I have a pearl white 2011 Outback and am trying to decide whether to get a hood protector or do the clear bra. My husband doesn't like the clear bras since you can see where they stop. Input on which is better or whether either of them is worth the cost?

I think the 3m is $500+ installed, but doesn't collect dust underneath it. Wish I had put some of the stuff on mine to stop the nasty rock chips.

I have heard the hood protector/rock deflector will trap dust that scratches the paint, but I could be wrong. It would probably have saved my windshield from a bunch of micro-chips out of the glass caused by rocks launched by semis on I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge in AZ.

Doing it again, I would have gone 3M clear on the hood shortly after driving it off the lot.

 

I find that the Subaru OEM hood protector is better than most generic ones. You still have to clean under it, but I would have no issues putting one on my car.

 

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19985&stc=1&d=1307399735 Here is a pic of mine . I have no issues with it at all.

 

hood protector, looks good and works.

 

I am waiting at my dealer for my hood protector right now. I looked into the 3M alternative but it is too much money for what it does as far as I am concerned.

 

I've read quite a few complaints about the hood protector. Clear bra is pointless because eventually they get nasty. I'm holding off for a leather bra/hood protector combo like the ones the 3rd gens have.

 

Ugh, I've never seen a leather bra on a car that did not do a number on the paint.

 

I had the hood protector and didn't like it. I went with the clear bra and I am much happier. No chips and it's much easier to wash bugs off.

 

I have the Subaru deflector and like it very much. It also matches the wind deflector on the sunroof very well. I am at the 3000mi mark with no hood dings--yet, it's still early. I also had clearcoat damage from the foam strip under the deflector sticking to the surface. When I removed it the first time to clean underneath I found slight damage. I have since begged a strip of 3M bra material about an inch wide from a dealer and applied it to the hood where the foam strip contacts the hood. I expect no further damage. If I had it to do over again and had the big bucks for the bra I would do both the 3M(protection) and the deflector(looks and redundant protection). YMMV.

 

I have the Subaru hood protector too and also found that the foam strip was causing an issue.I buffed and waxed the hood and all is well but I also removed that foam strip and the guard functions just fine....

 

Most dealerships also sell crystal clear which is a paint. We didn't like the line you get with it so they painted the bumper and the entire hood. No cut off lines as they followed the body part lines.

Looks great! They will stand behind it. We also have the hood/ bug deflector. Don't worry about stuff getting under or trapping dirt. Not usually a problem. Good to take a soft mitt to the car wash with you anyways.

 

I have a pearl white 3.6 2011 limited and have the 3M clear bra installed for $450.00. The clear bra looks nice and is curved along the hood. If you look closely, you can see the line that it leaves on the hood.

Keep in mind that the 3M material needs to be kept clean because it will take the brunt of dead bugs and should not be cleaned with traditional bug and tar cleaners. I use 3M 303 protectant from autogeek.com.

 

The 303 is a UV treatment for acrylics and plastics unless you mean the new cleaner that is branded 303 now?

We've been using 303 on aircraft plastics and boat canvas for years and years. It wasn't till just a few years ago 303 made it to the automotive world.

Pretty much like anything else keep the harsh cleaners away from your paint and 3M shield and your fine.

 

PLEXUS is great on auto film. I use the hood protector with VentureShield circles under all the pads and along the hoods edge under the foam piece for added paint protection against abrasion from vibration.

 

I was actually in the same dilemma when I got my white outback. I know you have to have one or the other because you'll regret if you don't. However, I did see some white cars with the bra and as it gets older, the while line across is more noticeable as no matter how you clean it, that line darkens over time. The film itself does not darken, just the line. If I have a dark car, I would go with the 3m, but since I had a white car, I went with the deflector.

 

+1 for hood protector. I've had mine on my silver OB for a couple months now and have grown to really like it. Relatively cheap and fairly easy install.

 

I use the 303 aerospace 3M protectant on the 3M clear bra to keep it clean. I have read other threads that the paint on the Outback is a bit thin and subject to chipping from rocks and I'm just trying to keep my investment in good shape. Nothing is forever but when I trade my Outback in, I understand that the clear bra can be removed with a hairdryer and not damage the paint.

 

I go the 3M clear bra recently and have some questions which I should have asked the installer but anyway:

I can't find any of this 303 stuff mentioned here so are there any viable alternatives?

What about going through a no-touch high pressure car wash? Will it peel?

Can I apply wax?

Is/are there any definite DO NOT DO's that I should be aware of?

Thank you in advance

 

PLEXUS will work fine for cleaning.

A no touch car wash is fine, brushes are a no no.

You can and should apply wax. Just no buffer.

Do not rub vigorously as the film can scratch. DO NOT let bugs and dirt on it for a long time especially in the sun as it will stain.

Micro fiber towels work well to clean along the LINE of the film.

 

$450 for a big piece of tape put over your paint is stupid IMO. It will eventually start to look like crap too, I've seen it happen on a bunch of different cars. I had a leather front end cover on my civic for a long time and it never damaged my paint, after years and years. If you're smart and take it off when its raining you wont have any problems. Even if you do end up getting it wet, its not a huge problem, you just can't let it sit on the car wet then dry. 3M for hundreds of dollars is a complete waste to me, you could just wait awhile and put that $500 toward a whole new paint job after a few years. Stupid to me... sorry.

 

You need to get 303 3M aerospace protectant online. Just google it. It is about $17.00 for 16 oz on Amazon. This protectant is great on all of the black plastic materials on the exterior of your Outback. It has UV inhibitors and can be used on the dash and is better than ArmorAll. I buy it by the gallon for about $45.00.

 

I've got the clear bra, and paid $600. It's the half hood, bumper, mirrors & door cups. I had the Mercedes dealer who did my old car (C300) do my Subaru (Yeah they were butt-sore when I brought my new OB in) but they still did it for me cause I bought three Mercedes from them over a 4 1/2 year period and sent my dad down to get a new E350.

That said I hate the way the hood guard looks, IMO hood guards are for large pick-em-up's and huge SUV's.

Ohhh my car is white and you don't notice the lines until the car is dirty per se, also most people don't know it's there unless I point it out to them. On my white 2010 Honda Insight the entire front hood & side fenders are clear bra as the front is so short/small, you can't tell at all on that car. The negatives with the clear bra are that in some places on my Honda it has started to lift in the hard to form areas like the lower airdam and near the grille. Since this is my wifes DD and high mile commuter there are already 1/2 dozen rock chips that have hit the clear bra. I'm glad the chips havent hit the paint, but the jagged plastic left behind almost looks worse than an actual rock-chip that can be touched up with paint.

 

Since this is my wifes DD and high mile commuter there are already 1/2 dozen rock chips that have hit the clear bra. I'm glad the chips havent hit the paint, but the jagged plastic left behind almost looks worse than an actual rock-chip that can be touched up with paint.

And with 3M its only going to get worse. This is a pointless product!

 

VENTURESHIELD is a better product than 3M. If you are going to do a film, get Ventureshield.

 

Ventureshield is a 3M product.

VentureShield? 3M US

 

Yep, why do you think they bought it. They did not buy an inferior product to add to their line of great products.

3M is a 5 year warranty, Ventureshield is Lifetime. I think Ventureshield is a little thicker also.

 

Thanks everyone! We've decided to just go with a hood protector. Is it cheapest to buy it through the dealership (my husband will install it) or can you find one cheaper online?

 

Is it cheapest to buy it through the dealership or can you find one cheaper online?

IME subaruonlineparts had a better price on accessories than my local dealer even with shipping.
FYI used a small strip of 3m to keep the foam pad off the paint

 

I think the hood guard looks nice on the OB as well. Normally I don't like the look of hood guard but I think this 2010/11 OB version blended pretty well..

By the way, thanks for the advise using small 3M strip to protect the paint. Are you referring to the Scotchgard™ Paint Protection Film? Just wanted to make sure I am getting the right one.

 

The product only has 3M on the paper backing so I'm not sure about the Scotchgard part. If you Google 3M clear bra you'll get the right stuff. Look for a local dealer/installer. They end up with lots of scraps. Maybe you can sweet talk them out of one.