Bellevue
Paint Protection Film (PPF)

Clear bra is a clear, thermoplastic urethane film that is applied to a vehicle’s painted surfaces to protect against damage by rocks, bugs, and other road debris that could damage the paint. Most frequently, a clear bra is applied to a vehicle’s forward and downward-facing surfaces — front bumper, headlights, hood, fenders, and mirrors. Other vulnerable surfaces frequently covered include rockers, A-pillars, rooflines, lower doors, door sills, rear bumper tops, door edges, and door cups. In fact, the entire car can be covered for maximum protection.

It’s nearly invisible! The mirror-smooth finish of our clear bra ensures that no unwanted texture, commonly referred to as “orange-peel,” is added to the appearance of your car. This leaves the protected surfaces indistinguishable from the factory paint. Installation by our factory certified technicians ensures exact alignment around surface features such as air inlets, parking sensors, headlamp washers and other design elements. The film along the perimeter of each panel is wrapped around the edges for a truly invisible barrier against the hazards awaiting you on the road.

First, to protect your vehicle’s paint from scratches, dings, chips, etc. caused by road debris, sand, gravel, etc., and also “scuffs” and abrasions caused by light impacts.  It will not stop damage from debris or impacts that pierce the film.

While it’s great for aesthetic reasons, it is also an investment in maintaining your vehicle’s value. If and when the film is removed, the underlying paint will look as good as new. We removed film on a Ferrari that had been installed nearly 10 years prior — the underlying OEM paint looked absolutely new, enhancing the vehicle’s residual value.

Yes. Our clear bra film can be applied over a vinyl wraps or graphics; we recommend waiting 48 hours after installation before doing so. However, if there are any hard edges that the film must cross (as in the case of stripes), it could result in some air being trapped along that edge. Seaming the film along the edge may resolve this.

If removed properly, you may also remove the stripe without damaging the film.

Yes. Though we can install the film over touched-up paint, the best possible appearance will be obtained if the touched-up area has been color-sanded smooth and buffed after the paint application. Lesser-quality paintwork can result in less-than-perfect clear bra appearance.

Coatings, such as waxes, sealants, and protectants, are designed to reduce the surface energy of the paint, making it easier to clean. If these coatings are to be used, we recommend applying them AFTER installation of your clear bra.

However, if your vehicle already has such a coating, this will reduce the clear bra’s ability to adhere to the paint and could cause long-term adhesion issues. We recommend removing these products before clear bra installation, and we will do that while prepping your vehicle for the clear bra. If this removal increases the prep time, we may charge for the extra time required.

We recommend that any vehicle with repainted surfaces be professionally painted and fully cured before installing film on the surface. It is often good to ask your body shop about how long they recommend the paint to fully cure. If you have touched up on chips and scratches, it is recommended to allow the touch-up to fully cure for a few hours before film installation; otherwise, the paint can peel off during the installation. XPEL Protection Film — ULTIMATE is designed to be used on any fully cured OEM paint surface. Surfaces that have been repainted are only suitable for installation of the film if the surface was repainted according to recommendations as set by the OEM.

XPEL Ultimate and Stealth require no special maintenance. As with your paint, it should be washed as necessary to keep it clean. We recommend hand washing rather than automated car washes to assure better cleaning, dirt and stain removal, and avoidance of issues associated with automated car wash machines.

To keep your film looking great, follow a few simple guidelines:

• Wait 48 hours after installation to wash your car.
• Remove insect or other stains as soon as possible with bug and tar remover.
• Stubborn stains can be removed with 99% isopropyl alcohol or lacquer thinner. Take care to keep these chemicals off the vehicle’s paint.
• To preserve a high gloss, you can seal the film with XPEL Flawless Finish Paint Protection Film Sealant at least once every 3 months.
• Light scratches in the film will self-heal in 20-30 minutes at room temperature. In colder conditions, or to accelerate the process, pour warm water (120°F) over the affected area.

Yes, it can be waxed, and we recommend it.  If you wax the film, do not use wax containing colored dyes or wax containing Naphtha or Kerosene in concentrations over 5%. We recommend synthetic waxes designed for urethane films. Also, abrasive polishes and/or rubbing compounds should be avoided.

Wax is not permanent. Depending on many variables (sun exposure, stains, vehicle storage, airborne contaminants, environment, use of mechanical car washes, etc.), it can last from many weeks to many months. If you want near-permanent protection for your paint (from stains, dirt, UV, scratches, swirls, abrasions, environmental damage, etc.), or if you don’t like waxing your car, we recommend installing one of our ceramic coatings over your car’s clear bra and painted surfaces.