[64-bit]

Ok, lets be realistic here...

You just paid $45K on your car, now you got monthly payments to take care, then you buy the extended warranty because you want to protect your investment after 50K miles, after all that money you need somehow protect the looks of it, and at this points you don't want to throw another $1,200 (including tax) on a paint protection, you need to choose between Opti-coat or clear bra. I know, I know, they are different products but if you can only afford one of them, which one would you do?

Location: I live in Boston where there is lots of bird drops, salt/snow in the winter.

My car: 2013 335i RWD, M-SPORT, Estoril Blue

My profile: 80% highway driving, home - work is about 25 miles each way.

Here is the price:

Opti-coat $400 - which protect your paint against the elements including acid rain, bird drops, salt, makes your life easier when washing the car.

Clear bra $650 - gets applied on 1/3 of you hood, full bumper and mirrors, will protect your vehicle from bugs, dirt, scratches, nicks, road salt, sand and road debris and will cause no damage to your OEM paint if removed years later.

Which path would you take?

[BavarianFanatic]

Two totally different things. One is a fancy polish and the other is a protective film to prevent chips. Opti-coat is over blown. Just wax/polish the car every once in a while. Clear bra actually does something useful.

[canbmw]

Agree with above post. Get the clear bra then put some sealant or wax in yourself twice a year.

[1bad335]

I priced clear bra 3m and was shocked at the off the wall prices they wanted for it. I also priced Opti coat with paint correction and again was shocked by the prices there too. So, I bought the Cquartz sealer and since I have my own polisher and know how to use it. I invested in some good products for scratch and swirl removal and did the job myself. Cost me under 125.00 for everything and it came out great. I was very pleased with the Cquartz as far as looks and ease of application. In the end if you drive your car it will not stay perfect forever no matter what you put on there.

[Steve33]

Just dropped some pretty pennies on a clear bra... worth every penny! PS the 3M film is garbage, the xpel ultimate is the way to go

[Teemo Panda]

yup, Xpel is better than any clear bra IMO~

[Vitoco]

I would take opti-coat for the car, and clear bra´s for all the ladies

[bananachipz]

Opti-Coat is great.. So is a clear bra.

Here's what you do: get the bra. Buy some Opti-Coat yourself. If you car is fairly blemish free (assuming it's new), just have a light polish done, or do it yourself. Then apply the opti-coat yourself - it's dead simple.

You should be able to pick up a syringe of Opti-Coat for under $70 that will do several cars.

[Enilder]

Originally Posted by 64-bit

Ok, lets be realistic here...

You just paid $45K on your car, now you got monthly payments to take care, then you buy the extended warranty because you want to protect your investment after 50K miles, after all that money you need somehow protect the looks of it, and at this points you don't want to throw another $1,200 (including tax) on a paint protection, you need to choose between Opti-coat or clear bra. I know, I know, they are different products but if you can only afford one of them, which one would you do?

Location: I live in Boston where there is lots of bird drops, salt/snow in the winter.

My car: 2013 335i RWD, M-SPORT, Estoril Blue

My profile: 80% highway driving, home - work is about 25 miles each way.

Here is the price:

Opti-coat $400 - which protect your paint against the elements including acid rain, bird drops, salt, makes your life easier when washing the car.

Clear bra $650 - gets applied on 1/3 of you hood, full bumper and mirrors, will protect your vehicle from bugs, dirt, scratches, nicks, road salt, sand and road debris and will cause no damage to your OEM paint if removed years later.

Which path would you take?

1/3 of your hood turns me off. Get the whole hood or do Opti-coat. I don't know if you thought about it but quarter panels and fenders should be considered as well. It won't stay below $1000 though. You should consider how many years you are going to keep the car and figure out if it is worth it. Not that hard IMO.

[v1k1ng01]

Did the clear bra on my car and it works nicely. That said the bumper section doesn't fit perfectly with the m-sport bumper. I had to chop mine up into sections when I did it, and it took me the 4 hours to get it applied by DIY. The clear bra plastic vinyl is super tough vs everything including my exacto knife, and you got to be right on top of it to see it.

In contrast, I work with a dude who has a RWD clone of my car and he did Cilia-Jet which is the same as Opti-Coat. It works good on the whole body against dirt, rain and bird shyte, but dude can't wax the car, shits already got swirls, and gives nothing vs. rocks. IMO Chemical sealants are just fancy wax, and clear bra is a protective plastic layer. Thats my 2 cents anyway...

[64-bit]

Thank you all...

I will call the guy to find out if he can do the clear bra on the whole front for $650

I want to keep my car for at least 5 to 6 years.

[Sabo]

Clear bra gives you the most protection but you really have to wrap the WHOLE car which cost a fortune not to mention if the film gets damaged you need to replace it(more cost). If you only do certain panels more likely you end up having chips/scratch on those that not been covered. I've come across so many new/nearly new BMW's with chips on the roof, A-pillars, rear fender etc.

[Steve33]

Originally Posted by 64-bit

Thank you all...

I will call the guy to find out if he can do the clear bra on the whole front for $650

I want to keep my car for at least 5 to 6 years.

The clear bra for $650 won't happen unless it's a precut kit and you DIY. Plus if your car has miles on it, the installer has to polish your car. I did a custom full front (mirrors, fenders, bumper, hood) for $1800. IMO it's worth EVERY penny.

Originally Posted by Saby

Clear bra gives you the most protection but you really have to wrap the WHOLE car which cost a fortune not to mention if the film gets damaged you need to replace it(more cost). If you only do certain panels more likely you end up having chips/scratch on those that not been covered. I've come across so many new/nearly new BMW's with chips on the roof, A-pillars, rear fender etc.

Why would I have to wrap the whole car? I wouldn't drop another $2-3k to do the rest of the car for however long I have the car (probably 5 years). I'd go get a detailer to clay everything besides the film for a couple hundred bucks

[AstonKarim]

Im getting both, currently have the 3M clear bra. Detailer also stated he will apply opti coat on the clear bra as well

[64-bit]

[QUOTE=Steve33;14197443]The clear bra for $650 won't happen unless it's a precut kit and you DIY. Plus if your car has miles on it, the installer has to polish your car. I did a custom full front (mirrors, fenders, bumper, hood) for $1800. IMO it's worth EVERY penny.[/u2b]

Thank you Steve33, you have convinced me, I will check que film quality and I will try to apply in the whole front first, and I will manually maintain the rest of the paint myself.

[Steve33]

Originally Posted by AstonKarim

Im getting both, currently have the 3M clear bra. Detailer also stated he will apply opti coat on the clear bra as well

With the xpel, there's no need for opticoat.

3M film is garbage. Here's a thread to read from another forum, it'll help you out a little bit.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...s-3M-Clear-Bra

[tony20009]

If I can afford to buy only one or the other, I'd buy the one I can afford.

Assuming clear bra works as advertised, and I've heard from others that it does, it's the one I'd get because the stuff against which opi-whatever protects can be dealt with by washing the car, or at least rinsing it off and using some manually applied after market products. In contrast, the only alternative to clear-bra is a not-clear-bra, at least as far as I know.

[Steve33]

Originally Posted by tony20009

If I can afford to buy only one or the other, I'd buy the one I can afford.

Assuming clear bra works as advertised, and I've heard from others that it does, it's the one I'd get because the stuff against which opi-whatever protects can be dealt with by washing the car, or at least rinsing it off and using some manually applied after market products. In contrast, the only alternative to clear-bra is a not-clear-bra, at least as far as I know.

Amen. I knew when I was buying the car, I was going to pony over another $1800 for a car bra. It was pretty much a line item. Some installers are much more likely to cut you a break on the price if you pay in cash so they can "avoid transaction fees" The opticoat I see as a temporary solution and doesn't offer as much protection a film does... it even advertises itself as another layer of clear coat

[v1k1ng01]

I used clear defenders full kit ($350) and it's easy to put on. use soapy water on the sticky side, line it up, and squeegee it out. took me 4 hours because I had to cut the bumper piece into bits, after my first attempt to put it on. It's on nicely and didn't cost me a fortune. In the picture below you can't see the bra at all.

[64-bit]

Originally Posted by v1k1ng01

I used clear defenders full kit ($350) and it's easy to put on. use soapy water on the sticky side, line it up, and squeegee it out. took me 4 hours because I had to cut the bumper piece into bits, after my first attempt to put it on. It's on nicely and didn't cost me a fortune. In the picture below you can't see the bra at all.

Thank you for the picture.

It is clear now that clear-bra would be the best choice at the begging, and it can be done by yourself if you got the garage to do it.

[64-bit]

Just called XPEL "Experienced PPF Installer" arround Boston.

M-Sport bumper installation + 30% hood and fenders = $975 installed.

Very expensive.

[Steve33]

Originally Posted by 64-bit

Just called XPEL "Experienced PPF Installer" arround Boston.

M-Sport bumper installation + 30% hood and fenders = $975 installed.

Very expensive.

Cheaper than a repaint