I need help deciding what to do about protecting the front end of the car. I checked with Tint World in my local area and they want $500 to install PPF on the front bumper. I called another local tint place and they want $800. 3M Clear Bra is $236 for the kit and you install it. And finally, a NoviStretch Bra is $180. Many choices with a wide range in cost. What will protect the front end best from rock chips on the highway? Does the NoviStretch Bra trap dirt and scratch your paint? Need guidance! Thanks folks...

 

I have not heard of the Novistretch doing any damage to the paint on the car. However, while it may stop small rocks/debris, it is not really designed to stop medium to large rocks. And even with smaller rocks it can possibly tear from the impact.

The clear bra is not as easy to install as may be advertised - there is definitely some skill needed to install properly. For the difference in cost, I would leave the install to the pros.

 

Leaning that way. Thanks for the reply Jack.

 

I am completely aligned with Jack. I have xpel on my entire car and it has saved many chips and dings, but the install is not for the inexperienced.

 

My preference has been a ppf on our last two Corvettes. We had the front bumper, half-hood & half front fenders covered with Xpel Ultimate on our 2010. When we sold it, the front was perfect.
On our 2019 we did Xpel Ultimate done on full front, A pillars, mirrors, side skirts, door edges, brake ducts and rear triangle. Love the protection, but.... IT AIN'T CHEAP!

 

Just me, but there is no way I would try to install PPF myself. You really need to know what you are doing.

 

Full PPF. Previous owner paid for it. But locally it would cost 6 -7k for a complete wrap. IMHO, at least consider the front, mirrors, side skirts, and rear quarters.

 

PPF provides better ding protection than the Novistretch, but the Novistretch provides good bug protection for both the front fascia and the radiator... I have both.

 

The NoviStretch Are better for keeping bugs and leaves and rocks out of the radiator,,it can possibly protect paint from a few small rocks but I won’t bet on that,,also will stretch over time,,,the clear bra with the novistretch is the best option in my opinion

 

Another fan for PPF. I've put it on 5 cars now, and it does a great job of protecting areas. And you really can't see it if installed correctly (no way would I try it myself).

I used to use bras, but on one trip I saw the car out in the parking lot of a hotel and decided that - to me - it looked really dumb and hid the lines of the car.

But there is an alternative you haven't considered. We came across this Porsche last fall in Glacier. Overheard him talking to a person who asked him about it; 'we cover it with painters tape every time we go more than a few hundred miles'. And I thought a bra hid the nice lines of a car.........

 

the current best protective film is probably STEK. runner up of course is xpel. 800 is a little high for just a front bumper.

 

There is really only one correct answer and that is PPF.

 

Here's another vote for Xpel. Plus Xpel now has ceramic infused into it. I'm about to get the entire front done, from the nose to the front doors including the mirrors.

 

If you plan to keep your Vette for 5-10 years, and you drive it instead of having a 'garage-queen,' then I highly recommend PPF. I have used X-Pel on my last four Vettes (hood, mirrors and lower sides) and am very happy with the results. A truck passing me on the shoulder threw several large rocks on my 2008's hood and front. The X-Pel on the hood had to be replaced, but there was NO damage to the paint anywhere. I also had my 2019 GS X-Pel ceramic coated for the shine and ease of cleaning, not paint protection. Good luck.

 

I had Expel installed on my car since I track it quite a bit and got tired of adding paint protection each time I took the car to the track. With Corvettes the biggest paint damage comes from your own front tires, not other people's cars. The front tires (especially the soft grippy tires) will pick up small sand pebbles and other debris and constantly sandblast the car's rocker panels, lower door and rear quarter in front and above the wheel well. The chips in the paint won't be large chips but they will be numerous and eventually cause the paint to look like it is faded. I have owned Corvettes since 1972 and have only had 1 incident of front-end damage occurring. That was when an 18-wheeler flatbed passed me and dropped a box end wrench in front of my 86. It left a nice 9/16 diameter ring in the front fascia of my 1986 Vette. Other than that the only other front-end damage only came while I had the cars on track. On track you get a lot of tire turds thrown into the air and the car hits them hard at 150 mph. Large and hard-shelled flying insects can also do a job on the paint at 150 mph. The remains bed themselves right into the paint.

Bill

 

Expel on my 19 G S pay for it! Ever seen other do it your self tinting kits that have a thousand bubbles in them??? yeah we all have too!
GM mud/splash guards help but are very small. Look for threads that guide you to larger guards that deflect "stuff" thrown from you own tires that do way more damage than things to the tip of our Vettes!

 

I installed 3M ppf myself and it isn't a great job. I did it twice because the first was so bad I removed what I had on and threw it away. The second and current job is barely satisfactory visually. So I need a pro soon. One thing I learned many years ago and makes me leery of any kind of bra is the protection must be on the protected surface so it doesn't move in relation to what you want protected. Long ago we had one of those old school plastic boxes that you put on the roof and strapped to the drip rails. Put a bunch of sticky back foam on the box and went to the beach. Took it off once there and whoa, the paint looked terrible. That soft foam abraded it a lot more than I expected. So, before coming home, I put masking tape on the roof and left the foam on the box. No additional damage.