Clear bra worth it?

I wouldn’t buy a new vehicle without having a Suntek clear bra. I had one on my 2014 4Runner and it saved me three different times and at least $5,000. I suggest finding your areas best tint shop ang getting a quote. Dealerships use hacks to install tint and paint protection film (PPF) so don’t waste money or time with the dealerships garbage. My PPF never faded or yellowed and you couldn’t even see it.

 

My local Indie tint/PPF shop uses a computer which has all the vehicles patterns already loaded. The machine produces and cuts the film precisely for each car and install.

If you’re anywhere near Cactus Auto Tint in AZ talk to Rick and he will set you up.

 

I picked up my truck last week, and am getting the film installed by the dealer next week. I’m really hoping that my dealer has experienced people doing the install!

 

You might consider getting quotes from private tint shops who do it. Do a Yelp search for highest rated tint shop. They will do a better job than the dealership as tint and PPF is all they do and the pride in craftsmanship is higher. At least here in AZ the guys are fanatical about making it perfect. Good luck.

 

I called Expel this afternoon because their online installer locator was malfunctioning and I wanted to find a local installer and ask them some questions. I'd forgotten that Expel's corporate office is located in San Antonio. They were pleasant, knew their stuff and answered my questions. The factory that makes the film also installs it. I'm pretty sure I can get a cut-free install done there. They train installers there, so they certainly will have some guys/gals who know their stuff. Don't get no bettern' that. Sounds like a road trip to me. Will make an appointment after Christmas, take the wife and give her a well-deserved vacation for a couple of days.

Damn it's expensive though!

 

I got 3M Scotchgard on the front of the truck. It is NOT a co-extruded film. So whatever thickness the film is, say 1mm... it is 100% protective layer. The downside is that the 3M Scotchgard also has some sharkskin or orange peel effect to it. I can't see the sharkskin much at all with my quicksand paint - might be different with different brands.

The 3M ProSeries is similar to the Suntek and the XPEL Ultimate i believe. They are co-extruded films. That means that of the 1mm thickness, 0.3mm of that is the self healing layer, and 0.7mm is the protection layer. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the ProSeries or XPEL Ultimates etc. From my research - the XPEL had the best warranty etc though. 3M only had 7 years.

I took my truck to a vendor that had good reviews, and had been in business for quite some time (so I hope they stay in business, at least until my warranty is up! hah) because I didn't want a "tech" at the stealership doing it wrong on my truck.

If I ever buy a NEW vehicle again - I will pay to get the WHOLE unit done with XPEL ultimate, instead of just parts of it.

(Numbers are for ease of explanation only - I don't know the exact thicknesses etc!)

 

Do it or forever live in regret. I’d take it to an independent shop over the dealer though.

 

Thank you all for the replies!

Im going keep up the research, and will be reaching out to a friend of a friend who owns a tint/wrap business. I suppose since I also want to tint match the front windows I should hold off and get the tint/bra done at the same time in the near future. Thanks all.

~Gunnar

 

Per Expel yesterday: $6,700 whole vehicle, any vehicle

 

I have had them twice on past cars and don’t care for them. My vote is if anything go for dr color chip and drive on. The clear bra on my subie was scratched on a car wash and looked terrible so I took it off and just did color chip instead. The truck I do t really car as much as it is earning its Arizona pin strip

 

I hope so too bro!

 

Advice. Use the far distance DCC setting and use DCC as much as possible. Not only will it help with gas mileage, it will also keep you st a far enough distance to avoid the most rock chipping to begin with. I personally don't like the clear bra thing but I understand why folks do.

 

I've had Clear Bra installed on all of my new vehicles since 2009. Well with the money. I usually take it to my local guy who uses Suntek. Never had any problems with yellowing or scratches, in fact I've had a few incidents where my kids or a dog scratched the covered area which were easily removed/healed with micro fiber towel and alcohol. If you don't want to invest in to clear bra at least invest in to headlight protection kit. I always buy Xpel for the headlights. They're not the cheapest but sure are the best. Still waiting for my order from AutoAnything, they were cheaper than Xpel direct and if you call them they'll give you an additional 15% discount on top of free shipping. Said all that, Tacoma's hood if fairly high up and flat so clear bra isn't going to do a lot of good there. I think hood deflector, headlight protection, clear bra on painted bezel around grill and painted parts of the bumper all is needed to provide adequate protection, IMO.

 

Pro-Taco, thanks for the heads up. You are just the person this thread needs. So you have used both. Please educate us about why you use both, and how they differ in quality. Why not SunTek on the headlights rather than the Expel? Expel is definitely not the cheapest, but there may be very compelling reasons why they cost so much and are worth it. I'm okay with spending the extra money if the cost/benefit ratio is there.

Can you please post up the Expel link on AutoAnything.com? I went there but couldn't find it.

 

XPEL Ultimate. Period. Don't look anywhere else!

 

Holy shit, for that much you could just buy and replace body panels when needed.

 

Yes, absolutely do it. You will be happy you did it. You should also ceramic coat your truck It helps!

 

The newer materials made my Xpel are well proven and worth looking into. I used to work for a manufacturer of these materials and there have been great improvements since the products from years ago. This hood was hand cut and with a qualified installer there are no concerns. The headlights, mirrors, fenders and bumper used an Xpel pattern and were plotter cut. Well worth the money if you hate seeing rock chips in your front end.

 

Just do the whole front fenders and hood, not half. I have done half of those on my other two vehicles and can not stand the line. For my Tacoma i did full front and rocker panels on the sides, which conceal the line nicely in the door contours