You have a new car. To get clear bra now or get it done right later?
Many have been down the road of purchasing a new car and feeling compelled to invest in protection right there at the dealership. The dealership can make a compelling argument for moving forward with their services immediately after purchasing. They can offer you clear bra installation, a paint coating and all with a warranty. But is this the best route to a quality clear bra installation that does not cause damage and long term happiness with the fit and finish of your clear bra wrap? In most cases, no.
While it is not the case for every single dealership, most operate on a premise of volume work which leads to cut corners, lower quality paint protection films and lower caliber installers. Some dealerships want to keep clear bra installations in-house at any cost and cars may end up with clear bra installed by someone that has not been installing film for even a year.
For this rhodium silver Porsche 991 GT3 the dealership’s clear bra installation did not have ideal coverage and a fit and finish that was not acceptable. The exposed surfaces were prone to impact damage. Because the owner tracks his car a lot, this left a lot of potential for damage on an expensive finish. The owner came to us after seeing some of the clear bra installation work we’ve posted online. Seeing the attention we give edges for wrapping and what we view as a minimum for installing clear bra for the streets of Atlanta on a Porsche 911 gave him the motivation to visit us. He came in for a consultation where we reviewed the current protection that was offered by the current clear bra wrap and then discussed where he wanted the protection moving forward. In the end, he saw a different 991 GT3 we were wrapping with satin clear bra film and, loving what he saw, opted to have his rhodium silver GT3 wrapped with our satin clear bra wrap and then capped off with one of our nano paint coating systems for added sheen and chemical resistance.
The original clear bra installation was simply not good enough
The original CB installation was not in good shape. Quite frankly, the 10,000 miles of track time had done its thing to the film and rightly so, where film was installed, it protected the paint! The problem was more about the areas that did not have enough coverage. The lack of coverage was unsightly and lacked protection. The exposed areas had wax build up and was not pleasing to look at. Where there was an edge and wax, there was also room for damage. Exposed sections could be found on the front edge of the hood, around the hood emblem/shield, rear corners of the hood, around the headlights on the fenders as well as bumper, around the headlight washers, around the fender wells where the edges were not wrapped, between the doors and rocker panels/rear quarter and more…
We documented many of the areas that was in serious need of attention. Note that the lower bumper, even though not pictured, looked similar to the upper bumper. Relief cuts were not attractive and most were hand cut messes.
The before shots:
As you could see, the existing clear bra installation was seriously lacking. What the owner wanted was the peace of mind a full body clear bra wrap offers while the unique looks given from the satin finish of this type of paint protection film.
Our journey started with a thorough car wash and decontamination of the body. We wanted to clear off as much as possible, safely, from cracks, crevices and other nooks and crannies. This gives us the best opportunity for a clean full body satin paint protection film wrap.
Once clean, all existing clear bra was gently removed from the body of the car using the method we’ve outlined in this video:
After all film and adhesive was removed, the paint was polished with extra attention given to a few areas that had some heavier damage. As a part of our pro-full body paint protection film wrap (clear bra) on Porsche 911’s, head lights and side markers are removed for additional coverage. Every single exposed panel edge that could be wrapped, was wrapped for a fit and finish that is commensurate with a 991 GT3!
We will not bore you with the nit picky details. The bottom line is that our pro-full body clear bra wrap looks incredible and it is well protected from the streets of Atlanta and the high speed tarmac of ROAD ATLANTA.
If you are interested in arranging a consultation to learn more about our satin clear bra protective film wrap solutions, feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to educate you about available options. Detailed Designs Auto Spa has been servicing the metro Atlanta area with quality clear bra installation, nano paint coating systems, fine automobile detailing and paint correction services since 2007.
We create long term car care solutions for people who love their cars.
Brian says
Really love how this turned out! Great Job!
Jean-Claude says
Thanks Bruce!
Incredible work and information. The work you produce is unmatchable in quality
We do our best John. Thank you for the kind words.
I like car
So shine. Much protection
Doge reply approved. haha
I suppose I should thank you for the compliment Scotty….thanks? lol
The satin film is a welcome addition. A beautiful card prepared and protected beautifully.
Bravo.
Thanks Bruce!