Wondering whether to buy the clear plastic bra?

Is this DIY job or should I go to the installer? If you can do it yourself, any tips from previous experience?

I love this forum, lots of useful information...

Many thanks!

 

I watched my installer do it (they let me in the shop) and it sure wasn't something I'd want to do myself. Looked reasonably straightforward in principle, just wet the car and smooth the stuff on. But it looked to me like it would take enormous amounts of patience and I could see a very real possibility of tearing the stuff if you messed up.

 

I watched mine being installed and i wouldn't touch that job at all.

 

Has anyone bought the clear bras on EBay - they seem to have a good kit, and it's $60 vs the $750 quoted here?????
Toyota Prius 2010 Mega Kit Clear Bra:eBay Motors (item 140330545276 end time Sep-28-09 18:55:59 PDT)

 

Yep that is it, The leading 6-8 inches of the hood, the fender tips and the front flat area of the bumper. Over priced at $350 for what you get is a nice way to put it.

 

OK. I got my car done today and it looks great. Took the installer about 4 hours to do it and he clearly knew what he was doing. This firm trains other installers and contracts with auto dealers to supply them with kits and train their installers. I agree with other posters, I wouldn't do this myself, and I'm a reasonably handy guy. I'll post pictures later this evening.

 

totally doable if you are a DIY'er with patience.

Prius Stuff - a set on Flickr

 

It's all good - but there are $50 solutions on Ebay - has anyone tried these???

 

It looks similar to the way you apply window tint.

 

Here's some pics from today's 3M film installation. Installing film on fender, hood and mirror. Film is applied to wrap around the leading edges.

 

Installing film on bumper - the hard part.

 

Finishing bumper.

 

Finishing bumper, applying door edge guards and finished fender.

 

Finished mirror and car.

It is actually difficult to have the film stand out in a picture when the application is finished. From 3 feet away it essentially disappears. This application covered the full bumper, the fender fronts, a bit less than the first half of the hood, the mirrors, and the edges of all 4 doors. Took 4 hours to complete. The bumper is clearly the most difficult piece to do - it consumed more than half of the installation time.

 

FWIW, for those of you considering the DIY route, the installer said that the 3M film is the most difficult film to install because the clear coat on it makes it not as flexible. Might be a consideration if you have a choice of film.

 

Great pics!! Nice job!

 

I've had an Invisibra on my 2007 Prius since it was new and now I have it on my 2010 Prius as well. My advise is 1) don't buy the bra from your dealer no matter how much money they claim they are saving you and, 2) call around for the best deal but be sure you are getting quality materials and workmanship. Prices in my area for the 2010 Prius are generally around $650 to $799. I paid $559 to a guy who does all custom work rather than using precut kits. He also happens to be the same guy my dealer uses but my dealer charges unsuspecting customers $799 for the same job and even told me I would have to pay $999 if I hired the guy on my own.