Right after getting my Z, I noticed [and read in this and other forums] that the paint job on these cars ain't the greatest or the toughest. I had the clear bra installed soon thereafter. Kinda pricey [around $600 for the front bumper, front fenders, front 1/3 of hood and mirrors], but no regrets at all.

 

To the car wash question:

Basically, it is the same stuff as you already have on the car right in front of the rear wheels. That stuff hold up in car washes? I'd assume this would last about as well.

I second the "you shouldn't be using them anyway" comment

 

I had my clear Bra fitted on Saturday, overall Im impressed but there are a couple patches where you can see a 'scratch like' appearance, ive been told it will take up to two weeks to cure. I will report back then.
I took pics after it was installed but I cant seem to post them

 

Simply put, the degree on how satisfied you are with a clear bra is dependant on the quality of the installer. The product itself is awesome. Do your homework, pic an installer wisely.

If you live in southern calif I can recommend a great installer from my own experience. He gave me a money back offer if i did not like it but it came out perfect thus, I kept it.

Jeff - zland

 

A --svienb were did you go, and how much?

 

I have to travel a half mile to and from my house on a gravel road so I got my 3M clear bra right away. I used Car Crafters (do a search to find my other posts) and he was terrific. He actually came to my house and did it in my garage, took 7 hours because he is a true perfectionist. Don't settle for 2nd best, he's the man.

He also does a lot of very high end cars (custom cars like limited edition Ferrari's) and famous people's expensive toys because he is the very best.

 

Got mine over a year ago, and I love it. Nissan paint sucks, so it really helps! I Zaino right over it, and it looks great!

 

Actualy the surface finish of the new Llumar film we are using is as good or *ahem* better than the finish of some of the Nissan paint jobs we have installed it on. Check here for more info and pics I posted about it a while back
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....746#post594746
and if anyone has any other questions about paint protection film feel free to drop us a line!
Jeremy
Invisiguard@sbcglobal.net

 

Heres a Lamorghini Gallardo we just did custom with Llumar

 

The film is almost impossible to see from certain angles

 

This was the best shot I can get where you can see the film

 

I went to Transparent Bra in Torrance
Really good customer service.
Speak to Daniel (310) 787-7544

 

Edre and Daniel do excellent work and are very reasonably priced, everyone we have sent their way has been completely satisfied

 

My Z is Super Black with the 3M clear bra on the front bumper and mirrors. No problems at all with a few thousand miles on the car. Use good wax or you will end up with the white residue around some of the edges, but it's not a major problem. Since you are in the Chicago area, I'll give you the number of where it was purchased. It's called Body-Skins and the guy will do it at your house. His name is Richard Anstadt at 847-530-8443. He charged $270, which included labor and he did a great job. No one notices it at all until I mention it. He gave a 4-year warranty. Not sure he is still in business. This was over a year ago. Advise should you have any further questions.

Ken

 

Forgot to mention that the shine looks the same as original paint, no imperfections.

 

Hey thanks for the referral. I'll definitely try to give him a call come spring and see if he could hook me up.

Z ya later!

Joe

 

Hmm. Interestingly, my dealer had a clear bra on a pearl white 04 Maxima sitting in the showroom. I believe he said it was a 3M, although I can't be sure. Anyway, it was horrible, and the saleasguy readily admitted it, and said they would never use it again. It was visibily discolored (yellowed) and the edges were clearly visible, especially on the hood. Some of this may be due to the install, but I doubt it becuase I didn't see any stretching or bubbling, and the dealership is VERY good. On top of that, the car had zero miles on it and it was indoors--NO excuse for yellowing under those conditions.

I'm guessing that the product is different from llumar....I seem to recall the tint on my Z32 being llumar, and the quality was amazing...

 

AS soon as you said 3M on a white maxima I knew you were going to mention yellowing before I read another word 3M will tint slightly yellow on white or close to white colors, on everything else it looks fine, but on white you can see it due to the high contrast. Usually it takes a while for this to appear so to hear it on a showroom car is a bit surprising, but we never use 3M on a color that light. 3M released their reformulated film at the last SEMA show that was supposed to address this and other issues installers had complained about, so we will see how well it does.