Hey guys,

Want to have everyones opinions of clearmask and any possible alternatives...I bought my cayman s versus leasing and am extra cautious of keeping it in good condition for resave value purposes. Also, first BLACK car for myself (besides wife) and am anal about my car being clean!

Assuming you mean clearbra, I wouldn't be w/out it.

Found this review on the 3M paint protection film.

3M Protective Film Clear Bra Test - Automotive Articles .com Magazine

Hope this helps.

i just had mine installed and really didn't drive the car much till I had it put on. Now I feel much better about using it as a daily driver. It really protects the front end from minor nicks and scratches. That said the stuff isn't impregnable..I mean a good size rock at the right speed with go right through it and hit the paint but thats few and far between.

i don't put it on my SUVs given their ride height but definitely need it on the cayman

jeff

This clear spray coating was on Dream Car Garage and it looked more durable than the 3m.

http://armorcoat.armorauto.com/

I am probably in the minority (and probably more anal than you are). My Cayman came with a clear bra and I took it off. I did not like the way it looked and I could not wax the car the way that I wanted to wax it. (Many coats of zymöl!)

When I was a child my grandmother bought new furniture for her living room. She had it covered in vinyl. Every time I tried to sat on the sofa I slid off. When I see a clear bra on a car I think of my grandmother's furniture.

__________________
Porsche Cayman 2.7
Mercedes E320 Bluetec
Ducati Paul Smart LE
BMW R1200GS

Has anyone here actually seen this stuff in the flesh? The first step in the application process is scuffing the existing clearcoat (they suggest using a Scotchbrite pad). Then the stuff goes on like ordinary clearcoat, just thicker and much less brittle. So one is really committed to the stuff.

My questions are, how well does it take wax (any diff. in waxed appearance, compared to waxed conventional clearcoat)? And what does it look like after 5-10 years (in various climates)?


edit: it was only announced in September, so durability of appearance is of necessity an open question. I'd like to see an accelerated aging study under intense UV, simulated acid rain, and rapid temperature swings from below freezing to 50C.

In any case, something has to be done. The OEM paint+clearcoat is incompatible with the real world. I've had to add a new dimension to my defensive driving repertoire: dodging oncoming stones/gravel. Limited success..


edit2: the company is in Missoula, which is just over the hill from here. Gives me an excuse to go for an emphatically Caymanish drive up US12 once the snow clears out in, oh, say, AUGUST... but seriously, probably by April.

I don't think I would use any product that required me to scuff the clearcoat. If you don't like the clearbra you can take it off. (I did.) Your car will be none the worse for wear. But scuffing the clearcoat with a Scotchbrite pad . . .

__________________
Porsche Cayman 2.7
Mercedes E320 Bluetec
Ducati Paul Smart LE
BMW R1200GS

Might change your mind if this was your driveway...
http://www.caymanclub.net/gallery/fi...0/driveway.jpg

I used to think the same way. When someone had some clear plastic on a white sofa, I'd wonder when you got to enjoy the actual sofa. Same idea on the car, when do you get to enjoy the paint?

No more. Rock chips are inevitable. If you keep the car for more than a few years and your "anal", then repainting the front plastic bumper cover and hood isn't going to be fun.

Exactly. I used to do your Grandmother's equivalent: keep the protective sheets on my electronics (you know, the ones that say "Remove before using"). I think the protective sheets are still on the glass shelves of my refrigerator. I guess I subconsciously -or consciously- think that if I leave it on as long as I can tolerate, then once peeled off, it would be like brand-new. However by that time, I was ready for an upgrade.

Time to enjoy things for what they are, while taking reasonable care to preserve their beauty.

When I first read your post I thought you said, "You might change your mind if this was IN your driveway." And I thought, "What the heck? I've got a Cayman too." Then I read your post again.