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      09-28-2011, 06:57 PM   #1
sard
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Clear bra placement

Hi. So I'm probably going to clear bra the key points on my X3. My thoughts are this. Anyone have any recommendations other than what is pictured here? I was debating the hood, but would only want the front part protected since the rear doesn't get much damage, but I don't want the line across the hood and didn't want to pay the amount to cover such a large area =(

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Last edited by sard; 09-28-2011 at 07:17 PM..
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      09-28-2011, 07:17 PM   #2
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1. The hood. You need coverage about 1/3 the way up the hood.
2. Mirrors. You need to cover the painted surface of your mirrors.
3. Fog lights.
4. You don't need coverage realy for the rocker panels and wheel well moldings. Low impact zone.

If you're trying to find a pattern available for the M Sport, good luck. I've been waiting since May.
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      09-28-2011, 07:47 PM   #3
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Oddly, you are showing coverage on the low priority areas -- you have it almost perfectly backwards. All the soft plastic trim will be much more resilient against rock chips because it flexes a teeny bit. In contrast, the hard plastic parts (ie, mirrors) are more vulnerable, and the sheet metal parts (hood) are the most vulnerable.

If I was doing this in order of priority or benefit, I'd start with the leading edge of the hood and do about 20-25% back, then maybe the mirrors. And only then would I worry about other parts of the vehicle. On my last few cars, I have not covered the soft plastic parts of the front end at all.

I think you can ignore the wheel arches for sure. Maybe do the rocker panel, but you should plan on using much thicker film down there.
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      09-28-2011, 07:47 PM   #4
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Do the hood too. The line is all but invisible unless you're looking for it. I've had to point it out to people when showing them the clear bra.

The DD that I just traded in had no protection at all. The two worst areas after 128,000 miles were the headlights and the leading edged of the hood.
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      09-28-2011, 08:26 PM   #5
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The reason I was considering around the wheel arches is because of what my friend with the X5 M Sport said. He said the flared out part of the rear arch at about 10 o'clock at the rear wheel is really pitted. Granted the X5 M Sport flares out a lot more.

I wanted to do right behind each wheel as the wheels kick up salt / gravel there right? On my old 325 that I drove up to the ski resort, I noticed a lot of pitting on that area right behind the front wheel. I figure I just follow the lines of the car and do the entire rocker and arches.

I guess consensus is to really do the front hood and mirrors.

Thanks guys.
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      09-28-2011, 08:36 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skier219 View Post
Oddly, you are showing coverage on the low priority areas -- you have it almost perfectly backwards. All the soft plastic trim will be much more resilient against rock chips because it flexes a teeny bit. In contrast, the hard plastic parts (ie, mirrors) are more vulnerable, and the sheet metal parts (hood) are the most vulnerable.

If I was doing this in order of priority or benefit, I'd start with the leading edge of the hood and do about 20-25% back, then maybe the mirrors. And only then would I worry about other parts of the vehicle. On my last few cars, I have not covered the soft plastic parts of the front end at all.

I think you can ignore the wheel arches for sure. Maybe do the rocker panel, but you should plan on using much thicker film down there.
Don't agree with you on the soft plastic trim. I already have 2 rock chips on my front bumper (right where the headlight washer is) and I haven't even had it on the highway yet! Also have 2 tiny knicks on the hood and the car is only 2 months old. This vehicle has the softest paint of any vehicle I have ever owned. I had an Acura MDX for 5 years with only one small knick in the hood and a 2 year old Nissan Murano with NO chips on it. BMW paint really does SUCK.
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      09-28-2011, 08:46 PM   #7
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How bout something like this then.

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      09-28-2011, 08:56 PM   #8
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front fender and ur good to go, 1/3 like the hood
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      09-28-2011, 11:29 PM   #9
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I think you are now good to go!
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      09-29-2011, 07:17 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skier219 View Post
Oddly, you are showing coverage on the low priority areas -- you have it almost perfectly backwards. All the soft plastic trim will be much more resilient against rock chips because it flexes a teeny bit. In contrast, the hard plastic parts (ie, mirrors) are more vulnerable, and the sheet metal parts (hood) are the most vulnerable.

If I was doing this in order of priority or benefit, I'd start with the leading edge of the hood and do about 20-25% back, then maybe the mirrors. And only then would I worry about other parts of the vehicle. On my last few cars, I have not covered the soft plastic parts of the front end at all.

I think you can ignore the wheel arches for sure. Maybe do the rocker panel, but you should plan on using much thicker film down there.
You're almost exactly wrong. You want to cover the areas that have the highest probability of impact by objects. Those areas are the front facing areas. The front fascia (bumper) is the #1 priority.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sard View Post
The reason I was considering around the wheel arches is because of what my friend with the X5 M Sport said. He said the flared out part of the rear arch at about 10 o'clock at the rear wheel is really pitted. Granted the X5 M Sport flares out a lot more.

I wanted to do right behind each wheel as the wheels kick up salt / gravel there right? On my old 325 that I drove up to the ski resort, I noticed a lot of pitting on that area right behind the front wheel. I figure I just follow the lines of the car and do the entire rocker and arches.

I guess consensus is to really do the front hood and mirrors.

Thanks guys.
Your friend with the X5 M Sport has given you good advice - if you have an X5 M Sport... I have one, and he is correct. But the X3 M sport does not have the rear fender flares that the X5 has, and is not prone to impacts in nearly the same way. You also want to cover the front fenders, coming down from the same edge of film on the hood.

The easiest way to figure this out is to go to the website of the film makers and look at the available patterns - you'll quickly get the idea.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, there is not yet a pattern for the M Sport bumper... I am waiting. I have my hood, mirrors, and lights covered so far, but the most important part is still exposed.
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      09-29-2011, 10:56 AM   #11
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Sard, I would also extend the hood line down the front fenders. That is typical in most kits anyhow. Edited to include image.
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Last edited by skier219; 09-29-2011 at 11:12 AM..
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      09-29-2011, 11:07 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Want the thrill View Post
Don't agree with you on the soft plastic trim. I already have 2 rock chips on my front bumper (right where the headlight washer is) and I haven't even had it on the highway yet! Also have 2 tiny knicks on the hood and the car is only 2 months old. This vehicle has the softest paint of any vehicle I have ever owned. I had an Acura MDX for 5 years with only one small knick in the hood and a 2 year old Nissan Murano with NO chips on it. BMW paint really does SUCK.
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Originally Posted by LEDZEP View Post
You're almost exactly wrong. You want to cover the areas that have the highest probability of impact by objects. Those areas are the front facing areas. The front fascia (bumper) is the #1 priority.
I was saying that the plastic parts are much more robust against chips than metal parts, all else equal (for instance, in the same area). This is both in resilience to chipping in the first place, and then damage/repair. Of course you can prioritize with other factors too, including forward-facing area. But on the forward-facing front bumper region, you definitely want to prioritize the hood over the plastic parts. Like I said, I started doing only the hood leading edge, and not the front bumper plastic parts, and that has taken care of almost all of the significant chips I was seeing.

That said, I still get chips in places where I never would have put film, such as doors, roof, and farther back on the hood. Not to mention stuff that comes up and nicks the windshield. Back when I was more aggressive with the film, it just made me realize there would still be chip problems, so there was no point in going crazy covering everything in sight.

Honestly, I think a practical solution is to get good at touchups -- I am to the point now that my chip repairs are nearly undetectable.
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      09-29-2011, 11:35 AM   #13
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You need the hood, front fascia and mirrors. The rest is window dressing. Are you getting it in pink? Very attractive. LOL
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      09-29-2011, 11:46 AM   #14
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For the MSport owners and the lack of a template for the MSport front end, I am getting to the point and kms that I may not do it when/if it does become available. I have never had it before, was going to get it for this one as it will see winter time hiway travel which is more prone to stone chips. I am reasonably good with the touch-up paint tube so may pass on the film in the end. Not sure.
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      09-29-2011, 02:42 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skier219 View Post

Honestly, I think a practical solution is to get good at touchups -- I am to the point now that my chip repairs are nearly undetectable.
That's a skill that I wish I had.
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      09-29-2011, 11:13 PM   #16
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I've been hearing about templates, but don't a lot of clear bra installers just cut it out from a large sheet of vinyl?
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      09-30-2011, 02:22 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sard View Post
I've been hearing about templates, but don't a lot of clear bra installers just cut it out from a large sheet of vinyl?
They do cut it out from large sheets in rolls without using a template. Of my Jeep I had the 1/3 of the hood and all front bumper covered. I watched the whole process. Was pretty neat and fast.

I agree with the previous posters that you need to cover the front bumper, the hood ( I'd prefer fully ,because in time paint under covered area stays almost new but the exposed part gets worn out in tone) and definitely the mirrors.

One other thing I would pay attention to is the brand of the transparent film they will use. There are various brands out. I have 3M film on the Jeep. Nice protection and did not yellow or pale in almost 6 years.
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      09-30-2011, 09:32 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sard View Post
I've been hearing about templates, but don't a lot of clear bra installers just cut it out from a large sheet of vinyl?
Both approaches are common. Many installers are linked up to a service that either scans or uses CAD to make templates, which are pre-cut. Other guys do it all from scratch with bulk material unless the geometry is complex. And then some mainly use templates, but go with bulk material for vehicles not in their template database.

I have used pre-cut kits on 4 cars. On my last S2000, I only put film on the leading edge of the hood and fenders. Given how simple the hood shape was, I used bulk material in that case, and trimmed it on the car. That provided better coverage compared to many of the kits.
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