 PM	#12 (permalink)
Dasllamas Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 353 Das iTrader: 0 / 0%	you can go relatively cheap and pay ~$200 for hood and fender alone but personally I got full on hood fenders bumper and mirros ~$500 there

06-03-2008, 08:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
darkdan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Owatonna, MN Posts: 728 Dan iTrader: 0 / 0%	If you pay $20...........it's not paint protection film. It will be clear 2 mil or 3 mil vinyl which isn't thick enough to stop a rock and will be yellow very quickly. j-bo, there has to be a qualified installer somewhere in your area. Find a Professional Installer VentureShield.com Dealer Locator

06-04-2008, 08:56 AM	#14 (permalink)
j-bo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 114 iTrader: 0 / 0%	The ebay stuff states 8 mil, the only thing I'd worry about is yellowing. I did finally find an installer.. $654. Yikes.