CX-5 Clear Bra anyone?

Unless I am missing something I was just looking at the precut kit prices for XPEL Ultimate and the installers estimate for the kit and application is slightly lower than it would cost me to buy the kit and apply it myself. Based on what he described in just the time to prep the vehicle and apply it professionally seems worth paying him.
 
Chas said:
CX-5um When you do fogs with say a yellow film, does too much heat build up in the assembly and crack the glass, burn out the bulb or other things? On my other car, I went to the trouble of selective yellow H-11 bulbs, but I am not sure I want to go to that trouble. I do believe the yellow light is more useful when you actually have fog, rain and snow, especially with HID headlights.
Click to expand...

Yellow film shouldn't cause any problems to the lens since its made of glass vs plastic. Then again I haven't heard of film causing glass breakage. In my experience no breakage due to film on the CX-5, just protection from chips. I believe the debate then becomes light output of using yellow film (less?) vs installing yellow bulbs. Also on another note, you may want to look into HIR (High Intensity Infrared) bulbs to use in the fogs. They produce more lumens then stock bulbs.

Felt_Rider said:
Looking at the installers email it looks like he installs the kits that come precut from XPEL for each specific car.

This is how he list it in his email not including tax.

Hood, Fender, Mirror and Door Cup kit (24”) $275
Grille and Front Bumper kit $300
Headlight and Fog Light kit $75

He does mention other options available that provides greater coverage, but did not think it was necessary for the CX-5 since it sits up higher than they usual sports car that he sometimes does the full car. The email I received from him last night said he was booked up until the first of August so I have time to think about this some more. Doing a lot of web research it does seem that many people that have added a good protective film think the cost was worth it. I almost feel that way because each time I get on the interstate I don't as much peace of mind. I want this vehicle to look good for a long time as I plan to keep it a long time.

I guess I did not think the headlights were as important. On my Titan that had all the rock chips on the front paint the headlights looked brand new. I may get some XPEL bulk film (or a enough to cover the door sills and cargo/bumper area) just to get some personal experience. At least those areas will not be exposed to public view.
Click to expand...

Thats about $650 for everything installed including headlights. Factor in the labor and thats a fair asking price. I'm a big fan of having Xenons and the CX-5's Xenon system is no let down. It's made of good quality by Stanley. It's got a clear glass projector lens vs fresnal lens. FYI, Some people who already have HIDs in other cars (sometimes even luxury ones) go out of there way to upgrade and retrofit clear lenses into their car. The CX-5 Xenon system comes like that stock. The cut off line is sharp with wide light output. Being a fan of good (legal) lighting I want protection from two elements that would hinder lighting performance. Oxidation from the sun that dulls any car's plastic headlight covers and from chips.
 
CX-5um said:
It's got a clear glass projector lens vs fresnal lens. FYI, Some people who already have HIDs in other cars (sometimes even luxury ones) go out of there way to upgrade and retrofit clear lenses into their car. The CX-5 Xenon system comes like that stock. The cut off line is sharp with wide light output. Being a fan of good (legal) lighting I want protection from two elements that would hinder lighting performance. Oxidation from the sun that dulls any car's plastic headlight covers and from chips.
Click to expand...
Hah! I'm the opposite. I retrofitted HID projectors to my other car and wanted Fresnal lenses (but couldn't get them). I hate the sharp black cuttoff that lets you see nothing above the cutoff line. Would much prefer a more gradual cutoff that lets you see further on low beams without blinding opposing drivers.

Ooops. Sorry for going off-topic :)
 
RedBaron said:
Hah! I'm the opposite. I retrofitted HID projectors to my other car and wanted Fresnal lenses (but couldn't get them). I hate the sharp black cuttoff that lets you see nothing above the cutoff line. Would much prefer a more gradual cutoff that lets you see further on low beams without blinding opposing drivers.

Ooops. Sorry for going off-topic :)
Click to expand...


Red Barron, First the decals now the fresnal lenses lol. The CX-5 being seated a bit high does tend to blind opposing drivers but man is the cutoff colorful and light output good. I have a 13' VW CC that has fresnel lenses that produces pure a less intense whiter light with less blindage on opposite traffic. Both cars have headlight protection film which I now only use water to clean. Wax or even spray wax may discolor the film so use it sparingly.
 
Last edited:
Is it too late to install a bra or some sort of protection when there's already a chip on the bumper? It's such a pain seeing paint chips already and my car only been with me for 9 days, 420 miles.. and this is the first chip I got, well excluding the one that the dealer repaired.
 
I am bit nervous about shelling out ~$600, but I went ahead and set an appointment for August 12th to have Xpel ultimate applied to the front end, lights, partial hood and mirrors. This is my first car to have this done, but I want the CX-5 to look fairly good in the years to come. This past weekend the front took a lot of hits on the interstate, but fortunately it was all insects and nothing hard. Part of me thinking this is crazy to have this applied to a cheaper car especially when I look at the installer's website and his multitude of examples are all Porsche, Ferrari, etc..

Oh well I am just going to do it and then from this I can decide if it is worth it for future cars.
 
It is worth it

Felt_Rider said:
I am bit nervous about shelling out ~$600, but I went ahead and set an appointment for August 12th to have Xpel ultimate applied to the front end, lights, partial hood and mirrors. This is my first car to have this done, but I want the CX-5 to look fairly good in the years to come. This past weekend the front took a lot of hits on the interstate, but fortunately it was all insects and nothing hard. Part of me thinking this is crazy to have this applied to a cheaper car especially when I look at the installer's website and his multitude of examples are all Porsche, Ferrari, etc..

Oh well I am just going to do it and then from this I can decide if it is worth it for future cars.
Click to expand...
We have had this done on 4 cars in the family, and it definitely saves the paint and finish, including the headlight lenses and the foglight lenses.

Each time we have used the 3M PPF (and maybe the Xpel designs, not sure who they used) except one car which did not hold up well at all. That would be VentureShield, ironically, now owned by 3M, but still sold as VentureShield. The CX-5 uses 3M product and came out very well except for one mirror housing which needs to be redone, one edge curled, almost insignificant, but not only are installers key for good installation, they are also very prideful, and insist on redoing it even if we were willing to let it go...
 
Thanks Chas

I did a lot more general web searching yesterday after my post. I saw many unhappy folk with VentureShield, but generally a lot of happy people with 3M and XPEL. Seems like most of us do this or want to do this for peace of mind. At least I saw peace of mind stated many times on various car forums when discussing paint film.

The best one that saw yesterday was a guy that had XPEL applied as full coverage to a Porsche Carrera. Wow! Here is that discussion
After reading through a number of these various forums I feel much better about having it applied. Thanks for the feedback.

It helped me also to understand that it takes a few weeks for the film to cure and it improves in looks as it does cure. So at least when I get my car back I will know this may occur. My CX-5 is white so it is going to be hard to see the difference I think.
 
Last edited:
Felt_Rider said:
I am bit nervous about shelling out ~$600, but I went ahead and set an appointment for August 12th to have Xpel ultimate applied to the front end, lights, partial hood and mirrors. This is my first car to have this done, but I want the CX-5 to look fairly good in the years to come. This past weekend the front took a lot of hits on the interstate, but fortunately it was all insects and nothing hard. Part of me thinking this is crazy to have this applied to a cheaper car especially when I look at the installer's website and his multitude of examples are all Porsche, Ferrari, etc..

Oh well I am just going to do it and then from this I can decide if it is worth it for future cars.
Click to expand...

Hi, If you care for your car it doesn't matter if it's a 'premium' car or not.

I had my cx-5 done here.....

http://www.covertechmidlands.com/car_gallery.php

I felt a bit strange about paying to put an invisible film on my car, but the point is I wanted it to be free of stone chips.
Of course spending $600 is a bigger deal on a $25000 car than a $60000 car, but it's all about how much YOU value a chip free front end regardless of what car you drive.
 
Last edited:
dad of jon said:
I wanted it to be free of stone chips.
Of course spending $600 is a bigger deal on a $25000 car than a $60000 car, but it's all about how much YOU value a chip free front end regardless of what car you drive.
Click to expand...

Thanks
Tomorrow morning is my appointment for the application and is supposed to be done in about 4 hours.
 
Anyone in the Atlanta area that desires to have protective film applied Atlanta Protective Films is a really good place. If you do a search you will find a lot of positive comments on other car forums and also a lot of good comments about the Xpel Ultimate and Suntek film that he uses. I feel a little more at peace with some long distance interstate travel coming up. The film was applied before I got any blemishes. He cleaned, clayed, applied and sealed all areas and the application looks flawless. I had to work at finding the right camera angle with the right light to get a shot showing the film line. Otherwise it is really hard to see on the white paint.

It was applied to part of the hood, front portion of the fender, black glossy portion of the grill, mirrors, bumper and door cups. I may get the lights done later.

Film being applied to the front bumper
IMG_1459.JPG


Film being applied to the mirror
IMG_1464.JPG


Hard to see the film line in this view
IMG_1457.JPG


I found this angle where you can see the film line
IMG_1473.JPG


Can't see it from most angles
IMG_1471.JPG
 
How does everybody's install look after ~4-5 years now?

Considering XPEL Ultimate because of the warranty. 10yrs. 3M only has a warranty for 5yrs and 7yrs for their Pro.
 
Resurrecting this thread as it contains DIY projects of actual members on their own CX-5s.

Providing status update from 2012, 7 years and 101,000 miles ago. The front bumper and hood have done their job in taking the brunt of all hits. They look like they could be replaced. Paint under them in good shape. Headlight kit I installed still look good!! Photo taken yesterday after a car wash.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1halPY5jaNMT0IsGFAEoFlCdR983d2Tvr/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qHb5_K4FJ7JprX9UFvTradrqjtaFjSqZ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xpI2lceYTSkIcwUBfUlpaQJxxblSe9l0/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17GozSr-hayujMDtPJLm33Ecm02Ob-lDN/view?usp=sharing
 
Last edited:
Yup. I got:

Roofline up to the sunroof
Mirrors
Full hood
Front bumper
Headlights
A Pillars
B and C pillar piano black areas
Front fenders about 1/4 of the way back

This is my 370Z after being side-swiped at 40mph by an SUV, with a clear bra (full fender was wrapped).

etzjlv.jpg

Made me a believer! Paint was still G2G, lol!
 
In NYC, to do the whole front is estimated to be $2,000 - $2,800
$600 is a steal!
 
CX-5um said:
Resurrecting this thread as it contains DIY projects of actual members on their own CX-5s.

Providing status update from 2012, 7 years and 101,000 miles ago. The front bumper and hood have done their job in taking the brunt of all hits. They look like they could be replaced. Paint under them in good shape. Headlight kit I installed still look good!! Photo taken yesterday after a car wash.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1halPY5jaNMT0IsGFAEoFlCdR983d2Tvr/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qHb5_K4FJ7JprX9UFvTradrqjtaFjSqZ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xpI2lceYTSkIcwUBfUlpaQJxxblSe9l0/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17GozSr-hayujMDtPJLm33Ecm02Ob-lDN/view?usp=sharing
Click to expand...

So you don't have to wax it? Looks like it held up really good.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

bronzeglide
PPF and Ceramic quote
2
Replies
20
Views
8K
SixPackABS
S
P
2017 CX-5 Front Mask
Replies
4
Views
4K
TANKGUNNER
T
H
2017 Mazda CX-5 Roof Rack Crossbars
Replies
2
Views
2K
vtjenkins
V

Latest posts

Back