HedonismBot

The front end of my car is LOADED with stone chips. I recently applied touch-up paint but because there were so many over such a small area the touch-up job is VERY noticable.

Eventually I'll just have the hood repainted but in the meantime I think I'd like to pick up a bra, I saw one at the dealers on the same colour car and thought it looked pretty good.

Are there any instructions? Is it bad to leave a bra on permanently? I'd take it off to wash/wax the car but would have it on for 95% of my driving.

Any opinions? I heard that they are a pain in the *** once they get wet can anyone tell me why that is?

Thanks,

also, does anyone know how much I'll be looking at to have my hood repainted?

Troy H

The mildew that grows between a wet bra and your paint is corrosive.

coolhand {aka Craig}

...oh, PAINT...whoops!!

Totalled SuperChargeA4

if you have the chip already, just wait till you get it paint, then get a clear bra?

RKA

Dirt and moisture will collect under the bra and damage your paint even more. Bras are only recommended for short intervals (road trips or track sessions) after which, the bra should be removed and the paint and bra should be cleaned.

When wet, the bra will not dry very easily (while on the car), that's probably why you've heard they are a pain. Even worse, if you park the car in the sun, the bra will absorb heat from the sun, and the moisture underneath will remain, essentially enclosing the paint in a steambath. The average layperson puts them on their car thinking they are doing a good thing, and in the end they only end up destroying their paint.

HedonismBot

At least until they get so numerous that it's be worthwhile to repaint.

Do you have any idea how much I'd spend on a new paintjob for the hood only?

RKA

Next time around, I would probably spend a few bucks and get a clear bra put on. 3M and some other companies make a thin "vinyl" material that is cut to fit and "glued" to your paint. It is transparent, hence difficult to see, and it will prevent stone chips. It's not something that's intended to be removed. It's somewhat difficult to apply correct, and is best left to an experienced installer. Something like this tends to run about $700 for full frontal coverage, including headlights, fogs, and mirrors.

Sorry, I don't know what it would cost to repaint the front clip. The hood alone, probably in the vicinity of $300. The front bumper may be a little trickier. My bumper has nicks and chips in it that would need to be filled and sanded. This would probably add about 3 hours of labor to the job. The alternative would be to replace the front bumper completely which would probably equate to the same price as refinishing the existing bumper. Fixing my headlights and foglights is another matter.

If you can find Silver Streakin, I know he had some work done to his front clip for largely the same reasons, although it was on his old '95 Audi 90. I'm sure he might be able to help you some more.