Clear bras

[poppy]

Hey guys,

I have been monitoring this site for a while and would just like to say thanks for all the great info.

I take delivery of my 04 xc70 at the end of the month and I would like to protect the front end from dings and scratches and was wondering if any one had any good info on what type of clear bra film is best or is there a best?  Are there different application processes? Film thickness?  Paint fading issues? Any info would be great.

[ChuckK]

I had a 3M clear bra put on my 2002 WRX when it was new.  The 3M brand has a good reputation. It does protect the hood; however, it tends to get stains on it that are hard to wash out. I decided not to put a clear bra on my 2004 XC70 because there really is no vertical painted surface at the front of the hood and the hood is nearly horizontal. After 5,000 miles I haven't noticed any chips--yet.

[poppy]

Thanks for the info Chuck, But I live in Denver and the Streets are sanded in the winter months so there is a lot of exposure to gravel damage during the year. I thought a little preventative action (clear bra) might be worth while.

[Avid Edit]

Poppy,
        You will be hard pressed to have anything stick to the plastic cladding. Protect the headlamp assembly,it is there where most of you money will go if they crack. There is an
acrylic protector from Volvo, but I have applied XPLEL on the lamps. After a trip to your neck of the woods,along interstates and back roads, they paid for themselves.
 See Barry Sharps missives on protection.

[ChuckK]

Poppy,

I've lived in Golden, CO for the past 25 years (the previous poster is from my original hometown, Brooklyn), so I know exactly what you mean by the sand on the roads. When I bought my Subaru WRX, people on an owner's web site similar to this one complained about paint chipping, so I made sure I immediately got a 3M clear bra for that car. Also, I had owned an Isuzu Trooper, which got countless paint chips on the front. On the other hand, I have a white 1995 Volvo 850 with 90,000 miles on it and lots of vertical surface in the front, and it has only a few minor chips that don't even penetrate all the way through!

If you look at the XC70, the hood is at a very shallow angle and there is really no vertical painted surface in front. And the front edge of the hood is mostly protected by the black plastic. (You might even say this car comes with a built-in bra&#33http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif I have the crystal green metallic paint and so far no chips, but I have to admit that I got the car in April and have not driven it on the sanded roads much.

There are some potential disadvantages of the clear bra. I find it hard to get stains from bird droppings out, and I suspect the paint under it will oxidize at a slightly different rate than the rest of the hood. I don't think it would hurt to wait, keep an eye on it, and see if chipping is really a problem. Or others on this forum can tell you if it is. If you want to get it, I found Firehouse Car Wash had a good price. Note that some places won't put it on headlights. As I recall, that is because the heat from the headlights yellows the film, which reduces light output.

[budrichard]

Use your XC and don't worry about a 'Bra'. The lower cladding protect a lot of the vehicle and the paint is really hard. I go through fields with 3 feet of growth with no problems. -Dick

[SpudRacer]

ChuckK,

Nice to hear someone else has the Crystal Green paint color! http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

We are awaiting OSD on ours. We decided to get the brown interior in ours, what color did you get in yours?

Spud

[barrysharp]

I'll add my 2 cents worth here on this subject.

If you are at all concerned about small chip marks etc on the hood/bonnet then I would seriously consider a clear 3M Bra application on the first 12" to 18" of the hood. Even though it's at an shallow angle to horizontal it will still be exposed to flying objects. As evidence, I've already two such chip marks and I've driven only 7300 miles. At this rate on average you can expect to have close to 30 such marks in 200,000 miles. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I'm having my two chip marks filled next week and will have the clear 3M Bra applied after this. I have a person who does this and comes to my house and does it on the spot. Very professional job as well. I had my '04 S60R done this way and it looks hansome and unless you look closely it can't be seen.

The best protection for the XC70 headlights is a clear plastic surround that covers the whole light assembly. They are a great style addition as well as they tie the whole light pod together aand it appears as a single integrated pod. I posted some pics awhile back if you care to search. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Another place for using the hard to see 3M Mylar is the door edges.

[poppy]

Thanks for all the info. I just want to protect my investment as best I can.  Barrysharp about how much should the clear bra cost?

[barrysharp]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (poppy @ Sep. 21 2003,20:07)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Thanks for all the info. I just want to protect my investment as best I can. Barrysharp about how much should the clear bra cost?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
The 3M Mylar protection isn&#39;t cheap. The hood piece alone will run about &#036;190.

You might review two threads at Swedespeed that I made comments in. The first one is a subsequent posting to the first one by me.

1. http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=13271
2. http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=11123

Call Steve and discuss things with him about the Mylar application protection packages. He&#39;s the person that did mine and he&#39;s been doing it for many years. He may be able to refer you to someone in your area. If you have it done independently from dealership then you save considerable dollars. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Good luck.

Steve
L &amp; P Enterprises Inc
14609 60th Ave SE
Everett, WA 98208
Tel: 425-971-3535

[ChuckK]

Spud,

I like the Crystal Green. I got the black interior because I wanted a dark dashboard.

Chuck

[SpudRacer]

ChuckK,

I&#39;m having a hard time finding any pics of crystal green XC70s, if you have any pics of your car, can you e-mail them to me at Spud75Racer(at)yahoo.com?

Thanks.

Spud

[Jorge-789995]

Spud,

I&#39;ve read that there are low life spammer types out there that will employ web site scrapers to look for email addresses. If you don&#39;t want more spam than you already get, I&#39;d edit your last post to remove the @ symbol.

People reading the post will understand the following, but computers searching for email addresses will not.

for instance....
yourname(at)yahoo.com
yourname -at- yahoo.com

you get the idea.

Maybe this is an urban legend, but better safe than spammed. Notice that your email is well protected on this site by Coastal.

good luck,
DOWN WITH SPAMMERS&#33;

[SpudRacer]

Thanks for the tip Jorge&#33;

Spud

P.S. Does ANYONE have good pics of crystal green XC70s?? &nbsp;I can&#39;t go to the local dealer anymore to drool over the cars on the lot. &nbsp;Too much guilt for buying our XC70 at a competitor&#39;s dealership in Santa Barbara due to their beating &quot;our&quot; dealership&#39;s quote by &#036;1000. &nbsp;I don&#39;t want to drive 30 minutes just to see/sit in XC70s. &nbsp;I need some Crystal green pics before I go through withdrawal symptoms:
&nbsp; -drooling at the mouth
&nbsp; -tremors
&nbsp; -mindless daydreaming
&nbsp; -insomnia.

Someone send me some Ativan or Valium&#33;&#33;&#33;

Spud

[barrysharp]

Spud:

Hmmmm -- saw a new nice looking Crystal Green XC70 today while driving my loaner S60 home from dealership while my XC70 having 7500 mile service. Dar it -- just couldn&#39;t get my digi camera out fast enough for you and the Crystal Green just slip away from me. Be assured it LOOKS VERY GOOD on the road.

Seriously though, the only real good way to get comfy with a car&#39;s color is to get up close and see it with your own eyes -- the camera will lie some.

Good luck -- and I had the same problem waiting for my Platinum Green -- in the end I drove some 15 miles and about 30 mins to see it up close. Drive the 30 mins and get it all out of your system -- and stop the drooling. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[bigtomhammer]

Ok back to the clear bra discussion, has anyone tried the product called INVINCA-SHIELD? It is more of a do it yourself product (although, I would have it done by someone professional). Since I am not buying the XC70 (V70 AWD) I will need the whole front protected. Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Tom

Also spud I think these might be the Crystal Green XC70 pics you are looking for. If not sorry.



http://www.swedespeed.com/resources/gallery/cars/02_xc/01_xc_ext/large/09.jpg







[img]http://www.swedespeed.com/resources/gallery/cars/02_xc/01_xc_ext/large/02.jpg



http://www.swedespeed.com/resources/gallery/cars/02_xc/01_xc_ext/large/28.jpg

[poppy]

PROBLEM SOLVED

We picked up our 2004 XC70 last night (premium, touring, DSTC) and the dealer had &quot;accidently&quot; installed a 3M clear bra on the car. &nbsp;Well the dealer wanted &#036;499 I told him &#036;70 (&#036;140 is the best price I found on the street) we settled on &#036;100 so I think I came out ahead. &nbsp;Thanks guys for all the great info, with out your help I would not have been able to get the car for &#036;4,500 under MSRP. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif