I asked a similar question over on the "general" forum, but didn't get much response. Thought I'd try here. What I'm looking for, in general, is input on using a leather or fabric bra, vs. the use of those applied coatings that are supposed to prevent chips. In general, I don't like to looks of the line running across the front of the painted on ones, but wondered what others thought of the look. For those using removable bras, what is the general concensis as to which is best (ease of install, least likely to cause damage, etc.) Thanks a million for your input.

 

I would put on 3m clear bra, which is the clear vinyl type product. Far superior to a fabric bra which looks fine when on the car, but after about a year, your paint looks like crap underneath it.

 

Can the 3M product be easily removed? If so, what would you expect the paint to look like after removing?

 

Personally, I don't use either, but I favor the clear plastic hugely over the fabric or vinyl/leather bra. If done right it is close to invisble.

To me, nothing looks as ugly as a beautiful car with a fabric cover over its nose -- exactly the same as if a beautiful woman wore a handkerchief across her face. In addition, I don't get the benefit/cost. Sports cars are supposed to get dinged by the sand and gravel of hard driving, and frankly, a car with a bra on is ALOT uglier than one with a few minor scratches and dings. As to protecting my investment -- it's just a car: when I want to invest I put my money in the bank.

 

I live in southern california were my wife just bought me a 2005 911 at the dealership she bought it at offered her a roadgard. i have never heard of it before so i did alittle research on it. Its pretty cool its a clear film that they apply like window tint protects your car from rock chips and scatches. they also offer a lifetime warranty. but anyway the stuff looks great. she had it done to the hood,fenders,bumper,lights,mirrors,wheel wells,rocker panels, and door edges so im protected when i want to take my baby out and she what she can do im excited my first porsche. here is the guys website if anyone is interested http://www.roadgard.com

 

I think Roadgard is the thing that started this whole thread.It is a great product and nearly invisible, but some people can see the line of its edge (where is stops, usually about half-way up the hood) in when the light is right, and don't like the look. Me I use nothing - I already have one tiny scratch about 1 inch long on the plastic nose piece, and a tiny chip (about a mm in diameter) on the edge of the hood. Gives the car character.

 

I had the Boston area venture shield installer put it on my brand new Caddy Escalade Platinum edition. They ruined the hood and front bumper of my brand new black vehicle.

The guy's name is Dave Diminico and he works out of Rockland Ma. I called him and his company applied the venture shield. Within 2 hours the covering was bubbling and peeling. I immediately texted Dave pics of the problem. Dave did not stand behind his work or his product and had the gall to accuse me of causing the problem. I asked him to explain the reasoning for me to ruin a $500.00 job I just had done on an $80K vehicle. Of course he couldn't think of a logical reason, but still denied doing anything wrong.

I told him that since he was not willing to stand behind his product or it's installation, I wanted the venture shield removed and he came to do that 2 days later.
When Dave finally looked at the job, he finally admitted that there were some "installation issues". When he removed the venture shield it exposed all the deep razor cuts that were put into the paint of my brand new black car during the installation his company did.

Prior to the installation Dave had touted venture shield as being better than all the other competitor's products because the pieces were pre-cut and didn't need to be cut on the car. They probably figured I would never have the shield removed, and therefore would never see the damage they caused.

After removing the venture shield, Dave jumped in his car and took off as fast as he could. I called him on his cell phone several times as he was driving away, and he wouldn't answer. I even text messaged him once. I pleaded with him to come back and inspect the damage on my vehicle. Dave did not return and did not return any of my messages. Instead he had his father Tom call me an hour later to stick up for him. Tom Diminico told me to sue them because "at the most, they were looking at a small-claims court case".

I contacted the better business bureau, the state's Attorney General's office, and an attorney. I am going to sue them in court to hold them responsible for ruining my brand new vehicle.

I can't stress enough how terrible my experience with dealing with venture shield and Dave and Tom Diminico has been. In my opinion, one would be very wise to stay clear of the Diminico's, their company, their products, and their "services". If anyone would like to see photos of the damage the Diminico's company did to my new car, PM me and I will send them to you via email.

 

Normally, I'm not a fan of vinyl/fabric bra's, but check out: http://speedlingerie.com/. I have two - for the Ford and the Porsche. They're much different than regular bra's. Excellent in fact.