Community Forums

fourleaf1 · 09-04-2013, 04:22 PM

Just purchased 36'Phaeton and thinking of adding bra. Would like to hear pros and cons.
Have and have owned classic sports cars and the school of thought was it could cause rub or paint damage. Having said this I never drive these cars that much so I never added
With Phaeton, we will go coast to coast and I want to protect the unit from rock or road damage.
Look forward to your thoughts

gio8856 · 09-04-2013, 05:50 PM

Hate em, i'll take the chips instead of the rub marks and all the holes for clips that will brake sooner or later. Don't make sense, drill a bunch of holes in my front cap to " protect it"... ????

gewilli · 09-04-2013, 05:52 PM

I have the 3m (or some similar product) clear film on my coach. I like it. Wish it was on the back lower half as well.

Petes Dad · 09-04-2013, 08:11 PM

I have a Summit products Body block that works excellent. They are pricy at $2k, but they protect very well.

worleybyrd · 09-04-2013, 08:15 PM

when i got my safari it had one on it and i seen a few clips broke so when i took it off what a mess under it i waxed the living heck out of it and still have rub marks i would never put one on imho.

michelb · 09-05-2013, 05:24 AM

I'm considering one for our mh but only because the paint on the front cap is in really bad shape and a bra is probably cheaper and easier than having the cap repainted.

I've never had one on my vehicles but I have a friend who had and it really did a job on the paint under it (besides damage from rubbing, I believe you have to remove them to dry whenever they get wet otherwise they'll oxydize the paint under). And as was mentioned above, you do have to add snaps to fasten it so it does seem a bit wrong ...

Lincolnut · 09-05-2013, 07:29 AM

My question has always been what are you saving the front of the MH/Car/Truck for?..........The next owner?

I paid for the front of the MH as well as the rest of it and I want to look at it while I own it, so if I have to remove some bugs or fix some chips so be it. Better than having to repaint the front when you remove the bra that was protecting the front............Just my Humble Opinion

Mike

spritz · 09-05-2013, 07:32 AM

How about a nice coat of Wax or even 2...

Gary RVRoamer · 09-05-2013, 07:38 AM

My coach came with one and I used it for 4 years, until it got destroyed in an collision. I left it on when traveling, i.e. making 1-2 nite stops, but took it off when we stayed somewehre for several days or more. It wasn't a real big deal to get on/off, but more than I wanted to do at every stop.

When I looked into replacing it after the accident, I found it would be about $800! Yikes! The shop that repaired my coach said they would re-paint the front end for about the same price and recommended I skip using the bra, which I did. That was 3.5 years ago and we have accumulated some chips since. I touch them up with matching paint and they aren't noticeable from 3 feet away, but I suspect I'll be getting that re-paint job in another year or two. Meanwhile, no hassles with the bra and no ugly bra covering my fancy paint work.

gripper · 09-05-2013, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

My coach came with one and I used it for 4 years, until it got destroyed in an collision. I left it on when traveling, i.e. making 1-2 nite stops, but took it off when we stayed somewehre for several days or more. It wasn't a real big deal to get on/off, but more than I wanted to do at every stop.

X2 (except for the collision). My coach, came with a bra, which I have used for 6 years. No problems, no marring the paint. I like it, as you can see, in my picture.

Jim2 · 09-05-2013, 09:48 AM

Just another one of many personal preference choices.
My coach came with one new from the factory. While I was fulltiming, on the road constantly, putting on 12,000 miles a year I kept it on for 4 years and felt like it was a benefit. It does provide protection, but you need to be careful to keep it clean & dry underneath. If I had to add one as an after market item and drill the snap holes myself, I don't think I would; there are better options available.
Now that I'm a part timer putting in less than 6,000 miles a year, I took the bra off for one of my semi annual waxing jobs and never put it back on.

fourleaf1 · 09-05-2013, 10:30 AM

Well there you go, same as I have always heard. I will go with no Bra as I suspicioned it could cause rash and really never thought of what gets behind one. Ill wash and wax as I do my other vehicles, this has served me well in the past.
tks

HeapBigEngin · 09-05-2013, 01:57 PM

Have had QUALITY bras on several of my $ toys for quite a few years....with absolutely no problems with scratches, rub marks, etc. As you can see, people either love 'em or hate 'em....to each his/her own.

The first key to a vehicle front end bra, IMO, is quality. If you buy price instead of value/quality, you will get a cheap bra. The other two keys are proper/tight fit and bra removal when wet over an extended time period.

Of these latter two, proper fit is the more important. Too many of these things are installed too loose, and this allows the bra to flap and move at speed. This also allows dirt/grit/junk to get behind the bra and do some very bad things. It transforms the bra into a rather large piece of sandpaper. Allowing a water-saturated bra to remain on the surface for an extended period can also harm the vehicle's clearcoat. That's not my opinion....that's the position of the quality bra manufacturers as stated on the installation/care instructions for the several bras that I use. In addition, the BACK of the bra neds to be washed/rinsed/dryed thouroughly when necessary. That should be obvious....but it isn't to some.

The above is just my experience and opion, of course. Like most other expensive "add-on" products, proper attention and care is critical. Install it properly/snugly, keep the back clean and don't allow it to remain water-saturated on the coach in the sun for an extended length of time....and you should not have any problems. Ignore it, and....well you can pretty much guess the outcome.

Hope that is of value....best of luck.

calhyatt · 09-05-2013, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourleaf1

Just purchased 36'Phaeton and thinking of adding bra. Would like to hear pros and cons.
Have and have owned classic sports cars and the school of thought was it could cause rub or paint damage. Having said this I never drive these cars that much so I never added
With Phaeton, we will go coast to coast and I want to protect the unit from rock or road damage.
Look forward to your thoughts

My DW stated that if you decide to put on a bra, you should buy a quality custom fitted unit to fit over your headlights

and such. A cheap bra will cause chafing and other nasty things to happen. We run braless and just use a good quality wax often. Had to pay to remove a guaranteed D-Shield and repaint. No more bras or cover for us. I love to apply the wax myself..