By Howard & Nelly
When we were at the LA Auto Show, back
in January, we saw a product call an Invisible Bra. It’s a clear vinyl, made by
3M, that’s applied to the front area of the car to protect against rock chips
and bugs. We decided to have it applied to the ’01 Pace Car to protect the
paint. We went to a company called “Star Shield” in Irwindale.
Installation is simple, but best
left to the pros as there’s little room for errors. It took about 2 hours. The
following steps were taken to apply the Invisible Bar to our car.
The first step was to wipe the
area down with alcohol, and then rub the area down with water and a clay
bar. The material is cut out like a
stencil form a large sheet. The 3M website says the vinyl comes 6mm or 12 mm
thick with 2-3mm of adhesive. The material used on our car was 6mm thick.
Soapy water is used to wet the
material to help it slide into position. Then, starting in the center of the
piece, it is squeegeed to remove the water and air bubbles.) Alcohol and soapy water are both used to
work the material into position and get it to stick. Finally, low heat is used to help stretch the material into
position, or shrink ripples, and bond the edges.
Marty and Mary got the same stuff
from a company in Torrance and the price was about the same. The area coved by
the 2 systems is slightly different. Both have an area that would be better if
it was covered. I think the job done on Marty and Mary’s car was a little
better than what was done on our car, but it all comes down to the installer.
Our installer failed to butt two pieces up tight together, allowing one to
overlap the other, and then he had to trim the top piece. The trimming was not
done well and left voids between pieces.
The system cost more than a
regular bra, but allows the paint job to be seen. So far, it has prevented rock
chips and bug wipe off with just a damp rag.