I got a clear bra installed today in Lubbock texas from an x-pel dealer. my question is…..

He did a good job but when it was done there were tiny bubble spots on some parts of the bra. He said that they eventually go away after its been installed for a few days. was that the case when you guys got yours installed?

Dont take my word on it cause i dont have a clear bra but I would think that is normal. In most case i know thing like that take time to work out all the air bubbles. I would wait for someone else wh knows more about these but I think after a few days if they are not gone, use a hairdryer and your fingers to work out the bubbles. Thats what I do when installing grafics on dirtbike. I would think this would be somewhat close to being the same.

correct me if im wrong

the part that went on the side mirrors are more apparent. there are bubble spots but not huge ones ,tiny tiny specs of bubble. im just wondering if i should prepare to make this guy reapply it or is this normal for the first days?

if i use a hairdryer to work out the bubbles wont it mess it up?

A hairdryer might help a little. If you have a halogen lamp, set it about a foot away from the area for about an hour, and it will help it clear out...

I did my clearbra myself, and I had ALOT of little bubbles on my car. they all went away in a few weeks.....

for god sake dont touch it it will dry if its not water and has dirt under it it will have a speck in teh middle we have never had one not dry flat pm if your concerned
ijm

ah blah, i just inspected it pretty carefully and it seems that an air bubble the size 2 quarters has developed. this wasnt there when i drove off. anything to worry about ,will it go away or do i need to take it back to dealer?

When I had mine installed, it may have had a couple tiny bubbles, but something big isn't going to go away. I can vouch for the fact that it's not supposed to look different a few days later - I'd say wait 24 or 48 hours. If it isn't perfect, take it back.

can you post pictures please? i'm thinking about getting the clear bra to avoid any paint chipping from happening to my frunt bumper.

god this week is sucking so much. and on top of that the x-pel dealer is 100 miles away and gas prices are ridiculous. f**k.

how much did you pay.. take some pics so we know what got done

The bubbles will not go away! Wait a week and watfch them still be there.,Go back and ask them to fix it.

Yeah.... this is why a professional installation from a reputable source is so important. I can't speak to X-Pel, but if you go to the 3M website, they have a dealer locator where you just type in your location and it tells you who is around you. I called a few and some clearly sounded better than the others. You can ask them if they do work for any dealerships - the one I went to did the work for the real high end Porsche place in the area. They did a great job.

my dealer said to wait two weeks, if everything doesn't clear up then he will redo it.

did yours come out absolutely perfect or ...?

i definately need the bra, my tc has atleast 10 paintchips in the hood after only 8000 miles. Infact on of the chips already looks like its rusting....

I could have used a full body clear bra when I was up around Lubbock on business. Tumbleweeds messed my paint up all to hell.

-Z

can u do a full body clear bra? lol if you can i might try it

moved...

If you can find a shop willing to do it, I'm sure it can be done. Much much $$$ though. Doing the whole car would actually be easier than the front part b/c there aren't a ton of curves and breaks in the sides of the car. Sorta like those full body wrap graphics they have for advertising...same premise, different material.

Tumbleweeds are horrible, they got the whole front, hood, down the sides, chipped my windshield.

*shudder* It was a horrible experience.

-Z

Technically you could do a full body bra, but it would be mostly useless. How often do you get chips in some of those places? Most people do the front fascia, the leading edge of the hood, and the backs of the mirrors. You could easily add headlights, rocker panels, door edges, and maybe rear bumper or something. If you were getting a custom install without a kit they could cut that all for you and I'm sure they'd be happy to since it's not super cheap. What you don't really want to do is anything that adds seams. My kit covers the first 21" of the hood - that's the widest strip I've seen offered. If you wanted the whole hood, you'd have a seam in the middle of it, and that would be hard to keep clear of dirt and wax and stuff.

As for perfect installation, it should come pretty much perfect - any bubbles should be very tiny. If your car wasn't like factory clean (the paint), they should have used a clay bar on it first. If they didn't do that, I can see you getting bubbles that won't come out. You get what you pay for. If you paid for a better install then that, make sure to take it back.

well when i brought it in there were a bunch of bugs on the front. he took it to get powerwashed and all the bugs were cleaned off. the paint was pretty much freshly waxed the day before and was looking great except for the bugs on the front.

As long as your car was pretty new it shouldn't have been a problem. Just because it was waxed doesn't mean it was smooth though - the paint should feel like glass if it's really clean. I'm not saying it wasn't - just pointing out that they're not necessarily related.

ok, so basically it should look absolutely flawless right? not even one spec anywhere? the guy has never done a scion tc before, it was his first time.

i would have gone to rockblocker but im not anywhere near the area. this is truely frustrating.

Well the deal is that since this is going to cover things up for like 5-10 years, you need to make sure the surface underneath the bra is pristine. If it's got crap on it or isn't totally smooth, you'll just be looking at those bumps for that whole time. My car was probably about 2 weeks old when I got the bra installed, so I think it was just clean the whole time.

yea i only had mine for a week and got it installed.

im going to post a few pics sometime today

you guys who got your clear bras put on- how exactly was the surface treated before putting it on?

Didnt watch them do it, but from my understanding, after the thing is clean, you spray some lubricating spray on the work area, peel the back off the bra thing and stretch and slide it into place, then work all the bubbles out with a little scraping tool. It's really hard to place correctly and then get to fit correctly. If you get fingerprints on it, they show. If dirt gets on it, you might as well start over.

you guys who got your clear bras put on- how exactly was the surface treated before putting it on?

You clean it with whatever it takes to make sure the surface is clean. Usually water and alcohol is used and maybe a clay bar if needed. The product is installed with water and alcohol so yes it is safe. Sometimes a soap solution will be used.

If you have any other questions please let us know. We would be glad to help you out.

i have the pics...
make sure you hit the enlarge button

http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0608.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0609.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0610.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0611.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0613.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0614.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0616.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0619.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0621.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0626%20copy.jpg
http://members.cox.net/irreligious/clearbra/IMG_0627.jpg


i also emailed xpel to see what they think of this.

btw... this is the conversation between me and the dealer.....

ME:Hey man, its me again. Let me give you a 48 hour update. The hood kit
seems to have some scratchs on it, like lines that I can't seem to get out
with dropping a little water on it.. about the air bubbles -it has one
section with some,about a quarter size but its tiny specs(sorta like
fingerprints). the fenders look pretty much perfect. the bumper has a lot
of fingerprint like specs, and the mirror kit is pretty bad too(and the
edges on the mirror aren't sealed properly). A lot of specs have stayed on
it. I know you said to wait 2 weeks so I will do that, but if you can take
me in next saturday I would greatly appreciate that. I work all through
out the week and asking off might be a bit tough. I hope we can work
something out. Get back to me when you get a chance and tell me what you
think you're going to do. Perhaps the surface wasn't prepared properly or
the film got some dirt on it before you installed it? Take care!

DEALER:Hassan, this saturday is not good for me. I will be in Tennesse for a wedding. about the kit, the mirrors were a bit of a problem to install and i dont mind redoing them for you. if there are any water bubbles they should evaporate out like window tint film. these kits are virtually impossible to install 100% flawless especially 24" kits on dark colored vehicles, however most of the prints or strech marks in the film will disappear over time especially with the summer heat coming. get back with me after the 8th of may that is when i'll be back from out of town.

also, how do you get rid of swirl marks on a clear bra?

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with the kit and install. If you would like to discuss anything please feel free to let us know. I took a look at the pics and agree that some of them shouldnt be there. Darker colors are harder to install but not impossible. See for yourself. I have done many Flint Micas and they are a piece of cake to do IMHO.

Swirl marks are not coming out if they are bad. You can wax the film to see if that helps.

Chad
425-221-5352



http://www.rockblocker.net/Images/Scion/tcred1.JPG

can you please post some pics of flint micas?

i dont exactly know what to do. i wonder if this guy is going to give me a problem about a refund. im definately not satisfied with the end result.

You can speak with Malina and Retrodrive here on the forum. I have done both of their cars and they are more than impressed with the product and install.

Dont get discouraged about the product. It is great. Just sounds like you have some issues to work out with the installer.

http://www.rockblocker.net/Images/Scion/flintmica1.jpg

http://www.rockblocker.net/Images/Scion/flintmica2.jpg

http://www.rockblocker.net/Images/Scion/flintmicacf3.jpg

were there ANY blemishes?

for the hood kit everything is perfect except one spot which is a little bigger than a quarters size,its one of those fingerprint type looking things. that is also bothering me and i want to tell the dealer to reinstall the whole hood kit cause of that. is that justifiable?

Nope, but like I said ask my customers here on the forum. I cant really say what the installer did you used since install techniques and experience can vary. We have been installing for 6 years now and 1000's of cars so we can handle any car and color no problem. Even if we did have a problem we would replace it at no charge to you.

My suggestion is speka with them and try to work it out. Again if you want to call and talk about it let me know.

hey rockblocker what is your phone number im going to give you a call right now if you dont mind.

hey rockblocker what is your phone number im going to give you a call right now if you dont mind.


Look up^

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with the kit and install. If you would like to discuss anything please feel free to let us know. I took a look at the pics and agree that some of them shouldnt be there. Darker colors are harder to install but not impossible. See for yourself. I have done many Flint Micas and they are a piece of cake to do IMHO.

Swirl marks are not coming out if they are bad. You can wax the film to see if that helps.

Chad
425-221-5352

If it's what it sounds like, the finger prints are just that - if the installer touched the back of the film, especially with any sort of dust on their hands, this kind of thing could happen. If the dealer is still cooperating, I'd push for him to redo any parts that aren't good, but don't ask for a refund. At least not yet. It will just ____ him off. Let him have a chance to make it right. Some of the bubbles and swirls MIGHT go away, and if they don't, at least you'll have done what he said.

thanks guys i'll contact him.

well xpel definately agrees that there is a problem with the kit.

Well that's good... at leat everyone is on the same page.

so the clear bra can be treated just like the paint can? clayed,polished ect?

I wouldnt clay it unless you want more issues, but yes you can wash and wax the product.

yea i dont plan on messing with it until its all fixed but i wont clay it,lol.

Darn, I thought you were talking about the type of Clear Bra
in Clear Bra Guys avatar. :P

How much are you guys paying to get front end done?

I paid like $250 to get my 3M kit on eBay. Then i paid another like $250 to get it installed. So about $500. I've heard cheaper, but I've also got no complaints about mine. Ask the RockBlocker folks how much they're charging - they seem to do good work and they've done a few tCs by now. I think the place I went charged me more because they'd never done a tC before and it's a fairly hard car to do the install on. Whatever you pay, it's worth it.

hey guys i have heard of this product and i want to get it but i dont know of anyone that does it around my area...i live in haverhill mass anyone in my area that knows a shop or of someone that does this let me know please..thanx

Check the link on the 3M website. That's how I found my installers. It will give you all the certified installers that are close to your location. They're usually found in shops that do window tint. Also note that these are just the CERTIFIED installers - other people might do it, but these people do a good job (and you may pay more for it).

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/_l/en_US/_s.155/98905/_s.155/98912

i found out that the dealer that i bought my car from doe sit and its $300...i could buy the stuff myself and put it on myself and save money....lol

i found out that the dealer that i bought my car from doe sit and its $300...i could buy the stuff myself and put it on myself and save money....lol

If your dealer does the whole front (fascia, first 20 or so inches of hood, backs of mirrors) and it's $300, that's a GREAT deal. If it's $300 plus materials, that still isn't that bad considering it's from the dealer. If you do it yourself, you'll pay $250 or so for a decent precut kit off ebay, and then you'll screw it all up since the car is hard to do and I'm guessing you've never done this before. This isn't a cheap thing to do, but when it's done right it's totally worth it. If you touch the back, you end up with fingerprints, and that's assuming you don't end up with a ton of bubbles too. Talk to the people on this board who have paid full price for an install and had it come out bad - at least they have osmeone to take it back to. If your dealer does it for $300, DO IT!

yah i know it sound slike a good idea

this is the response i got back from the dealer...


About the blemishes. if you are not happy about the bra next weekend would be good for you to come by and let me take a look see. your vehicle has alot of disadvantages to having bra put on. the color for one, the difficulty level of the front bumper cover and the size of the film 24" kit. but regardless we can look at it and if we cant come to an agreement i'll be glad to remove it for you. thanks Scott

i dont know what exactly to do if he can't fix it and will remove it cause there are no 3m dealers near me. im definately going to get a bunch of chips driving anywhere

Irreligious, I am glad to see that he is willing to work with you. If anyone else is looking for a kit for their car let us know. We will do what we can to find an installer for you and beat any price on Ebay.

i found out that the dealer that i bought my car from doe sit and its $300...i could buy the stuff myself and put it on myself and save money....lol

Are you sure that isnt just for the hood and fenders? That sounds about right for a dealer. Make sure to ask a lot of questions about it as well. Never hurts

Peace

yah i know a mechanic that works there and i saked him because he has do this already and its $300....thats for the bumper,both fenders,hood,mirrors

Wow I would jump on that fast if I was you