jowettw

opinions on magnetic car bra?

would it be worth getting the magnetic car bra that mitch sells ?!

thanks!

gcs118

Bras are always best left off in my opinion.

CitizenPro

I never really liked car bras, but I gave it a try and bought the magnetic bra from mitch, and i Like it. I think it looks nice on the car. Another reason was is that I was getting alot of rock chips on my hood. Its a rubbery material, not leather.

JJB

how long have you had it on the car? Have you taken it off since you had it on and looked at the paint for any signs of abrasion? I know that regular car bras beat the crap out of the paint and am wondering if these are any better.

thanks!

dewey

I have a magnetic bra. It is pretty good.

It is made of a vinyl or similar material, such as the kitchen magnets you stick on your refrigerator. It's flat black. On a black P5, you can hardly tell it's there at all from a distance.

Things I like:
it seals very closely to the hood, so not much dirt can get under there to cause abrasion
you can put decals on it (I've got a big red "mazda" on mine)
comes off easy

Things I don't like so much:
it can be hard to put on, especially when it is cold out and the vinyl is not so pliable
it only covers the front 6-8 inches of the hood, and not the grille or fenders
questionable durability
not suitable for summer use

It says right on the package not to use it in the summer, because it can crack and fade, so I am leaving it off for most of the sunny weather. I have experienced some cracking on the parts that flex the most when you put it on, and I've only had it for about 8 months.

I haven't seen any abrasion under the bra. The instructions say to keep a light coat of wax on both your hood and the bra to eliminate direct rubbing. That plus regular washing seems to do the job.

I am worried that the area under the bra won't fade as fast as the rest of my paint, so that's another reason for keeping it off in the summer.

Compared to a full leather bra, it's pretty cheap, and it doesn't directly damage your paint the way a traditional leather bra does.

It has a few drawbacks of its own, but they're small compared to those of ordinary bras, so I'm going to go ahead and recommend it.

TurboTodd

Dewey-

How long does it take to put on? I do a lot of highway driving, quite a bit at night, when the bugs are really bad. The leading edge of my hood is taking a beating, and I thought that the magnetic bra might be just the ticket for those nighttime drives. No paint fading, no cracking from the heat of the sun.

Only a couple of small chips so far, and the scratches I've managed to polish out.. I'm ready for protective measures..

T

JJB

yeah, that was along the lines of my thinking as well... I'm also considering one of those nose deflectors that are for sale out there. I just need to find one that is made for a Protege.

mnkyboy

I have a magna bra, but I dont use it anymore. It started to crack, so I didnt put it back on in fear of the cracks damaging the paint. I recieved alot of good comments about the looks. If the manufacturer of the bra put more effort into the product, he may have a hot seller on this hands.

PROS
_____
Looks great
If installed correctly(which is not that easy) keeps dirt away
Lower price than other bras

CONS
_____
Gets VERY hot
Cracks if bra isnt warm when installing
Bra exterior could have better finish
Like all bras, will eventually discolor section of hood it covers

dewey

It's pretty easy to put on, in the summer when the vinyl is pliable. In the winter, you may need to heat it up with a hair dryer or in the clothes dryer, so it is a little less convenient.

All in all, it is probably a five minute job. Maybe 10 if you get unlucky and need to try a couple times to get it all lined up properly. But it's not too bad.

On the other hand, you wouldn't want to remove it every time you parked and put it back on before you drove again.