Did you put a clear bra on your F430?

I had it put on at the dealership before driving off. I did the whole front to the doors and the mirrors

 

I decided not to do it.

Prior to joining FerrariChat, I spent a lot of time at forums.mbworld.org and researched the clear bra thing for my MBZ.
Here's an interesting thread that made up my mind....
http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=197258&highlight=clear+bra

 

I've had paint protection film applied to all my cars and IMO it does exactly what its intended to do. The installer and IMO one of the best in the industry is also one of our sponsors, http://www.premiermobilegroup.com/. I'm scheduled to have my 430 covered in the next week and they will be using VentureShield Ultra.

 

yes

 

It is a must have for exotics, much more so for Ferrari. IMO, I feel that the factory paints on Ferraris seem to chip very easily from tiny rocks that ricochet off the car's most vulnerable surfaces especially after multiple high speed runs on the autobahn. Look at the circled portion in the attached picture, you can see the chipped paint at the edge where the bumper is not covered by the protective film. The film covered area suffers no casualties. Will certainly have it done on all my future exotic rides.
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Yes, mine was done by the Ferrari dealership before I picked it up.
I think the clear bra works best on darker colors. My 430 is Nero.
I'd think twice about doing it on a white car.

Mine comes up halfway up the hood and fenders. Dust collects in the transition line but one sideways swipe with a clean microfiber towel makes the line almost invisible.

If you drive your car, I think you have only two choices: install a clear bra or eventually repaint your front bumper area due to rock chips. Rock chip damage is probably happening under the clear bra anyway, just that the clear bra holds the paint chips in place. So, if you ever remove the clear bra, I suspect the front bumper would then need to be repainted. I believe many Ferraris have had their front bumper repainted, dealers will do this when they put a car up for resale. Paint matching technology is light-years better than it used to be and the cost is not much, so, to get a spotless front end, often they are repainted.

 

Absolutely.

When I bought my 360, it had a clear bra on half the hood and other high-impact places. Of course the lower half of the hood was immaculate, but the upper -- unprotected -- half of the hood had typical chips and scrapes.

When I got my brand new 430, I had the clear bra applied before I took delivery.

I had the entire front of the car done... full hood, full fenders, mirrors, rocker panels all the way back to the rear tires etc etc. You can't see a thing and I feel SO much safer driving the car around.

Frank

 

Definitely not the norm. However, this would be predicated on typical road conditions in which you drive and the amount of debris that was able, (typically not easy) to penetrate the film. I removed the paint protection film from my daily driver and the front bumper cover and hood were near flawless after 3 yrs. or almost 40K miles.

 

I have it on all of my cars, and my black GT3 RS is completely covered. The only negative I can think of is that you can't easily remove scratches or scuffs and both happen pretty easily on VentureShield film. Then you need to remove all or part of the film when that bothers you. Bottom line is the paint is still good.

 

I've been able to remove light scratches and scuff marks with...http://www.griotsgarage.com/p2p/searchResults.do?method=view&search=basic&keyword=Fine+hand+polish&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

 

I put it on, but it isn't perfect, and I suspect that when I sell the car, I'll have to have the bumper re-painted, but it's kept the hood, and the fenders pretty decent. However, nobody seems to cover the intakes, and that will definitely need repaint.

Art

 

Ofcourse...........3M.

 

I have my bumper done and re-did behind the 4 wheels with more protection. also my rocker panels.

 

Thanks for the info. That's probably ok on the films that use a clear coat, like 3M. VentureShield, which is very clear for an entire car, does not have a clear coat. Their warranty statement recommends using a product called Plexus. But, I don't thinks that will fix scratches or scuffs. VentureShield says:

DO NOT USE:
- Powder based or abrasive cleaners
- Solvent based degreasers
- Rubbing compound, clay, or other type of abrasive material
- High speed buffing or polishing equipment

What does 3M say?

 

Cover the car in plastic!!! Whether 3m or a comparable brand, it is WHO applies it. Anyone worrying about "swirl" marks over rocks may not haveh heard of the numerous products that (easily) clean the plastic. On my 430, vents, front lights mirrors, posts, front, rocker panels, etc. are covered and especially if "tracking" the car, are life savers (spelled - save you money and the pain in the stomach you feel when seeing a scratch or chip on your car). Best

 

Yes, Continental Ferrari had it done by their connection. It has saved me many nicks from our great Indiana roads.

 

I had StickCity do it and they use the 3M product.

http://www.stickercity.com/store/home.php

Great guys and a great job!!

I would be interested in knowing more about anyone that has had success buffing out light scatches and bruises. I was advise against it.

 

Venture Shield rocks!

If you have to repaint your bumper before putting on the clearbra, just make sure you wait at least 10 days for the paint to "cure" prior to install.

Otherwise in the future if you ever have to remove the clearbra the paint will stick and peel off with it.

 

I had it done on both my 430's. The 05 i had done with the thick 3M stuff.. very expensive ($1900) and wasnt done well at all by Pepe in Boca. he had to make all pieces himself and stretch it around etc. he tried super hard and it was fine but not perfect. Good to have though.

Did it on my 07 as well with the thinner stuff and it came out amazing. It was a kit made for the 430 and its flawless.

On both cars, i also did the mirrors, rocker panels, aluminum threshold on interior, behind each wheel, A-pillars, headlights and the Nostrils (makes them shiny instead of flat but looks good and definitely needed there (chips easy) and the stainless rectangle on interior.

 

Venture Shield done on mine before leaving the showroom to drive home. Very happy with it.
Will also do on my next one. Al

 

Today's film technology has come a long way. Competing manufacturers have more similarities than differences, so what it comes down to is the installer. Areas that are of concern for Fcars - hood, lower fenders between hood / bumper, front bumper, headlights, rocker panels and also behind the tires (where they put the factory stuff that is always poorly installed).

 

If you install 3M on the whole hood, bumper, and side fenders, say how would you be able to wax the car, especially on top of the 3M film? Or would it be better just to install 3M on the bumper section only?

 

You can apply a coat of wax on top of the clear bra and that I believe is the recommended procedure. Al

 

Considering you guys are the experts on the subject, I'd love to know your opinion on waxing over the clear bra and if it's possible to remove scratched and bruises with a mild rubbing compound???

Thanks