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I only use it during the week, to avoid all the rocks and gravel on some of the local highways around the Long Beach port area
>>>>Does any one have pics of a MCS with nose mask / bra? i'm trying to decide which one to buy and would like to see which one looks cooler.
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>>Look for a bra that gives you the best protection. Keep in mind these things don't really look cool...they are a necessary "evil" to protect the front end of the car from stone chips and when you don't want or can't afford to purchase a clear 3M product.
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>>MINI sells a vinyl bra that is shaped like a "T". It covers the center section of the bonnet (Grille and air scoop) and the long T section runs towards the back of the hood, but the problem with that one is that the sides of the bonnet (Headlight region) are totally naked and unprotected, so having this T-cut bra really defeats the purpose and looks ugly IMO. It is very rare to get a rock chip so far back into the bonnet.
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>>The Colgan Custom one, covers the entire front section of the bonnet and it looks much better. Thanks to the snug fit, there is no wind flapping or anything like that.
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>>My suggestion is to avoid the T-Shaped bonnet bras unless they cover the sides of the bonnet as well as as far back as possible thru the center.
Something to consider is that you want to keep it very clean underneath. What tends to happen is dirt collects under the bra and scratches up the paint. I have seen a few very cool looking bras on MINIs. One actually looked like carbon fiber. I have thought about having a multi color one custom made in a Union Jack theme but it may be a little over the top. Maybe integrated bonnet stripes or something similar might be cool. Sorry for the rant. I didn't answer your question, did I?
I used my Colgan bra for 500 miles on a single weekend trip and then installed it on MINIclo's perfectly clean black MCS. We drove 2000 miles in 3 rainless days and the bra caused significant abrasion on MINIclo's black paint in the areas where the bonnet dips down between the headlights and the hood scoop. I did not notice it during the trip, but that raised area of the Colgan must have been vibrating/flapping at highway speeds.
Ryephile did some work to hide most of the scuffed paint, but it is still visible in places. I would definitely NOT use a Colgan bra on my MINI ever again!
bras work great when properly used for temporary use during long trips, etc.
but too often I see people leaving them on as cosmetic pieces.
On most bra's that ive seen, moisture gets trapped between the bra and
the body panel and causes the paint to cloud. That's why you need to keep
the panel under the bra waxed at all times as cooper4us mention and take
it off in the rain, dense fog.
i went with the clearbra with adhesive...goes un noticed. :smile:
