Are you dedicated to protecting and maintaining the appearance of your wonderful vehicle? Have you ever seen or heard of a car bra before? If not, a clear car bra is a fantastic way of protecting the paint of your vehicle from rocks, bugs, and anything else that might make a scratch! Check out the rest of this article to learn everything you need to know about clear car bras!
What is a Car Bra?
When it comes to car bras, there are actually a few different types of bras. The two main distinctions are between a traditional car bra that attaches to the front bumper of your car, and a clear car bra that is actually made of protective film.
This means that a regular car bra and a clear car bra are two very different things. A traditional bra is often made of vinyl or similar materials, and goes over just the front bumper of your vehicle. They are usually black, making it quite distinctive when a car is in fact wearing a bra.
The clear car bra is far different, as it isn’t something that you can even see. Instead, a clear car bra is ultra-clear layer of film that directly lays on top of the paint of your vehicle. This allows it to directly protect the paint, preventing physical contact from scratching or scuffing the finish.
Clear Car Bra
Knowing that it's just a layer of film, you may wonder if a clear car bra is worth it. Believe it or not, a clear bra is actually very-well worth it if you truly care about your vehicle’s appearance. When considering clear car wrap cost, you’ll have to keep your vehicle make, model, and size in mind. The larger your vehicle is, the more expensive it will be to wrap. Depending upon where you get it done, you can find a quote anywhere between $500 and $2000.
One of the easiest ways to negatively impact appearance of your vehicle is by having a poor paint job. Not all paint jobs are of the same quality, but most should last upwards of a decade. If you use a clear bra, you can effectively extend and ensure the life of your paint job. Without a clear bra, you can easily rack up minor scratches and dings. A clear bra prevents all of these, leaving you only with a beautifully painted vehicle.
Clear Bra vs Ceramic Coating
Another way of protecting your car is a ceramic coating. A ceramic coating is different from clear bra paint protection because it is actually a polymer that bonds directly with the paint of your vehicle. After doing so, it will make it tougher for your vehicle to get dirty, and much easier to wash it off when it does.
Unlike the clear bra though, the ceramic coating doesn’t actually physically prevent damage from occurring to your vehicle. If you compared the appearance of a car with a clear bra against one with ceramic coating after driving for a few hundred miles, you’ll notice the car with a clear bra won’t have scratches, although it might be dirty. The car with ceramic coating will stay fairly clean, but might have some scratches or nicks in the paint. This is the key difference between a clear bra and ceramic coating.
How to Get a Clear Bra
One of the most important question about a clear car bra is: how much does it cost to put a clear bra on a car? The definitely depends upon how you go about getting a clear bra applied to your vehicle. Two of the most popular ways include a professional application and doing it yourself (DIY).
Professionally
If you want to have a clear car bra professionally applied, you can book an appointment with most car detail or paint shops. The cost depends on the business itself, the size of your car, and the quality of film you want to use. Clear car bra cost typically starts around $500, but can reach anywhere as high as $2000. When you take that into consideration, you can easily see that a clear bra can cost just as much as paint job, but is entirely worth it if you want to ensure the longevity of that paint job.
Do-it-Yourself (DIY)
Another option for getting a clear car bra on your vehicle is to do-it-yourself (DIY). You can actually find several DIY clear bra kits online, which will supply you with all the materials you’ll need. These will often also come with instructions, making the whole process a breeze!
The process involves applying multiple different layers. First a vehicle must be cleansed with a soap solution and then thoroughly dried. After you have a freshly-cleaned car, you can apply the clear bra material. Then you’ll need to use a slip solution as you gradually apply the bra, going carefully to ensure a clear and even fit. This is actually extremely tricky, a reason why the procedure is so pricy from a shop. Using a squeegee, you’ll eventually apply the bra to the entire car until you’ve covered every inch of surface area.
Clear bra paint protection cost is usually fairly low if you choose to do-it-yourself (DIY). This is because the most expensive aspect of the bra is the labor required to apply it, which you will be doing yourself. All you need to pay for is the actual materials used, making your cost as low as possible.
Clear Bra Maintenance
There are a few other things you might want to know about taking care of your clear car bra after applying it. Here’s what you’ll want to know:
How long do clear bras last? Clear bras actually last quite a long time. This isn’t a huge surprise because paint jobs on a vehicle can last upwards of 20 or more years. If a clear bra is properly applied, it should last you a good 7-10 years.
Does paint protection film damage paint? Not at all! The underside of a clear bra (the part that applies onto your vehicle) has a vinyl adhesive that won’t harm the paint of your vehicle. Because it is a film, it can be removed later, so there aren’t any long-term negative effects to protecting your vehicle with paint protection film.
How do I wash a clear bra? To wash a clear bra, you can you soap and water to clean it like you would a normal vehicle. Make sure to use a microfiber mitten to wipe with, as a brush or paper towel is abrasive and can cause your protection film to dull. While some people haven’t had issues with car washes, it is recommended that you only wash your clear bra by hand.
How often should I clean a clear bra? One thing that is absolutely important about paint protection film is frequent cleaning. You definitely don’t want anything with acid in it (things like birds releasing their bowels and dead bugs) to linger on the film, otherwise it will leave a stain.