Patches

I have a complete XPEL clear bra setup on my MINI Cooper S that was installed when I first bought the car 4 years ago. It's been absolutely the best mod I've ever done to a car as I commute on the Ortega Hwy to work and it's brutal on paint. My MINI looks almost new due to the XPEL protection.

I currently have all the front panels off of my C5 while I'm doing a project and was wondering if the pros here could comment on the ease of installation of a clear bra onto the panels with them on vs. off the car. I suspect with panels on is easier but thought I'd ask in case off is preferred since I happen to have them off for a while.

John Ulrich

I would think it would be harder to stretch the wrap around edges with panels loose and flexing around.

Texas_Venom

They need to be on the car. As stated the panel wont be sturdy enough to stretch the material on. I also prefer the panels on the vehicle for stability.

Patches

Thanks. I did watch the entire process when it was applied to my MINI Cooper which is a much more "voluptuous" shape in terms of curvature than the C5. The primary mode of application was to wet the film and panel and smooth it over with a squeegee. The places where exceptional force were applied were on the hood where I could actually see marks that resulted from the technician pushing with the squeegee. In a couple of cases, he used a heat gun to slightly stretch the material but I wouldn't characterize the process with respect to stretch the way I would a wrap. That, to me is a much more extreme physical deformation process than the clear bra process I watched on my MINI.

Anyway, that's why I asked so, thanks for the response.