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Message: Re: Clear bra
Changed By: Roger987
Change Date: April 01, 2012 11:08AM
Re: Clear bra
Change Date: April 01, 2012 11:08AM
Re: Clear bra
Hi Mike:
As hard as I tried to find one, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what is the 'best' film, though 3M's is very highly regarded.
I'd suggest you give these guys a call - I bought my current kit from them - they seem very knowledgeable, honest, sincere, and have excellent customer service.
http://www.invisiblemask.com/site.html
Here's what I have gathered - the 3M film is strong, a bit thicker and more scratch resistant than (all?) others. None of this stuff is going to be as scratch-resistant as your car's clear-coat; take care when removing dirt.
The downside to (any) thicker film is it's less pliable - meaning it's going to be harder for the installer to get 'perfect'. Thinner stuff will wrap around compound curves more easily, but there will be less there to absorb stone impacts.
I opted for the thicker, 3M product. The installation on my mirrors left some wrinkles - I'm not wild about them, but they don't ddrive me nuts, and I'm pretty OCD.
Before my car became GT Silver, it had been black, and had a clear bra. Whoever installed it (in Georgia) really knew what he was doing - there were NO wrinkles, anywhere. Incidentally, the shop who repainted my car was massively impressed by the paint finish beneath the original bra. It was as pristine as new.
The guy who installed my present kit works in one of the best shops in Atlantic Canada. He was good, and tried hard, but the installation isn't as flawless as the original. I recommend that you look carefully for someone with bags of experience, and that you closely examine his work on other cars first.
Another tip - my current kit has full front bumper, mirrors, front fenders (not full), trunk lid (not full), AND pieces covering the area at the back of both the front and rear wheel wells where the tires kick up a LOT of crud. I'd recommend you use such a kit. It ALSO included pieces for the rocker panels - where the heels of my shoes sometimes drag when I get in and out of the car. I really value these pieces. Also pieces for the cup underneath the door handle. They work well too.
BTW, I installed a number of the flat pieces myself. I took my time, watched the demo DVD about 10 times, as well as youtube. If you're fussy, and take care, the flat surfaces are straightforward. What you lack in experience, you'll make up for in it being YOUR car, and your determination to get it right. I should add, though, that I did my own partial install mostly because the installer is 3 hours away, and I wanted to reduce the risk of paint damage en route.
The guy at Invisible Mask recommended I use a non-carnauba wax product. He suggested Meguiars NXT, and that's what I've used. He was of the view that a wax-based product might yellow the film. As you know, Guenter is a big fan of P21S, and his car looks as though it just came out of the showroom (and it's no garage queen). Whomever buys it from him when his 981 arrives will be getting a beauty!. ;)
One last tip - don't let them put tire-shine on your tires - that stuff will fly off and impregnate the fresh film installed on the rear part of your wheel wells. Dont ask how I know. :(
Feel free to PM me or reply here, if I can help further.
As hard as I tried to find one, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what is the 'best' film, though 3M's is very highly regarded.
I'd suggest you give these guys a call - I bought my current kit from them - they seem very knowledgeable, honest, sincere, and have excellent customer service.
http://www.invisiblemask.com/site.html
Here's what I have gathered - the 3M film is strong, a bit thicker and more scratch resistant than (all?) others. None of this stuff is going to be as scratch-resistant as your car's clear-coat; take care when removing dirt.
The downside to (any) thicker film is it's less pliable - meaning it's going to be harder for the installer to get 'perfect'. Thinner stuff will wrap around compound curves more easily, but there will be less there to absorb stone impacts.
I opted for the thicker, 3M product. The installation on my mirrors left some wrinkles - I'm not wild about them, but they don't ddrive me nuts, and I'm pretty OCD.
Before my car became GT Silver, it had been black, and had a clear bra. Whoever installed it (in Georgia) really knew what he was doing - there were NO wrinkles, anywhere. Incidentally, the shop who repainted my car was massively impressed by the paint finish beneath the original bra. It was as pristine as new.
The guy who installed my present kit works in one of the best shops in Atlantic Canada. He was good, and tried hard, but the installation isn't as flawless as the original. I recommend that you look carefully for someone with bags of experience, and that you closely examine his work on other cars first.
Another tip - my current kit has full front bumper, mirrors, front fenders (not full), trunk lid (not full), AND pieces covering the area at the back of both the front and rear wheel wells where the tires kick up a LOT of crud. I'd recommend you use such a kit. It ALSO included pieces for the rocker panels - where the heels of my shoes sometimes drag when I get in and out of the car. I really value these pieces. Also pieces for the cup underneath the door handle. They work well too.
BTW, I installed a number of the flat pieces myself. I took my time, watched the demo DVD about 10 times, as well as youtube. If you're fussy, and take care, the flat surfaces are straightforward. What you lack in experience, you'll make up for in it being YOUR car, and your determination to get it right. I should add, though, that I did my own partial install mostly because the installer is 3 hours away, and I wanted to reduce the risk of paint damage en route.
The guy at Invisible Mask recommended I use a non-carnauba wax product. He suggested Meguiars NXT, and that's what I've used. He was of the view that a wax-based product might yellow the film. As you know, Guenter is a big fan of P21S, and his car looks as though it just came out of the showroom (and it's no garage queen). Whomever buys it from him when his 981 arrives will be getting a beauty!. ;)
One last tip - don't let them put tire-shine on your tires - that stuff will fly off and impregnate the fresh film installed on the rear part of your wheel wells. Dont ask how I know. :(
Feel free to PM me or reply here, if I can help further.
Original Message
Author: Roger987Date: April 01, 2012 11:06AM
Re: Clear bra
Hi Mike:
As hard as I tried to find one, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what is the 'best' film, though 3M's is very highly regarded.
I'd suggest you give these guys a call - I bought my current kit from them - they seem very knowledgeable, honest, sincere, and have excellent customer service.
http://www.invisiblemask.com/site.html
Here's what I have gathered - the 3M film is strong, a bit thicker and more scratch resistant than (all?) others. None of this stuff is going to be as scratch-resistant as your car's clear-coat; take care when removing dirt.
The downside to (any) thicker film is it's less pliable - meaning it's going to be harder for the installer to get 'perfect'. Thinner stuff will wrap around compound curves more easily, but there will be less there to absorb stone impacts.
I opted for the thicker, 3M product. The installation on my mirrors left some wrinkles - I'm not wild about them, but they don't dive me nuts, and I'm pretty OCD.
Before my car became GT Silver, it had been black, and had a clear bra. Whoever installed it (in Georgia) really knew what he was doing - there were NO wrinkles, anywhere. Incidentally, the shop who repainted my car was massively impressed by the paint finish beneath the original bra. It was as pristine as new.
The guy who installed my present kit works in one of the best shops in Atlantic Canada. He was good, and tried hard, but the installation isn't as flawless as the original. I recommend that you look carefully for someone with bags of experience, and that you closely examine his work on other cars first.
Another tip - my current kit has full front bumper, mirrors, front fenders (not full), trunk lid (not full), AND pieces covering the area at the back of both the front and rear wheel wells where the tires kick up a LOT of crud. I'd recommend you use such a kit. It ALSO included pieces for the rocker panels - where the heels of my shoes sometimes drag when I get in and out of the car. I really value these pieces. Also pieces for the cup underneath the door handle. They work well too.
BTW, I installed a number of the flat pieces myself. I took my time, watched the demo DVD about 10 times, as well as youtube. If you're fussy, and take care, the flat surfaces are straightforward. What you lack in experience, you'll make up for in it being YOUR car, and your determination to get it right. I should add, though, that I did my own partial install mostly because the installer is 3 hours away, and I wanted to reduce the risk of paint damage en route.
The guy at Invisible Mask recommended I use a non-carnauba wax product. He suggested Meguiars NXT, and that's what I've used. He was of the view that a wax-based product might yellow the film. As you know, Guenter is a big fan of P21S, and his car looks as though it just came out of the showroom (and it's no garage queen). Whomever buys it from him when his 981 arrives will be getting a beauty!. ;)
One last tip - don't let them put tire-shine on your tires - that stuff will fly off and impregnate the fresh film installed on the rear part of your wheel wells. Dont ask how I know. :(
Feel free to PM me or reply here, if I can help further.
As hard as I tried to find one, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what is the 'best' film, though 3M's is very highly regarded.
I'd suggest you give these guys a call - I bought my current kit from them - they seem very knowledgeable, honest, sincere, and have excellent customer service.
http://www.invisiblemask.com/site.html
Here's what I have gathered - the 3M film is strong, a bit thicker and more scratch resistant than (all?) others. None of this stuff is going to be as scratch-resistant as your car's clear-coat; take care when removing dirt.
The downside to (any) thicker film is it's less pliable - meaning it's going to be harder for the installer to get 'perfect'. Thinner stuff will wrap around compound curves more easily, but there will be less there to absorb stone impacts.
I opted for the thicker, 3M product. The installation on my mirrors left some wrinkles - I'm not wild about them, but they don't dive me nuts, and I'm pretty OCD.
Before my car became GT Silver, it had been black, and had a clear bra. Whoever installed it (in Georgia) really knew what he was doing - there were NO wrinkles, anywhere. Incidentally, the shop who repainted my car was massively impressed by the paint finish beneath the original bra. It was as pristine as new.
The guy who installed my present kit works in one of the best shops in Atlantic Canada. He was good, and tried hard, but the installation isn't as flawless as the original. I recommend that you look carefully for someone with bags of experience, and that you closely examine his work on other cars first.
Another tip - my current kit has full front bumper, mirrors, front fenders (not full), trunk lid (not full), AND pieces covering the area at the back of both the front and rear wheel wells where the tires kick up a LOT of crud. I'd recommend you use such a kit. It ALSO included pieces for the rocker panels - where the heels of my shoes sometimes drag when I get in and out of the car. I really value these pieces. Also pieces for the cup underneath the door handle. They work well too.
BTW, I installed a number of the flat pieces myself. I took my time, watched the demo DVD about 10 times, as well as youtube. If you're fussy, and take care, the flat surfaces are straightforward. What you lack in experience, you'll make up for in it being YOUR car, and your determination to get it right. I should add, though, that I did my own partial install mostly because the installer is 3 hours away, and I wanted to reduce the risk of paint damage en route.
The guy at Invisible Mask recommended I use a non-carnauba wax product. He suggested Meguiars NXT, and that's what I've used. He was of the view that a wax-based product might yellow the film. As you know, Guenter is a big fan of P21S, and his car looks as though it just came out of the showroom (and it's no garage queen). Whomever buys it from him when his 981 arrives will be getting a beauty!. ;)
One last tip - don't let them put tire-shine on your tires - that stuff will fly off and impregnate the fresh film installed on the rear part of your wheel wells. Dont ask how I know. :(
Feel free to PM me or reply here, if I can help further.