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      09-11-2011, 01:52 AM   #1
flash3
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Car Bras

Does anyone know where I can purchase something as such for the X3 with a bug screen as well?

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      09-11-2011, 06:42 AM   #2
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I'd phone or e-mail Colgan Custom. They're the "granddaddy" of the vehicle bra business (they've been in the car bra business for 49 years). They don't have the X3(F25) listed on their website yet, but may have a pattern, or will have soon.

Colgan does make bras for SUV's and has one for the E83 chassis for about $175.
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      09-11-2011, 07:12 AM   #3
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That was the first place I actually checked, as it came up on my Google search, and they are working on getting one made for the x3.
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      09-11-2011, 08:27 AM   #4
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Keep calling them and requesting one. I did. There don't seem to be any out there yet, but I am starting to see lots of new X3's on the road. I took my first road trip and have my first stone chips on the hood. They are far up the hood and the bra wouldn't have helped.
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      09-11-2011, 08:57 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by richardew View Post
Keep calling them and requesting one. I did. There don't seem to be any out there yet, but I am starting to see lots of new X3's on the road. I took my first road trip and have my first stone chips on the hood. They are far up the hood and the bra wouldn't have helped.
These bras never took off in the UK and cant quite understand why anyone would ruin the look of their car by fitting one. Stone chips make me angry but the odd chip that is repairable is far better than a car bra.

Too much talk of bras is making get the feeling, now where is the wife?
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      09-11-2011, 09:18 AM   #6
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Those Americans probably be exiting when they take off the car bra.
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      09-11-2011, 09:24 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by richardew View Post
Keep calling them and requesting one. I did. There don't seem to be any out there yet, but I am starting to see lots of new X3's on the road. I took my first road trip and have my first stone chips on the hood. They are far up the hood and the bra wouldn't have helped.
you got one?!
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      09-11-2011, 09:42 AM   #8
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get a 3M clear bra instead. ~23mil thick clear film that adheres to the paint. Like tint on glass. Can be removed. Those old style black wrap bras chaff the paint and trap moisture..... no bueno.
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      09-11-2011, 09:46 AM   #9
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I had a vinyl bra on a previous vehicle, and although it did protect the front end there are several things to consider. If you don't properly install it each time, you can damage your finish. They are no piece of cake to put on and remove, which you must do frequently. and over time they become ragged and rather unsightly.

While they do not provide a bug screen for your grille, have you considered the clear bra alternative? For about 50% more, you can have the clear bra installed and it is on for the life of the vehicle. Easy to maintain and virtually invisible. Something you should consider, if you haven't.
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      09-11-2011, 10:01 AM   #10
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Oh please, don't put that on your X3, I find that very ugly ! It's like having a beautiful girl and hid her face with a mask !

And don't talk about protection; First, dust and sand goes between the paint and the bra then scratch the paint with the movement caused by wind. And secondly, over time the paint changes a little with the sun, imagine the difference in color (and scratches) after a few years or months when you take that away.

You do what you want, but I think it's a very bad idea
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      09-11-2011, 10:48 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by LEDZEP View Post
I had a vinyl bra on a previous vehicle, and although it did protect the front end there are several things to consider. If you don't properly install it each time, you can damage your finish. They are no piece of cake to put on and remove, which you must do frequently. and over time they become ragged and rather unsightly.

While they do not provide a bug screen for your grille, have you considered the clear bra alternative? For about 50% more, you can have the clear bra installed and it is on for the life of the vehicle. Easy to maintain and virtually invisible. Something you should consider, if you haven't.
I am thinking about it now. lol

I know some place in town that did my tints, also does clear bras. I will check with them tomm AM, but how much do they cost? Let's just say the front only.

Also, how does it impact the look of the car? And what about washing/waxing?
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      09-11-2011, 12:33 PM   #12
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You can DIY for a fraction of the cost if you just make a car bra out of cardboard; cardboard or vinyl they both look equally as bad.
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      09-11-2011, 12:37 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Beyu View Post
You can DIY for a fraction of the cost if you just make a car bra out of cardboard; cardboard or vinyl they both look equally as bad.
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      09-11-2011, 02:10 PM   #14
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expect to pay $600 + or - $100 depending on your area
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      09-11-2011, 02:16 PM   #15
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expect to pay $600 + or - $100 depending on your area
Ouch! How much would a respray of the bonnet cost?
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      09-11-2011, 02:25 PM   #16
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Ouch! How much would a respray of the bonnet cost?
not sure, but then you are at the mercy of a body shop to match paint and do a quality job?
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      09-11-2011, 02:32 PM   #17
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not sure, but then you are at the mercy of a body shop to match paint and do a quality job?
I had my previous e60 go into dealer bodyshop after a crash and their first effort was crap, their second effort was not much better and it was far from a perfect finish.

The ingress of dust etc under the bra must cause no end of damage along, for those with experience, do you get a tan line from sun?
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      09-11-2011, 03:09 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by BIMMER UK 76 View Post
I had my previous e60 go into dealer bodyshop after a crash and their first effort was crap, their second effort was not much better and it was far from a perfect finish.

The ingress of dust etc under the bra must cause no end of damage along, for those with experience, do you get a tan line from sun?
No tan line with clear. You can wax and polish the film just as you would paint.
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      09-11-2011, 03:21 PM   #19
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The problem with the clear bra is after it takes a few nicks from stones it looks like crap and you have to get a new one. If you use the vinyl one properly it won't cause any damage.
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      09-11-2011, 06:33 PM   #20
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I have the clear bra on my X3, hood, mirrors, and lights only so far - waiting for the pattern for the M Sport bumper to get that covered too. Unless I pointed it out to you, I doubt you would know it was there if you looked at my car.

I had a clear bra on my 2007 E90 from the time it was new until I traded it for the X3, and it still looked great. A minor little divit here or there are barely noticable - and you are almost pleased with them, because you know that would have been a chunk of paint instead. The film is much more resilient than paint, and most impacts that would cause a paint chip will not even mar the film.

Washing - no difference at all. Waxing - the only thing to watch is getting paste in the "seam" at the edge of the film and having a harder time with it, but it causes no harm. You can wax as you normally would. Also, Plexus does a great job of shining and protecting the clear film, especially on the light covers.
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      09-11-2011, 07:04 PM   #21
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As someone who has done 25k miles a year for the past 9 years running I have a lot of experience with this topic.

My first car I was fanatical about protecting was a 2003 jetta GLI - I had little money for and not heard a lot of good about3m products in 2003 so I opted for the considerably cheaper bra. 75k miles later and 3 northeast winters I learned a lot of things. THE most damage to the front of a vehicle happens in the winter and that using a bra during the winter make it impossible to do middle of winter car washes. Summertime showers produces a ton of grit between the bra and paint so anytime the bra gets wet it needs completely washed and so does the car. Unless you put clear protection on your headlights they will be toast and expensive as he'll to replace in no time.

After that I've put clear solutions on my next three vehicles and they were absolutely amazing/no problem.

While in the beginning the clear solutions are much much more expensive- the time, effort, energy, stress of keeping that bra/paint clean underneath and always having it on at the right time that truck want to bounce a peppble attack your way in the end the bra is far more costly and offers not a fraction of the protection.

Clear protection technology is extremely for giving these days- watch a few videos, an extra set of hands and a little diligence and you can totally do it yourself...
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      09-11-2011, 08:03 PM   #22
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I'm gonna call tomm and check pricing.
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