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Self Install Clear Bra Paint Protection Film on a 2016-17?

4514 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  quirkySquirt, 
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Has anyone done their own self install of clear bra installation for hood and bumper on a 2016 or 2017? I've installed 3m kits on previous cars, but its been a number of years. Just wondering if Volt is a bear? The bumper looks like it might not be a ton of fun.
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No experience myself, but the cheapest quote I could get was from a place underneath the West Seattle Bridge and they were charging $3000 for a full body bra while other places were averaging $4000 and the dealership was charging $5000. These prices were collected last summer, however.

Perhaps you can meet them in the middle? Have pros do the difficult bumpers and such and you'd do the large door panels and hood yourself?
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Yeah, been meaning to clear out some more room in the garage and try out dipping. I'm not a huge fan of the feel after feeling some coworkers' dips and I'm not sure if the "clear" options are clear enough I can see the kinetic blue shine through, though. I do recall that dips come with a clear option but I ran across some forum where multiple layers of the clear gloss yielded a matte-like appearance and dust caught between layers were noticeable. I can't seem to find it again with my Google-fu, though.

Another reason I didn't go with dipping was according to this forum post:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c5-general/3031522-plasti-dip-clear-as-a-clear-bra.html

the dip doesn't protect the same as actual PPF clear bras. To get any appreciable protection, many layers were needed and that combined with a clear dip's trapping of dust in between coats, deterred me. I'm still going to try it on small parts cause I think I can use it as an alternative to painting my Volt in a few years when obvious scratches accumulate too much. Hopefully, dip tech will advance by then and we get more durable dip with a single coat. Or maybe I'll finally get tired of the kinetic blue and just dip a different solid color so I don't have to worry about between-coat contaminants.
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SeattleVolt said:
QuirkySquirt, $3k for a full car clear bra wrap is a an amazing price (relatively speaking). Which shop is this in West Seattle?
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Dang it, I can't find the email for the whole car. The place is Emerald City Tint at 1011 SW Klickitat Way right next to the West Seattle Bridge. I just replied to them again to ask for the quote again. It shocked me cause they were asking $1600 for the entire front hood, bumper, fender, mirrors, door edges/cups (whatever that is) which seemed high, but then a coworker mentioned the complex holes are what make the front costly while large panels are cheaper (less cutting needed). I'll post when I get a reply with full body wrap and PM you.
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Got my quote back from Emerald City Tint. They're charging $3500 for full car. Hmmm, I could've sworn it was $3k even. I didn't go in person for the estimate, just an email with year+model of car, FYI.
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