[Speed_Addict]

OK - I am planning on getting a ClearBra placed on my 335i coupe. I have the choice of doing the standard coverage accross the front of the car or doing full coverage of the hood and the fenders. Has anyone done the full hood and fenders and what are the pros and cons?

Also, have the choice of VentureShield or 3M product. Think I am going to go with the VentureShield product as it seems to let the paint shine though better - however, if this only a short term product feature and the product requires alot of care maintenance to maintain this attribute I could go with the 3M product?

Thanks for any and all opinions

[to_riffic]

e92phreak has the full coverage i believe, pm him and ask him about it. i just got my fender done and it was a must since i'm one of the few in america w/ the mtech front. its a great investment knowin that u're front isnt goin to be chipped up u kno.

it was ventureshield and dont get 3M cuz its not as good as VS. i've heard mny good things about VS holding up better than 3M clearbra. and the product u'll need to keep ur clearbra clean is plexus. that stuff is bomb! its awesome for any type of plastic.

oh and def do not get ne yellow wax on the clearbra or u'll fuck it up cuz then it'll get under the clearbra and turn it yellow. if u could afford the full coverage, go for it, its a sound investment. i just wanted my mtech front protected and i'm happy w/ the custom finish on it. later on i hope that i can afford the other coverages

hope this helped

[Joonsup]

umm i thought ventureshield bought out 3M or vice versa so they are both teh same now?

[scubajag]

I had the V-Shield installed. So far, it has been great. The bra was installed approximately 1/2 way up the hood, fenders, and covers the lights and mirrors. By the way, use ICE to wax the car as it does not leave a white residue, is easy to use, and does not damage the paint or the bra.

[Speed_Addict]

Thanks for the replys thus far - sounds like VS is the stuff to get so far (my researh - heavy on the ) seemed to point that way on material - so coverage (standard or full frontal) is still the question I am debating the most.

As another question to toss out - anything in particular I should expect a good installer to do to achieve the best results from the shine/clarity/adhearance perspectives? I have not seen much info on must do's for prep on this site or others.

ra2fanatic - thanks for the reply and the reference

e92phreak has the full coverage i believe, pm him and ask him about it.

- PM'd!

[Joonsup]

it's been confirmed that 3M bought out Ventureshield so they are the same thing fyi. good luck

[to_riffic]

yea, mike told me 3M bought out ventureshield. so it shows how VS is overall a good quality clearbra that even 3M had to acquire them.

np OP. go over to ventureshield's website, google it if u hav to and click to locate a local authorized dealer to help u w/ install and call around for quotes on how much it'll be.

[e92phreak]

Originally Posted by Speed_Addict

OK - I am planning on getting a ClearBra placed on my 335i coupe. I have the choice of doing the standard coverage accross the front of the car or doing full coverage of the hood and the fenders. Has anyone done the full hood and fenders and what are the pros and cons?

Also, have the choice of VentureShield or 3M product. Think I am going to go with the VentureShield product as it seems to let the paint shine though better - however, if this only a short term product feature and the product requires alot of care maintenance to maintain this attribute I could go with the 3M product?

Thanks for any and all opinions

Hey Speed_Addict.
Yes, I have the clear bra for the entire front of my car. I was the first one to do this on the forum, and I believe there have been quite a few done since (Purple All Sectors, Zoeb, etc). Purple All Sectors and Zoeb also have Venture Shield.

I had the following done:
1) Full front hood
2) Full fenders (both sides obviously)
3) Both headlights (a thicker bra was used for the headlights)
4) Front bumper, including tow hook and caps for the headlight washers
5) Fog lights
6) Front aero lip (custom)
7) Both side mirrors
8) Side columns that are on either side of the windshield

I chose VentureShield because I saw a demo of both side by side and the 3M scratched easily. Furthermore, 3M acquired VentureShield, so they must like their product. They are still two distinct products, the last I heard.

Pros:
1) I have a Titanium Silver (TiAG) metallic car. You can BARELY see the clear bra on my car, so if I went with partial, it probably would still be okay for me, but I didn't want any lines to be exposed with the partial bra.
2) I have full protection across the entire front! I don't fear those windy days or when there's dust/small rocks on the road. I still avoid them because why take the chance, but I know BMW paint easily chips.
3) The cleaning of the clear bra is sooo---> easy. A plastics cleaner called Plexus is the way to go. Just spray and wipe off. It takes me 5 minutes to clean the entire front, and after cleaning, it leaves a shiny smooth surface, almost like you clayed the car. I get TONS of bugs in the front of my car, and using Plexus, the bugs wipe off VERY easily, so I do that before I wash the car.

Cons:
1) More expensive. Wasn't too much more... but it was more.
2) When you get a detail, you're paying for a full detail when the front doesn't require too much work. I tell you, Plexus is an amazing product.
3) There are some areas where the edge of the clear bra is getting dirty as it has seaped into the clear bra. It's not everywhere, and I think my installer will warranty that.
4) Don't leave bird crap on there too long. It does slightly discolor the clear bra but it eventually does go away after cleaning and washing.

I can't emphasize how easy it is to clean the clear bra. Anyone who has asked, I have fully recommended this solution to them.

As Long Tran has said, if I (me) could clear bra the entire car (and it is available), I would do it... It would be too expensive, and you only really need the front, unless you are just paranoid of dings and scratches. Id clear bra my iPhone and other stuff if the installer place wasn't so far for me.

Hope this helps not only you, but others who have also had questions.

[e92phreak]

Originally Posted by joonsup

it's been confirmed that 3M bought out Ventureshield so they are the same thing fyi. good luck

I think they are still two distinct products though. Yes, 3M acquired VentureShield, but I believe the film is still different.

[e92phreak]

Originally Posted by Speed_Addict

Thanks for the replys thus far - sounds like VS is the stuff to get so far (my researh - heavy on the ) seemed to point that way on material - so coverage (standard or full frontal) is still the question I am debating the most.

As another question to toss out - anything in particular I should expect a good installer to do to achieve the best results from the shine/clarity/adhearance perspectives? I have not seen much info on must do's for prep on this site or others.

ra2fanatic - thanks for the reply and the reference - PM'd!

You're in the northwest... I don't have any references for that area. However, you may want to PM Zoeb@Wheeldude.com. He has a thread about the entire process that his car went through, and I liked how his installer did a few different things that my installer didn't do (clear bra'd all the way underneath the fenders to prevent the dirt, removed roundels and went underneath). My installed cut around the roundels and that allows for the sides of the film to build up dirt.

My installer is one of the more famous ones out here in SoCal. I had it done at Aerotect Protective Films in La Verne. Here is their website: http://www.aerotect.net/

Francisco is the owner. You may want to call him to see if he knows anyone up north that he can recommend to you. He also does airplanes and flies airplanes. Who knows, he might be able to fly out there to do yours.

[e92phreak]

Oh... another word of caution...

If you have anything painted after-market, make sure that it was painted properly (primed well underneath) and that it has dried for some time. The paint on my aero lip came off during the clear bra installation process. Had to be repainted. These installers will most likely have you sign a waiver concerning the aftermarket paint.

[blakjack23]

About how much would ventureshield be just for the bumper? No hood or headlights or anything.

[to_riffic]

Originally Posted by blakjack23

About how much would ventureshield be just for the bumper? No hood or headlights or anything.

close to about $300. i had mine custom cut for my mtech front w/ the cf splitters and it was almost 400

[PLAYON]

Here's a few pics of burrbrown's M3 with full hood & fenders:
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ight=clear+bra





Honestly if you're going to do the clear bra. . .you've got to go with the full hood, full fenders, front bumper, mirrors, and headlights. The only CON is price but look at it as an investment, you're spending a little extra $ to protect your whole front end. I'm getting the 550i done in a week or so, I'll take pics.

[Fuh Teng]

PLAYON, that is beautiful. Working in Saudi I see tons of cars with this horrible dry-wall paste looking stuff on it to protect from the sand storms. I have see the clear-bra once, and I didn't think it looked good, but on that M3 it looks great! I will definitely have to do that with my next car. (335, G35 whatever)

I can't wait to see your 550!

Fuh

[Speed_Addict]

e92phreak and ra2fanatic,

Thanks for all of the excellent information. I will most likely use Northwest Autoshield in Seattle to do the install. They are rated a three star provider by VentureShield and the price is good - $1,200 for: aero lip, bumper, lights, hood, fenders, rocker panels/side skirts and on the rear bumper top area in line with the trunk.

NW Autoshield says they clay bar (and polish I would think?). I would think you would have to polish after the clay bar but then again I am new to the claying process - just did it for the first time myself last week. Any comments on this?

PLAYON - Sweet ride!

[Andy M]

I've actually seen a car that's completely done in clear plastic. (in Calgary)

If you get the clear bra on just the front hood as opposed to the whole hood, the line where it ends is very obvious. Looks way better doing the whole hood. If done right, it looks really good.

On a side note, I have my iPhone done up in that clear bra stuff already. (you can buy those kits on the internet for the iPhone lol)

[kpblade]

If possible, have the installer wrap the edges, as opposed to having the material stop at the edge. It looks cleaner.