Clear Bra vs. No Clear Bra??? (Paint Protection Film)

[gatorfast]

Why does it matter if it's a lease? He will still have the car for 3 years. It's not like you get your money back for ppf if you own the car and trade it in so that argument is irrelevant imo.

[boss2k]

I hate these stupid concepts of lease vs finance, tell me how many of you keep high performance german cars for more than 5 yrs ?

As long I own the car i take very good care of it, who knows I may buy the car at lease end or trade in

[damageprone]

Originally Posted by Sassicaia

putting Xpel on a lease seems like a complete waste of money to me.


Why would you bother investing to protect a car that doesn't belong to you? Your next mod should be a personalized licence plate that says "dontcare"

I agree with this statement UNLESS you have any inkling that you're going to buyout at the end of this.

[skyline408]

Can you turn in a leased a car with powdercoated wheels?

[Mr Pete]

Originally Posted by boss2k

I hate these stupid concepts of lease vs finance, tell me how many of you keep high performance german cars for more than 5 yrs ?

As long I own the car i take very good care of it, who knows I may buy the car at lease end or trade in

I agree. OP, if you can't stand rock chips staring back at you every time you wash/detail your car, then do it.

[Professor///M]

And it won't gain you any $$$ on a trade in. Full front is is generally $1200-2000 depending on your location. You'll never get that money back.

If it's a lease, I wouldn't really do it. Just fix chips as needed. Chips are generally normal wear and tear so it's only if it bothers you

[Draper]

Originally Posted by skyline408

Can you turn in a leased a car with powdercoated wheels?

Sure. Just be prepared to buy a new set at dealer prices.

[darkbro66]

My xpel film has probably saved my front bumper, rockers, and rear wheel arch from 10+ decent sized chips in 3 months. The paint on these cars does not hold up invredibly well, so it just depends how much rock chips will bother you.

Even with full front bumper, hood, headlights, rockers and wheel arches I still managed to get a nice sized rock chip on my driver side front door already

[AlterZgo]

I clear bra'd the front of my leased m3. About a year ago, I ran over a big tire tread on the fwy that was kicked into my lane by another car. It was large and rounded and it actually dislodged the front lower grille and left big ass marks on the lower bumper area.

I was able to pop the grille back in place and, after a quick wash, there was not one single mark or dent left in the bumper. The clear bra absorbed everything without even scratching or ripping.

I am 100% positive that without the clear bra, the car would have required, at a minimum, polishing to remove the mark and perhaps even repainting.

So, for me, it's been a great investment.

That, plus the fact that it is exceedingly easy to remove bug splatter when you have a clear bra on the front end. I've been through some places where it seems like there are thousands of bugs hitting the front of the car. With clear bra, it all hoses and wipes right off without scratching, etc.

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by synergy design

So most of these parts can be sold in 3 years at the end of the lease but now I am faced with a bigger ticket purchase dilemma.....Xpel. Have many of you had a clear bra installed to avoid pits and chips on your lease? Or am I just throwing money away since I plan to turn her back in at the end of the lease? Does the dealer consider the chips as normal wear and tear or do they deduct this from my deposit?

Thanks for your feedback!

On a lease, it's not a wise financial decision...but, depending on your personality and goals, it may be the best decision. Unless truly excessive (in which case your car insurance would likely cover, such as being caught in a severe wind storm), paint chips are considered wear and tear and are not a problem with a lease return. That said, if over the next three years you don't want to deal with or see chips, want very easy clean-up of bugs, etc., and want peace of mind - PPF may be $1000 well spent in the end.

Nice car.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by AlterZgo

I clear bra'd the front of my leased m3. About a year ago, I ran over a big tire tread on the fwy that was kicked into my lane by another car. It was large and rounded and it actually dislodged the front lower grille and left big ass marks on the lower bumper area.

I was able to pop the grille back in place and, after a quick wash, there was not one single mark or dent left in the bumper. The clear bra absorbed everything without even scratching or ripping.

I am 100% positive that without the clear bra, the car would have required, at a minimum, polishing to remove the mark and perhaps even repainting.

So, for me, it's been a great investment.

That, plus the fact that it is exceedingly easy to remove bug splatter when you have a clear bra on the front end. I've been through some places where it seems like there are thousands of bugs hitting the front of the car. With clear bra, it all hoses and wipes right off without scratching, etc.

Wow literally the same exact thing happened to me a few months back, same exact scenario. PPF did its job and no scratches on the bumper, just needed to pop the grille back in and re-attach a parking sensor.

[BoxKing]

If you're anal about every single spec on your car, then do it. If not, spend $50 bucks and get Dr Color Chip to repair minor chips (works very well, and only takes a few minutes).

Leasing no way would I drop the coin. Buying (which I did) yes to PPF, and I wish I did this the day I left the lot, bc Im anal as FK about every little mark to the front end.

[shiv.nandak]

Dealer does not care if the car has chips, door dings or minor curb rash when you turn it in.

Also, i did not have xpel on my M4 and in 1.3 years - the front end was chip free. I drove it as a DD, through salty roads, snow storms etc. I did make a conscious effort to not follow someone close.

[z335is]

It's nearly impossible to avoid minor damage without wrapping the whole damn car. That being said, a partial clear bra will help you avoid any major hazards (the tire tread story from a few posts ago being a good example).

I had my car wrapped at the dealer (hood, fenders, front bumper, etc.) and then got rear ended with 600 miles on the clock. So I guess point being - is it worth it? Yes. Will it be the ultimate panacea for any kind of damage? No.

[zeus2212]

Only cost you $400 to repaint the front bumper

Why do you need the bra? Bra is for girls lol

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by zeus2212

Only cost you $400 to repaint the front bumper

Why do you need the bra? Bra is for girls lol

Because pulling out of the parking lot from the body shop that just perfectly painted your bumper, a truck could drive by and kick up a rock which chips that beautiful paint job. There goes that $400 unless you constantly want to touch it up or repaint.

Instead, that same $400 (maybe a little bit more) can pay for ppf to be installed. Then when you pull out of the parking lot of your local ppf installer and a truck drives by and kicks a rock onto your bumper, it will simply hit the protective film leaving your bumper underneath still perfectly painted and chip free.

[rakusak]

Any recommendations for Xpel installers in the Austin,TX area?

[Bruce_SC]

Originally Posted by JSTDR1V

And it won't gain you any $$$ on a trade in. Full front is is generally $1200-2000 depending on your location. You'll never get that money back.

If it's a lease, I wouldn't really do it. Just fix chips as needed. Chips are generally normal wear and tear so it's only if it bothers you

Until you get hit by the lease company for reconditioning cost...Then it will pay back.

Bruce

[Professor///M]

Originally Posted by Bruce_SC

Until you get hit by the lease company for reconditioning cost...Then it will pay back.

Bruce

I don't know, shy of a dump truck dropping its load in front of your car, a vehicle with less than 45K miles that would sustain so many rock chips to require $2000 in damages.

But I guess you pay for whichever you want. Definitive money lost up front, or the possibility of owing money in the future.

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by JSTDR1V

I don't know, shy of a dump truck dropping its load in front of your car, a vehicle with less than 45K miles that would sustain so many rock chips to require $2000 in damages.

But I guess you pay for whichever you want. Definitive money lost up front, or the possibility of owing money in the future.

Actually if you drive though the conditions I have had to in the past, it isn't hard to rack up enough rock chips to need to respray. I did it through insurance under comprehensive and it costs over 15k on my 3er.

If I clear bra/coated my car this would have saved me the headache and an increase in my insurance because i'm anal about my cars. If you know for certain the roads you have to drive through are filled with sand trucks etc, doing so would help even if your car is a lease.

[Professor///M]

Originally Posted by Arcades

Actually if you drive though the conditions I have had to in the past, it isn't hard to rack up enough rock chips to need to respray. I did it through insurance under comprehensive and it costs over 15k on my 3er.

If I clear bra/coated my car this would have saved me the headache and an increase in my insurance because i'm anal about my cars. If you know for certain the roads you have to drive through are filled with sand trucks etc, doing so would help even if your car is a lease.

I'm so surprised with this. I drive >15k miles a year with - say less than 5 for mostly highway driving. I've only put them on cars I have owned.

I stand corrected. Go get your clear wraps lol

[Fake News 2017]

I'd do it on any color but white. If white just do the front bumper and headlights. Kinda wishing I had.