clear bra installation in Seattle?

[jdelator]

Does anyone have any experience getting a clear bra installed in the Seattle area? Maybe a quote as well?

I just got my Camaro and I left the dealer with $1595 price tag.... I looked around and I feel like I got ripped off. The service hasn't been performed but I'm thinking about canceling it.

[camarowa]

Metropolitan detail in Bellevue. Not cheap by any means but probably the best.

[jdelator]

Hmm it's cheaper (929) and uses VentureShield instead of 3m

[Havok]

Jesus you should try the nearest VS store. And for the love of god switch out that steering wheel.

[htp autoworks]

Just saw this in another forum so you might want to hit them up about it. Its another $100 discount for clear bra installs from them.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/paci...7-100-off.html

I install paint protection film for a living and I can tell you they have room to come off the price quoted if you are getting the front end installed.

[jdelator]

Originally Posted by htp autoworks

Just saw this in another forum so you might want to hit them up about it. Its another $100 discount for clear bra installs from them.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/paci...7-100-off.html

I install paint protection film for a living and I can tell you they have room to come off the price quoted if you are getting the front end installed.

Thanks. It looks like I'm going with Metropolitan Detail then That price was for their top package. I canceled the service with the dealer. I thought they would put up a fight so I made sure to call them around 5, when they were most likely heading out to go home.

Originally Posted by Havok

Jesus you should try the nearest VS store. And for the love of god switch out that steering wheel.

They said that they ran out of clear bras.

[htp autoworks]

I do a lot of dealership work so I know how it goes. They will ad a lot onto the price and have it contracted out. No need to pay the dealer markup if you dont have to... expecially since you will probaly end up getting it installed from the same guys anyway. let us know how it goes... and post some photos.

[DroptopZ]

A good family friend of mine does installations and did mine--excellent job:

C.L.E.A.R. Automotive Protection
Joe Waldron
425-417-1781

He is based out of Snohomish and does mostly 'vettes, but can do anything and do it well Did the whole front, the side-skirts, mirrors etc.

[jdelator]

I had already scheduled an appointment with Metropolitan detail or else I would had looked into Clear.

They convinced me to get xpel. They had a porsche that was getting the xpel work done on while getting the ventureshield being removed. I was able to to compare the two. xpel was slight better only because you couldn't see the faint horizontal lines. It should be out of the shop this afternoon, I'll post some pics.

[1BADLS3]

Can I just ask if you've considered NOT getting a clear bra?

I used to work in auto detailing, and also as an insurance adjuster. I've seen plenty, PLENTY, of cars with clear bras, and IMO, after a few years they all look like hell.

The reason being is that the bra material--even though it's kind of a soft urethane substance, still picks up dings, nits, bug stains, scratches, etc. The line where it ends always becomes visible as it collects dirt, wax, and weathering. What's the difference if the car looks like hell with the bra ON, or the bra off? They're expensive to remove and re-do later on.

If you're that worried about the car, why not just assume that you're going to have to have the front of the car re-sprayed at some point?

Just a thought...if you're set on it, by all means...it's your car, and yes, you will fend off a few small dings from rocks, etc with the bra. But certainly not all of them, and the bra itself will incur lots of visible damage over time.

[htp autoworks]

Originally Posted by 1BADLS3

Can I just ask if you've considered NOT getting a clear bra?

I used to work in auto detailing, and also as an insurance adjuster. I've seen plenty, PLENTY, of cars with clear bras, and IMO, after a few years they all look like hell.

The reason being is that the bra material--even though it's kind of a soft urethane substance, still picks up dings, nits, bug stains, scratches, etc. The line where it ends always becomes visible as it collects dirt, wax, and weathering. What's the difference if the car looks like hell with the bra ON, or the bra off? They're expensive to remove and re-do later on.

If you're that worried about the car, why not just assume that you're going to have to have the front of the car re-sprayed at some point?

Just a thought...if you're set on it, by all means...it's your car, and yes, you will fend off a few small dings from rocks, etc with the bra. But certainly not all of them, and the bra itself will incur lots of visible damage over time.

I will be happy to send you photos of numerous cars with clear bras that have been on for years... and still look new. Like anything else if they are taken care of properly they will stay looking new for many years. Again there are different materials out there and some hold up better than others. There are also people out there that take their cars t othe car wash and hit them with the brush or just abuse them. Of course they wont hold up to that... but neither will the paint. I have 140,000 miles on my clear bra and it doesnt have one single rock ding in it. It has been through 37 states over the last 4 years so it has seen it all. Still no dings in it. The only damage it has to it was where a car backed into me and clipped the front bumper. The paint marks from the other car polished out but the film is knicked. Had there not been a clear bra on there it would have had much more damage and had to be repainted.

As far as dirt build up in the seem, that is from not heat sealing the edges down with a heat gun when it is applied. Wax buildup is easy if you are careful when you wax the clear bra. And I am not sure how "weathering" builds up along the edge so you might have to explain that one to me.

The reason why I replied to your post is I see auto detailers knocking the product all of the time. I beleive the main reason why is it takes away from their business. Simply saying I will get the bumper resprayed is silly. Over the years I have seen numerous people without their cars for weeks if not months trying to get the paint matched on a respray. Try matching red that is a few years old and has sun fade or try matching RJT... a color that is no longer being produced. There are numerous colors out there that are very hard to match. Plus anytime you respray your car you take a huge hit in resale value as the next buyer has no idea why the car was resprayed... and most assume it was an accident. Perfect factory paint will always be worth more than a respray.