The word on bra's

[snomon1017]

What's the general concensus on bra's (I mean the car variety)? I had a black Porsche 944 years ago and had a good experience with a bra. Now I'm driving a car to a show this weekend, about 100 miles away. Being paranoid about stone chips on I-95, I took the plunge and bought a bra. Paranoia reared its ugly head again though, thinking about stones/sand/grit underneath, so I went to a fabric store, bought some winter fleece, and lined the entire inside. Now I'm not sure - to bra or not to bra? Thoughts?

[belcherm58]

I had a few years ago and bought what at that time was supposed to be one
of the best. It was a Wolf brand and had very nice padding and a very secure
attachment system. You want to make sure that the bra fits tight. Any
movement from the wind will abrade the paint. The Wolf did a good job with
this. I saw different brand bras on the same model car that did not do so
good. Just make sure it fits tight and nothing flaps when you are driving.
Secondly. Never let the bra stay on the car once it gets wet. The wet bra
will do something to the paint when the sun comes back out on the wet bra,
especialy when there is painted plastic involved. I would not recomend leaving them on most of the time. Periodic use is not bad at all but they are usualy black in color and the heat can mess the paint up. I have seen clearcoat failure due to this heat when they are left on for periods of time. I used mine after detailing in the summer to cut down on bugs and would put it on for road trips. If it rains take it off before the sun comes back out. That was my expereince with them on several cars Trans Ams and Camaros that I
owned.

I would check out the two brands that Autogeek carrys for sure. They note
the fit is important and would think Autogeek would carry some of the best.

[JeffW]

Each of my last 2 cars I have boughten bras for them, however, like belcherm58 I do not use them all the time. With the 1st car last summer I realized that the paint would discolor if I left it on for very long, especially if it got rained on. So, about every other week I'd leave it off for a week or 2 and at that rate the paint seems to not discolor at all. When I remove the bra I always brush out the underside with a felt brush to get any dirt that may have gotten under the bra while driving.

[OCDetails]

They are awesome for road trips or for the track where your paint is going to be bombarded by rocks and bugs. They are NOT for daily driving though. I only use a bra on my car for road trips. I don't have one for the Legacy since I don't take it on long road trips, but I would if I did. People who leave them on all the time are the ones who find that they damage the paint.

So let me see... someone left the bra on the car 24/7 through wind and rain and snow and for some reason dirt and sticks and leaves got underneath it and scratched and stained your paint? Wha...? Surely you jest. Damage like that is to be expected if you neglect something that is only intended to be used occasionaly. They are a great product to protect your paint, but only if you get a quality bra (like Colgan Custom) and you keep it clean. Tempoary use is best, but if you are going to leave it on all the time then just make sure you take it off when you wash the car and do your best to keep it clean.

[snomon1017]

OCD, I must say your advice has been fantastic, on this and my other posts, and I want to thank you for taking the time and making the effort. Regarding the bra question, I agree with you, ONLY temporary and only for road trips. In this case, it is for my 2003 Mustang Cobra Convertable that I mentioned in other posts and it is to drive it to the show you gave advice about. I actually bought a genuine Ford bra (or course with the Cobra insignea) since I've typically found the factory bra's to fit best. There is one place where installation requires drilling into the underside of the hood for a buckle but there's NO WAY in H - E - double toothpicks that I'm going to drill into the car. This Cobra is #771 of 5038 and one of only about 300 satin silver convertables. This car will be worth something in years to come. NO HOLES!!! Like I said though, I did line the entire inside with winter fleece - it's so soft now I might just wear it a jacket.