Clear Bra anyone?

[dedeman]

I'm considering getting the 3M clear bra. I'm just curious if anyone here has it, and if so, where did you get it installed?

If I get no answers, I'll take that as a no, and I'll let you guys know how my experience goes.

Oh, and we're back to dead threads again. It's all part of the cycle.

[DarkFireProdigy]

I thought there was a place that might do this kinda stuff in Rockville, on Nebel St, between Old Georgetown and Randolph. I could be wrong.

I considered this too, thats how I "think" I remember the place.

I came to the conclusion that I'll take the paint chips if it means I don't hafta fight the dust line the bra creates in your hood.

But, it's worked well for other people, just a matter of opinion I guess.

Good luck.

[gmchu]

a lot of tinting places also do clear bras. your bumper has to be in good shape though, otherwise the clear bra will be prone to bubble wherever you have chips.

[dedeman]

Yeah, my bumper is all kinds of jacked up so I ordered a new one, and am having it painted right now. I also got the fog lights, and oem body kit.

I have two estimates on cost, and it seems like it's going to be $600-$900, probably depending on coverage. The more expensive jobs cover the bumper, lip, rear views, headlights, fogs, and hood. Given the choice, I'll definitely go with that.

Also, I'll have to fully detail the hood which is ok, now that I broke the bank with stuff from autogeek (polisher, polishes, wax, clay, etc).

Hopefully everything turns out well, with no bumps, scratches, bubbles, or other imperfections.

[gmchu]

where are u having it painted and for how much if u don't mind me asking :)

I have been thinking about a repaint as well.

also, you might want to wait 30-60 days after the paint job to apply the clear bra. not sure if the clear bra will affect anything, but i know that fresh paint needs this time to cure.

[dedeman]

I bought the bumper from Rosenthal Acura in Gaithesburg, MD. I actually got it for a pretty decent price (comparitively) not realizing until later that it seems that dealers sell the same parts for different prices aka you can get Acura parts, from the Acura "e-store", for different prices, from different dealers. Rosenthal was the cheapest, so I went there.

I got an estimate for $375 from the same body shop that Rosenthal uses. I really didn't feel like driving a bumper all over the DC area to get painted, and I figured that if the dealer uses it, they must have the exact (or close) paint type.

In summary, I got the bumper for $335 (no shipping, I picked up), and painted for $375 (estimated) Autobody Dimensions. I'm going to wait for at least two weeks for the paint to set. Maybe I'll get a 3rd opinion on that. Not cheap, but for everything I have going into that car recently, I want everything to look nice.

As an aside, I think that every dealer has a local body place that they have do their work for them, if not on premesis. Just call the parts department, and ask who they use.

[DarkFireProdigy]

I bought the bumper from Rosenthal Acura in Gaithesburg, MD. I actually got it for a pretty decent price (comparitively) not realizing until later that it seems that dealers sell the same parts for different prices aka you can get Acura parts, from the Acura "e-store", for different prices, from different dealers. Rosenthal was the cheapest, so I went there.


You sir, win.
I would not have thought of that.

I had an at length conversation with a friend today about the clear bra's and based on his experience what we decided was the lines in the hood are just like any other slight imperfection, there are ways of dealing with anything. (He claims some special drying technique with a terry cloth).

Anywho, too bad my bumper is all chipped and pitted, this sounded better the second time around.

[dedeman]

Well, I didn't think of it either. I only get one hit for zip code 20003, and that's Rosenthal. I usually go to Radley for service, so I changed my zip to theirs.

I relooked up the part, and WTH??!! It was like $80 more. I had to go back and forth a few times to check that, and the Acura estore makes you start over every time you want to change something. Of course, Rosenthal is a real MF to get to, but better then $80.

FYI, I got the bumper today, and so far, it looks pretty damn good. Now I just have to wait for the paint to cure :drool1:

[DarkFireProdigy]

Did you happen to look at chevy chase at all?

I feel like 80$ is a a large margin, but I have no idea if thats the norm or not, as far as OEM parts go.

I know after all the intake's i've brought over the years theres always a company or two that marks it up 20% and still expects you to choose them over the competition, then they still expect you to pay out the rear for shipping.

So for all I know, the market for OEM parts could be the exact same situation as aftermarket.

My only real OEM part experience was getting a cover for my RSX and buying some of those little plastic push pin tab thingys that I kept breaking on the integra. At the very least I felt the push clips were really overpriced, alot of the time I just ended up using zip-ties instead.

Anyway, pics if possible?

[dedeman]

I only looked at the dealer for zip code 20003. In NOVA, there were about 5, and I only looked at two, and they had similar pricing.

The pricing may have something to do with volume, or perhaps parts profit margin may be dictated by the individual dealer.

I'll put up some pics when the body kit is installed. I'm about 1/2 way through, but the weather didn't really help this weekend. Fogs, spoiler are next, and then bumper+lip kit when the paint cures.

[DarkFireProdigy]

Cool Cool

What fogs and lip kit if I may pry?

[dedeman]

All OEM. If I had money to burn, I would have gone for the new Mugen kits that HeelToe just put on their site. Unfortunately, I can't thrown down $1200 on just a bumper, not to mention $500 for lip kit, and even more on the side skirts, and rear.

So far, it looks good. It may be just because it's new, and I'm taking the time to clean everything up nicely before install.

Just as a side note to anyone thinking about getting the OEM kit, you can't use the mud flaps with it. I didn't know that. Not really a problem, but the previous owner had them, and apparently lived somewhere that has lots of sand. Now where the flaps used to be is a fair amount of abrasion. I'll have to sand/buff it out. Crap.

[DarkFireProdigy]

I think the OEM fogs are hawt. i.m.h.o.

[willy18]

Does anyone know if it's possible to get a 3M clear bra that covers the entire hood so there's no line going across the middle?

[sortudo7]

Does anyone know if it's possible to get a 3M clear bra that covers the entire hood so there's no line going across the middle?

You had Milan reply to this and I agree, not sure if you've seen it or not:

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=466123#post466123

I haven't heard many people regretting the decision of getting one though and I can see why if you don't wanna spend money repainting every couple years but some people prefer to. If you have the money and get a good deal then go for it.