Clear bra

I can only imagine if you've had bad experience with clear bras, it was years ago when the film wasn't as good, or you had a poor installer. No other reason I can think of to not be happy with one.

And don't take it so personally, I'm not saying you intentionally told mis-truths.

 

My Dad put this on his 2005 RX330 Sport Black. Not a hint of yellow on it - a few noticeable spots from a Honda Civic that backed in to it but most of that damage was fixed with a heat gun. Mom and Dad have put it on 2 highlanders, an Infinity EX35 and my wife and I have put it on the Corolla and the Tacoma. Make sure the dealership can show you one on the lot with it already - the dealer that did the Corolla did a shit job but every other vehicle it's invisible until you are face next to the vehicle looking for the seam.

 

I had a clear bra on my 2005 MINI Cooper S and it does help keep the hood from getting dinged up, especially on vehicles that are lower to the ground. The front of my car would've been sandblasted in the winter from all the sand used on the slick, icy roads, but the clear bra absorbed most of the damage. You could see the pitting in it, but it definitely saved the paint, which is what it's supposed to do. What it doesn't help with is pebbles/rocks rolling up your hood and I don't know that there would be anything that could prevent that.

My 2016 came with the protection package which included the clear bra/film. I'm not sure how effective it will be on the hood of the truck since it sits so high, but I think the film on the lower portions of the truck will help with sand and such from damaging the paint.

The only complaint that I have with the film is that it makes claying/waxing a bit more challenging so you don't get a build-up of wax along the edges. Take your time and wax/clay from the film out toward the painted surface and it isn't as bad. Once you figure out a system, it isn't any different than not having the film on the vehicle.

 

Yeah, Blazing... those MINI Coopers are stone magnets, aren't they ? Bought my first two in 2006, clear bra'd one, didn't clear bra the other one. What a difference. The one without must have had a hundred tiny chip marks after 5 years and 70,000 miles. Had the bonnet (hood for you non MINI people) repainted and then clear bra'd.

 

OP, if you go this route research it well first. I have heard issues with clear coat failure with long term plastidip coverage on it.

 

Here are some picks of ours you can see the bubbling on the mirrors of the Corolla - it left the dealership like that 3 years ago - it was a dealer that had never done it before. The Taco is from a dealer that does it for almost every vehicle - they had lots of demos on the floor to show the quality of their 3M wrap.

 

What about the Toyota factory-applied paint protection film - how is the quality and how is it compared to the dealer or even after market installed options?

 

Rocks rolling up the hood sucked and happened a lot more than you care to think about.

My Cooper S was a great little car and I miss having it. I didn't have the JCW kit on it, but I had a reduction pulley, tuned software, along with some other "go fast" and handling mods (springs, control arms, etc) and everyone I knew wanted to drive it (and did, even the guys with the JCW kits so they could compare). Those little suckers handle like a go cart!

 

Mine had the factory applied film and the quality is great. No bubbles or creases. Yes, you can tell there are lines where the film ends, but if you didn't know it was there you'd have to look for it. If you're a few feet away, unless you know it's there, you can't tell - at all.

 

They apply wax to the paint before application of the clear bra to make it easier to remove in the future, they also use a heat gun to help remove it, it's really not risky when you have a reputable professional do it. I live in Alaska and wish I had a clear bra on the front portion of my hood, there's so many rocks on the roads here from the municipality of Anchorage putting it down for traction, and the front of my brand new truck has a considerable amount of rock chips that wouldn't be there with a clear bra

 

They are all fun to drive in different ways ! I've had two 06 Coopers, an 05 "S" Convertible, 2012 Countryman, 05 Cooper and a 2013 JCW, in that order. My 05 "S", I had a supercharger reduction pulley put on it and it was every bit as fun to drive as my JCW. Yep, go-car handling and over 200 HP in a car that weighs around one ton... serious fun!

 

That's probably the best advice for most things, especially clear bra or windows tint installation.

 

Don't forget that the Tacoma already comes with some 3M Film applied, and has for years, check your quarter panels out, it does not yellow, and will most likely outlast the truck.

If you have it installed by a credible, 3M Authorized Installer, or a Toyota Corporate Authorized Dealership you won't have any problems, and if you do have problems such as bubbling, peeling etc. and you used a reputable installer - take it back for a re-install!

Toyota warrants their installs for 5 years! - in Canada anyways. If the Dealership does not offer the Toyota Warranty then most likely they are not approved to install by Corporate Toyota.

It is not hard to take off, I think the pros use a mixture of alcohol and water to peel it off - it deactivates the adhesive, as well, a reputable installer will clean the surface of the paint with alcohol or something similiar to clean the paint prior to install.

If an installer wants to wax the paint before the install - Drive away fast!

Like anything in the market place there are different qualities of product, you get what you pay for, 3M is the industry standard and one of the best products out there.

 

No. Because it's a truck and I can fix any chip easily myself as I have done on all my vehicles using Dr Colorchip system. I don't use it on my MX5 or my Vettes before that, Some of us have been driving for over 40 years and this stuff was not available and out vehicles had paint correction done that was and is far less expensive than clear bras. I just did a complete Paint correction on the MX5 from clay bar to Porter Cable deep cut with an orange pad........and could not have done it with a clear bra.

On white the edges of the clear bra are dirty and ugly. I don't see the point in spending that kind of money when a stone can easily chip the clear bra and even the paint if it's large and fast enough, I have seen stone chipped clear bras and it's not pretty, At least with paint one can fix it. Kind of hard and expensive to fix an entire sheet of clear bra.

I DO use 3M clear in my door sills and kick plates areas by my feet. Mostly plastic areas and panels that cannot be repaired.

 

If you can repair stone chips and make your truck look like they were never there, good for you! I've yet to see any of those repair kits capable of that or maybe nobody has perfected the art of using them.

And if you've seen a stone chipped clear bra, that must have been a rock. I've never had a clear bra damaged in 9 years of using them and my cars were prone to them, sitting so low.

Having said all that, if you intend to off road your truck, or use it as a work truck, then yeah, it's a truck, why clear bra it ?

 

I respectfully disagree with TacoBella, I too, have been driving for 40+ years in all types of conditions and I can tell you that I have never seen a rock go through a 3M Paint Protection Product, the cheaper brands maybe, doubtful, but maybe...

If you have a 3M film that a rock has gone through I am sure that 3M would be very appreciative if you contacted them about the failure so that their research staff can investigate...

If you take care of your vehicle by regularily washing, and occasionly waxing, you will not get the "dirty ugly" edge.

If you live in an environment where you are exposed to sand and gravel being laid down for snow and ice, or you travel roads frequented by heavy trucks hauling natural resources you will be happy to have the 3m "Bra" installed.

If the 3M "Bra" needs to come off it is relatively easy to do, although time consuming. There are "how to" videoes everywhere.

Not a Body Man but I think that Paint has changed in 40 years as well to "Base Coat Clear Coat" from the Solid Colours of old.