Clear/Invisible Bra
03-04-2015, 02:14 AM
#21
Senior Member
Yeah, the naysayers, usually made up of those who have botched a job installing this stuff, will have little good to say about it.
It is a pretty easy job to do with just a couple of tips/cheats: 1- use LOTS of soapy water- on the painted surface, on the sticky side of the film and on the top side of the film; 2- get a real rubber 6" squeegee (tape the metal edges to avoid scratching your paint in case of a slip); 3- a heat gun/hair dryer for those difficult compound curves; 4- patience. When done right you can not see it.
FWIW, "good" kits do NOT wrap the edges. It's nearly impossible to get the film to adhere to the backside of a panel edge. (sheesh, the stories and old wives tales!
)
If you can tint your windows you can install stongard film.
It is a pretty easy job to do with just a couple of tips/cheats: 1- use LOTS of soapy water- on the painted surface, on the sticky side of the film and on the top side of the film; 2- get a real rubber 6" squeegee (tape the metal edges to avoid scratching your paint in case of a slip); 3- a heat gun/hair dryer for those difficult compound curves; 4- patience. When done right you can not see it.
FWIW, "good" kits do NOT wrap the edges. It's nearly impossible to get the film to adhere to the backside of a panel edge. (sheesh, the stories and old wives tales!
)If you can tint your windows you can install stongard film.
03-04-2015, 07:18 AM
#22
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Yeah, the naysayers, usually made up of those who have botched a job installing this stuff, will have little good to say about it. It is a pretty easy job to do with just a couple of tips/cheats: 1- use LOTS of soapy water- on the painted surface, on the sticky side of the film and on the top side of the film; 2- get a real rubber 6" squeegee (tape the metal edges to avoid scratching your paint in case of a slip); 3- a heat gun/hair dryer for those difficult compound curves; 4- patience. When done right you can not see it. FWIW, "good" kits do NOT wrap the edges. It's nearly impossible to get the film to adhere to the backside of a panel edge. (sheesh, the stories and old wives tales! ) If you can tint your windows you can install stongard film.
) If you can tint your windows you can install stongard film.
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Driftboater (03-04-2015)
03-04-2015, 10:35 AM
#24
FlyFisher
I work in a dealership, if trying to install it yourself then yes you can go the route of buying it yourself and attempting to do it. I suggest you let the pros do it, to get a perfect result (no bubbles or dust) plus most of the companies have lifetime warrantied against discoloration, I've seen "clear bras" that turn yellow or gray over time because of the quality of the film. I've seen it as quick as 6 months later, the companies doing the job use the best film they can get and most companies roll the film over the edges, most patterns you buy yourself just line up to the edge.
The pathfinder I traded in for my F150 came with a factory applied clear bra on the hood and mirrors. It looked good for a little while but then it started to discolor. It also got these little 'stress' (for lack of a better term) cracks/fractures.
In my experience it really didn't provide a whole of additional protection. The bra itself would still get dinged or scratched and the paint on the hood above the bra did so too. The only difference being when unprotected areas got dinged I was able to easily use a rubbing compound and/or apply touch up paint to repair.
When I washed the pathfinder in the summer, it was more difficult to remove bugs stuck to areas covered with the bra. Additionally, I used cleaner, polishing and sealer waxes. No matter how hard I tried, there would always be a miniscule bit of wax buildup at the edges of the bra at each phase which really delineated the edge of the bra against the hood etc. That's my experience for what it's worth.
03-04-2015, 10:44 AM
#25
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
The pathfinder I traded in for my F150 came with a factory applied clear bra on the hood and mirrors. It looked good for a little while but then it started to discolor. It also got these little 'stress' (for lack of a better term) cracks/fractures. In my experience it really didn't provide a whole of additional protection. The bra itself would still get dinged or scratched and the paint on the hood above the bra did so too. The only difference being when unprotected areas got dinged I was able to easily use a rubbing compound and/or apply touch up paint to repair. When I washed the pathfinder in the summer, it was more difficult to remove bugs stuck to areas covered with the bra. Additionally, I used cleaner, polishing and sealer waxes. No matter how hard I tried, there would always be a miniscule bit of wax buildup at the edges of the bra at each phase which really delineated the edge of the bra against the hood etc. That's my experience for what it's worth.
When I wash or compound a car with the film on it I run a piece of tape on the exposed edge so no wax can build up along the edge.
03-04-2015, 02:02 PM
#26
Senior Member
had it on my 04 s2000
at the time it was $450.00 i would not get it again for two reasons
as much as i would like to keep my car and truck loooking like brand new things happen and it would cost about the same to get the nose re-sprayed if the hood and fendors got chipped to the point i didn't like the looks of it
further it adds very little value on re-sale unlike other mods
at the time it was $450.00 i would not get it again for two reasons
as much as i would like to keep my car and truck loooking like brand new things happen and it would cost about the same to get the nose re-sprayed if the hood and fendors got chipped to the point i didn't like the looks of it
further it adds very little value on re-sale unlike other mods
03-07-2015, 07:22 AM
#27
If anything i'd say factory untouched car or truck is worth more than one that has been modded.
03-07-2015, 08:40 AM
#28
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Sorry but I have to disagree with you. Mods add little to no value to the resale. Unless the buyer is looking for the same mods. Also the average buyer isn't intetrested in clear bras, bigger tires led lights, footwell lights etc etc. Us enthusiasts might be but we are a very small percent of the drivers
If anything i'd say factory untouched car or truck is worth more than one that has been modded.
If anything i'd say factory untouched car or truck is worth more than one that has been modded.
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Sweatmachine (03-07-2015)
03-07-2015, 04:44 PM
#29
Senior Member
I was gonna trade my dakota in when I bought my f150 and the dealership said I had modded it so much that it was only worth $500 to them. thats bull****. I did alot of stuff to it. Rebuilt the engine with all the 4.7 HO parts, upgraded the trans and rear end. rims tires which are a given, cowl hood and the list goes on and on. Anyways when I tried to sell it I had a couple people that wanted a plain dakota quad cab they didn't want one that was all modded. I ended up selling it to a guy that was wanted one that was already done so he could just drive and enjoy it. Sad thing about this 2 weeks later I see my truck and it was t-boned in the passenger side, some asian nailed him in a parking lot then yelled that its no fault and left.
03-07-2015, 05:24 PM
#30
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
I was gonna trade my dakota in when I bought my f150 and the dealership said I had modded it so much that it was only worth $500 to them. thats bull****. I did alot of stuff to it. Rebuilt the engine with all the 4.7 HO parts, upgraded the trans and rear end. rims tires which are a given, cowl hood and the list goes on and on. Anyways when I tried to sell it I had a couple people that wanted a plain dakota quad cab they didn't want one that was all modded. I ended up selling it to a guy that was wanted one that was already done so he could just drive and enjoy it. Sad thing about this 2 weeks later I see my truck and it was t-boned in the passenger side, some asian nailed him in a parking lot then yelled that its no fault and left.
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HstephenG (03-07-2015)