[Keith]

I've got a 3M clear car bra on the front bumper, headlights, quarter of the bonnet (hood) and small stiking areas on the fenders of my E90.

I've noticed in direct sunlight or high intensity lighting quite a lot of swirl marks and the odd scratch on the film.

Is there a way of removing these swirl marks?
Can it be buffed out (or to a much lesser extent) using a PC?
I've read on the 3M website that no abrasives should be used on the film. Does this mean that no polish can be used, but waxes are ok?

Any ideas?

[dejav0o]

I don't have a clear bra yet (getting one this Saturday) but are you sure the swirl marks are on the clear bra or underneath it? I think my primary concern is if they use a dirty towell to clean the area before applying the clear bra, it could leave swirl marks in the paint that will just get trapped under the clear bra. I've seen this on some cars with the clear bra already....

As for the rest of your questions, I would probably go back to the shop you got the clear bra at and ask them. They should offer a lifetime warrantee on that stuff, and if the film was scratched, it should be replaced. The clear bra is meant to prevent rock chips... so I doubt they would develop swirl marks so easily.

[picus]

Waxing the clear bra is ok (and suggested), but do not polish it with a machine. The heat from the machine (even a PC) will bubble the clear bra almost every time. Try hiding them with a filler wax like Megs NXT or a good glaze (megs #7, one grand omega, clearkote rmg, etc...)

[Keith]

Originally Posted by dejav0o

are you sure the swirl marks are on the clear bra or underneath it? I think my primary concern is if they use a dirty towell to clean the area before applying the clear bra

I'm pretty sure that the marks are above the film because they're so fine they would be difficult to spot through the thick 3M film.

They might have used a slightly dirty towel to rub out the water from beneath the film or when they cleaned up after installing the film.

The strange thing is that the bonnet clear bra has marks that are only on the bra and you'd expect the swirls to continue onto the clearcoat of the car, but it doesn't.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by picus

Try hiding them with a filler wax like Megs NXT

Are you referring to Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax?

[ZuerstBMW]

Treat it like the paint on the car, no buffer machine though.

[picus]

Originally Posted by Keith

Are you referring to Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax?

Yes. Since you can't polish them the best route to go is to hide them. NXT had a pretty significant amount of fillers, so it should do at least a half-decent job of hiding them. If you want more fillers try finding some Meguairs #7 to go under the NXT (#7 is called "Show time glaze").