CX9 Nose Bra Bad Idea for HWY Protection??

[NWCX9]

Hey,
New to the forum, lots of great info to be found. I have a 08 CX9 Touring AWD and will be subjecting it to lots of HWY miles (family trips/work). My last rig got pretty chewed up by road debris. I kind of like (I know, I know they look so 80's style wise) the look of the stock Mazda bra for the CX9 and its pretty affordable way to prevent damage to the front end. I used to have one on my Vanagon years ago and it worked great. However, I left it on too many times in the rain (live in Seattle area so we get PLENTY of rain) and it ended up clouding the paint up (took a few years).

Are these just a bad idea or can you keep them clean enough from scratching up the paint (due to trapped sand, etc between paint and the inner bra)? If so how often do they need to be removed and cleaned really well? I have also heard of putting on extra layers of wax to help protect as well. Can you leave it on when wet or do you have to take it off every day and let dry or can you get away with leaving it on for any length of time wet?

I have also heard about the protective coatings you can have put on however these are costly. Any feed back??

 

[sbmrinaldi]

I have the clear-bra made by 3M. It is expensive, but takes the risk out of the bra and very easy to maintain. In addition it is almost invisible. My thoughts on a bra is that it needs to be taken off if wet and in addition it needs to be taken off every time the vehicle is cleaned. Multiple coats of wax do help prevent it from scratching the paint.

 

[CX9 SportOwner]

Only use a bra for highway trips take it off for everyday

 

[chiurw]

I have the clear-bra made by 3M. It is expensive, but takes the risk out of the bra and very easy to maintain. In addition it is almost invisible. My thoughts on a bra is that it needs to be taken off if wet and in addition it needs to be taken off every time the vehicle is cleaned. Multiple coats of wax do help prevent it from scratching the paint.

Agree...the 3M clear-bra is the way to go. I had it installed on our CX9 immediately after we purchased it. The clear-bra covers the entire front bumper, half of the hood, the backside of the side mirrors and the trailing edges of the doors. It cost about $400 but you will never worry about stone chips, paint hazing or scratches that are left by the conventional vinyl bra.

I still have a vinyl bra for my Corvette which I find a pain in the butt to install/remove when it rains or when I wash it.

 

[nazgul350r]

Has anyone tried to install on themselves?

 

[wontonjon]

Has anyone tried to install on themselves?

i think it might be kinda tough unless you cut out clear bras on a regular basis...there are so many curves/angles on the front end that unless you had a very "abstract" eye, i think you'd end up cutting something wrong...

i say pay someone to do it....