Clear bra discussion thread

I've got a clear bra on the front bumper of my C4S. I wish I had it on my S60R. The C4S looks as good as day 1. The S60R could use a respray after 8+ years. I will probably do it for my next car.

-Eric

Do you remember how much you paid for it? Was it done at your dealership?

I normally don't believe a clear bra is that useful in a regular car including the CLA.
The cost and the thin edge that is invariably visible, especially after a few years are the issues for me.
But for Eric's C4S, it is almost a necessity. All my old 911s' hoods looked and felt like the lunar surface after a few years of freeway driving

outsider said:

I normally don't believe a clear bra is that useful in a regular car including the CLA.
The cost and the thin edge that is invariably visible, especially after a few years are the issues for me.
But for Eric's C4S, it is almost a necessity. All my old 911s' hoods looked and felt like the lunar surface after a few years of freeway driving

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Right. It's a personal pet peeve for me. I don't deal well with chips or scratches on any vehicle. But course have to figure if the benefits outweigh the cost.

I do not like the look of the clear bra. It is clear, but you can still see it. You see the line that screams that you iron your underwear. I don't like chips on my car just like the rest of the enthusiast population, but I would rather just not be up the tailpipe of the guy in front of me getting all his dirty air and rocks.

You cannot see the clear bra on my C4S unless you really try to find it. It actually isn't on the hood...just the front bumper. If it was installed halfway up the hood I would agree with you about the visibility issue.

-Eric

I wonder why MB just doesn't make regular nose masks (bras) for it's cars....

Because they're car bras....car....bras. Doesn't that answer the question? lol

-Eric

I don't have one on my car.
About a year ago I had to lay down in front of my car with a tube of touch up paint and a very fine brush and fix up about 40 small chips.
You can't see where I brushed unless you look real close.
Clear bra seems like a good idea though.

I've had good luck with clear bras. I don't put them on the hood so you really don't see any seams. Nobody could tell I had them unless I told them.

Plus, the design of the CLA looks friendly towards a clear bra because you can take advantage of the hood seam already present on the hood. You won't even see the clear bra seam, except maybe for a half inch near the headlights. It's well worth in preventing your front end from looking like the surface of the moon, especially after driving on I-95 with the guy in front of you sandblasting your car with a constant stream of wintertime sand and salt.

Sue Esponte said:

Because they're car bras....car....bras. Doesn't that answer the question? lol

-Eric

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That was pretty corny!!

lol it wasn't meant to be corny...although I see why you read it that way now that I've re-read what I wrote. What I meant was, have you seen a typical black car bra on a car before? That isn't explanation enough as to why Mercedes shouldn't be sending cars off of their lots wearing them?

-Eric

^lol share what he deleted? jk . anyways my cousin had his hood and side mirrors done on his lexus ISF for $300, which seems pretty cheap to me. Not sure if it was done at the dealership or local shop, I'll update when I find out.

Sue Esponte said:

lol it wasn't meant to be corny...although I see why you read it that way now that I've re-read what I wrote. What I meant was, have you seen a typical black car bra on a car before? That isn't explanation enough as to why Mercedes shouldn't be sending cars off of their lots wearing them?

-Eric

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I can always look forward to seeing something catchy that you post after I post something...lol.

As to answer your question, I have never seen a MB with a black car bra or nose mask. My post simply stated that I wonder why they don't make them or have a vendor that makes them for MB....

The nose mask that I am referring to is the one that can be removed that is usually made of vinyl.

baadmon said:

The nose mask that I am referring to is the one that can be removed that is usually made of vinyl.

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Yes, I'm all too familiar with them. They rub against the paint, allow for discoloration over time and, just my opinion, are pretty heinous.

-Eric

khaile said:

^lol share what he deleted? jk

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It was good!

Nguyenx49 said:

The car will look brand new for 5-6 years if you really take care of your clear bra and have the right shop done it. I just finished my gf's c250 coupe yesterday. (Full bumper and full hood). I will post some pictures later.

I will do full front clear bra for my CLA whenever i get it!

Edit:
here's a few pictures that i have on my phone. I will upload the finish tomorrow.

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dang the hood looks nice, can't even tell. what was the cost?