http://www.planet-9.com/gallery/files/3/img_7297a.jpg I would like to thank our sponsor XPEL for helping to make this article possible. I would also like to thank Chicago Auto Pros who did the installation work shown in these photos. As many of you may know, I've had some form of clear bra on various cars I've owned going clear back to 1998 when I first discovered that a car's paint could be protected with a clear film. I also know that a clear film is not necessarily for everyone, feel free to visit the debates in our forum to read some of the reasons for and against a clear bra. For me the decision was simple. A brand new GT4 that was going to be driven 550+ miles its first time out, why would I want to punish the paint of an instant classic such as the GT4? I didn't want to, plus if this car is going to be visiting the track it is going to need something to keep all that track debris from turning a gorgeous racing yellow into a grey poupon.
Since my knowledge of films was a little bit dated I decided to dive in and do some research on various films. I ultimately (no pun intended) landed on the XPEL Ultimate film, not only for its visual clarity but for its ability to heal itself from minor scratches or swirl marks. (Some good information about the self-healing properties on XPEL's Website) I can certainly point to places on my 10 year old 987 Cayman S where the clear bra has some swirl marks and light scratches and while you don't immediately notice them on a yellow car if the light hits the car just right they are noticeable. One of the things that also bothered me about my prior 3M film was the amount of visual orange peel that it added to car at certain angles. It was never "bad" but again, look at it just right and you noticed it. One other item that has changed in the last decade is that larger rolls of film are produced now which means instead of having a piece that only went half way up my hood and created a place to avoid when waxing the car, now the hood of the GT4 could be covered and the edges wrapped with one solid piece! Suffice it to say that if you are forming your opinion about clear bras based on decade plus old experiences then it is time to update yourself and re-think what I believe to be a virtual must for any car the caliber of a Porsche let alone the COTY GT4!
The rest of the article can be found here: http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/cleaning-and-detailing/p521-xpel-ultimate-film.html
Photos from the install can be found here: http://www.planet-9.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=865
Since my knowledge of films was a little bit dated I decided to dive in and do some research on various films. I ultimately (no pun intended) landed on the XPEL Ultimate film, not only for its visual clarity but for its ability to heal itself from minor scratches or swirl marks. (Some good information about the self-healing properties on XPEL's Website) I can certainly point to places on my 10 year old 987 Cayman S where the clear bra has some swirl marks and light scratches and while you don't immediately notice them on a yellow car if the light hits the car just right they are noticeable. One of the things that also bothered me about my prior 3M film was the amount of visual orange peel that it added to car at certain angles. It was never "bad" but again, look at it just right and you noticed it. One other item that has changed in the last decade is that larger rolls of film are produced now which means instead of having a piece that only went half way up my hood and created a place to avoid when waxing the car, now the hood of the GT4 could be covered and the edges wrapped with one solid piece! Suffice it to say that if you are forming your opinion about clear bras based on decade plus old experiences then it is time to update yourself and re-think what I believe to be a virtual must for any car the caliber of a Porsche let alone the COTY GT4!
The rest of the article can be found here: http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/cleaning-and-detailing/p521-xpel-ultimate-film.html
Photos from the install can be found here: http://www.planet-9.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=865