Just had the clear bra installed on my 2009 Mini Cooper S from the guys at Transparent Bra. Juan was very courteous and professional and took his time to make sure everything was just right. The install took 5 hours and the poor guy didn't even take a bathroom break, talk about dedication. Juan was also very friendly, knowledgeable and pleasant to be around with. I have used Transparent Bra before with my 2006 Nissan Murano. The quality of the install and material on that job led me back to them again for my Mini. The install included the front bumper, hood, scoop, headlights, fog lights, mirror and door strips. There were some bubbles after the install. Juan told me to wait about a month and if they don't evaporate, then Transparent Bra will replace that piece. Sounds good to me!





more pics to follow...

oh yea, those are not oil spots. its the application fluid dripping on the floor.

 

Looks great....how much did it cost if I may ask?

 

Yah I got mine straight from factory... Worth every penny!

 

I would also be interested to know what the costs are vs the dealer/factory price.

 

I remember being quoted like $600 range from a local car shop...

Dealer told me it was $500 so I went with the dealership...

 

I want to get mine done, how much?????? Where in bay is he located?

 

The factory one does not extend over the entire hood. I would like one that covers the whole hood and the front bumpers.

 

I was browsing at East Bay MINI the other day, and saw a mellow yellow that had the factory clear bra. The parts that it covered looked nice, but since it doesn't stretch over the entire hood there was quite a line that looked un-professional. A neighbor up my street had a job done on his R8 that spanned the entire hood and it looked amazing.

Maximus. Does this place in Castro valley custom cut the 3M clearbra over the entire hood or does it just cover certain parts? Is there a big crease line where it ends if it doesn't cover the entire hood?

 

The kit is $555 installed. There was a $40 discount. I then had the door edges done at $10 a piece.

It doesn't cover the whole hood. To do that would be an additional $270 more.

The kit is a precut Venture Shield film. it covers the entire front bumper, fog lights, head lights, scoop, hood (about 8" past the scoop), and mirrors. Pretty much all the high impact areas. There is a line where it ends, but its very difficult to see it.

The Transparent Bra guys are mobile. They came to my house today to do my car.

 

Lookin' good! I had mine done at the dealership... did they give you some sort of cleaning aerosol spray? I got some with mine, but they didn't really explain how to use it. I used it on Sunday before I waxed the entire thing. It's kinda tricky to toothbrush the wax from the lip of the invisishield, but he ended up looking really nice...

 

for my murano i use a q-tip with alcohol and run it along the edge. i haven't waxed the mini yet.

 

Ohhhh.....ahhhh....that looks fantastic! I love shiny things.

The price seems good. I have been working with a couple of installers looking at options (film brands, coverage, etc) and the price you paid seems right in-line with the prices here. Mind you we don't have that many installers here.

 

You can get full hood coverage....it just costs more. About $250-300 more if I remember correctly.

As I said in my previous post, we don't have a lot of installers here. But both highly reputable, experienced installers I have spoken to have recommended Venture. Take some time to talk to multiple installers and get their opinions on film manufacturers, patterns, problems and warranty.

 

I got one and its the best thing ever.

 

My installer recommended I use a product called Turtle Wax Ice on the clear bra. It is a clear polish and it works great. You can use it on the entire car including the black parts. It goes on clear and leaves absolutely no residue so you don't have to worry about the cut-off line of your clear bra. I paid $18.00 for the kit at Kragen. It comes with an applicator and a microfibre cloth. You don't have to use much so it last a long time. I apply it to my entire car after every two or three washes and it looks great.

 

Yup, the Transparent Bra guys also used Turtle Wax Ice while they did the install on mine as well. but i have too many zaino products to even think about buying more...

 

It looks great

I have the Clear Bra also installed on Scrappy and it has saved me a few times already from nicks in the paint while driving.One of the best paint protection investments made.

 

Nice I had full hood plus headlight/fog light/bumper and side view mirrors covered as well. Mine is MY with white roof and mirrors.

worth every penny

 

For those of you who got full bonnet (hood for us Yanks) and bumper coverage done, 1) how many $$$ and 2) does the clear bra extend all the way to the top (back near windshield) edge or does it cut short by an inch or so? Thanks!

 

my whole hood is covered and no seams. the bra was cut oversized and the excess tucked in. cost for full hood, plus bumper, head light, fog light and side view mirrors was $900

 

i had the 3M clear bra put on by the dealer before i picked up my 2008. it ends just above the head lights. when it's clean you can't hardly see it. i used turtle wax ICE too (it was on sale at Costco) and i've been really happy with it. makes the car slippery to the touch, goes a long way, and easy to put on. when it's dirty it's easy to see the line. makes cleaning bug guts off the front easier too.

 

Trixy goes braless and in six months I have suffered one scratch (my own fault, see this post) and one side ding (took paint off, but no dent) six inches aft of passenger door. No stone chips yet (in 2,000 miles).

Got the MINI Factory Touchup kit ($28 at Downtown MINI) AND the LANGKA KIT ($40) OnLine.

That Langka Kit is fantastic, first try, just following directions, with no experience, and the repairs were absolutely perfect and completely invisible.

Hope you never lose any paint, but if you do, that is the way to go.

 

Highly recommend the clear bra as well. Every front facing surface on my car was done, including the roof, mirrors, etc. Bugs here are almost year-round and it is nice not having to wash the car everyday.

 

i bought the langka kit for my old car. my results didn't turn out so well. the blob that i try to flatten ends up dull and stands out like an eye sore.

how long are you suppose to wait before using the langka kit so the paint chips stay shiny after the rubbing?

 

The instructions called for "dry to the touch, between two and four hours" but implied that it would vary between models
("Honda's could be days").

Also, for dull finish, they recommended adding the Clear Coat (I did not need it) and they say it is for cars newer than 1990: The kit also had a "Paint Sealant" to provide UV Protection and enhance shine.

The MINI Touch-Up kit included a bottle of Clear Coat (never opened) and was very fast drying,
I waited just over two hours and it worked perfectly!