Know Anything About Invisible Bra's?

[Ed Brownfield]

Ok, no jokes about the invisible bra post! I own a 2015 2500 GMC Denali pickup truck and I am a nut about keeping my vehicles in pristine condition. I have looked at having an "invisible bra" installed on the truck's hood and the headlamps but I really do not know anything about this product. I usually wash my truck myself at a wand type car wash, will the pressure from the wash wand peal the invisible bra off of the vehicle? Does the sun fade the product? I done some research on the installer in Mesa AZ and they seem to have a good reputation but I am concerned about installing a product on my truck that I know so little about. Any help and advice than you can give me about this product will be greatly appreciated. The company installing the product quoted $499 for the front and partial hood and an addition $100 for the headlamps, $599 total; is this a reasonable price? Thanks I appreciate any help and advice that you can give me!

[CRH]

The pressure washer won't harm it unless you use the 0 degree tip. The film may yellow after a bunch of years.

I am anal about keeping my vehicles as pristine as possible. With that said, I don't think an invisible bra is worth the coin.

[Panama Red]

I'm anal about shoveling the crap out of my truck when it starts getting under the brake pedal...

-Red, not really anal...

[Mrjkq]

I had one on my previous motor home, never a problem, easy to keep clean & no fading.

[streamintrip]

We have 3M Bras on both our 2010 Armada and 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid which cover the front 1/3 of the hoods, air dams and the mirrors (tow mirrors on the Armada. These bras are great and are not affected by car washes, including Blue Beacons on the Armada. I highly recommend them. Just make sure you have an EXPERIENCED installer. Your price seems about right.

Good luck

[ROBERT CROSS]

The invisible bug defector has been on the Burb since 2006....works really well and is a bit cheaper.





Bob

[AtomicNo13]

Within a few years they'll yellow, crack and prove impossible to remove. They allow dings. Save the pain and get the real thing!

[kdickinson]

I have had one on my daily driver car (not a TV) since new and there has been zero issue with it fading or peeling. I believe it may have prevented some rock chipping. That said, it is basically an item that a dealer makes nearly 100% profit on which I therefore consider a "gimme" which is used in negotiating a final price i.e.: throw the pin striping and other stick on stuff in for free and we can get a deal done today. On this car when I said there is no value to me in these add-ons the dealer said "ok I'll just peel it all off" to which I said go ahead. He never seemed to get around to peeling it off. Bottom line - put it on if you think it is worth it to you but if it were really that helpful or important the car would come with it already installed.

[Larry C]

A really good polish and wax once or twice a year is more than adequate....the so called "invisible" bras that I've seen look pretty bad in a few years.
Of course if you trade vehicles every couple years, I guess the next owner has to deal with it....

Larry

[dcasr]

My 2008 Lexus ES350 Pebble Beach came with it when I bought it new, and it has prevented chips, not yellowed and looks great. I didn't do anything for my 1999 GMC Suburban TV and it has so many stone chips on the hood that I should repaint it, which will cost me at least as much as they are quoting you for the invisible bra.

Yes, I was very doubtful about the effectiveness or longevity of the thing, but I was wrong on both counts. Go ahead and do it.

[Ed Brownfield]

Thanks for your help! The company that I am talking with has a good reputation I "googled" them and looked at what other customers said and even visited their showroom that is about 20 miles away in Mesa, AZ. The product that they use is a 3M product. How long has your invisible bra been on your cars and if you don't mind sharing this information how much did they cost? I was quoted $499 for the front and hood of the truck and an extra $100 to do the lights. Someone suggested that I have my tow mirrors (they are chrome) done as well. Do you have any thoughts on whether I should do the mirrors? Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

[jimfa440]

3M makes a spray on product that works really well. When the finish gets dinged, you simply peel it off and re-apply. Check them out. Us Harley riders like it, saves the trike fenders from stones and lady shoe heels.

[Denis4x4]

The 3M product has been on my wife's Porsche for 10 years with absolutely no issues. My brother and I installed a die-cut 3M product on my LTV Unity two years ago and it still looks like new. The price is in the ball park. I paid $229 for the MB Sprinter kit and it took us about 2-1/2 hours to apply it.

[FreshAirStmr]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

The invisible bug defector has been on the Burb since 2006....works really well and is a bit cheaper.

Bob, do you know the brand name? I've done some searching but couldn't find a clear one like yours.

Joanne

[ghaynes755]

Ed I have the same truck. I got resistance from the installers on doing the front bumper. One said it wouldn't stick other said to difficult. That bumper face is easy to get hit with small road rash leaving white spots if you have a black truck.

So after being caught on I80 in Wyoming in high winds, 50+mph, passing a pile of WYDOT gravel for some type of project which in turn sandblasted the truck but spared the Classic, the parts that were protected faired pretty well. But at the end of the day the insurance company check is $6K and climbing. New bumper, grill, front fenders, AC condenser, oil cooler, windshield and the list might still grow.

So this time I will insist on the 3M bra on the flat portions of the bumper. We get lots of road sand in the winter which the bra will protect. No issue washing in a car wash.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by FreshAirStmr

Bob, do you know the brand name? I've done some searching but couldn't find a clear one like yours.

Joanne

Joanne,

I'll ck to make sure of the brand.....Here are some that I found from Jegs

Most truck accessory shops sell them.

Bob

[streamintrip]

Ed Brownfield:

I paid $475 for a 3M bra on our 2010 Armada when we bought it new in late 2009. It covers the front 1/3 of the hood, tow mirror facings (plastic 'chrome'), the air dam and some irregular painted front end pieces. We still cannot see the bra and it has not yellowed AND has taken some hard hits.

A similar 3M bra was installed on our new 2014 Sonata Hybrid in late 2014 as part of negotiations with the dealer as a 'throw in' to seal the deal. Their 'price' was $399.

The Armada was definitely worth the cost and the Sonata was definitely worth the negotiations! In both cases having the mirrors, air dam and other non-hood pieces covered were the right decisions.