My advise to anyone buying a new car is to get a bra to protect your investment from rock chips. Because I have the installed ground effects kit, I cannot find any traditional bra that will fit. Purchase one from McGeorge and returned it because it did not fit. I am trying to find a clear bra installer but no luck yet. I know they sell these on ebay, but it is my understanding that the bumper portion is difficult to install. My car already had several stone chips and I am so ____ed. Help....LOL.

 

Those clear covers are great, they really do work great. I'm just wondering if over time the paint doesn't fade equally..?

 

if you use a bra on your car, i would not recommend using the part for the hood because dirt will get trapped in between it and your car. over time the dirt will scratch the paint on your hood.

 

Nah that is just with poor care. Remove the bra, wash the bra, wash the car, wax the car (even some spray on wax will work well), and then pop the bra into the dryer on low for a few minutes to keep it tight, then pop it back on when the car is dry.

The reasons a bra will ruin paint is because of poor care and neglect. I've not used the clear ones but I have seen them and talked to the installers and they are indeed a good product. I just don't like the lines they create.

 

....

 

doesn't matter how clean your bra is, dirt will get washed down in between your bra and your hood everytime it rains and when you drive, the wind is going to cause your bra to move, scratching your paint. but if you want to chance it, go ahead.

 

This is a good question because I have often wondered of the true advantage of having a bra or mask on the front end of a vehicle. I do not have a tC (yet), but I know some things about the bra because of the car I have now.

It's a 1996 Toyota Tercel (okay, no dissing...the wife has the better auto). In the past couple of years, I have noticed inconsistent fading of the paint. Obviously, the covered portion had not faded as quickly. I am getting some crud and scratching right where bra begins to cover the hood.

I will have to say that this could certainly not be happening if we had taken better care of its cleaning from the start. We didn't get it brand new, and its really a commuter car...so take that for what it's worth.

I would think I would buy a bra for the next car (sports or sedan) I get, simply for the protection of rocks, etc. The only reason a bra would be more damage than not having one would be if you are not maintaining it as you would the rest of the car.

My apologies, off my soapbox I go. Peace.

 

its a clear bra and yes over time the paint will fade evenly, i have it on my xB i sell kits for the scion clearstatementssd.com

 

Okay..this is a perfect example of why waxing your car is soo important. It won't fade if you wax it. I have the front end mask. I take it off and wax the car every two weeks. The Bra fits so tight that no dirt gets in there. Even if it did...It would be too tight for the dirt to move around and scratch the paint. Plus, you have to weigh the likelyhood of paintchips. Anyone who would buy a bra to baby their car would most likely care enough to wash it regularly anyways.

 

I'm wondering about this ClearBra. Does it indeed leave odd lines or fade the paint in spots? I'm having my car inspected by a Scion regional manager in a couple weeks, and they will decide whether or not they will repaint the front end of my car where it has been chipping badly due to the poor paint.

If it is repainted, or touched up, or whatever, I would not like the same thing to begin happening again. I wonder if the ClearBra would be a good investment or if it would simply be ugly and noticable on the front end of my car?

 

The carbon fiber front end mask looks real nice. I actually prefer it to the naked look. It has a sporty look. I'll post the pic tonight.

 

The front end bra is a great idea - but the traditional ones look stupid and take a lot of work. I can't believe that anyone who would say they don't like the lines a clear bra creates would opt for a traditional one instead. I know you can wash and wax your car a lot and take care of it and maybe it won't get scratched up with the traditional bra, but I can't believe that people enjoy looking at it.

I just got a clear bra kit off ebay. The installation difficulty on the tC is rated as a 9 out of 10, so I'm definitely getting it professionally installed. The kit was $260 with shipping thrown in and I called some installers. If you go to this link:

http://selector.3m.com/selector/us/e...ss.asp?FAM=wtb

you can search for certified installers in your area. I called the first one on the list that popped up and he estimated $150 to install it, which comes to a total of about $400, which is way better than other prices I've been quoted. I think that a good kit (which the one at the link at the bottom of this post seeeems to be) and a pro installation is key, but after that, I'm looking forward to no rock chips on my baby.

You think a clear bra looks bad? Rock chips look bad. And you can wash and wax right over it and the paint should all fade at the same rate. It's good for about 7 years, after which point you could get a new one or just peel it off and be in like-new condition.

Oh... the link to the ebay kit for the tC is at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7926400375

I've got mine sitting right here - it just showed up in the mail this morning. It looks good. We'll see what the installer says.

 

Yeah but no Bra leads to sloopy *****, just like no Bra leads to paint chips. Maybe I'll take some pictures of my paint chips.

 

they wouldn't have pits in their facia if they took care of their ____

 

I don't even want to see a Bra on my Girl hahaha :twisted: But then again, my girl doesn't get hit by rock chips

 

Just a reminder - don't drive your girlfriend down the freeway at 80 MPH - also remember not to tailgate large trucks when driving your girlfriend.

 

thats funny...also...don't let anyone else drive your girlfriend....

 

Good plan... you don't want them to like... adjust her mirrors.

 

or her back seat....

 

And please people - no messing with the junk in the trunk.