3m paint protection film, xpel, clearbra, etc?
New Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8
From: Memphis, TN
i tried to contact that seller if they have a pattern for a Fit Sport since i think they were only listing a pattern for the Base Fit. I tried contacting them 3 times and got no replies. I wonder what customer service would be if you got problems with the film. anyway, anybody out there that could point me to an affordable protection film? tnx
My window tint guy recommends ClearMask Automotive Paint Protection And Light Protection Film Kits For Cars, Trucks, RVs, Motorhomes and Motorcycles. You want the Aeroguard (most expensive) which is aero-space stuff and supposedly not too hard to apply. I haven't done it yet because my tint guy wants the same amount to install it as the stuff costs. He says it is labor intensive to apply. Thus, it may not be a DIY for most people.
New Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16
From: Lexington, MA
I finally got around to ordering the $25 clear bra from Ebay (hood and fenders only) and installed it this afternoon. It took about 2.5 hours. I was a little cautious at the beginning and took about 1 hour to put one of the fender film on! 
It took a little bit of heating to get the hood film to fit. Maybe I wasn't stretching the film enough, but the hood's got 1/4 to 3/4" exposed on all sides. Overall, I am happy with the installation. Thanks 2hot for the photos! I ll put up some photos when I get the time.
It took a little bit of heating to get the hood film to fit. Maybe I wasn't stretching the film enough, but the hood's got 1/4 to 3/4" exposed on all sides. Overall, I am happy with the installation. Thanks 2hot for the photos! I ll put up some photos when I get the time.Yes, here are some pics right after the install below and no to storing it in the garage for 24 hours. Worked on it thru the night then got some sleep I don't recall if I drove it that afternoon or not my Brother was visiting from out of state at the time.
It is a good idea to let it set for a while just to make sure the edges have set so they don't lift up but that should only take a few hours for it to dry after all you'll be heating it up to install it.
I did mine in my carport I don't have a garage. You could get a little creative and use some plastic sheeting thrown over a tree branch and secured in some way to help make a wind break and to help stop dust and pollen from getting on the car while you do it.
Doing it the day after a rain or while it's raining will help knock some of the stuff out of the air too. You can see the wet spot in front of the car in the first pic where the rain came in while I was installing it. Anyway on with the pics.
And one a couple days later after it had time to dry completely from the other side (the lighting was a little different that day too so it looks a little off color). I'm sure I have more pics somewhere but with 18 hard drives this will have to do.
Hope that helps and good luck on it. The hood and fenders are real easy the bumper is the challenge (definitely want someone to help on that part). Also it's not very hard to remove the bumper so you could take it off and take it inside to install it on the bumper then just put the bumper back on and be good to go.
It is a good idea to let it set for a while just to make sure the edges have set so they don't lift up but that should only take a few hours for it to dry after all you'll be heating it up to install it.
I did mine in my carport I don't have a garage. You could get a little creative and use some plastic sheeting thrown over a tree branch and secured in some way to help make a wind break and to help stop dust and pollen from getting on the car while you do it.
Doing it the day after a rain or while it's raining will help knock some of the stuff out of the air too. You can see the wet spot in front of the car in the first pic where the rain came in while I was installing it. Anyway on with the pics.
And one a couple days later after it had time to dry completely from the other side (the lighting was a little different that day too so it looks a little off color). I'm sure I have more pics somewhere but with 18 hard drives this will have to do.
Hope that helps and good luck on it. The hood and fenders are real easy the bumper is the challenge (definitely want someone to help on that part). Also it's not very hard to remove the bumper so you could take it off and take it inside to install it on the bumper then just put the bumper back on and be good to go.
Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 544
From: Grant, Alabama U.S.A.
I finally got around to ordering the $25 clear bra from Ebay (hood and fenders only) and installed it this afternoon. It took about 2.5 hours. I was a little cautious at the beginning and took about 1 hour to put one of the fender film on! It took a little bit of heating to get the hood film to fit. Maybe I wasn't stretching the film enough, but the hood's got 1/4 to 3/4" exposed on all sides. Overall, I am happy with the installation. Thanks 2hot for the photos! I ll put up some photos when I get the time.
It took a little bit of heating to get the hood film to fit. Maybe I wasn't stretching the film enough, but the hood's got 1/4 to 3/4" exposed on all sides. Overall, I am happy with the installation. Thanks 2hot for the photos! I ll put up some photos when I get the time.You're welcome, and I'll be looking forward to seeing the pics of your install.
Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 821
From: Nanuet, NY
If it took 2.5 hours to do the easy part, imagine what the bumper takes. No wonder the shops charge so much. As quoted by my guy, it took 6 hours. I just wish it didn't feel like I was paying my doctor in the end. $$$$$
New Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16
From: Lexington, MA
Here are 2 photos of my car after I installed the clear bra. If I do it again, it would probably take a lot less time. Maybe like 1 hour or so. 
Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 544
From: Grant, Alabama U.S.A.
You may want to consider some film for those headlights and fog lights too. The headlights are a pain but the fog lights are easy.
It's not as easy as window tint is it? It's not extremely hard but it sure is time consuming. I don't think I would want to do it for a living just the same.
When you wax the car you wax the film as well, in case you didn't already know that.
Again, nice job.
Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 74
From: Toronto, Canada
Here's my take...Static Cling Vinyl Films...
As posted by me in Autopia:
A month or so ago, I bumped into Accumulator's thread regarding an inquiry about Static Cling Protection Films. Static-Cling Paint Protection Film - Autopia Car Detailing Forum This got me intrigued right away and started doing my own small research looking for a solution. I found an American company that actually sells clear blanks. Window-Cling.com - Custom static vinyl window clings, decals and magnetic signs. After corresponding with a gentleman named John Kerlin, I found that their widest available clear blank measured 48". I then asked for a quote of 48"x144" which came to $69.12US plus shipping/handling, or $5.76US per foot. Shipping was $25US plus an unexpected $40CAD for brokerage fees because of UPS (I've already dispatched an email to John to see if it can be shipped via FedEx or US Postal for future orders).
So, this past friday it came in.
And for those wondering, that Honda Fit has 4 coats of Victoria Wax Concours on it. Wheels were coated with KAIO and 1 coat of Collinite 476S.
Now, before I go on any further, let me just state that I'm no expert engineer or hands-on type of guy. I lounged around during shop class in high school and still got an A, so it's not like I'm Mr. Wizard with tools. Anyway, the first step was doing my best to measure a cutout for the hood.
As a first attempt, I didn't plan on covering the entire hood. A coverage of 80-90% is satisfactory for me. This type of vinyl film also has it shortcomings. Particularly, you can't wrap the hood edges with this as you'll later see further down below. So, I wanted to leave a 1/4-1/2" gap to where the vinyl film begins to the hood edge. Using a permanent marker I dotted along the hood edges while the film was on the car. I then connected the dots on a picnic table to help me guide the knife during the cutting process. I ended up with this.
So, now comes the grand event. Before applying the film on, I sprayed the hood with ONR QD since I drove around for a bit the day before. I decided to peel the entire backing right off and apply the film. I'm not sure if this was a good idea. After about 2-3 hours, I managed to get the film on the hood.
As you can see it's not a very good job, but I'm not particularly picky at this point. In fact, I find it pretty close to what the local Honda dealer did on their showroom cars. This is just a preliminary test. What ended up happening is that I applied the film too high on the hood, and the width of the film stretched beyond the hood edges because of stretching trying to get as many bubbles out. I think the next time around I will cut the film in smaller sections to achieve a better form-fit. This photo below...
...shows how the vinyl film has a hard time wrapping around a sharp edge, and therefore is liable to peeling. I cut this excess with scissors and the film looks perfectly secure just being on top of the hood rather than wrapping around it.
The purpose of this project is to find a viable alternative to the clear bra and full nose mask. We all know that the biggest disadvantage of a clear bra is that anything below it doesn't get washed/waxed/polished/etc. It's second disadvantage is cost. For a full on entire hood, bumper, front valence, portion of quarter panel, and side mirrors clear bra install is around $700CAD plus tax for my '07 Honda Fit. A partial hood only job (which only covers 25%) is around $250CAD. This is technically not a rip-off, the labour is just very intensive. The advantage of this static cling vinyl film is that it is removable and re-applyable (if that's even a word), which is what I want. It does have its own disadvantages mind you. 1) As you already saw, it can't wrap around edges. 2) It's rated to last only 5 years indoors, 3 years outdoors. 3) It's 150 microns which I think equates to 7.5mil. Thinner than regular 3M 8mil adhesive paint protection film, and XPel's 12mil version. 4) Because of its removable nature, if it starts to peel on the corners, it is liable to fly off during highway speeds, which brings me to...
...the durability test. I will be just going through with my regular driving routine to-and-from work, and testing to see - first and foremost - how well it holds on to the hood. I am confident that it's going to protect just as well as regular 8mil paint protection film. I will update this thread as I progress along with this project.
I'm open to suggestions on how to apply it smoothly as I want to reduce the bubbles and reduce the time it takes to install/re-install it.
PS: Photos were taken using a Canon EOS 1D Mk1 with a Canon 50mm f1.4 lens. Added a very slight contrast and saturation boost during RAW conversion to reproduce a more natural look.
A month or so ago, I bumped into Accumulator's thread regarding an inquiry about Static Cling Protection Films. Static-Cling Paint Protection Film - Autopia Car Detailing Forum This got me intrigued right away and started doing my own small research looking for a solution. I found an American company that actually sells clear blanks. Window-Cling.com - Custom static vinyl window clings, decals and magnetic signs. After corresponding with a gentleman named John Kerlin, I found that their widest available clear blank measured 48". I then asked for a quote of 48"x144" which came to $69.12US plus shipping/handling, or $5.76US per foot. Shipping was $25US plus an unexpected $40CAD for brokerage fees because of UPS (I've already dispatched an email to John to see if it can be shipped via FedEx or US Postal for future orders).
So, this past friday it came in.
And for those wondering, that Honda Fit has 4 coats of Victoria Wax Concours on it. Wheels were coated with KAIO and 1 coat of Collinite 476S.
Now, before I go on any further, let me just state that I'm no expert engineer or hands-on type of guy. I lounged around during shop class in high school and still got an A, so it's not like I'm Mr. Wizard with tools. Anyway, the first step was doing my best to measure a cutout for the hood.
As a first attempt, I didn't plan on covering the entire hood. A coverage of 80-90% is satisfactory for me. This type of vinyl film also has it shortcomings. Particularly, you can't wrap the hood edges with this as you'll later see further down below. So, I wanted to leave a 1/4-1/2" gap to where the vinyl film begins to the hood edge. Using a permanent marker I dotted along the hood edges while the film was on the car. I then connected the dots on a picnic table to help me guide the knife during the cutting process. I ended up with this.
So, now comes the grand event. Before applying the film on, I sprayed the hood with ONR QD since I drove around for a bit the day before. I decided to peel the entire backing right off and apply the film. I'm not sure if this was a good idea. After about 2-3 hours, I managed to get the film on the hood.
As you can see it's not a very good job, but I'm not particularly picky at this point. In fact, I find it pretty close to what the local Honda dealer did on their showroom cars. This is just a preliminary test. What ended up happening is that I applied the film too high on the hood, and the width of the film stretched beyond the hood edges because of stretching trying to get as many bubbles out. I think the next time around I will cut the film in smaller sections to achieve a better form-fit. This photo below...
...shows how the vinyl film has a hard time wrapping around a sharp edge, and therefore is liable to peeling. I cut this excess with scissors and the film looks perfectly secure just being on top of the hood rather than wrapping around it.
The purpose of this project is to find a viable alternative to the clear bra and full nose mask. We all know that the biggest disadvantage of a clear bra is that anything below it doesn't get washed/waxed/polished/etc. It's second disadvantage is cost. For a full on entire hood, bumper, front valence, portion of quarter panel, and side mirrors clear bra install is around $700CAD plus tax for my '07 Honda Fit. A partial hood only job (which only covers 25%) is around $250CAD. This is technically not a rip-off, the labour is just very intensive. The advantage of this static cling vinyl film is that it is removable and re-applyable (if that's even a word), which is what I want. It does have its own disadvantages mind you. 1) As you already saw, it can't wrap around edges. 2) It's rated to last only 5 years indoors, 3 years outdoors. 3) It's 150 microns which I think equates to 7.5mil. Thinner than regular 3M 8mil adhesive paint protection film, and XPel's 12mil version. 4) Because of its removable nature, if it starts to peel on the corners, it is liable to fly off during highway speeds, which brings me to...
...the durability test. I will be just going through with my regular driving routine to-and-from work, and testing to see - first and foremost - how well it holds on to the hood. I am confident that it's going to protect just as well as regular 8mil paint protection film. I will update this thread as I progress along with this project.
I'm open to suggestions on how to apply it smoothly as I want to reduce the bubbles and reduce the time it takes to install/re-install it.
PS: Photos were taken using a Canon EOS 1D Mk1 with a Canon 50mm f1.4 lens. Added a very slight contrast and saturation boost during RAW conversion to reproduce a more natural look.
Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 544
From: Grant, Alabama U.S.A.
Interesting. As for getting the bubbles out spray it with soapy water (about 1 part clear Johnson's baby shampoo to 10 to 15 parts water) and use a stiff silicone squeegee (like the 3M one for paint protection film) starting from the middle and working your way out to the edges.
You may have to lift the edge that you're working toward and get the bubbles out as you apply it. Basically like doing the clear bra protection film without the heat and without spraying under the film.
You may have to lift the edge that you're working toward and get the bubbles out as you apply it. Basically like doing the clear bra protection film without the heat and without spraying under the film.
New Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16
From: Lexington, MA
Looks good, nice job. I was going to say the hood and fenders only take about an hour to do. The bumper on the other hand took me a few hours but then we were working on 2 cars at the same time and tipping a few beers. The bumper is a pain because it's one big curve.
You may want to consider some film for those headlights and fog lights too. The headlights are a pain but the fog lights are easy.
It's not as easy as window tint is it? It's not extremely hard but it sure is time consuming. I don't think I would want to do it for a living just the same.
When you wax the car you wax the film as well, in case you didn't already know that.
Again, nice job.
You may want to consider some film for those headlights and fog lights too. The headlights are a pain but the fog lights are easy.
It's not as easy as window tint is it? It's not extremely hard but it sure is time consuming. I don't think I would want to do it for a living just the same.
When you wax the car you wax the film as well, in case you didn't already know that.
Again, nice job.
When I got the precut films for the hood and fenders, I also ordered a couple of feet of these stuff. Now I got the top of the rear bumper, headlights, and fogs covered!
Like you said, it's a pain to do the headlights. The first attempt to cover the passenger headlight ended in complete failure and trashed the film away in anger. 
After a week, my second attempt ended up a lil better, but not too good... Considering that I spend at least 2 hours per attempt, I left it on. Today, I attempted to cover the driver side headlight and it went flawlessly. no bubbles... no glue smears inside the film! If I have the time and determination, I might redo the passenger side... but highly unlikely hahaha What a PITA!!!
Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 544
From: Grant, Alabama U.S.A.
When I got the precut films for the hood and fenders, I also ordered a couple of feet of these stuff. Now I got the top of the rear bumper, headlights, and fogs covered! Like you said, it's a pain to do the headlights. The first attempt to cover the passenger headlight ended in complete failure and trashed the film away in anger. After a week, my second attempt ended up a lil better, but not too good... Considering that I spend at least 2 hours per attempt, I left it on. Today, I attempted to cover the driver side headlight and it went flawlessly. no bubbles... no glue smears inside the film! If I have the time and determination, I might redo the passenger side... but highly unlikely hahaha What a PITA!!!
Like you said, it's a pain to do the headlights. The first attempt to cover the passenger headlight ended in complete failure and trashed the film away in anger. After a week, my second attempt ended up a lil better, but not too good... Considering that I spend at least 2 hours per attempt, I left it on. Today, I attempted to cover the driver side headlight and it went flawlessly. no bubbles... no glue smears inside the film! If I have the time and determination, I might redo the passenger side... but highly unlikely hahaha What a PITA!!!
New Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16
From: Lexington, MA
Yea definitely. These vinyl film from ebay doesn't appear to be shrinkable?? What I ended up doing was to deform it by stretching certain areas rather than by heat shrinking.
Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 544
From: Grant, Alabama U.S.A.
Good point. You're absolutely right.
New Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 13
From: USA
were u using a heat gun or just a hair dryer? i can barely shrink a tint film using hair dryer
New Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 3
From: USA
Hoping someone will point me in the right direction. I got my Fit 2 months ago and have already found 2 small chips on the front bumper area. My last car had black plastic bumpers so chips weren't really an issue. I'm now seeing the huge advantage to my old Civic, but it is dead and gone at this point.
Through the 3M website I found their list of certified installers, but there seems to only be one around here and his quote is way out of my budget. Other then through that site where should I be looking to find other places that do paint protection? 3M or some of the others mentioned. Say I was to look in the phone book (or online) what should I be looking under? And is there somewhere to look to know whether they will do a good job? Their reputation.
TIA
Through the 3M website I found their list of certified installers, but there seems to only be one around here and his quote is way out of my budget. Other then through that site where should I be looking to find other places that do paint protection? 3M or some of the others mentioned. Say I was to look in the phone book (or online) what should I be looking under? And is there somewhere to look to know whether they will do a good job? Their reputation.
TIA
New Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 6
From: Madison, Wisconsin
Any new experiences with Clear Bras?
Hello everyone,
I have owned my silver fit sport manual for a little over a year and couldn't be happier with it. I just waxed the car and noticed a quite a few dings on the front that weren't there before and am a bit remorseful for not purchasing a clear bra earlier.
I am currently looking at two possible sources for clear bras:
1) Cheap ebay option (through Xtremecity):
eBay Motors: Honda Fit 2007-2008 Clear Bra for Hood and Bumper (item 120255786056 end time May-07-08 11:18:45 PDT)
Description (Search for this if the link is no good):
"Honda Fit 2007-2008 Clear Bra for Hood and Bumper"
2) eBay 3M option (through chipgardman):
eBay Motors: 2008 HONDA FIT SPORT GENUINE 3M CLEAR BRA (item 380005440265 end time May-09-08 17:35:31 PDT)
Description (Search for this if the link is no good):
"2008 HONDA FIT SPORT GENUINE 3M CLEAR BRA"
I was wondering if anybody had any experience with these two sellers in particular. After reading this thread, I have already sent a message to the first seller (Xtremecity) to see if they have a cutting for the Sports model.
These threads haven't been updated in a whiel, so I thought I would see if there are any new experiences out there. Also, any new thoughts from those who installed it a while back?
Thanks in advance for your help.
I have owned my silver fit sport manual for a little over a year and couldn't be happier with it. I just waxed the car and noticed a quite a few dings on the front that weren't there before and am a bit remorseful for not purchasing a clear bra earlier.
I am currently looking at two possible sources for clear bras:
1) Cheap ebay option (through Xtremecity):
eBay Motors: Honda Fit 2007-2008 Clear Bra for Hood and Bumper (item 120255786056 end time May-07-08 11:18:45 PDT)
Description (Search for this if the link is no good):
"Honda Fit 2007-2008 Clear Bra for Hood and Bumper"
2) eBay 3M option (through chipgardman):
eBay Motors: 2008 HONDA FIT SPORT GENUINE 3M CLEAR BRA (item 380005440265 end time May-09-08 17:35:31 PDT)
Description (Search for this if the link is no good):
"2008 HONDA FIT SPORT GENUINE 3M CLEAR BRA"
I was wondering if anybody had any experience with these two sellers in particular. After reading this thread, I have already sent a message to the first seller (Xtremecity) to see if they have a cutting for the Sports model.
These threads haven't been updated in a whiel, so I thought I would see if there are any new experiences out there. Also, any new thoughts from those who installed it a while back?
Thanks in advance for your help.