For those who use a bra extensively, or contemplate one. Heres a perfect example of what happens when you leave one on wet for extended periods.

Honda Civic in snow white. Under turned very yellow, some paint lifted off completely and other is covered with small water bubbles. Dont say you used yours for 10 years with no problem, or Im nuts, etc. Just showing what it can do. I have done dozens of cars in various states of the same issues. This one just happened to be the extreme.

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Owner / Operator Custom Paint and Body...
specializing in Corvette & other Higher End Autos.

wow its like a bad tan line.... right ladies......... haha!

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Not surprised. from the sun and weather, and water gettin' all trapped n' such.

Thanks for posting the pics, for when people tell me that their bras don't afftect their cars...

I am just wondering, i use a bra on my car, and i have always thought that they are supposed to be taken off in the rain. Is this true? They dont really say anything for care in the instructions and i always take mine off when it rains but i was just wondering if anyone knew for sure.

what if it looked like that before you put on the Bra

I'll second that. This is what the nose of my '86 looked like after wearing a bra for a couple years straight. I left it on until paint time for obvious reasons... but I guarantee she'll never wear a bra again. They are a bad idea in general unless the fascia looks ao bad it needs to be covered up.

Car bras are yuck, yuck, yuck. Never used one, never will. If I want something to protect the front of my car from rock chips, etc., I would get one of those special clear coating films cut to fit my front end and stick it to it.

Bras are for well... and not cars. People put them on to keep nose dings to minium so when they sell the cat it looks good. Even if they worked (the above remarks show the down side) why drive around with something that only detracts from the looks of your car? To keep it nice for someone else.... da.... Y?

I've always thought bras looked best crumpled up on my bedroom floor along with the other articles of clothing from miscellaneous female guests. What? Oh, they were talking about cars? My bad. Continue about your business. lol C'mon, someone had to say it.

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Whade' "The Duck Formerly Known As Wade" Duck
'87 GT Auto
'88 Ferrario
'84 Indy (8/26/06)

The good part is a Fiero will never rust under the bra. Maybe some paint damage but no rust like the honda. Most people put the bras on after the bumper is damaged thought. If I go to look at a Fiero and it has a bra I just walk away and look for another one.

I have sent warnings out to many people for years about bra's. If misused they can do a lot of damage, if used properly they can be a valuable tool.

The rules of using a car bra.

Buy the best money can buy. This means skip the Lebra and go for the Colgan.

Use the bra only on trips and long highway drives. The original intent was to protect the car on high speed cross country trips not around town 365 days a year.

Remove it if it rains and gets wet. It will fog and damage ypur paint when the hot sun comes out.

remove and keep all dirt out from under the bra or do not use it in a dirty enviroment.

Always clean and wax you surface before you install it on the car.

Make sure it is tight so the bra will lot flap or move at speed. Any movment will damage the paint like sand paper.

The bottom line is put it on on a trip drive to where you are going and take it off. If you follow this simple rule you will avoid a lot of grief and a paint bill. You will find many have a bra on yerar round because there is damage they have to cover up from improper use.

BRAS DONT'T DAMAGED PAINT UNINFORMED PEOPLE USING CHEAP BRAS IMPROPERLY DAMAGE PAINT!

Learn to use it properly and it will protect your car on that trip to the national Fiero meet and not damage it on the way to the Circle K.

I never use mine on anything less than a approx 2 hr highway trip once ot twice a year.

[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 09-14-2006).]

My car had a bra on it that the previous owner had on the car for who knows how long. When I bought it, I kept it on there because teh paint was damaged. When I finally took it off the paint looked almost just like the pic that Roger posted.

I did buy another bra, but it is used only for long highway trips to keep the rocks, bugs, and other debris off the nose of the car.

As soon as the trip is done... one way, the bra comes off and the car washed and waxed. When it is time to head back home, the bra goes back on unti the trip is done.

Most suffer less damage than the Honda shon here but it is damage that could have been avoided.

Honda's don't fare well in the winters of Ohio anyway. They also don't fare well on our poor pock marked roads either.

Roger,
Do you have any experience with the new Duplicolor temporary paints or the spray on paint protectors?


My original thread

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RickN
White 88GT 5spd
White 85GT Auto
White 99 F250SD 7.3PSD 6spd

[This message has been edited by RickN (edited 09-14-2006).]

I always took mine off at least once every couple of weeks and washed the car down, and after it dried put it back on. Never had a real problem with it eating my paint.

Now i dont bother with one. Yes i pick up the occasional rock chip now, but its a lot of trouble babysitting the bras, and they do get nasty after a while.

I havent seen any of those used. I will vouch for the 3M clear adhesive protector, see several done and almost invisible. I personally just leave mine open and if I get a chip, I touch it up as soon as possible. It can be built up, sanded lightly and rubbed and nearly impossible to find. White seems to need a lot of applications of a cleaner polish. I had to do all of my white limos at least monthly or they got really dingey looking from just normal road film.

Yes, take off a bra after its gotten wet, prob OK with a dew, but not rain. The original intent of a bra (along with tape on front lights) was for weekend racers in europe who used their everyday street car for amature racing on back roads. You didnt want broken lights and tons of stone chips on your Porsche or Mercedes. After the event, simply removed it and went on home. Ive even seen some put large tape patches behind and in front of the wheel openings to protect them.

The reason I asked is my '88 seems to get smacked by a bug occasionally that stains the paint badly. I have a bra that I use occasionally but it still allows a bug or two to get by around the parking light holes. I thought if the paint "shield" product was any good it might help but I didn't want to risk the cars paint trying. I may put it on the '85 and test it out.

If you get a bug stain, wash it off first and try using a cleaner/ polish on it or a mild rubbing compound. Should take it off, My white Corvette gets bugs and when I get to a show I just wipe it off with window cleaner w/ ammonia. Another product I found that works great for bugs is sold at Harley Davidson motorcycle shops. I think it called ' bug off', costs like $7 for a spray can. You just spray one side, let it set a min and bugs wipe right off leaving a light waxy film you just polish with another cloth. The worse problem I get is when I park it on one side of my lot. I have these berry trees, that have sort of like cherries on it. Birds eat them and when they take off leaves a nice red deposit on the white car that wont just wash off with water. The cleaner or bug spray do a good job.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 09-14-2006).]

I'll give that a shot, Thanks!

quote Originally posted by User00013170: Does anything do well in your winters? Few older ohio cars ive seen have been in good shape.. ( and they were parked in the winter ). One of my fieros came from OH, and its pretty ill up underneath. Figure it has a couple of years left of life :| Our roads over here in indiana are just as bad tho.. Donno why we cant fix the damned things.

I have a 97 GMC that is still in very good condition and is my daily driver year round. Other than som light surface rust in some areas of the under sider it is solid. Many people don't believe it is as old as it is.

Also my 40th anniversery SSEI I sold 2 years back was rock solid. I even had someone fly up from West Palm Beach FL to buy it. It was right at 100,000 mles with great paint and no rust.

Many of the Fords, import cars and import trucks like to rust here. Toyota and Honda are the ones with the most damage that I notice. Toyota trucks really get hit for rust.

I have a fabric bra that was originally made for a corvette C5. I do not leave it on wet. It just snaps on. I finally got the cooling fixed so I can leave the bra on for the road trips to protect the front end.

The only problem is it covers up the turn signals.

Lucky Dick

I have a Wolf bra and I love it! I use it 24/7, 365 days a year. It NEVER comes off. I do believe what ya'all are saying about paint damage but bra's do have their place in my opinion. Fiero fascia's are well known for spider cracks and mine has plenty. That's why I cover mine all the time. I care more about hiding spider cracks than worrying about a little paint fade.

This thread seems to be about down on car bra's but I think they do have a place in Fiero "Society".

Kit (86 GT)

quote Originally posted by Kitskaboodle: I have a Wolf bra and I love it! I use it 24/7, 365 days a year. It NEVER comes off. I do believe what ya'all are saying about paint damage but bra's do have their place in my opinion. Fiero fascia's are well known for spider cracks and mine has plenty. That's why I cover mine all the time. I care more about hiding spider cracks than worrying about a little paint fade. This thread seems to be about down on car bra's but I think they do have a place in Fiero "Society". Kit (86 GT)

Amen! Fiero's look awesome with a "over the headlight" quality bra. Maybe because my first Fiero had one I've had to get one for the last two I've owned! I love the look. My first....

My second Fiero is featured on this site. http://www.carbras.com/40142_pontiaccarbras.asp
My 88GT. Pic is featured in Joe Torma's PFF 2006 calendar in November.

Thanks for the advice Roger. I do try and remember to take it off after it rains and I have plenty of wax on the facia and hood

[This message has been edited by Gokart (edited 09-15-2006).]

quote Originally posted by Kitskaboodle: This thread seems to be about down on car bra's but I think they do have a place in Fiero "Society". Kit (86 GT)

Not down on bra's this is just about using them properly to prevent damage to good paint. A hammer us a good tool too but if not used propelry but your not going to clean a window properly with it.

We are just trying to get the idea across a bra is a tool to protect a car on a short time basis but if you have good paint you also run the risk of damaging good paint on a long time basis if left on the car 24/7/365.

I have used a Wolf bra for over 20 yeas on my Fiero without any down sides. It takes about 30 seconds to put on, and 10 to remove, so no excuses for leaving it on. The instructions were clear about not using it in the rain.

Since it covers the signal lights on the aero nose, the headlight doors stay down at high speeds too.

Daveg

hmmm...I use to have a LeBra on my 82 Camaro that I had since new - never came off the car till it was in an accident in 87. The only thing that happened was the paint was slightly darker than the rest of the car. I just took it at the time that the rest of the car had faded some what. But then I also live in a dryer climate - I could see them being a big problem in areas that are a bit more humid.

Also wanted to point out, it could also be related to the brand of bra. LeBra is a much thinner material than some that I have seen out there. These ones with the thicker material would take longer to dry out.

Anyways, I probably wouldn't put a bra on my car once it is repainted - the only reason I have one on it now is that the nose is a different color

Tim

I use a LeBra for my '88 GT. Only on long trips though. The bra is on the car right now for RFTH. If used properly, they can be valuable tools that help keep rock chips and bug splatterings on the paint to a minimum. If used improperly they can scratch, discolor, or in other ways damage the paint. Always make sure the bra and the car are both clean and dry(at least on the surfaces that touch) when you put it on. When its on, it should be TIGHT, if its loose at all its possible it could move while driving and scratch your paint. Its perfectly fine to drive around with the bra on in the rain, so don't go scrambling out to take it off in a downpour. Just make sure that after the rain stops or after you're done driving it, to take the bra off. Mildew will get in under the bra and your paint will be discolored.

Personally, I like the bra because I like preserving my paint for the long term. Go out and show off the car today without it while running errands, and you get good chances for damage from rocks and stuff. Save the showing off for when it counts.

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http://members.cardomain.com/tinton

Roger,
Do you have or use a bra on your Ferarri and where did get it?

Ive never used a bra on any car Ive had. I fix too many messed up paint jobs from them. I dont even use them personally on a long trip, just dont like the looks.

I never used a Bra and will never use one either. But if I go on the highway for a few hours trip I will use something like saran wrap or some of these plastic they sell for that reason. Or even one of those paint protective spray because it's easy to remove after .