Car Bras - Your Thoughts?

[OsoMoore]

I've always thought car bras looked odd, but chipped paint on the front of the car is bad too.

I've never had one, so my thoughts are largely speculative.
If you've had one or know someone who has, what are your thoughts on them?
Pros and Cons? What about materials? I've seen leather-ish, clear, and other sorts.

If a car has had a bra for 10 years, will it look odd if you take it off?

[carreraken]

Most people are anti-car bra because of fears from damaged finish.

I've personally used bras on previous cars and never had an issue. The key is to only install the bra on a CLEAN car - preferably just washed. At a minimum, use a car duster before installing. Any dust trapped under the bra will act as a abrasive over time.

Also, when the bra gets wet, you need to remove from the car to let dry. Hot sun beating on a damp bra can affect the finish.

Make sure the bra doesn't 'flap' at speed.

In my experience following these tips, I've never had any damage to the finish. I've used a bra on our MINI for 7 years and still no sign of damage.

Fortunately, my P came with the clear bra, so no need for a bra.

If your budget allows, go with the clear bra - it's much easier....

[javadog]

I may be biased, sice I have a few bras for sale in the classifieds... but I've used them for 30 years and had no problems. If you use them properly, you won't either. The bad experiences you hear about from time to time are from people that used them improperly.

I think that the clear bras look terrible on cars that have a couple of decades of paint damage, so I don't know if those are a useful option for older cars. I wouldn't put one on a car that wasn't new. I also think the older style protects the car a little better, as you can't cover everything on the front of a 911 effectively with a clear bra.

Cheers,
JR

[plumb4u2]

I personally dislike them because I think when you are looking at the car it stands out too much and you can't see the sexiness of the car

I agree that if properly used the bra will not in anyway damage the car, I think people just get to lazy and don't remove it when they should

[81 911 SC]

Clear Bra is the way to go but as mentioned if the paint is not in good shape then there would be no point in using a clear bra until the paint is rectified.

[aoncurly]

I've used bras on my Porsches as long as I can remember. My 911SC did experience some paint problems when a fluke rainstorm hit on a sunny day. I could not get the bra immediately off and the paint trapped moisture and turned cloudy where the bra was. Eventually, the moisture gets out but for me it took a couple of years.

I'm with you - don't like chips, but also don't like the look of a bra. If my car didn't already have some chips, I'd do the clear bra.

The bra I use has the clear cover over the turn signal indicators. And like others have said, only put them on on a just-washed car. AND, immediately remove if it gets any moisture underneath.

[porwolf]

I had this bra since 1979. It served me well. The advantage of the one-piece bra is that the contact area with the paint is limited. Around the headlights it has to be especially soft on the inside, otherwise you get same chafing of the paint. The hood, being clear of the bra has practically no contact area, and paint is not affected. The only disadvantage is that you have to undo the clamps to open the hood. of course if you get into rain you have to take the bra off afterwards to let it dry thoroughly. And you want no dirt inside the bra. With this bra I have covered 50,000 miles, sometimes in rain and in snow. Never had a problem. Paint looks like new.

[Carl83911]

I just don't like them on the car.

They kinda look funky to me. I prefer the clear bra.

[OsoMoore]

I'm not familiar with clear bras. Is that basically a plastic sheet that sticks to the front area?

[bigel]

No breasts, no bra...

Although my wife has been known to say, "people look at your car as if it has breasts..."

[carreraken]

Originally Posted by OsoMoore

I'm not familiar with clear bras. Is that basically a plastic sheet that sticks to the front area?

Yes, it is a clear semi-permanent film that covers the area that a bra would. if you look carefully, you can see the edges, but not easy to see.

This film takes the damage and preserves the paint.

It can be removed, but can't be re-used.

The clear bra on my CS is about 6 yrs old, and is starting to 'yellow' a bit. But it is fairly maintenance free - just wash it like the rest of the car.

[BlueWing]

I got a Corvette on the cheap once due to damaged finish. It was left on too long in all the elements. Think of it this way all the time and miles you would have to look at that thing spoiling the design of your car as opposed to a few chips. Who are you saving the non chipped paint from? If you use one due to driving use that you'll wind up with a chipless front but a normally worn rest of car.

If you go with a bra why not also install windshield tear offs? Paint looks nice but what happened to your windshield?

Terry

[OsoMoore]

I think I'll look into those clear bras. I presume our host has them, but I haven't taken a look yet.

[BarryJB]

Agreed - invisibles way to go for new or great paint, also the thicker stuff from same folks to protect headlights and the IME especially rock-prone foglamps.

Re vinyl clip-on bras, had a set >10 years, only used them a week back then... couldn't stand the look.

Spirited group runs may be best reason to own & use clip-on bras. Just wish I had put my set on for one a couple of years back when I had brand new paint - set of invisibles in garage ready to install but paint still curing - got shot-gun blasted (pitted valance, bumper, hood & windshield) by someone peeling out on loose grit - distressing at the time, but frankly better road rash and driven than a garage queen.

It seems a bit of a paradox to hide it to keep it looking good, when then you can't look at it Sort of like the hole drilled in a body panel cavity to let water out that wouldn't get in if the hole wasn't there...

[H-viken]

A bra on a car is like putting vinyl over the couch in your living room. In my opinion it ruins the look of the car. However, the clear plastic that is put on like a sticker is almost invisible and does a great job.

[CCM911]

Bras rank right up there with tinted windows in terms of things folks do to ruin the look of their cars.

My humble opinion.

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by CCM911

Bras rank right up there with tinted windows in terms of things folks do to ruin the look of their cars.

My humble opinion.

What in world is wrong with tinted windows - how does it "ruin" the car's look?

[skrufy]

I have used a bra on and off my 911s since -gasp! 1973...... all of the above comments about a clean car, and clean bra that has been routinely cleaned of dirt and grit are very important. If it gets wet, remove it so that the moisture doesn't discolor/hydrate the paint- not so much of an issue with "modern" catalyst hardened paints, but can be an issue with the older cars. I live on a dirt road, and they use cinders on the roads here in the mountains in the winter, so I need some paint protection via a bra. For another layer of protection from chips, I have also used "body schutz" on all the lower valences, rockers, etc prior to painting. The factory does this on the wheel arch edges, etc, but I have gone beyond that for my own needs. I do/ have done all my own paint work, so for those that can't, 3M also makes a clear schutz in a spray can that works well..... You can buy this at any auto paint store. Correction: a quick look at the 3M website says the clear schutz spray cans have been discontinued. You might be able to find some NOS cans at your local auto paint store before they go out of existence. Try RM, Sinclair, other paint brands- somebody probably still makes a similar product.

All that being said, I DO NOT LIKE the two piece Colgan bra I have on my '77 930. The material is so thick that you have to loosen the hood latch bolts a fraction so that it closes and locks down, leaving a slight gap on the sides of the hood weather stripping that can let in water during a hard rain. All my other bras have been one piece, with both the original factory style like in the pix in the posting above, and a conformal one with less wind resistence, but harder to put on/off when traveling with luggage, etc...... With the two piece bra, if your hood shocks are slightly weak, they won't keep the hood up with the hood piece installed.....

I think the next thing to try is a clear ones- you can buy the raw 3M sheet materials off of various ebay auctions, as well as professional shops that provide this service. Some of the ebay auctions have the pieces pre-cut for the particular car.

I have not tried this- very expensive- but there are new silica based finishes out there. My friend Chuck Croteau at Red Line Service in Tucson reps a Japanese company's finish called "echelon" that is a no wax 5yr guarantee for wear, chips etc- and he charges about $850 for this coating. The two bottles of the product cost around $800+ and are enough for 3-4 cars....His guys clay bar the whole car, etc. There are some other nano-finish products out there via a google search- but have not tried them, and they appear to be cheaper than the echelon. Here is a link to echelon, and btw, I have no affiliation whatsoever. Echelon_Glass Coating

I think either a clear bra, or a hardened finish like this might be the way to go.....

my 2 cents.

Tim

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by bigel

No breasts, no bra...

Although my wife has been known to say, "people look at your car as if it has breasts..."

Personally, I prefer no bra, even with breasts!

[Joe Bob]

Porsche bras....stoopid, like putting extra Porsche crests on the car to remind you that you have a tiny penis.