I'll be getting a A4 2010 shortly and the dealer suggest I add a "stone chip protector", which is $449. it's a very thin film that covers the front bumper and side mirrors.

has anyone bought this? is it worth it? will i notice the film on black paint?

they also suggest the Permaplate (paint protector). anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

I have 3M on the front area and side mirrors. It came on the car. You will notice it from less then about 4 feet away. Any more u'd never know it was on. I think it's worth it. Just make sure at $450 that it comes with a warranty on the stuff incase it peels or something.

 

Dont bother with the dealer, my turned yellow the following year and the dealer would not re-do it saying it's normal and it's not defective in terms of function and because I have a white car so it looked yellow. Freakin thing look like it got pee on.

Any good tint shop can do that for half of that price and they will warranty it for min of 3 years, I had mine redone and 2 years later still looks new.

 

what you're looking at is a Paint Protection Film (PPF) and it is a very good investment. Again dealerships don't do this type of work themselves. They have local tint shops as their contracts and will likely pay the tint shop $200 and collect $250 for themselves. So don't get it done from the dealership but instead get it done from a tint shop. As said above you will get it warrantied as well.

 

i would do it in a second. i wish i had done it!!!! spend the money asap!

 

I totally agree with PhinX404. I wish my car had it done when originally purchased. I also agree that you should get it done from a reputable third party and I am sure if you ask there are plenty of good ones out there. I now have minor wihite chips from whatever I pick up off the road on my front end. Sure I can get it repainted but aftermarket paint jobs are never as good as the factory one.

 

was thinking to get the full clear bra from ebay and dim, any ideas on difficulty level for that, is it even worth the try?

 

What brand clear bra are you getting? Certain brands ARE significantly better than others.

I would not recommend installing the clearbra yourself unless you have prior experience. It can turn out to be an expensive mistake if you mess up. BUT that being said, if you are a handy man, have patience, and can pay attention to close detail then it is a job you can do.

Hope that helps,

Waseem