I've read some posts about putting a clear-coat of something on the hood/front fender to help protect the paint...Is that the same as a "clear bra?" or is it a colorless nose mask just clear and how do you keep it from turning yellow?

I also want to know how many freaks have the body side molding because I am not excited about putting it on but I don't want dings either...Any better-looking aftermarket molding?

I want my Fit's beauty to last a long time! Thx.

 

Clear-Bra helps alot but it is just on the front and part of the hood. Really great investment. I plan on getting one real soon cause I already have pitting in my bumper from riding around low

 

Cheapest to most expensive..

Wax regular
Clear Bra
Clear Coat

 

Door sills, entire nose of car, door handles where fingernails scratch paint, rear quarter panels, front fenders, and rear bumper. COST: $500.00-$700.00

 

I heard that paint shops can put a clear coat of paint on for $200-$400 but I have no proof

 

Personally, I have Xpel and really like it. It is a clear paint protectant film like ClearBra, but maybe a little thicker.

It is virtually invisible.

Our Honda Fit paint is very fragile and it seems to scratch, chip and pit easily.

It is best to put the protectant film on when the car is new so that you're sealing in the newness. (I think I did mine after 3 weeks -- it had a couple of minute nicks but they were rubbed out by the installer who applied the Xpel.)

Mine has held up very well for 2 years and 4 months. It has a couple tiny gashes in it, but they're not very noticeable and the paint underneath is still pristine.

My installation covered the front 2-thirds of the hood. If I could do it over, I would have told him to cover the entire hood because that's the most likely place for rocks to hit.

The total for mine was ~$750 and included the entire front bumper, hood, front spoiler, lip, headlights, foglights, side mirrors, doorsills, and rear hatch sill.

I might add that I have almost 50,000 miles on my Fit now and it has been hit by a lot of rocks on the interstate. I've had 1 windshield completely broken and the current one has some chips, but all of the Xpel covered area is still like new.

It's quite an investment, but now my Fit still looks almost new and doesn't have a scratch or door-ding on it.

I'm hoping I can get a high resale price when I sell it next year and buy another new Honda (2009 Fit or Hybrid).

 

Thanks, guys! I will check out the X-pel - cost is not a big factor if it keeps the car looking good. We keep our cars for years and years and I don't want to groan every time I wash her and find new chips.

What about body molding? Does anyone have it, do you like it, is there a better-looking after-market product?

 

i use lamin-x.

super easy to install.

great stuff. my buddies use it on their lotus's,lamborghini, porsche
so i know its good stuff.

 

sorry, double post.

 

I have the ADVANTAGE clear bra on mine, it`s the full coverage kit (full hood, fenders, bumper, lip, mirrors and door handle pockets). I`ve had it on the car for six months and it still looks like it did the day I put it on.

 

Your hood looks matte - is that just the lighting or do you have a special hood...How do you put on that clear bra anyway? It's not like a mask, is it...I don't see how you put it on.

 

It is more of a thick vinyl that applies to the car. Holds up really well as someone as already said. Spa-Shield also makes a kit.

Its is unnoticeable in pictures, but you can see it where it stops (edges) if you walk up to the car.

 

It`s just the light. In this pic you can see the hood is shiny.

 

It`s installed like tint and should be done by a professional.

 

Do tint shops put this stuff on too?

 

Check in your area, there may be a tint shop that installs clear bras.

 

I checked with the shop that's going to tint my windows tomorrow. It's $495 for the entire front end to be Xpel-ed. Thinking seriously about having it done.

 

Thats a good price, thats on the standard coverage right? The full coverage kit thats on my car goes for about $900.00 installed.

 

He didn't mention the door handle pockets but everything else would be done, yeah. He'd probably throw in the door handle pockets if I asked him. I don't know if he uses X-pel exactly, I'll get some more info tomorrow.

 

Juliane,
You worked really hard to get your Fit, and the fact that price is no object in protecting it is a really good thing. For after-market side moldings, look at the two styles that are offered by Zeta Products. That is my BOM '07 in the ad for the wide moldings. I am not a molding fan by any means, but I am dead-set against allowing damage from other cars. The Zeta wide moldings are easy to install, look good, and are well worth the price. After my install, I think that my Fit looks better than stock with the added geometry of the molding lines.