I just my Max back from the shop after being in a nice little fender bender...not hard but hard enough for a new hood and front bumper, fascia whatever they call it

I can't believe how good my car looks again! I should have smashed it in awhile ago

Before the accident it was stone chipped like crazy and looked awful...now that it looks cherry again I want to protect it!

3M is out as I cannot afford that plus my wife would shoot me....

My front bumper was pretty chewed up(drive close to 200 miles a day) so I want something that will cover whole front.....that leaves out the magnet bra

Should I goe OEM Nissan or maybe a LEbra etc? Arent there ones that are marketed that don't need as much maintenance as the Nissan one? Yeah I know..Im a lazy SOB

What are some other brands out there?

 

Many people don't like using bras but I keep one on my car about 80% of the time. Plus, the route to work is now about completely under construction, so the trash on the road is rather heavy.

I bought a Nissan bra through the dealership. It is a two-piece (hood/bumper) and fits rather well, but I did have problems with it. The material is of good quality and the hood section fits just fine, however the bumper section uses a series of hooks on elastic bands to hold, one which came loose and I had to resew back on (quite a hack job, but it's hidden). Plus (and this is the part I had problems with) there are two tiny pockets that the pointed edge of the fender up by the headlights tucks into. The pocket is just a cheap vinyl flap sewn on and one flap tore the first time I put it on the car. This is a major stress point-if this point is loose the rest of the bra is loose. Anyway, I took it to a dry cleaners that does sewing on leather and had them replace the cheap vinyl pocket flap with a thin piece of leather, plus I made the pocket just a tiny bit larger. This made all the difference in the world as now I can pull to my heart's content to get the rest of the bra hooked up.

Sorry for gettng long winded. Overall the Nissan bra is a rather good buy (<$100) even with the couple of mods I had to do.

 

www.stongard.com recommended!!! or www.x-pel.com

Clear bra, got it on my CL right away this time. I waited too long when I had the max and it wasn't worth it after a month or so of driving. I have already hit alot of rocks on my front end, and no damage!! I love it!

 

I'd say the difference between Nissan and generic brand masks is only about 20 bucks, but you get a better fitment. I have not taken my mask of since November, I rather deal with paint hazing than chipping...

 

I'd say the difference between Nissan and generic brand masks is only about 20 bucks, but you get a better fitment. I have not taken my mask of since November, I rather deal with paint hazing than chipping...

 

I would be a little worried about even the factory one. I had one on my 2001 when I took a trip to Kansas City. Once I got there, the bra on both sides near the headlight, where the black plastic goes under the headlights, the threads broke that attached it to the rest of the bra, and it scrapped up my paint from the wind I guess on the front bumper and ruined that area right in front of my headlights. I never used a bra again after that.

 

The only way to go is the Nissan OEM bra. It is not cheap, but as far as car bras go, it is of the highest quality ones that I have ever used. I had problems, as well as others around here have had, during the original installation. That just makes it a very tight fit. Do make sure that if you get it, remove it and let it dry out every tim that it rains. Good luck.

 

Just a side note to all of this...now I don't recommend that a wet bra be left on the car for an extended time period, but Zaino polish will withstand any hazing from moisture trapped by the bra. I left a wet bra on my Vette for 3 days then dried it in the sun while still on the car. No hazing, just a small amount of beaded water when I finally took it off.

 

Jim,

I too have had my front end repainted. You may be surprised, as I am, to see that the new paint holds up to chipping much better then the Nissan paint. It's been almost a year since having my car repainted and it's holding up great, only one chip !

I used to have a bra on the car all the time before the new paint, now I'm to lazy to put the thing back and don't really feel I need to with the better paint.

 

I have the OEM bra and have had fits attempting to put it on my car. It is a very tight fit and I haven't succeeded yet. If you buy one, I think PapaTango has a good idea; have the pockets re-sewn on the corners of the bra. Myself, I have yet to figure how to get those corners (the pockets that PT refers to) to slide onto the quarter panels since the headlight assembly makes contact with them. May end up selling it and go with a clear one.

Buzz

 

You're right, it is a damn tight fit between the light housing and the fender edge. I ended up actually prying up slightly (with my finger) on the fender to open up the gap enough to get the fender edge to slip into the pocket. For some reason, after I had the pockets resewn with the thin leather, the bra went on much easier.

 

check with the painters..

I had a bra from LeBra/Saddelman and it said it was NOT reccommended for cars that have been repainted!!!

I would look into that before you buy one.

 

I agree, definately check with the painter. I had the nose of my 93 Probe GT repainted and the bra took the clearcoat off of it. Granted, this was after a year or so with the bra only being removed to wash it, but, it is definately something to watch out for.

 

I'll be doing that...pronto.

Buzz

 

What's the 3M, how much does it cost, what does it do, and where do I get it? Please lemme know if you got info on this. Peace.

 

http://www.xpel.com/

 

what ever happened to that paint that was supposed to be chip proof? I remember Ford came out with this...and there were even tests showing a some guy taking a hammer to the hood...er maybe I have been in the ganja tooo much. But really, why can't they make paint that does not chip?