Vinyl Wrap vs. Clear Bra: What's Better?

[@curtisimo032]

"If you don't like it, you can just light $2500-$10,000 on fire and start over"

[@abramlucas1086]

Larry you rock bro!!!!! And you are what I call the Master of Master detailers!!!!! I have owned my own detailing business since '91. I still learn something new with you lol. I'm from New York and Connecticut like you, born and raised. But been living out here, out West, half my life, Arizona. I grew up out here. I'm a car guy. I've always been into cars. I've always been into detailing as well, obviously. You are the King of Detailing, the Detail Guru!! LOL. I also spend a lot of time in Florida where there's a lot of detail businesses. I've been following you for several years now I think since 2012. I've been watching your KZbin videos since then, love them!!!!! I'm subscribed now. I've been wanting to get your products, your chemicals for a while now, they seen Outstanding!!!!! I started learning how to detail cars when I was kid back in the 80s by 91 I opened up my own business. I've always learned a lot about detailing, since I was a kid, by many different sources, I just picked up on it naturally. I have worked at many different detailing businesses/shops throughout the years, decades actually. I have most definitely learned a great deal from you, much thanks I appreciate it. I think it's pretty cool how your dad and your wife are chemist, I'm certain it helped you in the detailing world. You know I've researched, I've looked it up and I cannot find any such thing as a Detail School. If I am not mistaken, I don't believe their is any such thing as a Detail School, I don't think it even exist. In my humble opinion I believe having a detail school would be very wise, very good. It would teach a lot of us a lot of things that sometimes we still want to learn or wonder about. I think the school would certainly accelerate the learning process, make it a lot faster. You would learn a great deal a lot faster, sooner, instead of taking years, perhaps. Their is a few to several things I would still love to learn as a detailer. I think a detail school would be outstanding to help you learn faster and better. I believe it would make you more confident in your trade/craft. Also to help you get a job when your out of school, when you graduate, or help you setup your own new detail business/shop. Keep up the good work Larry, love you brother, again much thanks and appreciation.

[@andyrechenberg]

Probably the best info and comparison video on vinyl and clear bra/PPF on KZbin. Thanks for the great video.

[@NIAtoolkit]

For the metric people out there, a mil is 1/1000 of an inch. I guess it’s confusing since a mil could also refer to 1/1000 of a meter (a millimetre)

[@ALMX5DP]

Fantastic video Larry!!! Always wanted to know this information when I eventually get a wrap. I think the protective aspect of the clear bra material is definitely the way to go now. And I'm very surprised that it's only marginally more weight despite having so much more elasticity than the standard vinyl wrap.

[@jasonguerrera1221]

I was down at SpeedSport last week getting an alignment. First time down there. If you live in the Danbury area it's worth the trip. Awesome guys and beautiful cars everywhere. Wish I met you Larry!

[@jmking7]

Great info! I was interested in what the weight differences were for a wrap vs a clear film. Keep up the great content.

[@onagoodday627]

For people outside of the US a mil is 1 thousandth of an inch, not millimeters.

[@Smegnasty]

onagoodday627 yea that’s called a thou. Why would anyone want to complicate imperial vs metric measurements by calling a thou a mil is fucking beyond me.

[@oliverjepp3113]

@@Smegnasty im in US and hate inch*. I looked it up and "mille" is "thousand" in Latin. It also could be from the metal industry's slang for milling which is less frustrating. I %100 see myself reviewing a part out of tolerance and telling a guy "It needs another mill" for another pass on the milling machine. But this is more just postulating, I did not see anything to back this up

[@Smegnasty]

Oliver Jepp and that’s why one of the American rovers slammed into mars at a mil miles per hour, one department not knowing what measurements the other was using, if you guys call a thousandth of an inch a mil then why use fractional for every other fraction of an inch? It just causes confusion.

[@oliverjepp3113]

@@Smegnasty lol I meant I hate inch , I'm going to fix my comment. I think we still use inch because our car industry does

[@elobiretv]

I was wondering what the hell he was talking about. America really needs to start using the metric system...

[@AlpinaDetailing]

Omg Larry, you're killing me, but in a good way. You are uploading more often, good good good.

[@troytrivia]

Interesting. I watched the complete restoration on that 964. Well done! Beluga is beautiful!

[@julien6123]

I know this may sound crazy, but since I know the clear can be used over headlights to protect from oxidation, so could clear bra be used over a windshield to prevent rock chips and/or cracks?

[@alltorqueuk]

For anyone watching in the UK Toetail is actually Total. Seriously though, i love these in deph videos, hurry and get the next Ammo acadamy video out Larry!

[@Dmocification]

Can't afford any, so rock chips and scratches for me!

[@TheMototerrestrial]

Yeah, i was hoping the Clear bra would be affordable to protect my paint, as its very prone to chips. :(

[@393strokedcoupe]

No problem, just get a good repaint for a fraction of the cost!

[@TheMototerrestrial]

except repaints cant always reproduce the factory color. even the official touch up paint i got for my car doesnt exactly match.

[@Selendryle]

adds character and personality to your car! :'D

[@vellcounty213]

@@TheMototerrestrial Had my 2019 Ram front end clear bra it was $1300.00. And that was with a discount

[@Nick210]

Did TOTAL sponsor the video? Trying to figure out why the Mobil1 logo was blurred

[@nickemangione]

Man you’ve upped your production quality big time. Well done Larry!

[@hashrulsubzero]

Clear Bra - Only use it if you want to protect your expensive paint on your car especially if it's a classic car like the Ferrari 250 GTO. Vinyl Wrap - Suitable for racecars only as the car is gonna get abuse on the track anyways. Good informative video Larry 👍🏻

[@AG-yj1jv]

BTW, for do it yourselfers, clear bra sheeting is available much more cheaply online or through autobody shops who may have spare scraps.

[@nikolaiiaksenov]

Here’s an interesting question. How would the finish turn out if I wrapped my car with vinyl, then wrapped it again in PPF. I want maximum gloss but don’t want to go for paint. I was thinking of doing gloss black vinyl, then on top of that do PPF. or would it be better to do flat black, then gloss clear PFF on top to act as a base coat and clear coat, similar to paint. Just a thought!

[@PetaLucien]

From personal experience.. very well. A friend first wrapped his car in VinylWrap Gloss Blue.. then PPF and it just gave it much more of a natural, gem finish, improved the gloss, and removed some of the texture/orange peel from the film

[@nikolaiiaksenov]

Peter Wolter ok thank you. Would it be better to use a matte or gloss vinyl as the base? Becuase I know with paint you need to use matte black then gloss clear on top for maximum shine

[@TofuProductionCinema]

I've always run XPEL Ultimate on all of my vehicles, no complaints here. Used to wrap but that was a different "solution" for me in terms of what I was looking for, in my opinion - apples to oranges.

[@GTRWendy]

Now this was a very informative, quality video

[@TheMototerrestrial]

10k for the entire car of clearbra? OUCH!

[@CarlosNunez6673]

I'd say ouch too, but Larry had a paint job done that took six months. Compared to what that must have cost him, 10K doesn't seem like that much. Full disclosure: I could never afford a car that would justify a 10K clear bra.

[@collectiveclean]

Thank you for everything you taught me Larry. Much love from California ❤️

[@richard-mai]

Do emblems have to be removed prior to applying clear bra? I don't like the idea of removing factory adhesives.

[@austinbuckley5687]

2:17 5.2 lbs /horse not 5.2 horse/lb

[@_LEONKING_]

I really liked the idea of protecting your vehicle with clear bra when your paintjob costs like 10 grand but for the average daily driver it's literally cheaper to just have a couple body panels get scratched and then repaint those panels whenever it gets too bad, that's what I'm doing with my Challenger I'm just having the clear coat and the wax take all the damage it can until I paint the whole thing on hemi orange.

[@jjaxsonjjames]

One issue you didn't address is how easy is it to remove either of these wraps? Or another way to look at it is how long can you have either of these wraps on your vehicle before they start to do any damage to the clear coat/paint or before they become difficult to remove?

[@AG-yj1jv]

Really helpful! Does the clear bra hold up to sanitizers? An acceptable question for all during the pandemic, but I have a confession: Non-car-person here, looking to wrap problematic shower wall. Clear bra, definitely the less traumatic fix for idiot fixit guy's having used marine plywood instead of backerboard behind tiles.(3rd time in 3 years regrouting as wood expands & contracts. Epoxy grout not the answer. Will regrout, then cover with clear bra. Calk over edges. Original tile look. "All weather" protection. Knowing the answer to sanitizing question would be really helpful. Thanks!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

I don’t even know why I watch this. This whole paint thing is such a waste of resources. Why should I care about my paint? I just don’t. But these videos are so well made that I can’t stop watching. Keep going!

[@PetaLucien]

Take two of the exact same car.. one with swirled/scratched/faded paint.. and the other with almost perfect paint. It makes or breaks the car.

[@kgisabeast]

It's such a pain to try to keep your cars paint in good shape when you live up north where it's freezing cold 4-5 months of the year, especially with a black car :/

[@Musicizmyremedy]

Lukas not really. All u really gotta do is wax it every month

[@JSAFIXIT]

Musicizmyremedy I am up north as well, Dec-late Feb temps here can dip to -40 Fahrenheit. Unless you have a heated garage, the wax would freeze before you were done applying it to a panel.

[@thebritish910]

Can you wrap and then add clear bra on top, to protect the wrap? Great video!

[@wutdadilyo]

Great comparison of both films!

[@nitrokyosho]

I had parts of my challenger hellcat clear bra done with expel ultimate ,i had the whole nose done and 7 inchs up from the bottom rocker panel along the whole car and mirriors done for $750.00 well worth it .but not worth doing the whole car for $10,000.00 when you can have a awesome re paint job done for a lot less than that. expel has not taking off that great for that reason my installer said because people dont want to pay that much so once again it was designed for rich people and not for the average person.

[@MugYoda]

Well, just had my first go using clay on my car. Thanks Larry for giving me the information to be confident to attempt this myself!....... (man that stuff is sticky)

[@felipelozano2013]

Would it be a smart thing to put protection film on the high impact areas and on top of that a vinyl wrap if you're planing on doing a vinyl wrap for the whole car?

[@lkyksb3]

7:16 That Maserati MC12 GT1 caught my attention in the background.

[@GearheadDaily]

Thanks Larry for all this stuff!

[@Synovyx]

Can you do a vinyl wrap, get it customized the way you want it, and THEN put on paint protection film? What about adding a ceramic coating on top?

[@GhostPlaysGames]

Synovyx Unless you doing this on an exotic or super car in the million price range, it’s no point putting the cost of a car to protect your Civic

[@BigDette]

Larry, here you say not to polish a clear bra my machine, but you have videos of such correction..

[@robertsivonjic5080]

Those are some expensive wraps, here in Slovenia, a wrap costs about 1000€ but it does depend on what vynl you take and the size of the car

[@amosjr]

Could you customize on a wrap like stripes etc. ?

[@tuhituhi701]

Yes.

[@toshibavoodoo]

Clear Bra windshield? Suggestion on how to protect windshield from Dings?

[@pedroferreira2912]

So can you do both in one car? lets say you like a certain vinyl wrap and you want to protect it, can they be used simultaneously? cost and weights aside...

[@vjaneczko]

One question I have is; how long do each of these materials last? I know there was talk about older types of clear bras turning yellow after a few years and that's pretty much a thing of the past nowadays, but to they have a projected lifespan?

[@romulus_]

xpel ultimate has a 10 year guarantee. vinyl wraps last 3-5 years.

[@speedblazer94]

How does the paint get after years of having vinyl wrap laid on it? Will the paint flake or get damaged from having sticky vinyl that heat cycled for several years?

[@lilac819]

wow great video! so informative! exactly what i needed

[@30redpillsaday71]

whats up with all the Orange Peal all over the wrap and black porsche?

[@dylancakes]

We removed vinyl stripes from our car and paint underneath the stripes does not match the rest of the car. Same color, different shade as if the rest faded. Is there anything we can do it reduce how visible the difference is?

[@sdushdiu]

While the films can provide protection against a degree of abrasive damage, they are ineffective against impact damage. NEITHER material will do much to dissipate force and protect against impact forces that are transmitted through the covering directly to the underlying rigid surface. What they will do is to hold any material in place that would otherwise be lost and thus become visibly apparent.

[@PetaLucien]

Granted a car accident is one thing.. but regular driving from day to day.. not getting into accidents and such yet still driving a vehicle that gets damaged by rock chips and fine scratches.. the film helps protect from that, which realistically is more important in the long run because most people are not getting into accidents every day, instead they worry about the small things.. which the clear film takes care of

[@gieslebt]

Hey Larry, do you have an information on thin paint? I recently bought a vehicle that had a previous owner that removed too much paint (mainly hood crease), and you can start to see a lighter white primer if you look closely. I know it's dangerous to remove more material at this point, but are there things I can do to fill, or properly care for the paint at this point? I realize you're getting close to repaint territory, but was wondering what detailers do when a classic car gets to this point.

[@audionative6320]

Could you do a video about an air comoressor set up?

[@nmrdkl]

What do you mean by 10mm? Is the protective film 1 cm thick?

[@nmrdkl]

ooooooh, thanks for clarification

[@computiNATEor]

Are you talking about 4:19? One "mil" is one thousandth of an inch (~.025mm). Remember, this is the States; we're still backwards. So a 10 mil thick clear film is about 1/4 of a mm thick.

[@evilcab]

lol, yeah i'm confused too. imagining 1cm clear bra.

[@Aaronage1]

I had no idea "mil" was its own unit, 1/1000th of an inch... weird! Thanks for the clarification

[@ForSaKeN0TeARS]

LMAO you really thought they where using 1 cm thick clear bra's? Well, that should protect the paint for a century to come.

[@brandonkapana2453]

dam, that 964 looking sooo good now

[@MarylandDevin]

How long does a clear bra last? Does it yellow or fade over time?

[@rexczi6299]

"Just remove it" Yeah thanks im going to remove $10k from my car that protects it!

[@jarredmay7496]

Awesome Video

[@rudypj30]

the one question I had, but it was not covered was how long can you keep a clear bra wrap on a car before it needs to be replaced?

[@AMMO-NYC]

Depends. if your car is constantly in a garage and you drive it once a year then 10-15 years. but if you drive it every day then less and if you race it on the track then maybe one track day. All depends.

[@davidstowe5652]

Great job and good luck

[@pgale]

So how long do they last as a general rule ?

[@rivalino]

can a clear bra last a whole hard cold winter with snow. Not to mention all that temperature fluctuation when you park inside in a hotter place?

[@AMMO-NYC]

It should

[@alanwong9]

When removing the clear bra or vinyl, does it affect the original paint? Does the adhesive leave any residue or marks? Thank u.

[@uansari1]

Vinyl won’t stretch at all once on a panel...it’ll compress slightly, but I don’t see it tearing if a piece of gravel hits it.

[@Lepioubelgique]

Hello, I love your videos, it’s helping me a lot in my car. I own one Opel Astra G caravan 1.7 TD 03/1999. I’m having a big problem cleaning my windows. My front one are all covered with some little withe spots, I can’t reach they with my nails, I already tried with hard APC and also claybar, nether help. Can you please teach me what I can do?! I did a small video to show you, I sent you on FB page. Thanks a lot for all the videos and hints! Wish you all the best!

[@tylerhobbs1297]

So are we just not going to talk about the MC12 Corsa in the background?

[@Ozzie4Para]

Clear bras all the way. I'd never do a wrap on any car of mine. Mainly because the wrap material is pretty thin in thickness which makes it pretty vulnerable to rock chips and other road debris hazards. Clear bras are pretty amazing. They can take a lot of abuse before needing replacement.

[@alinehme9390]

can you PPF a vinyl? and how? love the video btw

[@Gowiegowa]

for 6-10k u can get a professional respray, may as well use the crap out of ur car and when ur ready to sell just respray Edit: good information to know though, thanks

[@joapps8135]

Hi. Possible to vinyl wrap ON TOP of clear bra and say a year later removal of the vinyl wrap is doable while maintaining the clear bra? I want the protection plus a new, temporary exterior color

[@AMMO-NYC]

Might be but when it comes time to remove vinyl the clear bra might come up too. vinyl might not lay down properly either.

[@joapps8135]

AMMO NYC Thnx, I really appreciate it!!

[@marksilverman3693]

I installed a clear bra on my 2013 Porsche shortly after purchase. How long can I leave the bra on my car without fear of discoloring or difficulty removing it?

[@foprob]

Hi there, would you know of a good place oddly enough in NYC to do a xpel clear bra.. Thanks

[@merlz89]

Holy Shit!!! Larry please tell me you took some footage of that MC12 Corsa in the background? That thing is beautiful!

[@SRKarting]

Hi Larry, Absolutely loving your vids, been watching tons lately, Just a quick question don’t you ever use a pressure washer? I see you use a foam gun rather than a foam cannon. Getting my S Class Mercedes in next few months and hoping to do a full detail myself once I get it. Loving the content dude.. Thanks

[@joapps8135]

Hi again. Re the matte finish car bra, if it were installed over glossy paint, would the matte look be almost as good as a true matte finish?

[@AMMO-NYC]

if quality products used and installed properly yes.

[@justatiger6268]

What does the a wrap or clear bra look like 3, 5, 10 years later???

[@kswan4235]

Larry, how does vinyl wrap stick to faded rough clear coat? I've cut and polished it twice but it comes back fairly quick.

[@PetaLucien]

You cut and polished but the problem is the clear coat is gone hence why it fades so quick. Wrap will stick though. Just make sure its clean.

[@romulus_]

sort of an odd question: I live next door to a coffee roaster and their chimney is producing a fine dust that's all over everyone's cars. i know it's bad for the paint, but anyone know just how bad it is? my new ride is coming in soon and i'm a little worried about it, though i suppose i can endure the hassle and cover the car every time i park it for an extended time.

[@peternguyen7318]

can you use both? apply the vinyl wrap then X-Pel on top of the Vinyl wrap?

[@AMMO-NYC]

yes that is possible, but you run the risk of pulling the vinyl with the clear bra when it comes time to remove.

[@Spyro333777]

Brand new unpainted bumper from eBay is $150-200 plus $300 OEM color/quality paint job. Will last another 5years. That's a total 10years (5years original bumper +5years new bumper). I'm talking about Japanese car or similar. So $500 in ten years. Clear bra will cost the same BUT don't dent your bumper, or get into small accident in ten years. Otherwise, you'll need a new bumper and a new clear bra again.

[@raudelhernandez4320]

Stupid prices, honestly

[@sumitbarua2065]

can u frst use vinyl wrap to change the look of the car and then wrap it in clear bra to protect the film?

[@chuckgardify]

whether a clear bra or wrap, what if you have a few rock chips in the paint. Do you have to repair the paint first?

[@ForSaKeN0TeARS]

Depends, if you want paint chip air bubbles in your wrap, then you can leave them. I would fix it up if i where you.

[@jhp555]

Do you have a recommendation for clear paint protection film brand??? I wanna put matte

[@pipo5536]

Is it possible to put vinyl over a clear bra?

[@themegaroadproject3014]

Love your videos, they’ve helped me a lot. Have you ever heard of cilajet? If so is it the real deal?

[@justinfisher36]

Now I do window tint so I have experience cutting film so on that note someone that has experience with window tint would they be able to do a clear wrap or vinal wrap?

[@AMMO-NYC]

I would say the learning curve would be much shorter for you.

[@brandonandreadakis3015]

Thanks for the great videos. I am yet to try your products as I am obsessed with CarPro products for my collection and know them well, so change is difficult. But I promise to integrate at least something from you as thanks for the great videos. Question, I have a BMW i8 on order with an $8k BMW Individual paint that I almost had to give BMW my own mother to do for me as they don’t want to start a trend with custom painting that car. I plan on actually driving that car, not just parking it with my collection. I do all of my own detailing for the most part as I enjoy it, at least here in Maryland. In Palm Beach I have a pro detailer just cause I’m not there all the time and with my house being right on the beach, my cars take a beating from sun, sand, and salt. Anyway, for thr i8, do you recommend a clear bra on thr whole car, ceramic coating, or the usualy clear bra on vulnerable parts and the rest ceramic coating. I’m not planning on tracking the car except for BMWCCA events occasionally. Also, I’ve been usinf CQuartz UK edition. What is your opinion of ceramic coatings? I’m tempted to take the clas to buy the pro or just get some from a friend who has a body/detail shop. Is the pro a lot better and is it difficult to apply? All it looks like is you have to be more careful removing residue. Thanks!

[@rogerserafin]

Can a clear protection film still have swirl marks ?

[@ForSaKeN0TeARS]

If you want them, you can always add them yes.

[@TexasTony90]

Can you put the clear over the vinyl?

[@mafatchu569]

Did anybody else notice the power to weight ratio was backwards? 1hp for every 5 lbs (approx) not 5hp for every pound. Just curious

[@qthn1452]

Can you ceramic coat on top of clear bra?

[@FM-tx5es]

Great vid! Outstanding! Great information!

[@amhershman]

Hey Larry, great video, but I think you made a bit of an error on the Lambo...550HP 2600lbs is 5.2lbs per horsepower. If it actually had 5.2 HP/Lb Koenigsegg and Aston Martin would have some serious issues spending all this money on developing 1:1 Kg/Hp Cars.

[@musikdoktor]

how about to install a clearbra and then vinyl wrap the car.. well it would cost 20 grands but at least your car now is full protected and looking great! :D

[@peakperformance65]

What is the purpose of the race cars seen having yellow tinted headlights?

[@PetaLucien]

Driving in rain/fog and less glare

[@ProRallyDriver]

Nice video. I have a question.... with the clear bra how many times you can wash your car?

[@PetaLucien]

As many time as you please realistically, but it is suggested once a week or bi-weekly.

[@ProRallyDriver]

Peter Wolter Thanks

[@fishing4fun903]

great info, thanks

[@fullthrottlevapors9365]

Can you do both

[@figo2992]

I really wanna see new videos of the impala

[@HEKTIC458]

Thats a seriously good looking race car

[@joeb5763]

Can you put a ceramic coat over clear bra and vinyl wrap?

[@PetaLucien]

Certain versions of clear bra, yes.. but the newer versions have hydrophobic properties from the manufacturer so the coating won't really adhere properly. So it is not needed. Vinyl Wraps can be ceramic coated, but typically with lesser strength coating and/or less layers. It has happened where vinyl was more difficult to remove due to it loosing elasticity

[@abramlucas1086]

Is their a such thing as a clear bra for the windshield? To protect from chips and cracks? If their isn't I think it would be genius to invent something like that. Imagine all the money you would save on windshields. They would not constantly be getting chipped and cracked, from rocks and pebbles on the road, especially the highway. Also, maybe it could reduce glare and protect your view on the road at sunrise and sunset. The sun in your eyes. Just a thought.

[@AMMO-NYC]

They have one :)

[@abramlucas1086]

AMMO NYC Awesome!! I suspected but, I wasn't sure if they did have one, good to know thanks

[@abramlucas1086]

8Hachiroku6 that's right lol, good thing it should be a lot easier to clean the windshield with that protection on there

[@gnoultnecniv]

There is a product called ClearPlex for windshield/window protection.

[@PetaLucien]

Yes Clearplex or BRAY.. Now understand this.. the product and installation can be upwards of $1000, as they are not the same as your typical "clear bra" material. They are very thick and take a lot of time and effort to install. Most modern cars can have their windshield replaced for roughly $2-400 not to mention if you have insurance or glass coverage. Exotic or high end vehicles.. such as a Mclaren P1.. has a $15,000 windshield.. so it would make sense to opt for the protective film.

[@RumblestripDotNet]

What's the sponsor conflict that caused you to blur out part of your buddies car?