Nightmare - removing old clearbra

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ur2slow1

Contributing Member
Joined
3 July 2008
Messages
102
Location
Marblehead, OH
So I had a clear bra installed on my baby back in 2003 and it was starting to look pretty crappy. In my infinite wisdom I decided to remove it and replace it with a full front clip clear bra. I started on the front fender applying heat and it peeled off clear coat in some spots. I stopped and let my clear bra guy try his hand at using steam to remove it. He was able to remove the rest of the old bra but it peeled off sections of clear coat on the other fender and the lower front facia. Oh and to top it off the idiots that installed the old one actually cut the material on the car so I have a cut line across the hood. Now I'm waiting for an estimate to repaint the entire front clip :( I guess I should have just left well enough alone!!
 
Yeah thats a drag...
 
I have clear bra installed since new and it looks crappy now with collecting around the edges in some places. I want to have it removed and your thread makes me think twice.
 
Thats the thing with infinite wisdom... it goes both ways :rolleyes:

I went back to the original installer and had the XPEL removed since it had dulled after several years and protected the car very well. I watched him pull it at really odd angles and very slowly. In my case, the paint and clear coat was in perfect shape... Waiting to hear the verdict on XPEL Ultimate from other owners and will likely go with a full coverage kit.

Maybe over the course of 9 years the clearcoat material chemically changed and bonded with the clear coat, climate might have some effect too

Post up some pictures so we can see what you are talking about

The prior installer was simply an amateur to cut it on the car

The "idiots" owe you a paint job. Simple as that
 
Besides the previously mentioned factor of if the car had been repainted it would be more prone to have this peeling happen, you also have the factor of how the film was applied. There are two types of liquid solutions that are used to apply the film. There is a 'soap and water' solution of mostly water with a few drops of baby shampoo that is used to apply film, and there is also a mix of 50/50 ratio water and isopropyl alcohol (the 70% strength, NOT the 90%...or you will mess up the paint). The water/alcohol solution is considered an 'activator' and essentially makes the film stick like glue, and does it quickly. The 'soap and water' solution will still allow the clear bra to stick, but not with the quickness and ferocity of the water/alcohol solution. The reason I mention this is that if the original installer used a lot of the water/alcohol solution, and it was on the car for years, then you would have one heck of a bond to the paint, and one that would need to be weakened significantly with a carefully used heat gun and a whole lot of patience and time. Lot of times you will see good installers use the water/alcohol solution only in areas where the material is under a lot of 'pulling forces', or areas of compound curving where the material is under stress, and they will use the mostly water solution everywhere else so that the clear bra can be easily removed later if necessary.

I hope this helps.
 

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