You won't convince anyone who already wears a Colgan that clearbra is better.

 

Matt replies: You made the statement but you haven't said why. Why are they better? in your opinion of course...

 

There are many reasons andwe stated some above

Clear bra
Cant see it even sometimes as close as a foot away
Clear coat finish can be washed and waxed just like your car
Will last as long as you take care of it
Prevents rock chips
Covered under insurance if in an accident

Made by 3M so you know it is a good product
UV protection
Guaranteed and backed by 3M for yellowing, cracking or fading for five years ( will last MUCH longer if washed and waxed)

Did I mention you cant see it driving down the road or at a car show until someone points it out to ya

 

OK, let me hurl a small rock and see if it prevents dents and chips..LOL! Does this Clear bra peel off the paint if you try to remove it after being on the car a long time?

 

No it does harm the paint and OEm approved by ever major manufacturer.

There are tons of examples of incidents with no damage and even many comments on here if you search.

I get hit by a 1 gallon metal tin can at 85 mph and no damage, just a mark that rubbed right off...just one example

 

[quote="RockBlocker"]Clear bras are ten times better than a Colgan or any other leather/plastic bra]

RockBlocker is great for everyday drivers but greater initial cost, more easily damaged, more expensive to replace, you have to look at it all the time.. Not to mention the wax build up around the edges that are impossible to clean out.. Where as the colgan gives you protection when needed and removable, lower cost and never needs to be replaced..

 

I can see your point Jethro about the intial cost being higher, but over the long term(say 5 years). The cost is minimal when you look at the whole picture.

No protection at all:

Five years down the road, how mahy chips will your vehicle have, what is the resale value worth with hundreds if not thousand of rock chips and pitts all over the paint.

Colgan Bra -
Five years down the road you have either ruined your paint entirely by not taking on and off every week to wash your car or have and spent countless time and effort to remove, wash and reinstall the bra. Not to mention the look of the bra. How much is your time worth to you. The Colgan bra will not bring any higher resale to your vehicle at time of trade in. Dealers take them off and throw them away.

Clear bra -
Five years down the road your vehicle has a few if not no rock chips in your paint compared to the one without anything and the resale value is much higher in terms of what condition your vehicle is in other areas. Maintenance on the Colgan bra is much higher than a Clear bra when you break it down.

Colgan Bra - remove, wash bra and reinstall after it is dry

Clear bra - Wash and wax just like normal

Even if you did not care of the clear bra and wash an wax often as you are suppose to. You can remove it with harming your paint. So your front end is brand new anyways.

As for cleaning the edges - For those who cannot watch the edge of the film while waxing there is an easy way to to clean them, I am sorry. For those that are too lazy then sure the wax will build up and look bad, totally agree with this statement.

If you get wax in the edge clean it right away with a micro fiber towel since you know you did it anyways as you watched yourself do it. If for some reason you missed it and didnt realize until a later date that is okay too. You can use 70% by volume rubbing alcohol and gently agitate the edge and clean it of the wax. This will not harm your paint so no worries there folks in case you are wondering.

Tips for waxing the clear bra vehicles. Use a kitchen sponge when hand waxing. Fits in the palm of your hand and you can make straight lines much easier than those circle pads they sell at the Auto parts store. When it starts to gum up then turn to the other side.

My background -

Managed 5 detail shops for 7 years and was also the quality manager for the following makes - Lexus, Acura. Toyota, Jaguar, Volvo, Aston Martin and another Lexus dealer. We ran more than 3000 vehicles a month through these shops.

Our used car managers loved the clear bra since the turn around time was much less to get the car ready for resale (ie touchup) and since the car didnt have chips on it in their minds they were giving half the money back on the cost of the clear bra.

Everyone is entitled to opinions and that is totally what is so great about the internet as long as the information is correct. I will say that the colgan bra is by far cheaper and the way many people choose to go and that is fine. All I am doing is offering and educating members in the SL community on alternative ideas and methods.

If anyone has any questions about the Clear bra just let us know

RockBlocker

 

I Had My Whole Front Covered In 3m Clear..350 Dollars Installed

 

Do they Protect!! Sheesh the clear bra has saved the fron end of my box at least 3x now. I took a roadgator(retread tire) across the front.. No dents.. no paint dammage what so ever.. Also had a wonderful tumbleweed the size of my box roll out in front of me..
*BOOM* I swore it took everything out on the front it was so loud. Not one mark on my paint.. I did thou have a thousand little stickers/twigs all in the grill..engine compartment.. cowl.. etc etc
3rd time.. this was THE test.. freaking truck in front of me drops all these tree trimmings just blows out of the back, right in front of me, no where to go but flinch and
hope for the best.. Only dammage I had was a dent in my speed grill but that was it. the little marks on the pain protection from the tree branches and the tumbleweed polished out. That and if I was unhappy I still had life time protection.

No more leather bras to worry about being stolen off the front.. getting wet, and having to be taken off, then probally forgotten about hanging out somewhere and
leaving rub marks when it starts to stretch out.
Preach all you want on the leather bra(Colgan etc)
but step out of the stix and step into the new age of paint and light protection.
Clear bra you cannot see till your up next to and looking for it.. it cleans easily,
those that say they have wax build up in them.. well learn how to wax your car properly!! you must have wax built up around your hood squirters too.
Its not going to get stolen (unless some takes the full car)but, It still can be removed without any dammage to the car and replaced easily IF you need to.

 

I just like the Colagan more because... when it's off it's off (as in not there at all. Totally invisible cause it's not there). The "clear" bra is there all the time.
The film that builds up, around and sometime under the edges of the 3M material over time looks bad no matter how hard you try to keep it clean. Oh and you forgot about the unavoidable air pockets that form from hard corners and contours that the film won't completely stick to.
Don't ever get a scratch or scuff in that clear stuff. You then have to have that piece replaced or live with the flaw. (I have some of the 3M stuff on top of my rear bumper). BTW, how much are those replacement pieces when a piece need replacement? I'd imagine quite expensive. Plus the labor and the time to get it done. I've also seen pieces that didn't quite stand up to the damage. Does rockblocker take care of the paint fixing bill???? I doubt it.

My only regret with the Colgan is that I waited till after I had some rock chips to get it. Cleaning is a breeze and it can be installed blindfolded. Most times it can simply be wiped down with a damp cloth. While washing the vehicle with the bra off, use an air hose to dust the inside of the bra to ready it for re installation after drying the car. Very simple!!!

Like I said before the clear bra has it's place for people that drive everyday vehicles. It's ease of use is invaluable indeed. But for showcar people the Colgan is the way to go. It's the BEST of both worlds. You get the bare naked look at shows and the piece of mind knowing you are protected going down the road. Period....

 

One important thing you need to know is that. The crap the dealer puts on the back of your bumper is not the same products we use. 14 mil non clear coated versus 8 mil clear coated.

BIG difference there - 14 mil does build up a lot of dirt and wax along edges and will not allow you to use for areas with more curves and bends as you suggested.

As for the rock damage comment, No need to respond since Colgan,3M or anyone offer bulletproof product from rock damage.....


Totally disagree here since u GET POINTS for having the clear bra at shows and the safety knowing you are protected getting there and leaving.


lets do this - We can agree to disagree here. Both sides have there points and I think we have totally covered them by nowso let the public see for themself and make up there own mind?

 

I appreciate the discussion on the 2 major types. Now I wish there was something made to protect the windshield from rocks!

 

I have that already taken care of. Even takes care of brake pads at 75 mph

 

I think the RockBlocker is the best solution, but it may be beyond the capability of the average, first-time user to install. The 3M film is best installed by a professionsal who has handled the material many times. I bought the xB kit, studied the instructions, and bought the adhesive remover, alcohol and sprayers.

The instructions were unclear on the two concentrations of alcohol to be used, so I called RockBlocker, got a machine, and no return call. After a few days, I decided on what the instructions meant, and installed the mirror film first for practice.

The worst problem was creases or wrinkles. One mirror was OK, but on the other I had to skim a couple of wrinkles with a razor blade, which looked bad.

A few days later I did the hood. I felt the hood was not going to look very good, so I removed the film after 30 minutes and won't be trying the much more difficult bumper.

I put some photos up:
http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f2...20RockBlocker/

The 3M material is stretchy and forgiving. It both expands, and over a few minutes it can also compress to flatten broad wrinkles. However, the wrinkles I got on the edge of the hood seemed so large and so many that squeegeeing them would compress them into sharper wrinkles that would not go away. The more I worked on them, the smaller and sharper they got, and they were becoming permanent.

The bubbles are to be expected, and can be pierced and mostly flattened with the needle in the kit. Over time, remaining trapped air and alcohol escapes through the pinhole.

This is a great product once you get it on. It looks great. If anyone would like to try the bumper part of my RockBlocker kit, I have put an add in the Classified section.

 

I apologize if you never got a return call. Thanks for the write-up and your intrepretation of the product and installation. In terms if the mixture of alcohol and water - it is 50% water and 50% alcohol as stated in the instructions. The part that might have confused you is that we recommend 70% by volume - that is the strength of alcohol that you buy from the store.

 

The wording of the instructions is confusing. I think I got it right by concluding to use the store-bought 70% alchohol solution for wipe-cleaning the paint surface after the adhesive remover is used, then dilute that 50-50 with water to make the working solution that is sprayed on the car and back of the film, which would be a 35% solution.

 

Thats where you are thinking too much. LOL I highly doubt most people could figure out that dilution ratio to be 35% or do it get it there.

I will review the instructions again and see if we can make it more clear. We thought by having them in totally two different areas it would make sense. One under tools, one under prepping the car.

 

I'm currently using the oem front end mask and love it. I like the look of it especially the contrast on the BOP. To speculate on the clear bras: yea they look great and function great but just are not for everyone. I especially like the lip on my oem front mask since is whisks bugs over my windsheild. I no longer have to dodge large moths.lol.

 

I finally gave up trying to get a rockblocker clear bra and went with the calgon. I gave it my best efforts to find an installer for the clear and even e mailed rockblocker, twice at least,requesting an installer anywhere in the surrounding states. I live in Illinois and didn't feel driving to Californis was an option. If you had more service away from the west coast maybe the outcome would have been diferent.
I am very happy with my calgon though. No regrets.
upshift

 

I travel 21 miles to work on a highway 101 in california. And you know cali highways...

I already ran over a rabbit, leaving a cracked lip, but I have nothing but rock chips and holes in my lip/bumper. I'm replacing the lip, and the last thing I want is to screw up that lip too.

I'd definately go for the clear film, but can anyone answer this... How much? And what areas does it cover? Some parts have VERY small chips, should I fix this personally with some paint pens? They're really not noticable. My car is not a show car, and I drive about 50 miles a day (well, not anymore, I will be staying at the college dorms when school starts). Protection is good =)