Yesterday I managed to put some scratches on my 10 month old Llumar clearbra while cleaning the car. I am mad!

No amount of waxing, rubbing alcohol can't seem to get rid of the blemishes. This clearbra has a top coat like the 3M brand.

Anyway looks like crap now. The scratches can not be felt with the fingernail but they are there.

I have already contacted my installer and he said he would like to try a product before doing anything else.

Should I pursue a full replacement under warranty? Anything else I can try or am I SOL?

Thanks!

 

PlasticX might work, but those films are soft so once it's swirled up it
will usually not come out.

might want to ask OG for his expertise.

 

The 3M clearbra is made to react with alcohol so for light scratches rubbing with alcohol should blend them back in. I'm guessing the Llumar brand either doesn't have this feature or they are too deep to blend. Perhaps another go with alcohol would be worth it. I do polish the clearbra on our Pilot using Finish but I really don't have any scratches I'm trying to remove.

 

Thanks guys. I'll try to get some pics posted so you can get an idea on the size and look of the scratches. Until this incident, I had not had any issues with the Clear Bra. I just find it unacceptable that the top coat surface can get this smeared using safe cleaning supplies (New microfiber towels and Meguiar's Quick Detailer spray). I spoke today with the installer and he is going to meet me tomorrow to look at the damage. He is going to try a product that he claims he has had success with removing these types of scratches called "Autoshell Racer Eraser". This product is used to remove cone marks, blemishes and scratches from clear bra film material on race and competition vehicles. Never heard of it before, so we'll see how it goes. But if that fails to fix the problem, I think I am going to have him replace the bonnet section with brand new film again under warranty. Unless Octane Guy can shed some light and may suggest something else before going down the film replacement route. I was also told by my installer that the top coat on this Llumar film is 6 mil thick. The scratches can be seen as a series of horizontal and vertical lines but if you run your fingernail, the surface feels smooth and the nail doesn't get caught. That tells me that whatever these lines are are superficial to the material. But these scratches, so far, have been impossible to remove. Open to suggestion at this point. The way I see it, if the cleaning product fails to fix/improve the situation I'll have him replace the whole piece of film.

 

Well if you're going for broke then try some Plastix or some polish. Using Prima Finish on our 3M clearbra I don't have any hazing at all. It just shines it up very nicely. Watch your edges so you don't lift or get product under them.

 

I've had very little success in polishing clear bra to remove defects. Like others have said the film is soft. And you know that if it's 6mil, that MINI paint is usually around 5mil which includes primer (in 1st gens), basecoat/clear coat (1st and 2nd gens of course)--that it's actually quite thick.

I don't buy the thinking that just because you are using a QD and new microfibers that swirls and scratches can't be inflicted. Those are the correct first steps to take, but how you use them, and whether there was any contamination that got rubbed into the bra also impact whether you have swirls and scratches in your bra or not.

Clear bra is designed to save your paint from impacts without making your car look noticeably uglier like the old days of the black bras.

But clear bra'd areas tend to be duller, show more orange peel, and turn milky white when impacted by objects--making them more visible on dark colors. As you've found, scratches and swirls are easy to put into them, and next to impossible to remove. They also yellow over time, despite warranty's that say they won't yellow.

Richard

 

Well, unfortunately my ordeal with this scratched Llumar clear bra did not end up well. Llumar flat out refused to honor their worthless "lifetime warranty" claiming the scratches were my own fault for applying pressure to the film with cleaning. What a bunch of BS. A clearbra should not scratch when using the best Meguiar's quick detailer product and clean microfiber cloths and no pressure I might add.

Next, the installer refused to replace the film and stand by the crappy product he sold me. After tons of referral business I sent to this guy, his response was to kick me in the groin. The guy is very skilled but he does not stand by the product he sells. Needless to say, he'll never get repeat business from me ever again. What a sell out.

I have decided to leave the film as is. After all is protecting the car, but the scratches on the film still look hideous.

Word to the wise: Stay away from Llumar clear bra films and stay away from installers that do not stand by the product they sell if problems arise.

 

Have you tried polishing? Swirl used with the PC works really well on my film...

 

I have been waxing the car with Meguiar's NXT ever since and the imperfections on the surface of the film are not as noticeable anymore.

The film is doing its job but next time I am going to stick with 3M products and a installer willing to stand behind his work + product.