PicciaTN

It's been a bad winter in upstate NY. I haven't driven that much, but just noticed in the sun today how badly chipped my front end is. No clearbra or stonegard dealer nearby and I'm really regretting it.

Granted, our allroad is atlas grey so you don't notice these things as much, but I'm really surprised. Lots of tiny chips/flecks and some ugly bigger ones too.

I'm bummed out b/c I had planned to keep this car pristine.

picciaNY

2 good 2 be true

Like with the shadowing and stuff. For example, people who have the regular leather bras on their cars, after 1 year, if they take it off, the paint underneath the bra looks fresh, and everything around it looks faded out (you know, like lifting a carpet and comparing how it looks like underneath to the rest of the room.)

Is there a problem like that with a clear bra? Also, is the clear bra really that thick to stop the pebbles and dirt from scratching the hood at high speeds? Does it cover the bumper too???

04 Savant

Covers the bumper, mirrors, and wheel flares too. 8-10mm thick depending on whether you go with Stongard or Clearbra. UV is the main culprit, especially if you don't have a clearcoat (red often doesn't). Bras are not always a good thing either, as anyone from the southwest will tell you. Water gets trapped under the bra after rain and then the sun steams the water trapped under the black bra, which fades your paint job badly! I lived in AZ for 8 years and learned this the hard way. With respect to the Clearbra, I would think a good wax would bring the non-covered paint in line with what's under the Clearbra, although I'm not sure if Clearbra or Stongard offer UV protection as well - this may affect outcome somewhat. Also depends on where you live (UV intensity). My $.02.

HarnessedLunacy

Not even a harsh winter in Texas, but I am seeing a ton of chipping on the front of my Moro S4. Didn't seem to be quite as bad on my B5 Santorin S4 which I had for 3 1/2 years.

NJRickD

I'm definitely going to put a clearbra on, just need to determine where to have it done in my area. That seems to be the hard part. I just so happened to be reading up on invinca-shield. They have a DIY install section and video, so you may want to check it out before it gets any worse.

Bryan-MBS4

Here in CO, they use ground up granite on the roads. Clearbra or similar is prefered. I cover the entire front end: hood, bumper, head lights (thicker material). I have a Clearbra on my S2000 (driven in winter) and have not found any rock chips. Fabric bras work but seem to have a greater chance of impacting the paint if not properly maintained.

troyegly

Out here in Sunny CA, just noticed yesterday two "nice" sized chips on the front

troyegly

What was the cost?

04 Savant

Warning - hard to put on "cleanly" if you haven't done it before!

dojo

I've had it on my o1 s4 and you NEED it on this car if you do any highway driving.

smartest thing you can do.<ul><li><a href="http://www.stongard.com">http://www.stongard.com</a</li></ul>