I am looking to purchase an XK in the near future and plan on installing a clear bra immediately. I have one installed on my 04 G35 Coupe which I purchased new 10 years ago. It has not yellowed and has saved me many times over from those unsightly chips. I just did the front bumper as I'm not a fan of the line going across the hood. Depending on price, I may do the entire hood on the XK in addition to the bumper, but the bumper is an absolute must. If it is chipped already, it's important to get it repainted or the clear bra will exaggerate the blemishes. It's the best investment owners of exotics or semi exotics can make with today's roads. I would not own a car without one.

 

I see you're from Florida. I had my new XKR done by Tint World, West Palm Beach. They never did a very good job. I had the front done, about 16" up the sides wheel to wheel, behind the back wheels, and the back top bumper below the hatch. Some of the corners are starting to peel back. Lots of bubbles from dirt under the clear bra. See the pictures:

 

DGL:

I think I would strip and remove the clear film shield off the car. The bubbles may collect moisture thus causing some condensation under the clear bra, and the white marks may become more appearent.

I don't think the vendor did a very good job. The problems under the bra may just get worse and damage the paint, then you have a BIG expense to repaint and get a good match with the original.

 

I too have the clear bra and would like to remove it, but in order to do that it has to be heated with a heat gun....and since the body is aluminum i'm hesitant to try. Any thoughts on removal???????????
On a side note...it has protected the nose from quite a few dings , but some big ones have cut through the clear bra and looks bad. I also dislike the obvious line on the hood. They should stop at the seams.

 

That is highly disappointing. Will they correct it? I'm sure casual observers won't be able to tell, but your opinion is the one that counts.

 

Auto Options’ most popular clear bra package includes:

Clear Bra on Front Bumper

Clear Bra on Front 20” (+ -) of Hood

Clear Bra on Front 20” (+ -) of Front Fenders

Clear Bra on Front Side of Both Side Mirrors

The 4 items above on my 2009 Jaguar XK cost $595

2 Additional Options I Highly Recommend:

Clear Bra on Inside of each Door Handle: $20 each

Clear Bra on Top of Rear Bumper: $60

Auto Options Inc.
734 East Garden Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43214
Phone 268-3500
1/2 Mile South of Morse on Indianola at E. Garden Rd

 

I think it depends on where you live and drive. I live in the Northwest and it snows in the winter, a lot. The left overs from the roads is sand and gravel in the spring and summer. I did mine in 2007 and it has saved the front of the car. I would recommend that you use the clear without the UV protection because it allows the paint to fade at the same rate, mainly on the hood so you don't end up with two different shades. Mine cost $600.00 for the entire front end, mirrors and fog lights. Very good investment in areas like mine. It is still very clear and has not cracked or anything else. Good Luck!

 

The only installer I have used on my cars and would use for the XK here in S.E. Florida is Autosupershield.com Pepi is the owner and has been doing clear bras on super cars for years. He's very meticulous and knows what he's doing. I love looking at the lambos and Ferraris at his shop.

 

I just have a good body shop respray road rashed areas twice a year on any car I've ever owned. I usually buy black cars and any coating just takes away from the shine and depth of the finish. I just factor in ~1500 a year for paint work on a daily driver and have a great detailer to keep the car looking showroom new inside and out.

 

I agree. I have it and it looks like crap. Mostly because it's continued up the hood about 20". It looks like a bad paint match. I'm looking for a way to take it off the hood at least. On the plus side it does protect you from small chips but the big ones will cut through the plastic and look like crap again.
If you must do it....just do front lower bumper, mirrors and maybe area behind front wheels.

 

Umm... nope. Just took mine off the nose, it has been on for about 4 years. I was being VERY careful but still ended up pulling a bunch of clearcoat (but not paint) off, it was like the clearcoat had actually come loose in places. I read somewhere that clear bra glue can loosen clear coat over time. So that clear bra saved nothing as I had to have the nose repainted anyway.

I keep seeing an advert on TV for a spray-on clear bra kit from 3M, the product is called Paint Defender
3M Paint Defender System: Benefits - 3M Auto

They show it peeling off very easily. I'm guessing it might be more visible than a conventional adhesive bra but this would work great for me as I have a celestial black car and seem to be getting quite a few little rock chips in just 10k miles here in AZ. I enter my car in 2 jag club concours events a year so would love something I can easily/cheaply pull off and re-do every year anyway, (as you loose points if you have a clear bra).

Anyone actually seen this 3M Paint Defender on a car?

 

I'm about to pull the clear bra off the hood and both front fenders, but have been scared to try. I heard installers use hot steamers to loosen the plastic. Did you use steam or heat gun???
Thanks for the advice.

 

My god!!! Repainting twice a year!? I could see once every 2 years but not that frequently!

Does the paint ever fully cure before you strip it off and repaint it?

 

I used heat gun, but the trouble is it also makes the clear bra stretchy and harder to pull off because it tears easier so dont overdo it.

 

For those that had the clear bra done on their 2010 or newer XK front bumper, were there many seams and can you see them? I saw the kit I will be buying and their are 3 separate pieces. I am just wondering how noticeable the seams will be. The installer is an artist, but seams are seams unless you constantly keep them clean. I just don't know yet where they will be. Anybody have an info on their front bumper's seams? My car color is liquid silver.

 

Three pieces, four seams, but no seams across the top of the nose where they'd be noticeable. You have to look hard to see them. Not distracting at all. Yours may be different in design, but here's mine. Arrows point to 4 vertical seams.

 

Thanks very much Muddydog.......That looks like my design. The seams should be in the same location as well. Is yours rolled around the edges? I'm very **** and don't want anything to be noticeable unless under extreme scrutinity. Do you need to clean the seams periodically to remove any dirt buildup? I think my installer once mentioned using a cue tip with isopropyl alcohol . I would assume that the seams would be more noticeable with a dark color than with a lighter color such as silver. Were you aware of any other kit available without the seams? My installer said it could not be done without seams unless it compromised the bra due to the very round and complex surface. Your thoughts?
By the way. Did you do your headlights?

 

Was at a Terribly British car display on weekend in bright sunshine - 400 classics there, from a 1910 roller through to the new F type. The local Jag dealer had some nice cars there too, and when they looked at my XKR with the bra on, did not even notice it was there until I aksed them to look a bit closer. If the efilm is wrapped over the leading edges it will hold well, and after exactly 12 months on mine, it has no dirty seams or bad joins. i had the whole bonnet, mirrors, door handle cups, rear bumber top edge, sills and rocekr panels done, and have avoided all stone chipping and scratching since. Well worth while and a good investment in the car's longer term value in my opinion. They had to use a different film, probably a coth guard one on the bonnet as it is too wide for the standard 3M roll, but that looks ok too. The seams were obvious on the rocekr panels when first done as they did not do the whole panel, and had a line on the top side that was not good, so I redid the whole panel, and when the joins are on the natural panel edges they all but disappear. Makes it easier to keep the car clean, and no need for waxing or polishing, just a high pressure hose from about 3 feet and then a wipe dry.
I am certainly glad I had the extra work done and will do so on my next car as well.

 

I bought it with the Avery Nano-Fusion clear bra already installed. My edges are not rolled. but I've seen that on another car, and rolling the edges made it practically undetectable, even with close inspection. My headlights have a thick piece on them, different from the rest of the film.

Dirt doesn't build up on the seams, but wax will. A fingernail and a microfiber cloth cleans that off. Just don't wax the panels that have the film--you don't need to, anyway.

 

I had my XKR done at a body shop and they did a terrible job, which really surprised me because they do great body work. There were unsightly seams that you could see from several feet away. It was obvious that they did not know how to deal with the XKR front end. I had my XKRS done at the Jag dealership and there are no seams. Yes you heard me right - I cannot find any seams. It turns out that they use a place that specializes in nothing else but applying the clear bra. They will also do a full cover. Bottom line - if it's done right you will not see any seams.

The way I found out about this place is I had to replace the splitter and I wanted to get it covered. It was such a small job that the service manager sent me to the clear bra shop. There was a Ferrari, a C63 Black DTM (that was purchased in Europe and shipped to the states at an incredible expense),a Bugatti and my XKRS. They wouldn't let me take a picture of the Bugatti to protect the owner - weird. Anyways, these guys were good! So no excuses for having seams.

Cheers!