What is this clear bra people have been talking about for their TCH? Does it look better than your standard black one?

Other than the dealer and ebay, where can I get the best deal on a bra for my 09 TCH?

 

It's "paint protection film" made by 3M and various others. The old style bras have various drawbacks. I covered my entire hood for about $90. Don't have the dealer do it as they only act as a middleman and jack up the price. Cheapest is to buy bulk film and DIY. The hood isn't too difficult but the bumper is tricky. Just find a reputable tint/paint protection film place to do it for you.

It's best to do this right away before you accumulate any chips.

 

Once the protection film is applied, can I treat the car like normal, washing, etc.?

 

I handwash but I remember it's car wash safe after a certain amount of time after installation.

 

Would the film alter the color under it or in some other way damage the car?

 

No, it is clear. The only way you see it is to look close and find the edge of it. My 07 came with it already on from the dealer.

John

 

It's said to not harm the paint as well as be UV transparent so that the covered paint fades in unison with uncovered paint.

On my white car, I can kind of tell that it's a slightly different shade of white. On any other color I don't think you'd be able to tell unless you found the line. Of course, if you cover the entire hood you won't have a line.

Occasionally, you will see someone with a clearbra that's turned an odd color. I saw one that was dark orange on a beat up old car. I'm pretty sure that was one of the cheap knockoffs made out of the wrong material.

 

"I'm pretty sure that was one of the cheap knockoffs made out of the wrong material."

Maybe ... Wait 5 years and find out?

The one place I can think where that stuff might be worthwhile is on the back face of a motorcycle gas tank that's got a seat without a front lip. For cars, just my 2 cents: any kind of bra is going to do more to damage than protect.

 

It's been around for quite a bit longer than 5 years.

Even if it does turn yellow, it's not going to damage the paint. It might be true that conventional car bras do more damage than they prevent but paint protection film is a totally different animal.

High-end sports cars that cost in the 6-figure range are often completely covered with paint protection film.

 

I've got the '06, and don't see a single ding on the leading edge of the hood. We do have a few on the bumper, due to parallel parking incidents. I couldn't say with 100% certainty that it was the other guy's fault or ours.

Anyway, if you're set on getting something, I know how it is, but I've never personally seen the need for this. Unless you have the misfortune of being behind an overloaded gravel truck, the main danger is following too close.