I've been wrestling with the decision to have clear bra applied to the front of my new Ram 2500 ccsb 6.4L 4x4. I want to keep it looking good. When I spoke to the installer, he recommended just doing the headlights & the trim panel between the headlights & the bumper... and NOT do the hood... that the hood was far enough off of the ground to be out of most of the flying debris path. Would like to hear from any 4th Gen 4x4 owners... as to whether they're getting a lot of stone chips, etc. on the hood.
Clear Bra... yay or nay?
- Thread starter Slick61
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That's because those two areas are the easiest to install. Hood. fenders and mirrors at a minimum. Bumper if You got the cash. Unless it's chrome.
R/T_Fire
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I wish more woman would wear clear bras... 
I get chips on my hood of my 1500, but mostly deal with bugs. Not sure if you are a fan of them but there is always the bug deflector option for the hood.
I get chips on my hood of my 1500, but mostly deal with bugs. Not sure if you are a fan of them but there is always the bug deflector option for the hood.
It's a Tradesman with the chrome appearance package, so don't need to worry about the mirrors (black plastic) or bumpers (chrome). And since it's a 4x4, it DOES sit up pretty high... which is why I hesitate on whether or not to do the hood.
THETANK
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my model is a whole lot different than yours obviously, stating that mine has a 3M on the bumper, grill, headlights, mirrors, hood and from the front of the door all the way back to the rear bumper. I guess I just can't handle rock chips. Good luck with your potential project, needless to say 3M can get a wee bit expensive.
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i would also go with a bug deflector.
reek
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I've clear bra'd all of my passenger cars. I initially didn't clear bra my 2500 for the same reason stated, hood is pretty high up. that is, until I got a my first chip. My truck is black forest green so a stone chip leaves a very light grey primer exposed. At first, I thought it's my work truck so who cares. Then I thought, it's my $40,000+ work truck, I kinda care. Then I thought a bunch of little white/grey chips in black paint looks like ass. So now I have clear bra on my hood and all painted front areas. Just order a 6 ft sheet and put some along my bed side rails too since some boot marks started getting a bit obvious on the side too. the top of my tail gate was beyond saving. clear bra also makes getting bug guts off easier.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016SG9XOI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I always install it myself.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016SG9XOI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I always install it myself.
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Midnite-CTD
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I have Ram 2500 4x4 as well, and believe me, the hood is not high enough to ignore. Think about the rock chips you get in your windshield. (We get them a lot here at any rate)
I have 3M on the first 12" of the hood, and there are plenty of marks on it to make me glad I had it installed.
IMHO, if the cost isn't a real issue, i'd rather have it and never need it than have to see that first rock chip and wish i'd done it....
I have 3M on the first 12" of the hood, and there are plenty of marks on it to make me glad I had it installed.
IMHO, if the cost isn't a real issue, i'd rather have it and never need it than have to see that first rock chip and wish i'd done it....
nclark112
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My bumper has multiple chips. Really wish I'd done it.
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Rockit
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I like it I had it on a previous car and after many years the clear bra part was flawless , nice truck btw
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did the clear bra discolor at all?
reek
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last car was a 09 G8 GT in silver. spent a good amount of time in the sun. Used Genuine 3M clear bra. No discoloration when I sold it last year.
Now I did use a knock off clear bra on my tundra. it turned brittle and lifted in about 2 years.
reek
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here are some pics of my bed rails and fender/hood. Can't see the clear bra that much unless it's dirty - like the hood pic. seems to hold dirt a bit more than the painted surfaces. I didn't use a heat gun to feather the edges as I normally do so the edges are more prominent to the touch.
EDIT: not sure why the pictures are rotated.
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IMHO--Installation is just as important as the product you chose. I have a 1500 sports and will be doing the front end and mirror backs pretty quick. Well worth the money. I had a 2500 4x4 and you will get some rock chips over time.
Jay
Jay
If I had decided to pay for clear bra protection, I certainly would have covered the hood. I have a knick or two after a couple of years. Nothing like my wife's low BMW's, but I don't think the installers comment is necessarily true.
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^^^^^Evidently you haven't seen an installation with bubbles and creases or crooked seams or overlapping seams. Looks like **** IMO, however whatever is acceptably to you is fine with me
Jay
Jay
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reek
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it only takes one or two wrinkles to turn several hundreds of dollars into crap. If you don't have much experience with the stuff, I'd pay for the installation from a reputable shop.
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tks for the reply.
