I have received my Xpel 3M clear bra hood and bumper kit and I am ready to do the install myself on my 2K1. Since I have the AE kit installed on my Max, I was able to order the AE bumper kit from Xpel. If you have done the install yourself, are there any pointers or gotchas you can tell me about before I begin?

 

Just read the instructions over a few times and make sure it's warm out side. Do your hood piece first since thats easy and it's good for brushing up skills, then I wish you good luck on the front bumper, it is not very easy to do! I actually lined the bumper piece up on my front bumper and duct taped the top of it to my car, that way I had everything nice and lined up, after that I peeled off the backing and then stretched everything into place and used the squege to get all the water and bubles out. If you never did this before you are in for a suprise.

My sig pic shows the finished product (you cant see it!)

 

- Get the free installation video from Xpel.

- Use 1 part alcohol to 2 parts water. The 1:1 mixture will allow the bra to adhere too fast. Xpel's instruction's on this are not consistent (1:1 on the web and video, 1:2 on hardcopy mailed with kit).

- Use distilled water. Any SMALL water bubbles will evaporate in 2-3 days w/o leaving any mineral deposites. Notice I said water bubbles. Air pockets must be removed as they will not go away.

- Use good lighting so that you catch bubbles early. Use a bright overhead halogen if you have it.

Practice on the hood first. It's very easy. Then work on the mirrors. Follow up with the bump'r (you might want to get a friend for an extra pair of hands).

 

Does anybody have a pic of what it lookes like installed or is it even visible since its clear?

 

Question: How much is the kit and where could I purchase it?? I got black , you know how that goes. Also was it worth the time and money??

 

Yeah I'm iterested In geting 3M bra. How much and where?

 

Here are picts of my car with 3M clear bra. This was purchased from www.xpel.com.

http://community.webshots.com/user/triplematchpt

 

I used a 12" wide strip from Expel to do my hood. It is a tedious job but the result seems like the best solution compared to alternative bras. I did not do the bumper. I would bet that will be more difficult due to the contours.

 

Emax, the duct tape thing sounds interesting and I might try that. Another use for duct tape, that stuff is just amazing.

makeHerPur, thanks for the great advice. I never thought about using distilled water. I have ordered the installation video.

I am impressed with the Xpel kit. They supplied tools, cloths, and very good instructions with the kit. How hard can it be?

 

http://www.xpel.com

 

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