How to polish or clear up my front bumper clear bra

chris82 · 07-14-2015, 07:31 AM

Hi guys,

I just picked up a new bumper from someone and it has a 3M clear bra on it which I would like to keep. I honestly don't know how long it's been on, but it is a little hazy looking at this point. Is there anyway I can polish this with a low-cut compound? What else would you reccomend to clear this thing up a bit? I don't want to harm the clear bra. Paint below is immaculate as the previous owner told me it was clear-bra'd from day 1. I have some experience with a DA buffer; I polished my headlights and did a 2-step on my paint. Any ideas?

Thanks

chris82 · 07-14-2015, 07:32 AM

Oh crap, meant to post this in the Detailing sectcion, can a mod move this for me please? Dackelone

Jaronbwall · 07-14-2015, 07:36 AM

You can polish it with a DA but do not use any compounds on it. If it's in really bad shape have it removed and replaced.

chris82 · 07-14-2015, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarronbwall

You can polish it with a DA but do not use any compounds on it. If it's in really bad shape have it removed and replaced.

How would I polish without a compound? Would I just use a pad and that's it?

Jaronbwall · 07-14-2015, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris82

How would I polish without a compound? Would I just use a pad and that's it?

What I mean is you can't do any cutting on the surface. All the other steps remain the same. Clear bras don't hold up to a lot of heat.

chris82 · 07-14-2015, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarronbwall

What I mean is you can't do any cutting on the surface. All the other steps remain the same. Clear bras don't hold up to a lot of heat.

Sorry for my ignorance, but I'm confused to what other steps your talking about. When I did a 2-step polish to my car, I used meguiar's 105 compound, then I moved to a 205, and those were the only things I used the buffer for that I couldn't do by hand. Are you speaking of applying a wax, glaze, or sealant product with the buffer?

Jaronbwall · 07-14-2015, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris82

Sorry for my ignorance, but I'm confused to what other steps your talking about. When I did a 2-step polish to my car, I used meguiar's 105 compound, then I moved to a 205, and those were the only things I used the buffer for that I couldn't do by hand. Are you speaking of applying a wax, glaze, or sealant product with the buffer?

Ohh. Yep I was talking about the sealant and waxing steps. I'm looking to get my front bumper repainted (heavy rock chips) and clear bra installed. I've read online that compounding the bra isn't good. Waiting for someone else to chime in on this.

chris82 · 07-14-2015, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarronbwall

Ohh. Yep I was talking about the sealant and waxing steps. I'm looking to get my front bumper repainted (heavy rock chips) and clear bra installed. I've read online that compounding the bra isn't good. Waiting for someone else to chime in on this.

gotcha, thanks for clarification. If waxing and sealing will lead to it looking clearer, then that's all I would want to do

BRD1234 · 07-14-2015, 10:46 AM

My opinion is if the bra is already fading or has some weird color to it then remove it as soon as possible. I had a clear bra on my bumper and it started to fade then no matter what I did it never looked better.
A few weeks later it started to show little tiny cracks in it so I started to try and take it off and that's when it all went downhill. It came off in little tiny pieces but would never come off in big pieces.

It would have taken me days of picking to get it off so I tried other things from goo-off, steam, heat, plastic scrapers, and everything.

My last resort was to try one of those rubber eraser wheels that gets off pin-striping as it worked for another member.
The moment I tried, I ruined my bumpers paint.

Took off my bumper that night, ordered my M3 rep and had it painted and put it on.

The clear bra worked wonders on my headlight lens but absolutely killed my bumper. Whichever way you go, good luck to you OP!

Dackelone · 07-14-2015, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris82

Oh crap, meant to post this in the Detailing sectcion, can a mod move this for me please? Dackelone

Moved!

I would polish your clear bra like any other paint job. Start off with a mild cut and work your way up. I would think the clear bra would buff out. I have had the BMW clear bra on my car since day one... and its still looking good. (see page #2 for more pics). However my car sits inside of a garage at night.

IF you mess up the "polishing job" then use a heat gun and remove the bra. You can then have a new bra installed.

DIY Clear Bra install...
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361895

Dackel

07-14-2015, 07:31 AM	#1
chris82 Brigadier General 827 Rep 3,856 Posts Drives: 128i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NY NY iTrader: (8) Garage List 2009 BMW 128i [9.80]	How to polish or clear up my front bumper clear bra Hi guys, I just picked up a new bumper from someone and it has a 3M clear bra on it which I would like to keep. I honestly don't know how long it's been on, but it is a little hazy looking at this point. Is there anyway I can polish this with a low-cut compound? What else would you reccomend to clear this thing up a bit? I don't want to harm the clear bra. Paint below is immaculate as the previous owner told me it was clear-bra'd from day 1. I have some experience with a DA buffer; I polished my headlights and did a 2-step on my paint. Any ideas? Thanks
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07-14-2015, 07:36 AM	#3
Jaronbwall Driving cars and riding bikes really fast 285 Rep 1,002 Posts Drives: 2009 335i Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Indianapolis iTrader: (0)	You can polish it with a DA but do not use any compounds on it. If it's in really bad shape have it removed and replaced. __________________ 335i, sport pkg, 3 pedals, Blacked out, LED markers, OZ Ultraleggera wheels, Firestone Indy 500s, x-pipe, vibrant 1792, PE mod MHD stage 2+, BMS DPs, ARM charge pipe, Tial BOV, ARM FMIC, dual cone, CSF radiator, M3 control arms, sways, HAWK pads. https://www.strava.com/athletes/8309149 Follow me on Strava
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07-14-2015, 10:46 AM	#9
BRD1234 Second Lieutenant 18 Rep 283 Posts Drives: E92 335i Coupe Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Miami, Fl iTrader: (0)	My opinion is if the bra is already fading or has some weird color to it then remove it as soon as possible. I had a clear bra on my bumper and it started to fade then no matter what I did it never looked better. A few weeks later it started to show little tiny cracks in it so I started to try and take it off and that's when it all went downhill. It came off in little tiny pieces but would never come off in big pieces. It would have taken me days of picking to get it off so I tried other things from goo-off, steam, heat, plastic scrapers, and everything. My last resort was to try one of those rubber eraser wheels that gets off pin-striping as it worked for another member. The moment I tried, I ruined my bumpers paint. Took off my bumper that night, ordered my M3 rep and had it painted and put it on. The clear bra worked wonders on my headlight lens but absolutely killed my bumper. Whichever way you go, good luck to you OP! __________________ 335i Coupe 6MT Montego Blue
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07-14-2015, 07:32 AM	#2
chris82 Brigadier General 827 Rep 3,856 Posts Drives: 128i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NY NY iTrader: (8) Garage List 2009 BMW 128i [9.80]	Oh crap, meant to post this in the Detailing sectcion, can a mod move this for me please? Dackelone
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