TOBY Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I have a blue onyx pearl IS. Every time I wash the car I wince to a new rock scratch/chip. I have owned other cars in the past and swear that this car is the worst, somehow it attracts scratches and chips. I drive 95% highway and have not noticed any serious road debris from the norm. I do not tailgate. Well now that I have whined, have any of you out there installed the clear bra and what are your impressions of the appearance. After I work on the hood (wet sand) I was thinking of having one installed?? Any thoughts on installation after deep chips/scratches cannot be removed??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlexown Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I have a blue onyx pearl IS. Every time I wash the car I wince to a new rock scratch/chip. I have owned other cars in the past and swear that this car is the worst, somehow it attracts scratches and chips. I drive 95% highway and have not noticed any serious road debris from the norm. I do not tailgate. Well now that I have whined, have any of you out there installed the clear bra and what are your impressions of the appearance. After I work on the hood (wet sand) I was thinking of having one installed?? Any thoughts on installation after deep chips/scratches cannot be removed??? Interestd in the clear bra also. Has anyone had one put on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_tjp_ Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I had the "clear bra" installed right after I took delivery. My previous car, a BMW really suffered bad from stone chips. I had the BMW for 7 years (silver in color) and it was so bad, it looked like somebody had sprinkled salt on the bumber. My new IS is black and I was determined not to have this happen again. The Lexus dealer contracts this out with a special installer. They installed it on the front bumper, the front 12" edge of the hood and fenders. Plus they put it on the front edge of the mirrors, and even the top part of the rear bumper that is just below the trunk opening. Prices vary, but I have seen figures from $450 to $1,000. Of course, the cheaper prices usually only do the front bumper and hood. When you are 6-8 feet away from the car you can't see anything different. Even when you are up close, the light has to be just right to notice the seam of where the plastic ends. I have had the car 2 months and so far no problems or chips. I've been watching the forums and I have seen a lot of threads complaining about stone chips. So, I recommend this you seriously consider this. . I have a blue onyx pearl IS. Every time I wash the car I wince to a new rock scratch/chip. I have owned other cars in the past and swear that this car is the worst, somehow it attracts scratches and chips. I drive 95% highway and have not noticed any serious road debris from the norm. I do not tailgate. Well now that I have whined, have any of you out there installed the clear bra and what are your impressions of the appearance. After I work on the hood (wet sand) I was thinking of having one installed?? Any thoughts on installation after deep chips/scratches cannot be removed??? Interestd in the clear bra also. Has anyone had one put on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOBY Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 I am convinced. Made an appointment for the xpel guy to come out and have the clear protection put on my car. Included is...hood, bumper, fenders, mirrors.. $650.00. Materials are genuine 3m scotchguard products www.xpel.com put in your zip, most come right to your house to do the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambobaby1218 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I am convinced. Made an appointment for the xpel guy to come out and have the clear protection put on my car. Included is...hood, bumper, fenders, mirrors.. $650.00. Materials are genuine 3m scotchguard products www.xpel.com put in your zip, most come right to your house to do the work. I have been telling EVERYONE that my car is a rock magnet. The first week I had it, got a rock in the windshield that I had to take to get fixed because, of course, the car was too new for a new windshield. Last week I had a rock hit my SIDE window and scratch it. That won't come out. I have chips on the front as well. Anyway, I'm not really happy that Lexus decided not to make a regular bra for this car. I would've bought it instantly. It just seems that $650 is a heck of a lot of money to spend........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOBY Posted March 16, 2006 Author Share Posted March 16, 2006 LAMBOBABY, FYI, a regular bra will scratch your paint if not careful, that is just as bad as rock chips. The bra will actually wear the paint right off. This is another enlighting fact about paint repairing. My son's friend ran his bike down the front fender deep enough to need the fender repainted professionally. The estimate is $1,200.00. I'll gladly clear bra the front for $650 than pay 2k to paint the front end in 18 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David S Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I have the IS350 in blue onyx pearl, too. Beautiful color, awesome car, but I've gotten 2 rock chips in the last couple of weeks alone. Frustrating. I'm not a big fan of putting bras on my car though, either. It seems it wouldn't look very good even if it's clear. Any photos would be appreciated. The trade is touch-up paint (which admittedly will still be noticeable) versus $650 and having to wear a bra :P . Also, do you have to take the bra off when you wash your car or after it gets wet from the rain to prevent water build-up or paint damage under the bra? -David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caraveli Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 <------ got my first front windshield crack! $945 to replace! I think I can live with it for now (fingernail size). bummer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Unfortunately this is a byproduct of new environmentally friendly low VOC paints. They chip MUCH more easily than older paint. On modern cars a clear bra is a neccesity, $650 is a bargain for full coverage too. I wish I'd done it to mine, but its too late now unless I wanted to repaint the whole front end. It will go on the next one before it ever leaves the lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rx330driver Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 hmm my old is300 has a lot of rock chips too, but my rx330 doesnt seem to have much. maybe cause its higher up. i feel that the IS gets more rock chips that any other car because its lower/closer to the ground. is it possible to get the bra to cover the entire car? lol like everywhere, doors the whole shabam? that would be interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I had the dealer do the 3M protection and am so thankful. Spendy... yes, but our RX330 had a simple, but good sized scrape in the bumper... it took over $500 to bring it back to normal. Granted the 3M protection isn't applied to the rear bumper, but I just got the IS 350 with ground effects and had them put it there. Keeping fingers crossed that it does the job. -Reaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inTgr8r Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I have a blue onyx pearl IS. Every time I wash the car I wince to a new rock scratch/chip. I have owned other cars in the past and swear that this car is the worst, somehow it attracts scratches and chips. I drive 95% highway and have not noticed any serious road debris from the norm. I do not tailgate. Well now that I have whined, have any of you out there installed the clear bra and what are your impressions of the appearance. After I work on the hood (wet sand) I was thinking of having one installed?? Any thoughts on installation after deep chips/scratches cannot be removed??? This a common problem with ALL of todays cars... You see the same complaint on all of the forums. Chipguard is the only way to minimize the damage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Granted the 3M protection isn't applied to the rear bumper. It can be actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambobaby1218 Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 LAMBOBABY, FYI, a regular bra will scratch your paint if not careful, that is just as bad as rock chips. The bra will actually wear the paint right off. This is another enlighting fact about paint repairing. My son's friend ran his bike down the front fender deep enough to need the fender repainted professionally. The estimate is $1,200.00. I'll gladly clear bra the front for $650 than pay 2k to paint the front end in 18 months. I know a regular bra can scratch a car, Toby. Thus the reason to keep the car clean............. Sorry about your fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeroyon Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 I would choose your clear bra installation shop very carefully. I had venture shield installed, but frankly it comes down to your specific installation. Mine didn't go well and some bubbles never cured. Also, although they did a custom cut, which they said was better than a kit, as the coverage was better, they had difficulty making cuts on the front fender symmetical on both sides. Hard to explain, but to me, it didn't look right. At the same time, I've seen 150k Porsche Turbo's with lowsy clear bra installations, so perhaps people have a lower tolerance on installation quality??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambobaby1218 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I would choose your clear bra installation shop very carefully. I had venture shield installed, but frankly it comes down to your specific installation. Mine didn't go well and some bubbles never cured. Also, although they did a custom cut, which they said was better than a kit, as the coverage was better, they had difficulty making cuts on the front fender symmetical on both sides. Hard to explain, but to me, it didn't look right. At the same time, I've seen 150k Porsche Turbo's with lowsy clear bra installations, so perhaps people have a lower tolerance on installation quality??? A good reason to have the dealer do it? I know they hire it out, but wouldn't they keep an eye on it while it's being done?? Yeah, right, I know....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey250 Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Wont these clear bras get scratched after years of washing and regular wear and tear? I assume you can't wax the area with the protection on it. doesn't it ever get dull? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Naa, you can wax it and you can polish it with plastic polishes. If you keep it clean and waxed it'll look good and clear as long as its there. If it ever DOES get yellow or dull, just remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcurl Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 My warranty on the clear is 5 years, and you can treat it like paint apparently when waxing. Like SW03ES said, if it gets nasty, peel it off and put a new one on. Is it worth getting the front bumper done for 400?!?! thats about 335 US. I already have the front of the hood, quarters and mirrors done for 200/165. Like many have said, the paint chips pretty easily, but is 400 too much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry993 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 My warranty on the clear is 5 years, and you can treat it like paint apparently when waxing. Like SW03ES said, if it gets nasty, peel it off and put a new one on. Is it worth getting the front bumper done for 400?!?! thats about 335 US. I already have the front of the hood, quarters and mirrors done for 200/165. Like many have said, the paint chips pretty easily, but is 400 too much? Gravity effect is such that the lower areas get more road rash. The bumper is worth doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Personally? If you don't do the bumper the money you've spent on the rest of it is wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambobaby1218 Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Personally? If you don't do the bumper the money you've spent on the rest of it is wasted. Which is exactly the reason that the next new car (probably in August, to get the deal on the '07s, like someone suggested), the first thing I'm going to do is get that clear bra put on!!!! What is the thought of putting the bra on the hood? My husband seems to think he doesn't want it there, but just to put it on the front bumper...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripcurl Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 I figured the hood/quaters at a minimum. Those pieces are metal and some rocks will get down to the metal. The bumper is only plastic, therefore no chance of rust, but chips nonetheless still look bad. I thought when they were doing the clear on mine they were going to do the bumper as well, guess I should have specified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 What is the thought of putting the bra on the hood? My husband seems to think he doesn't want it there, but just to put it on the front bumper...... Again, if you don't put it on the hood, the money spent to put it everywhere else is wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWS Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Personally? If you don't do the bumper the money you've spent on the rest of it is wasted. Which is exactly the reason that the next new car (probably in August, to get the deal on the '07s, like someone suggested), the first thing I'm going to do is get that clear bra put on!!!! What is the thought of putting the bra on the hood? My husband seems to think he doesn't want it there, but just to put it on the front bumper...... I was in Houston at the dealer on I59, and they had 3 used red ISs with clearbras. Each had it about a quarter of the way up the hood. Each looked bad to me; I could easily see the edge of them. I don't know if they ALL look like that, but 3 out of 3 is not a good average. I can see why your husband doesn't want it there. I'd recommend that you go look at someone's clearbra before you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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