izzyA3

Hi, I recently got myself a black 08 TT and wanted to see who on this forum has tinted their windows and installed a clear bra.

Since I got my car used and its black there are a handful of little white chips on the hood and bumper of the car. I've touched it up with Dr. ColorChip which helps a little bit but it doesn't completely fill in the voids in the paint left by the chip. I've gotten a quote for about $600 to touch up, clay and wax the front of the TT then install a clear bra on the bumper, hood, headlight lense and the mirrors. It seems fair considering cost of material and labor. Has anyone on this forum installed one and how does it look? Is it too late?

And I'm also thinking of tinting the windows. Is it worth it? I'm thinking about 30%. Anyone here tinted their windows? Any regrets?

Thanks for reading, and thanks Tony for the PDF of the quick reference guide.

BosTTon

I have toyed with the idea of tinting my windows but in fog and/or snow (have homes in Boston and Vermont) I think the darker view would suck. If still down south (grew up in Florida), I'd tint to 30%

BosTTon

Jason S

I am in the same boat as you are with the front of the car and stone chips. I haven't yet gotten any qotes yet to repair though.

I had my windows tinted to 20% by a guy I used to work with. He is something of a perfectionist and always does an amazing job. Right now he is tinting cars for 1 MB Dealership, 2 BMW dealerships and 1 MINI dealership, just to give an idea of the level of work thig guy does.

He said he had a really difficult time with the back window. It's huge and the access isn't as great as it might initially seem. He did a very good job on mine, but if the sun hits the back window just right, I can see the line between the two pieces of tine on the back window.

I am originally from Texas, and have had almost every car I have owned tinted. It also adds considerably to the appearances of the car. My TT had the light gray interior which helps to keep the darker tint from making the inside of the car seem too dark.

Now, if only the sun would shine in the Seattle area. Its the middle of June and I have not yet had to wear my sunglasses.

HTH,
Jason

Americo

Clear bra....best money ever spent! have had it on the last three cars I have owned and will do it on every car in the future. Especialy when your car is a daily driver,the winters are brutal here. As far as tint ....I purchased the kit and decided not to apply it because I would not be able to stand having the top dropped and if need be have to put up the windows like say on the highway....just think it may cheapen the car. If it were a coupe I'd say go for it tho...looks very smart.

qtroCUB

I have 35% on the fronts and 18% on the rear three.
Also have clear bra on the car.
Hood: Front third
Front Bumper
Front Spoiler
Headlights
Fenders: Top of wheel arches
A Pillars
Roof: 8 inch strip
Door edges
Door handle cups
8 inch strip behind front wheels

Grand total came to a hair under 900$ for everything.

Sunnyish:

Cloudy:

Regina_TTS/Q5

You're quite welcome!

It's definitely not too late to do paint protection film on your car. It will actually help hide the chips you have filled in, if properly applied. As long as these guys are professionals, it sounds like a pretty decent price.

I also totally agree with Americo, it's the best money I've spent on protection and maintaining the appearance of my cars. Not only does it help protect from stone chips, but it is resilient enough to resist minor scraps and bumps too. Twice on my Q5 and twice on my TTS the paint on the corners of the front bumpers and fenders have been saved from careless drivers parking their cars.

On the TTS I have the complete front bumper, headlights and fog lamps done. The first 24 inches of my hood is protected with a bikini cut line (arc instead of straight line). The film is also wrapped around the edges of the hood, rather than cut on the edge. This takes more time, but protects the edge of the hood better in the front, where it is prone to chipping. The front fenders are done up to the same line as the hood. I have the complete rocker panels done which covers around and behind the rear wheel arches. I also have the mirrors, door cups and door edges done. The a-pillar kit wasn't available when I had mine done, but I'd recommend what qtroCUB had done to include the first 8 inches of the roof. The only two stone chips I have on my car fall in that exact area.

I also have 35% tint up front and 18% in the rear. Front tint is illegal where I live, but I've never been bothered by the law.

JimInSF

$600 is a great price - but do your research on what bra they're thinking of installing, the options are all different. And remember that it is not a total shield on your car - I've had mine for 1400 miles or so now and already gotten a couple of small tears from chips thrown back at me, one of which made a tiny nick in the paint as well, so if you follow people closely in traffic, you will get dings in the bra. (That said, the chips that would likely have resulted without the bra would probably have been substantial.)

Also, consider more coverage - I had mine done including the full hood, rocker panels, full front quarter panels, behind the rear wheels, door edging, and door handle inners, and it looks good, and the place where I got the nicks was on the left front quarter panel - you only get protection where there's material.

ssx

I would definately clear bra a black car. I think it's pretty much invisible on dark colors. However on my white TT, even though the material is "clear", you can still see the seams and also the clear bra areas are slightly yellow when compared to the bright ibis white.

For tint, I did 35%, which I think contrasts nicely with white.

izzyA3

Thanks for the feedback. You guys have sold me on both so I'm pulling the trigger.

BosTTon

Had a clear bra on my 2004...thank gawd I did not spend money to do it (came with the car) as I think it is a waste of money.

BosTTon