To Bra or not to Bra

I've been looking at cars a lot this past week (just ordered mine last Monday). Specifically, I looked at a Prius in a mall parking lot near me. They had the nose deflector on. The front bumper was covered with dead bugs, ding etc. I think that decided me, but always interested in what others suggest.

 

These are the reasons my prius has the LeBra all-weather bra;
1. I prefer not to have dead bugs, chips or scratches in the paint/finish, hopefully keep that new car look as long as possible
2. Washing the car is easier, wiping the dirt and bugs off the bra
3. Bra has screen covering the upper and lower grills to keep the debris and bugs out of the grill, radiator, inside engine compartment
4. Having a bra on the car means I have my own excuse to not wear a front license plate (but won't excuse me from getting a ticket)
5. Covers more area than plastic hood deflector, as well as Toyota dealer sold bra
6. This bra can be on the car in wet weather, where regular bra must be removed to prevent damage to bra and/or car finish
7. I can install/remove (conventional) bra at will, whenever necessary
8. Shipped bra was only $65, compared with Toyota dealer bra at +$100, compared with price for materials and labor to install clear bra

I hope you do get some covering for the front of your Prius simply because I prefer to see other Prius' well maintained.

 

I have a 2004 with no type of bra and the front end is chipped up good...all the way up the hood. Just bought an 08 and we're getting the clear bra installed tomorrow morning. Knowing the abuse the front end takes it makes sense to me to spend some money now to keep it looking nicer later.

 

Definitely bra.....ClearBra that is. Cover as much of the front end as you can afford. The plastic deflectors protect very little front area and look like what they are....cheap. The vinyl bras (Colgan is the best brand, LeBra is the worst) do prevent bugs from getting into the radiator area by virtue of their screens, BUT they trap dirt underneath which can lead to scratching, they will discolor the paint if left on wet (LeBra claims this is not an issue with theirs) and if left on too long, the paint will fade unevenly based on sun exposure. I have every ClearBra kit made installed on my 2006 FEH and that will be my first "mod" when I get delivery of my Prius. Amazing stuff and well worth the price of admission

 

Next time the car's 2nd trip will be to the installer. (If the 1st trip is to home.) Get as much of the car covered with VentureShield or 3M plastic as you can. Bugs & bird poop clean up easier and my plastic saved the bumper from a scar and the hood from self inflicted scratches (during cleaning I had an "oops".) Either get a piece of rubber trim or plastic film on the top of the rear bumper.

The car is a scratch magnet and the primer is white. I don't have to say any more.

 

Hood protects engine...paint protects hood...wax protects paint...bra protects wax...plastic protectant protects bra...

 

I just had a clear bra installed on my hood, mirrors, and fenders. I wanted the bumper done also. The installer said he doesn't do the bumper because it's plastic and doesn't need it. I would think the plastic bumper could get chipped up just as well as the metal parts, right?

 

Find a new installer....for whatever reason he didn't want to do the job. The bumper is color painted and clear coated just like the rest of the car's body. It will chip just as much.

 

Whenever you hear an installer say something like that, walk away as quickly as you can. This is a tell-tale sign that the installer does not know what he/she is talking about and probably hasn't been "professionally" installing these clear bras very long. If you've made the decision to have a clear bra product installed, you'd be crazy not to have the front bumper done as well. In my experience, the bumper gets more of the hits from road debris than the hood. The bumper is usually the most difficult/challenging part to correctly lay clear film... mainly because of all the curves.

Good luck!

 

We just had our 2008 Silver Prius done yesterday. We had complete hood covered along with Frt Bumper, partial side fenders, mirrors,amd top of rear bumper. I agree it's a bit expensive but well worth it. Ours has a 5yr warranty and after 4 we can bring it in and they will remove the old bra and install new. Only charge is labor which is minimal. We also had this done on our Tundra a yr ago and it is still looking like new.

 

Thanks for your replies GatorJZ & Green Hokie.
That's kind of what I thought. He just didn't want to do the bumper because it's the hardest- not that it doesn't need it. The problem is I don't think there's much call for clear bra installation here in ND. I had never heard of such a thing til I found Priuschat.
And I could only find two places that do the installs. One was a guy doing it out of his garage, and the other was at a Toyota dealer. So I thought my best bet would be at the Toyota dealer. The guy doing it at home does do the bumpers, so maybe I'll have to make a trip there and get the job finished.

Connie

 

I recently picked up our 08 Barcelona Red pkg #2. I'm curious to what everyone is paying for a clear bra application.

 

Your installer is a complete idiot. Run, don't walk, the other way.

 

I paid $575 for mine. It was a completely custom job, meaning my installers did not use a precut kit. Custom installs (if done correctly) will typically look better and have better coverage/protection. Worth every penny IMO. Just make sure you find an experienced installer. See my signature below for the areas covered.

 

Can anyone recommend a good 3M Clearbra installer in the Indianapolis area?