Some protection options for the Audi

[ro51092]

I got a call from my dealer today, confirming the delivery on Saturday for my A4. He also offered me a 3M Clear Bra, or Bumper Molding for $495 each. Is it worth it?

[Danish]

My first reaction is if you want either don't buy from the dealer cause they will probably overcharge...

Then again, this is a lease, right? Do you even have a choice?

[ro51092]

Yeah, it's a lease. I dont know if it is worth it or not. $450 does seem like a lot of dough for that. Besides, it's out of my hands in 2 years.

[The Pirate]

If you live in an area where you are going to have a lot of debris kicked up into the front of your car while driving, the 3M bra might be a worthwhile consideration.? However they are somewhat noticeable on darker colors, even when installed properly, which isn't easy to do.? If they are installed poorly, it will look terrible.  If the dealership installer is good at it, it might be a worthy investment.  I personally wouldn't go for either of them, but my car already has 7 years worth of rock chips, etc. 


http://www.automotivearticles.com/Clear_Bra_3M.shtml


Give this a quick read, it anwers some questions about the process.

[Danish]

Come to think of it, knowing that you live in SD (), you probably should pass...

[ro51092]

You know, now it really doesn't seem worth it. I'll still have it in the back of my mind, but I'm probably going to skip.

[The Pirate]

Oh yeah, if it's a lease, forget it.  It's not really your car then.

[ro51092]

Yeah, screw break-in periods and proper care. This thing's GONE in 2 years!!!

[The Pirate]

*note to self*- do not buy cars just off a lease

[Raza]

On an A4?  No, skip it.

[ro51092]

On an A4?  No, skip it.

Yeah, thats what I thought

[Raza]

Yeah, thats what I thought

Yeah, you're not really low enough to the ground that you won't get more than a few kicks up here and there.  I mean, if you have a low sports or GT car like a Corvette or an Elise or a 350Z (I believe Adam and Jordan both have 3M Clear Bras), then it's worth it. 

[footoflead]

Yeah, you're not really low enough to the ground that you won't get more than a few kicks up here and there.  I mean, if you have a low sports or GT car like a Corvette or an Elise or a 350Z (I believe Adam and Jordan both have 3M Clear Bras), then it's worth it. 

I dont think jordan has it

But I know Adam does, and from what i could tell was pretty happy with it.  You would have to ask him who installed his.

[S204STi]

For a car that you would keep, I would consider one of those bug reflectors because the leading edge of your  hood probably takes the brunt of it, and the bumper can be resprayed to look new if it gets chipped up badly.

[Raghavan]

Look at your TL, does it need it? There's your answer.

[ro51092]

Look at your TL, does it need it? There's your answer.

Not so easy, that car had shit on it from New York.

[Raghavan]

Not so easy, that car had shit on it from New York.

Oh, well then, that complicates everything.

[ro51092]

Oh, well then, that complicates everything.

Yeah, seriously.

[The Pirate]

Hahaha, I live in New York, and my car has shit all over the hood and bumper that I positively can't get off.  I should have gone for the clear bra about 40,000 miles ago, I guess.

[mazda6er]

My car is chewed to all shit from construction. I would have gotten one if I realized how horribly fragile the paint job would be. And this is the second front-end, mind you, what with my difference of opinion with that pole...

[Catman]

$425 is cheap for a clear bra. 

[sparkplug]

What's the cup size on this bra. Get one from Walmart. They're a lot cheaper. Don't even bother with Victoria's Secret. You know - WonderBra.

[JYODER240]

I have it but only on the front bumper not on the hood or mirrors. I didn't put it on the hood because i hate the way it looks. So far i have only 1 minor chip on the hood.

I apologize for the big pictures:

Here is pic where you can see the edge of the 3M.



Here is the whole bumper:



This has nothing to do with the topic but check out how well the water beads up

[The Pirate]

Who has the Saab?

[JYODER240]

My brother-in-laws, he may be getting rid of it for a Cooper S

[The Pirate]

Nice!

[saxonyron]

It's not a bad price for the clearbra, but skip it for sure.  My A6, I finally painted the front bumper at around 100,000 miles.  It lookes good as new at 50,000 miles, but started looking a little sandblasted by 100k miles.  For $350, it looked factory-new.  The hood doesn't chip too badly, so I wouldn't worry about it.  Your lease is for 2 yrs and 30,000 mi? Unless you live in the desert and have lots of sand storms, I'd skip it.

[sparkplug]

Might as well get a pack of rubbers for the rear.

[Raza]

Who has the Saab?

That was my first thought as well!

[Raza]

Don't drive PA-322 at night.  I know most highways can get bad at night, but 322 is the worst I've ever seen.  After driving home at night, I can barely see through my windscreen because of all the bugs.  It looks like I drove right into the middle of a damn paintball game.  Most of it has come off the front end, since I drive through flooded roads and in the rain and stuff like that.

All that clay is still behind my wheels.  I should probably wash the car, but I don't know of any car washes in this city.