I have had clear bras on my previous vehicles and plan to add one to my current MINI. My question is tied to the vinyl stripes on the front of the F55. I extended the oem stripes down the entire front bumper and have them on the hood as well.
When doing the clear bra do the manufacturers of the film make pre cuts for the stripes or do they apply the film over the stripes? If they cover the stripes have you had any issues with the bra adhering to the stripe and paint?

And for an added concern I just had a ceramic paint protection applied to the entire car, so I assume I will need to have that cleaned off to have the bra attach better to the paint.

Any recommendations on clear bras for the vinyl or MINI in general would be great. I am considering Xpel self healing film, as my previous 3M yellowed a bit on a white car and it didn't look good at all. My current car is black.

Thanks

 

If the stripes fade you'll have to redo the clear bra too. That won't be under warranty. Stripes, clear bra, ceramic paint protection, remove ceramic paint protection, possibly replace stripes and clear bra. Could get pretty busy!

 

I have a black Audi SQ5 with the Xpel. I had Getechniq coating placed on top of the bra almost two years ago. Everything is hold up very well.

For our MINI, I am having the paint color corrected & polished, clear Xpel bra installed, then custom strips mounted on top of the clear bra. I will then have Gtechniq coating on top of that. This is being completed this week.

You will definitely need to remove the coating so the clear bra will stick to the car.

 

So the OP has to remove the coating, and the stripes, have the clear bra put on, then the stripes again, then the coating again? Again what does that do for you that you can't do with some claybar and good wax every 6 months except protect from an occasional rock ding?

 

Some good info in this thread HERE for your question. +1 for Xpel. Very popular product and have run this as well.

 

Are you doing the entire hood or a partial install? The clear bra will leave a slight gap at the edges of the stripes if applied over the stripes. If it covers the stripes completely it shouldn't be an issue other than being seen very close up, but if it's too close to the edges of the stripes, it might start to lift and let dirt underneath the edge. If only a partial install, you'll have channels at each edge of the stripes which will eventually let dirt get under the bra.

As for removal of the ceramic coat, I would ask the installer what would be required for a proper install. They should also be able to show you what the gaps will look like when applying over the stripes from a previous install, or by using scraps they have laying around.

Another thing to think about is the non clear bra portions of the stripes on your car. The covered stripes will probably have a glossier look to them and not match the rest of the stripes.

 

I have never heard of folks putting the stripes over the clear bra only under.

If it were me.

Go get the car detailed and any paint correction done, this will include stripping off the coating. Get Xpel done over entire front (no pre cuts for stripes). Then if you want over kill you can coat the xpel but I wouldn't. The xpel will hold up the best. There is one other company that is good but I forget the name, maybe Suntek.

 

If you put stripes under your clear bra, you will have to remove the bra if you ever want to change the stripes. If you place the stripes over the clear bra, you don't have to worry about this or slight gaps at the edge of the stripes (depending on how thick your stripe material is).

 

Thanks for the comments folks. I should have stated my car is new with under 1,500 miles on it. It's a Carbon Edition and I had the Mini stripe guy match the oem stripes down the front and rear bumpers.
Then it went in for paint correction, yes, correction from the dealership delivery car wash and transport. The same person who did the paint correction applied the ceramic coating to the entire car. As I was picking up the car from him I asked about the clear bra, since I was on the fence about doing it to the Mini. Since the front end looks so good with the extra stripes I would like to protect it from chips. This same guy also does the clear bra install. So he said he could remove the ceramic from whatever area I wanted the bra to be installed and he would install the bra over the stripes.

I was asking here about the bra that is cut around the stripes as I have seen both, folks go over the stripes and folks cut around them. I liked the go over them look better.

Now the big questions is what "kit" to order from Xpel. My car is an S, but is has the JCW exterior package. Xpel's web site asks if the car is an S or JCW. So what is mine!!?! It's an S with a JCW look. I guess I will call Xpel and see what they have to offer.

Thanks

 

It only takes one to ruin your day.

 

Definitely!

Does your installer do custom installs? If so, you usually get better coverage if he just uses bulk xpel protection from a roll and custom cuts everything than from using a pre-cut kit. He could also leave the stripes uncovered if you choose. The custom route would also take into account any differences in a factory JCW and an S with a JCW body package.

 

I just got a full hood and bumper clear bra. Put the stripes on top of the clear bra, not under it. My shop showed me what it looks like with the clear bra over the stripes and it really doesn't look good at all. the gap is pretty noticeable in all light.