First exterior mods (If they can really be called that)

[bored001]

This truck gets used for long highway trips at least twice a year and along with some trip friendly interior mods (see that section) I decided that some exterior mods for trip friendliness were in the offing. Added a factory bra and the factory cargo spreaders. Took me a while to find them new but they were worth it. I also painted the factory wheels to match the bottom trim color. I think it adds a decent look overall and gets rid of the annoying "grey" trim on most of the car. The "before" picture is in my garage. Total cost: around $500 US and a case of beer.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

Not really a fan of bras since they do way more harm than good.

Should have looked into 3M clear bras. They'll protect how you want and you don't see them.

[Ringo64]

Agree with Chaos on the bra, they are for short-term use. The best solution for long-term is the 3M clear bra and can get headlight gear to protect those as well.

[bored001]

What exactly is the harm done by a bra?

[Ringo64]

What exactly is the harm done by a bra?

Overtime scratches paint and anything that it makes contact with.

A "clear bra" is basically a piece of clear vinyl you put on your paint that comes off cleanly when you want it to.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

Overtime scratches paint and anything that it makes contact with.

A "clear bra" is basically a piece of clear vinyl you put on your paint that comes off cleanly when you want it to.

Half right.

The bra usually catches and hold any dirt and debris going down the road. The friction of the bra moving on the paint will grind it into the clearcoat. I've never seen one do more good than harm to the paint.

Your best bet is a clear 3M bra. Trust me, your bumper and paint will thank you, plus no ugly leather thing on the front of the car.

[becksmerc]

it also seals in a whole bunch of moisture as well I have them super speed rust

[bored001]

While I could agree with the bra letting moisture in and causing some rust issues, I can't for the life of me see how it can rub anything. It took me 3 hours with a heat gun to stretch this thing out enough to install it. (At one point I thought I didn't have the right part!) I cant even make it move with a pressure wand at the car wash. I had to remove body fasteners and replace them with ones that came with the bra just to install it. This isn't your aftermarket LeBra kit held on with hooks and bungee cords. This is a GM factory part from a dealership. While I can see where a bra would rub the paint if it moved and do agree that if you never took the thing off it would cause problems down the road, I do take mine off a few times a year to clean that fuzzy white stuff on the back and wash and wax under it.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

Every time you remove it, it stretches more. Little by little, it allows debris to be able to get it.

I've seen horror shows from aftermarket and OEM bras from my detail jobs that I've done, I'm not gonna be pushy since you like the thing, just giving you a heads up.

[Ringo64]

Think of it as a tight underarmour shirt on your body that is 2 sizes too small. It was hell to get it on and it restricts your movement but with every move it becomes a little loose and creates an ever slight gap between it and your body. Now image that being on your car and collecting everything that hits the front of your car, that small gap might be even too small to feel or notice but it will collect everything.

We're not forcing you to not use the bra, we're just sharing our knowledge at the end of the day it is your car

[killerspeed101]

also, if you were to ever remove the bra it would look funny since paint fades from the sun, and the paint under the bra will look like new.

[havoc1482]

also, if you were to ever remove the bra it would look funny since paint fades from the sun, and the paint under the bra will look like new.

How long does it even take for paint fade to be noticeable? I feel like it would take a while

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[[ChaosweaveR]]

How long does it even take for paint fade to be noticeable? I feel like it would take a while

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I've seen fade happen as soon as six to eight months. Modern automotive paint is very soft and UV rays will fade the color. You never notice it as a whole, but cover one section of a car for that long then expose it, the fading is very apparent.