Any thoughts regarding the ClearBra or related products? Do you all think its worth it? If so, any recommendations for reputable dealers/installers? How much roughly?

 

I thought I really wanted Clear Bra after buying my MINI. So the first Mini's on the Dragon I went to, I looked around at a few of the ones that had it on them. I was really set back, I had heard all the hype, and thought it wouldn't be as noticeable as it was. No for the other side, I have a few friends that have it on thiers, and they wouldn't change it for the world. So I guess its really up to you. I would first find one that has it installed, then make your decision based on that.

 

My wife's MINI was a few months old when we had the 3M ClearBra film applied to her car, so I had to fix a half-dozen paint chips in the bumper and bonnet first. With my car, we had the film applied as soon as I could get from the dealer to the installer.

I find that I can't see the film on either car (Pepper White & Cool Blue) if I'm more than a few feet away, and that's if I'm looking for it. I've seen other cars where the film seems more visible, so I don't know if it varies from brand to brand. Lighting makes a big difference regarding how visible the film edge is, as well as whether the car is clean or dirty.

We love ours and will probably have it applied to all of our cars from now on. It's a personal decision, but my advice is to find two MINIs that are the same colour as yours - one with a clear bra, and one with rock chips, and decide which bothers your more.

We had ours installed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for about $500 per car, and the installers are great - each car took about 90 minutes, and they were very professional. The company is Ultra-Shield, and they use 3M film.

Scott

 

I used to live in Colorado and one of my friends had one installed on his car because the state spread gravel/sand on the road when it was snowy/icy.

He had some problem with his clearbra and was going to have it replaced. When it was pulled off, lots of little chips of paint came off with it. Sure it kept the rock chips in place while it was installed, but didn't actually prevent rock chips from occurring and damaging the paint.

This was 5 years ago and maybe the materials used today are better, but it left a lasting impression on me.