Mazda 3 clear bra

[td7588]

Does anyone know if a clear bra has been produced for the 3 yet??????

[Roywhitep5]

clear? ew

[mEtHoDySt]

Do a search you'll see lots of topics on it.

checkout www.carpretty.com that's where I ordered mine from, their in Alberta I believe.

[td7588]

Thanx!! I'll check it out..

[redhotfire]

Try
http://www.invinca-shield.com.

[goldwing2000]

A couple places are making them. 3M comes to mind...

[blizz81]

I forget the company I know that I'm looking at going through, but I'm pretty sure they're local-only anyway...

...but it's apparently right around $250 for the kit. They said they cut their own as opposed to the 3M pre-fab kit. I'll update with more information when I save up enough to get mine put on.



Clear? ew


Less of an "ew" than a chewed-up front end after, say, one midwestern winter...

[dulog]

Other names are Clearshield and Stongard. You could try doing it yourself from a kit. I'd recommend finding an applicator that has been in business for a while and has a good reputation. Shouldn't be hard to do there in San Diego. Call around auto shops and detailers. I went with a tint shop/detailer that had been in business for 20 years and has been doing the clear bra's for over 4 years. I'm really confident that they'll handle any kind of warranty issue and they'll be no question with the manufacturer as to if it was correctly applied. He did a bunch of custom work to get more coverage than the computer drawn kit.

[ruacop2]

Does anyone know if a clear bra has been produced for the 3 yet??????
Yep it sure is available.:)

[RoadWarior]

I checked today on a 3M clear bra and the dealer wanted just over $700 installed for a 5 door......

[ruacop2]

I checked today on a 3M clear bra and the dealer wanted just over $700 installed for a 5 door......
Really when you think about it that is not too bad from a dealer. The vehicle takes as much material as a FX45 to cover the high impact areas. I know Infiniti dealers getting $1600 for theirs. $700 sounds cheap for a car like this. Of course cutting out the dealer will save you money for sure. :)

[wreckage]

Does anyone know who may do this in British Columbia, Canada. Possibly Vancouver area ??
Thanks.

[ruacop2]

Does anyone know who may do this in British Columbia, Canada. Possibly Vancouver area ??
Thanks.Seattle is the closest I know of.

[Status]

You might check out these websites for BC installers.

http://www.xpel.com/products/default.asp
http://www.llumar.com/na-eng/Automotive/auto-paint.html
http://www.tintdude.com/

[majic]

what about toronto or the GTA? anyone know of reliable shops that would do it..?

[accampbe]

First of all is the clear bra worth it?
Probably aorund $1000 CDN I am assuming or close to installed.

I won't be doing the installation myself because well I suck at detail work.

Is the 3M version better than other versions available?

Anyone have a particular type they like and want to influence my decision?

[Status]

I've been doing quite a bit of research on it and here's what I've found.

There are a ton of Paint Protection Films out there. They all seem to work well enough. I haven't heard of any major horror stories regarding them.

In the Greater Seattle Area, I've found that there is a wide range of prices for them. $400-900 US, for a full install (bumper, hood, grill, lights, front side fenders and mirrors).

There are a number of materials out there. A variety of 3M products and Llumar. Llumar is completely transparent, but is the newest of the films that I've found. 3M has also, apparently, changed their glue formula, so even though their product is semi-translucent, it's supposed to be better then it was. 3M products have been around longer, so more people install with them and they have a longer proven record.

I've settled on doing it two ways. Llumar on my lights, because of clarity, and X-pel on body parts, mostly because of cost. I've found a local semi-chain shop that offers a lifetime guarantee against peeling, yellowing and product defect. It also helps that the X-pel is 1/2 the cost, here.

Oh, I got some of the Llumar film from the guy who did my lights and decided to "play" around with it a little. I put a piece around the keyhole and the back hatch hand-latch. The keyhole bit, was fairly easy, minimal stretching. The back hatch hand-latch was a major pain in the ass, but I got it in. It was enough to teach me some about working with films and to know I want a pro to install my hood and bumper.

[djltoronto]

Just got a 3M paint protection film installed. (2thumbs) (2thumbs) (2thumbs)
All I can say is that I am 100% satisfied with both the price I paid, and how it looks. It's practically invisible with the exception of the single edge.

I took the grill off so the protection extends underneath the grill; this makes the front edge invisible.
It has a 5 Year warranty (used to be 3 yrs)

Took several pics because I know some people don't even know what the Clear Bra's look like installed. These pics are in chronological order, the last few pics are of the finished product. It's practically invisible.



FYI, for those of you in the Toronto Area (East)
This was installed at 3M Trim-Line
310 Bloor St. W., Unit 3, Oshawa, ON L1J1R2
(905) 571-1987.
http://www.3mtrim.com/

These are the same guys who installed the huge picture on the window of the GM office just south of HWY#401 in Oshawa (see pics)

Their price for this application is $256.00CAD + tax (15%) = 294.40CAD all inclusive.

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20001%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20002%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20003%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20004%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20005%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20006%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20007%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20008%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20009%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20010%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20011%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20012%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20013%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20014%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20015%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20016%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20017%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20019%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20020%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20021%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20022%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20023%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20024%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20025%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20026%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20027%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20028%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20026%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20030%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20031%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20032%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20033%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20034%20(S mall).jpg

http://69.199.220.247/pub/pics/random%20pics/Clear%20Bra%20instalation%20(Mazda%203)%20035%20(S mall).jpg

[goldwing2000]

Nice. Good price, too. Much better than the $900 I was quoted.

[SpecM3]

Very nice job!!!! I'll try to find the same price in the Montreal area. If any one knows please let me know.

[wreckage]

I guess if a guy is going to install a body kit he should wait until afterwards to install a clear bra. I assume that a talented installer would be needed due to the fact that there would be no templates or anything to follow and pretty much the whole thing would be custom cut. ??

[firedancin4life]

damn...now long did that take?!?!

[djltoronto]

damn...now long did that take?!?!

beleive it or not, it took exactly 1 hr from start to finish, Including the time to stage some of the pictures.

I was quite surprised at how fast it actually was.

I only got 3 peices, hood, and small sections on the fronts of the fenders.
He did mention that he has done a complete bumper before and it took about 4 hrs.

I would have got my bumper done too, but it's already too late as it alread has several minor defects. The protective film kinda amplifies the defects so it really is best to get this installed on a new or like new car.
My car has 20,000 kms on it when I finally decided to get the clear bra.

[djltoronto]

I guess if a guy is going to install a body kit he should wait until afterwards to install a clear bra. I assume that a talented installer would be needed due to the fact that there would be no templates or anything to follow and pretty much the whole thing would be custom cut. ??

the place I got mine installed was completely custom. they didn't have any pre-cut templates whatsoever.

So no matter what body kit you got, there would really be no difference from an installation point of view.
Only thing to consider is that the more complex the curves, the more complicated the install.

I kept some scrap peices of the film, it's really unique. It can be stretched to almost double it's length, but will return to original size if left alone, and the adhesive is always sticky, even after being stuck to itself many mant times.

[firedancin4life]

That's cool to know. I am not too fond of regular bras. Except if they come off a woman.

SO i would consider this clear one since my M3 is only a week old. hrm....decisions decisions.

[djltoronto]

That's cool to know. I am not too fond of regular bras. Except if they come off a woman.

SO i would consider this clear one since my M3 is only a week old. hrm....decisions decisions.

Consider it insurance, to protect your investment.
If the roads in your area are anything like mine, then it's a sound investment.
Money well spent! (drive)