I have installed the 3M clear bra on about 8 vehicles now. Here are some pics of my C230 being installed. I will order the TT kit next week and will do that also. The kit itself is not expensive, its the labor from some shops. I will not say its easy but its not difficult either. I played with other brands. Trust me, stick with 3M. The first install I did was my GMC Envoy. When I sold the car a few months ago, I removed the film from the car. The whole front end of the vehicle was like new. Not a rock chip, bug acid, etc. If you can DIY, its totally worth it. I can tell you from experience that the hardest part usually is the bottom bumper. This is because of the curve. The more curve the harder it is. I am showing my C230 because I consider this car to be the most difficult to install. Look the top of the hood for example. Nevertheless, the install went great.

Materials needed. 3M lint free wipes, adhesive remover, alchol/water, water/soap, teflon squeegee, air release tool:
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0894.JPG">
Clay bar the surface, then use adhesive remover, then final clean with alcohol/water:
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0897.JPG">
Use 3M lint-free wipes to do final clean.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0902.JPG">
Slowly peel the film and spray with water/soap. Spray both sides.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0904.JPG">
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0905.JPG">
Spray the car's surface with water/soap.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0906.JPG">
Lay out the film on the car's surface.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0907.JPG">
Align the edges. You can use alochol/water to "anchor" the edges in place.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0908.JPG">
Wrap the wipes around the squeegee and start wiping.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0911.JPG">
Squeegee all the water and air bubbles out.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0912.JPG">
For stubborn areas like this, use water/alcohol (it sticks faster and dries quick)
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0914.JPG">
Some areas require you to actually stretch the film while squeegeeing.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0915.JPG">
Use your fingers to stretch the film. Be careful not to crease.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0916.JPG">
You may use a blow dryer in LOW heat for areas like this:
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0922.JPG">
Once film is on, spray the outside again with water/soap. Do final squeegee.
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0931.JPG">
Use the Air release tool to get rid of bubbles
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0933.JPG">
Here is the film after the install. Its invisible!
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0935.JPG">
Here is the whole kit installed. hood, fender, bumpers. You can barely see the
line of the film:
<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0892.JPG">

 

It's definitely saved the paint on my somewhat custom front.
I just had the bottom front bumper piece taken off today and will get it replaced. Like paint, the film will crack if the front end bumps or is bumped by something. More easily replaced than the paint though!

There has been a *very* slight yellowing effect of the film. Not sure if it's the film or the way it looks on the paint, but it's negligible enough to be *far* outweighed by the benefits that it provides. I'm getting mine redone asap.

FWIW, I had "custom" 1 cm strips applied to the leading edge of the hood and the roof in front. These were inexpensive, aren't as noticeable as the wider sections usually applied in those areas, and work very well.

After driving through several bug hatches in the spring, it was easy to see where things hit the car. Getting the front bumper kit plus the edges above has worked out very well.

Rich

 

... but also a 3M product (I think). I put mine on the C32 as soon as I heard that our headlight lenses cost $1,000 to replace.

 

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/51913/beached.jpg"></center><p>Perhaps it was just the one I saw, but I saw another at TT-East that was the same way. Kinda like looking through "antique" glass, it's distorted. I didn't like the way it looked, and my lenses have had to suffer accordingly. Perhaps a lighter weight plastic would have been better. The thicker plastic also ripped off the painted edges on my lenses during installation, necessitating a last minute respray.

 

... than the lens to avoid surrounding areas. It had to be heated in order to conform to compound curves, but once smoothed out, it was unnoticeable.

But then, looking at your car, you are probably 300% more meticulous about details. VERY nice.

 

I got those too. The headlight protectors are also 3M but they are 14mm thick. The clear bras are 8mm. They also apply like a sticker unlike the clear bra..

<img Src="http://www.clearpaintguard.com/ppf/DSCN0972.JPG">

 

You can definitiley tell the film is there. The 3M that I sell is DOT approved for clarity. There are other films out there that are not as clear. But the protection it provides is worth those small details.

 

Did you paint your headlight housings, how did you get them like that?

 

methinks you're missing a decimal or two... 14 mm thick would be quite noticable!

 

Great DIY. Can I use it on my site?