Fiat 124 Spider Forum banner

Will I need a clear bra?

5K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  15138 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I have been checking 124 Spider things online while I wait for mine to arrive to the dealership.

I noticed Mopar offers a clear bra to protect the front of the car from stone chips. The dealer quoted me, incl. installation, $1,700 for the full hood treatment (apparently it covers the side mirrors as well), and $1,100 for the half treatment.

My question is: is this really necessary, or will the paint hold up?

PS - Yes, I am still trying to get used to Fiat accessory prices...!
 
#2 ·
I have always had protection film applied to the fronts of all my vehicles when I've purchased them. No matter how good the paint is, you will inevitably get stone chip damage to the front of any vehicle that isn't protected in this manner. That said, my recommendation is to consider a slight variation. There is some discussion here that the paint on these vehicles is "soft". I honestly can't ground that assessment, or argue with it. I just know that all paint chips if it's hit with a stone on the highway at speed.

First, I would not suggest you get the film installed by the dealer. You'll pay more for it if you do. Take it to a local protection film specialist to get the work done.

Second, consider getting a ceramic coating applied to the paint and trim. This will also protect the paint finish, and the added bonus is that washing becomes a much simpler process.

Do closely inspect the paint finish on your car, in bright sunlight, before you sign off on it. You'll read many stories about paint swirls being left as a result of dealerships wash and prep processes that get performed before customer acceptance. If the paint is damaged, they need to address that before you take ownership, or have them pay for the repair work when you get your ceramic coating applied. Most of the ceramic coating shops will also do paint finish prep before applying the coating, because you need the finish to be flawless before it's coated.

Lastly, and purely for consideration purposes, this is what I did with my vehicle. After it was purchased, I had film applied to the front, the forward portion of the hood and front fenders, mirror caps, side windshield window pillars and cross section at the top of the windshield. It was okay, after a discussion with a guy that had ceramic coating done to his new vehicle, I decided to have it redone. So I went to the ceramic coating specialists. I had them strip off all the film I had applied and toss it. They then did a complete touch-up paint prep on all the body work. I then had film applied to the entire front of the car (front, full hood, full front fenders, mirrors, and the trim surrounding the windshield. Ceramic coating was then applied on top of the film, and all the remaining bodywork. The end result looks fabulous. Not cheap, as it cost me a bit over $3k CAD, so that would be somewhere around $2.4k USD. There are a variety of ceramic coat packages you can obtain, but I went with their premium service, which is lifetime warrantied for the vehicle, and ownership transferable should I even (highly unlikely) decide to sell the car.

Hope this helps, or at least gives you some food for thought.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yes, your tips are very helpful. Thank you!

I checked with a couple of paint protection film installers near me --apparently we don't have many installers in this small city; their prices came back the same as those the dealer had quoted me for both partial and full services.

The dealer must have an arrangement with an outside shop at a discounted price, so it can offer competitive prices to customers and still make some money.

The full service covers the entire hood and front fenders, A-pillars, side mirrors, door handle cups and both bumpers. I am going to check if it also covers the rocker panels, splash guards and headlights.

It takes two days to get a full clear film installation done; I may just let with the dealer take care of it to save me time.
 
#4 ·
I wouldn’t.

I’d save the money on a clear wrap, and in a few years (or now) do a full wrap in a unique and awesome color.
 
#5 ·
A wrap does not offer the same level of protection against stone chip damage. Some, but not as good for that specific purpose. It is a good alternative to paying for the heritage stripe though.
 
#6 ·
I agree with the advice CDPond has given you with one exception.

If applied only on top of the factory clearcoat (paint), in my experience, a ceramic coating offers you no extra protection - not to scratches and certainly not to stone chips. It does give a fantastic look and an easier clean-up and repels water and light soiling well. But unless you apply it over a film, you will have no appreciable protection over and above factory paint.
 
#8 ·
Agreed. I have to admit that when I got the ceramic coating done, I thought they would apply that to the entire vehicle first, and then the film on the areas I wanted chip protected. They did it the other way around, so paint prep first, then film installation, then ceramic coating. Their explanation (rightly or wrongly) is that with the film on first, the looks and washing features of the ceramic coat apply to the entire vehicle. I can say that I don't get swirling on my finish any more, and absolutely, car washing has become dead simple with incredible results.

BTW, and completely unrelated... once things warm up, I'm going to be using your flashing break light install guide to set up functional (but switch controlled) rear fogs. I really, really want that functionality for going through heavy fog/mist conditions in the mountains.

Aldo, if you've not already done so, check out BillaVista's blog site. He has some great "quick project" tutorials that you'll likely find of interest.
http://www.billavista.com/spider/index.html

Another site you should have a peek at is Ameridan's blog.
https://21stcenturyfiat124spider.wordpress.com/

I hope I haven't overstepped boundaries and regs by posting those links, but these guys (and others) have provided a wealth of useful and supportive material for the 124 Spider community. A shout out to both of them for their efforts!
 
#7 ·
Thanks everyone.

The dealer confirmed that an independent professional install shop does the work, and comes with a 10 year warranty against peeling, bubbling and yellowing.

Told them to go ahead with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chaddy
#10 ·
I ordered the Suntek front bumper paint protection film from https://www.invisiblemask.com/imask/index.php?route=product/product&path=34713&product_id=106057 and installed it myself. It was around $200 and included door edge guards and door handle cup cutouts. They have other kits for the full hood, etc. I paid for the insurance and ordered a second one at 60% off that I'm hanging on to for now. Even with the backup film kit I've still paid less than half the lowest quote I got for local installation.

It was "fun" to install but not too bad once I got the hang of it. The key is trying to keep a dust-free environment, and to avoid stretching the PPF as you work to get it into place.

No one who sees the car even notices until I point it out.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top