I had one installed on my black A3 almost immediately after I took delivery. First time I've had one on my car. I do a lot of highway driving and my cars get quite a bit of road rash. I am very pleased with the result. I paid $700 for front bumper, headlights, 1/2 the hood, a-pillars, mirrors, door cups, and top of rear bumper. If you want to get one for your car, I'd highly recommend seeking out an experienced installer. I had contemplated buying a kit online and after seeing what it takes to do it right, I'm very glad that I didn't. Best case you could save $300 that way but then you will spend all day putting it on and end up with bubbles, lifted edges, etc. Not sure where you're located but I can recommend someone in the Atlanta area. He does an excellent job - started doing this 7 years ago on his own S2000 and has made a full-time business out of it. Last week Audi flew him to Miami to do 30(!!) A8s that they were putting on some sort of marketing tour at tracks around the country.

 

It seems like you can definitely save a lot more than $300 doing it yourself...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-...mZ220091019291

I have debated trying to do it myself... but never followed through. I have no idea how hard it is to do.

 

Yeah, this is something I would definitely NOT attempt to do myself.

I'm a big detailing *****. I like to spend time polishing my Audi (that is NOT a euphemism for something else, sickos!!!).
I'm just not sure if I can justify the cost over a few chips.
I drive about 12k per year and the majority of that is city/back road driving. So i don't spend a lot of time behind 18 wheelers and such.

If i had the cash just laying around, I'd probably have it done.
As of right now, not so sure.

 

Depends on how much film you want and where. The kit on ebay that you referenced has about 50% of the coverage that I have.

Based on what I saw and learned about the product, I would only recommend a inexperienced DIY installation if you are ok with two things:
1. It will take you at least 4 hours to prep the car and apply the film. It goes on fairly quickly but then you will spend 3 times longer finessing it.
2. You will be able to live with the imperfections (lifted edges, trash in the film, bubbles, etc.) that will almost certainly occur.
My car is black, which is probably the least forgiving color (metallic silver is probably ideal). The guy that did mine came back to fix a couple of spots and ended up replacing a couple of pieces. And he has been doing this for 7 years, and did my car in a closed shop that has special lighting and air filtration units to help prevent trash in the film. He did not use 3M film - he recently switched to an Avery Dennison film that is more durable and more forgiving to work with (streches around curves better). He showed me samples of each and the Avery product has at least twice the tensile strength.

That said, if you have the time (and patience!), you could save some signifcant $. Only thing I would suggest is to check if you can buy individual replacement pieces.

 

IF you get one it's best to get it when it's brand new otherwise there's no guarantee that it will be completely "clear"

 

I have had mine since the 1st week of my car. Saved me from a lot of dings as I was on the Hwy a lot. I wouldn't recommend a DIY for this, it's not as easy as it seems. I didn't go with the 3M Bra, and I only have it installed on the hood which also saved some money. It came out to be around $300, so it was well worth the money IMO. It does show up more on a dark colored car, but you have to walk up to it to really see it. You won't be able to spot it from far as shown on the pic above.

 

I have one on my A4. Keeps the scuffs off my car when I autocross and go for the cone killer award.

I did it myself and it took me about four hours, totally worth it!

 

To anyone who has the clear bra installed: What do you do when you wax the car? Can you wax over the clear bra? It seems to me that you would see a difference in the sheen or glossy-ness between the covered parts and the bare paint, especially on dark colors. Also, how long does a clear bra last? I've heard anywhere from 2-4 years. For that price, I'd probably just get the hood, front fascia, and mirrors repainted.

 

I have a clear bra that was professionally installed by a guy that has done hundreds of them on high-end cars (Porsches, Astons, and Ferraris) over the past seven years. He says that you can wax it with any car wax, however he recommends "Plexus", which is an aerosol that is engineered specifically for plastic films. It goes on easy, with no residue. My car is black, and I don't really notice a difference in sheen and/or color between the paint and clear bra. However, it is easy (in my opinion) to see the film at at distances of less than 20 feet from the car (and I have 20/10 vision). The biggest difference is in texture - the clear bra has a moderate orange peel to it. That said, it's well worth it, in my opinion. There is no substitute for original paint. A repaint is too much of a gamble (except maybe for the bumper cover). I expect my film to last at least 4 years before replacing it, based on what I've heard from other owners And if I trade the car at that point or before, I can just peel off the film and have a perfectly intact, original paint job.

 

My first post. Here goes.'06 A33.2 Quattro, lava grey, black interior, all options except nav. Love, love, love the car! I did the clear bra at delivery and I am glad I did it. It saved my paint many times on many turnpike runs. All the leading edges are covered. Recollect around $650 total. Cleans up well but you can see the edge on the hood. Doesn't bother me, paint still looks good. Hope this helps.