Bklyn_Quattro

expecting delivery of Q7 later this month and was planning on having the front end, hood, etc. wrapped with Ventureshield or the 3M clear bra as soon as possible. My question is should the car be detailed PRIOR to the clear bra installation as future detail products would be applied on top of the plastic essentially never touching the paint or is this a non issue? side question, what clear bra has the majority gone with and are you satisfied with the longevity of the product?

anthony0721

I had 3M ones on my Lexus GS before, you just have to make sure the surface is clean, and nothing else is needed...

What I didnt like of those clear bras, ex. for the hoods, they cover about 1/4 or 1/3 of the hood....and in the future, when you wax your car or maybe after a couple of months...it remains dirt or anything else at the border of the clear bra...and you can clearly see the border line of the bra...That's why I didn't get one for my Q7...

scotskier

I put Ventureshield on Front and hood and on the rear fender, . The installer did the full detail/clean before fitting. The rear fender is an absolute essential to cover based on my previous experience. My research pointed me to the Ventureshield rather than 3M (although both originate form 3M I believe.

I can see the concern about the slight visibility on the hood but can live with that rather than the chips

kglee79

I've had clear bras put on 4 cars now and none of the installers ever did a detail even though they should. You should NOT have any wax on the car prior to installation of the clear bra. Any wax on there will likely come off when they spray the alcohol on it for the install, but if there's any on there the bra doesn't stick as well and it will turn yellow over time. If you do anything, wash it with soap and claybar it to make sure there is no dirt/etc in your paint before they put it on. I have the VentureShield Ultra which I believe has the protective coating on top of the bra which makes it last longer than the normal VentureShield. Also, do not wax the clear bra after it's on. Only wash it with soap/water and use Plexus to clean it which is a special plastic cleaner/polish. Using wax on the clear bra will also turn it yellow over time as the material is porous and old wax will stick in the pits and turn yellow over time.

Bklyn_Quattro

Thanks for the input gentleman. I just got the call that my car is finally at port. Looks like the waiting is finally over. Hopefully the dealer quote for the clear bra will be as good as the dealer invoice I paid for the Q7!!

Huey52

Feedback recently from Griot's Garage is that their Paint Sealant may be used on the 3M Ventureshield without issue. However no abrasive polish should be used on it.

scotskier

Don't bank on it! My stealer quote was almost 3 times what my local installer charged. In most cases teh dealer is outsourcing it and putting their markup on top

Huey52

My dealer initially quoted $800 and I was prepared to walk so got it down to $550. Obviously there's a lot of profit cushion, and yes they typically outsource anyway. I wanted it complete for delivery so went ahead.

coupegt87

A local NJ detailer quoted $1500 for the 3M ..... so if they charge 550 that's a good deal..... BTW which dealer did u order u r Q7 from ???

Bklyn_Quattro

My local guy(friend of a friend)loosely quoted me at $700 for the 3M, rear deck lid included AND front 2 windows tinted..not too bad IMO, but i will still like to hear what the dealer(Audi of Manhattan) comes back with.