I have a new MCS front bumper that I would like to put a clear bra on before I put it on my car. Its a long story but a relative backed into my front bumper causing minor damage. I called a ton of places looking for a used front bumper is my color. AMAZINGLY I found a shop out of town that had tons of them that were going to the dump so they gave it to me for free. I was quite pleased .

So to keep this new one nice I want a clear bra. I am eventually going to have my hood re-sprayed and when I do that I will have one installed on the hood, but not until then.

The bumper is not on the car yet. Are the pre-cut kits really difficult to install on the bumper with its curves etc? The bumper is off the car so I can install it in my basement which should make things easier.

Thanks,
k

 

the xpel one will be nearly impossible to install unless your bumper is on the car. you need to stretch it quite a bit.

 

Also, what about just buying a roll of the non pre-cut and installing it? Much more difficult? I would think a razor blade to cut the circles for lights etc once installed would not be that bad...

 

Hrm, did not think of that. What about the 3M version?

 

the non-precut is even harder...that's a professional install-only kinda deal
unless you do strips of that stuff which will be a pita to wax and will look
pretty unprofessionally done. lol...

i have the original xpel's version which was made my 3M. they recently
started their own material, but it's about as hard to install. you need the
bumper on a stand and has to be fixed very snug. it's not like installing
your bonnet stripes. i recommend you do it once your new bumper is
on the car.

 

Have a pro install the 3M material. It is the only product on the market w/ a clearcoat. makes it a bit difficult to install but it's worth it. You can search here for a local installer:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...ind_Installer/

 

Get a pro unless you have some great skills.
I thought I would try it myself because I don't have a good installer here in town. It did not go well. I ended up just trashing the material, pre-cut.
Get a pro, it will be money well spent.

 

I shopped clear bra installations and thought there was possibly a more economical way of installing the covering. So I purchased a complete precut kit from Xtremecity on ebaymotors at a tenth of the price. The company was very prompt in shipping. I followed the instuctions to a T and the installation was easy as long as you kept the material wet. Using a hair dryer is highly recommended along with a second set of hands and a bucket full of patience. Also later purchased some of their stock material and covered highly exposed areas on the lower part of the doors and the rear bumper. Overall the DIY worked out great and again at a fraction of the price. I did consider the 3M and Expel brands, but thought I would give this a shot first and happily it worked out! There is a debate out there on quality of the various products which was a consideration but so far after a year this product holds up as advertised. Good luck.

 

One problem with the ebay products is the life expectancy of the product in weather extremes. I did not want to have a product start looking and performing poorly after only a year or two. And I have seen some really crappy products/jobs around here.

Definitely get it put on by a pro. You will get a warranty and be much happier with the end result.

 

I bought the 3M Aeroguard film from invisiblemask.com, and installed it myself. The hood was easy, as was upper bumper, but the lower bumper, with the fog lights, was very difficult. It helps to have a heat gun, and a second set of hands to help stretch and hold the film.

 

yep, the cheap stuff will either crack or yellow in no time.

from my experience, heatgun was not a good idea unless you need to
heat the panel that is getting applied. the stuff actually shrinks and
wrinkles.

 

Very good points on the second set of hands and the hair dryer. I lacked the second set of hands so that may have contributed to my failure (also an extreme lack of patience )

Glad you had better luck.

 

Appreciate the testimonial Buzz, and especially from a fellow PW. I have a precut piece from these folks on the way for immediate install, since the front of my MINI (particularly the bonnet) has been taking a wintertime beating as of late.

I appreciate the supplemental cautionary posts warning about going the economical route; however, the investment is so minuscule that I'm willing to take the risk. I'm not a car show detailophile so my needs are for it to remain looking good, but not flawless. I figure if it looks like its going to start cracking or yellowing, even after only a year or two, I'll just strip it off and re-apply -- this or a competing product.

 

only problem is removing that crap is a lot of work...and if you have dealer
aftermarket paint it will usually remove the paint along with it in some
sections.

actually, if your factory painted bumper had some impact from rocks after
the cleabra install, i'll probably pull off too.

 

Ken, sounds like it's more difficult than pulling up vinyl?

 

the adhesive separates...

 

After installing the bumper and hood covering, I later installed,as previously mentioned, additional protection that I custom cut to fit. FWIW, the application became extremely easy as the experience level improved thus eliminating the need for a second set of hands on subsequent installs. I did,however remove a custom cut piece after several months because I redesigned it. By using a hairdryer the film was easily removed without any difficulty or damage to the paint. A little time and patience can really save you $$$.