# Chevy Cruze Bra



## some_goat (Feb 21, 2011)

Its almost that time of year again when the love bugs come out in force and start coloring the front bumper and hood . Anybody have a car bra they can recommend for the Cruze that will keep the dead bug juices free from the paint . Aswell as a place to get it . When its hot out and those dead bastards are on the car it starts eating away at my paint . Dont want it happening to the new car .


----------



## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...nothing been mentioned *here* yet.

...size: 1.4L double-D?


----------



## some_goat (Feb 21, 2011)

Well i hit the search button and nothing comes up with the phrase "car bra" .


----------



## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

some_goat said:


> Its almost that time of year again when the love bugs come out in force and start coloring the front bumper and hood . Anybody have a car bra they can recommend for the Cruze that will keep the dead bug juices free from the paint . Aswell as a place to get it . When its hot out and those dead bastards are on the car it starts eating away at my paint . Dont want it happening to the new car .


Try this site or give them a call-
2011 Chevy Cruze LeBra All Weather Car Bra


----------



## some_goat (Feb 21, 2011)

I have seen this site also , but havent heard anying about them .


----------



## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

some_goat said:


> I have seen this site also , but havent heard anying about them .


I think they are a pretty reliable site. They have been around for some time. Maybe others here have purchased from them?


----------



## Ninety8NeonACR (Dec 25, 2010)

I had a le bra on my second vehicle, it ruined the paint within a month.


----------



## some_goat (Feb 21, 2011)

> I had a le bra on my second vehicle, it ruined the paint within a month.


Well im glad u spoke , i was about to order it . Care to eleberate what all happened . Like why .


----------



## cruzeman (Mar 13, 2011)

*invisible bra*

you should look into the clear 3m bra. its clear plastic that is cut to fit your car and stays on all the time. I will be looking into this when my black cruze comes in next month.


----------



## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

some_goat said:


> Care to eleberate what all happened. *Like* *why*.


...I'm not 98Neon, but here's what happens with most car bras:

1) they might fit snug, but are always somewhat loose fitting.
2) that allows them to "flop" and "buzz" in the airstream at highway speeds.
3) the "flopping" & "buzzing" means the material is literally "beating" the paint surface.
4) which, eventually creates first a "wear" abrasion, then eventually a "wear-through" spot, line, etc. on the paint surface.
5) first the clear-coat, then the color-coat, and then eventually right down to the primer...and _sometimes_ to bare metal(***).
6) how "fast" this all occurs depends upon the bra material, how fast you drive, and how good the OEM paint is/isn't.

...and, _all_ the above is even MORE of a *problem*(***) in _dusty_ and _dirty_ locations.


----------



## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

Added a *Le Bra* to the Cruze. They are very snug once on and I like having the upper and lower screens to keep the stones plus out of the inner radiator fins and the lower air fins. As with all Le Bra and Colgans they need to be taken off every 2 weeks for an inner cleaning and inspection. I have had then on my Cars for 12 yrs with no problems to the finish. A few of my friends have had problems however they keep them on for many months and even have them on thru Car wash not good. It seems only Le Bra had one for the LTZ/RS version however Colgan has them for all others but RS. Even the fog lights have a cover screen to keep the rocks from hitting them.


----------



## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

Many years ago I had them on my car. It was a 1996 Dodge Neon Expresso model. I thought the bra looked fantastic. It's very snuggly on the car and definitely did what they claim it did. The only downside was I had some areas that were hyper polished in that it went right down to the primer but even that ended up shiny.

Sent from my DROID3


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

cruzeman said:


> you should look into the clear 3m bra. its clear plastic that is cut to fit your car and stays on all the time. I will be looking into this when my black cruze comes in next month.


My wife's 2007 has a clear bra on it. Still looks as good the day we bought the car. This is the way to go. Make sure your paint is blemish free before putting the clear bra on.


----------



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...I'm not 98Neon, but here's what happens with most car bras:
> 
> 1) they might fit snug, but are always somewhat loose fitting.
> 2) that allows them to "flop" and "buzz" in the airstream at highway speeds.
> ...


We had a car that had a "le bra" and it did all of the above.


----------



## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

I use the Bra when I travel on major interstates all the time however there are times when I will not have it on when on smaller roads. Over the yrs I have had wheel hub caps plus other items come flying of cars on the interstates and bounce of the front of the car with no damage to the finish which is my main reason to have it on. The best Bra out there are from Colgan they are very thick with there inner soft wool padding but bad for the rain. I once had Le Bra back in the day and they were made poorly but for now it seems they have change how they are made. I take mine off once every 2 weeks and do a inner pad cleaning then add a light polish to the paint and off I go again. Yes they do look great once on .


----------



## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

obermd said:


> My wife's 2007 has a clear bra on it. Still looks as good the day we bought the car. This is the way to go. Make sure your paint is blemish free before putting the clear bra on.


How is the clear Bra once a Item like someones Hub cap hits into it. I just may look into this .


----------



## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Woah these were still used? Haven't seen one on a car in years!

Too s&m for me


----------



## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

Clear Bras are expensive but worth it. The mesh to protect the radiator though would be nice.


----------



## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

I also have the Le Bra product for an LT. It was a lot of work to put it on, and it's very tight. I had some issues with fitting around the front plate, but I was able to cut it and put it on. (This took so much stretching that I thought it was going to tear. It's "drum head" tight on that bumper. Granted I think this Bra may be more work than it's worth, as I haven't allowed it to get wet, or signficant dust to accumulate behind it. 

My intent was to use it for weekend road trips, and for that I think it will work well. Sure the 3M clear tape would be better, but covering the entire front of the car with film is more money than I wanted to spend. 

Currently it's off the car. Hopefully with the heat of summer it will go on a little better next time. When it's new it's super tight, to prevent super sloppy.

As mentioned before, if you take it off every few weeks to clean it you should be ok, but it could become a lot of work!


----------



## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

I had mine on in the sun for a week and now it is an easy off/on. The cost for mine was $89.00 with the RS option and only took me 5 min. last night to clip it back on. I really like having the screens on all of the front openings to keep out the stones.


----------



## cecaa850 (Apr 9, 2012)

The day I took delivery of my new Cruze I brought it to a shop tohave a clear bra put on. I tend to keep my vehicles a looooong time so I thought it might be worth the extra $$. I've only had my car a month and a half so I guess the jury is still out but it seemed like the best option to me. I even had them do the problem areas in front of the rear wheel openings.


----------



## Beachernaut (Mar 27, 2012)

The clear bra is the way to go IMO. I know people who've had good luck with the old fashion bras, but it's a lot of work to keep stuff from getting under it. Just a little dust under that bra turns it into sand paper on your paint.

Clear bras are expensive, but worth it. I did my car (bumper, quarter panels, hood, and mirrors) for just under $300.


----------



## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Here is a link to JCWhitney. they have one $85.
LeBra Front End Cover - JCWhitney

Last one I had was for my 1996 Beretta


----------



## Higgs Boson (Mar 7, 2012)

I wouldn't put something French on my american car in the 80s and I wouldn't do it now.

BTW, I thought this thread was about a guy from jersey getting a cruze....


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

I bought a LeBra for my 2014 Cruze LS. Currently I've only installed the front end cover. I'm hesitant to install the hood cover because doing so appears to require removal of three rubber seals and two rubber bumpers on the underside of the hood (in front and along the sides). However, the LeBra installation manual makes no mention of this.

For anyone that installed a bra (LeBra or otherwise) on his Cruze, did you remove these seals and bumpers? If so, were there any detrimental effects (hood not closing properly, water leakage into the engine compartment, etc.)? Are the seals and bumpers easy to reinstall if I later change my mind about the hood cover?


----------



## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

JoeInMilwaukee said:


> I bought a LeBra for my 2014 Cruze LS. Currently I've only installed the front end cover. I'm hesitant to install the hood cover because doing so appears to require removal of three rubber seals and two rubber bumpers on the underside of the hood (in front and along the sides). However, the LeBra installation manual makes no mention of this.
> 
> For anyone that installed a bra (LeBra or otherwise) on his Cruze, did you remove these seals and bumpers? If so, were there any detrimental effects (hood not closing properly, water leakage into the engine compartment, etc.)? Are the seals and bumpers easy to reinstall if I later change my mind about the hood cover?


I use a 'Colgan Custom' mask.......there is no interference from the hood seals or stoppers.

They remain in place with the mask on.

Colgan is a premium piece though and you pay for it, but it fits like it is painted on.

Rob


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

Colgan Custom appears to be manufactured by Covercraft, also the maker of the LeBra.

If I go to Covercraft's web site, it only lists the Colgan Custom bras as being available for the Cruze through the 2012 model year (no 2013, 2014, or 2015). So this makes me wonder if perhaps GM added the hood seals and bumpers after 2012. But then again, looking at various GM parts web sites, they all show the same seals and bumpers for all model years of the Cruze (at least through 2014).

What year is your Cruze, Rob?


----------



## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

JoeInMilwaukee said:


> Colgan Custom appears to be manufactured by Covercraft, also the maker of the LeBra.
> 
> If I go to Covercraft's web site, it only lists the Colgan Custom bras as being available for the Cruze through the 2012 model year (no 2013, 2014, or 2015). So this makes me wonder if perhaps GM added the hood seals and bumpers after 2012. But then again, looking at various GM parts web sites, they all show the same seals and bumpers for all model years of the Cruze (at least through 2014).
> 
> What year is your Cruze, Rob?


Colgan was sold to covercraft several years ago but the Company and products are operated seperatly from the mother ship.
Their masks always have the word Colgan embossed into the right side of the facia cover.
I don't know why they haven't updated the year coverage......mine is a 12....but the seals and stoppers are unchanged till the 15's arrived.

Rob


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

Thanks, Rob. I wasn't aware of Colgan being sold to Covercraft.

I used the "Send Us A Message" form on Covercraft's web site to ask if the LeBra hood cover is supposed to install over the seals and bumpers (I don't see how it could work this way).

I've purchased LeBra front end covers in the past for other cars and have never had to remove anything from the hood in order to get the hood cover to fit properly.


- Joe


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

And I came in here to see boobies...


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## tommyt37 (Jun 14, 2014)

Don't forget to tighten up your bra for 2011 and 2012 years due to sag. Time and gravity cause the need for bra's to be tightened


----------



## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

tommyt37 said:


> Time and gravity cause the need for bra's to be tightened


That's often the case, sir. Depressing to think about, eh?


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


----------



## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Gotta keep the headlamps from saggin ya know.

Rob


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

Covercraft responded to my inquiry by sending photo installation sheets (pictures of the bra on a 2011 Cruze). From the pictures (sorry, no boobs) it appeared the hood cover goes over the seals, but it was difficult to tell. Later on I received clarification from the Covercraft representative:

_"I spoke to the designer and she said the hood cover is installed over these rubber seals – it will be ok – just make sure when you finish the install to check the seals and make sure they did not flip back – you should be able to see a big bulge if they flipped back or stick your hand up inside the back edge and fill them –if they did leave cover installed and push seals back into place."
_
So I'll have to give the hood cover installation another try later this week.

Regarding the Colgan Custom bra only being listed for the 2011-12 Cruze, the Colgan representative replied to my email as follows:

_"At this time we have not updated the 2014 Cruze, but I will send your email to our design team to see what they can find out."
_
I don't see why it would be any different for the 2013-14 Cruze, so most likely the design team just has to verify this.


- Joe


----------



## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

Joe-
I've installed both the bumper and the hood cover and I didn't remove any bumpers or gasket material from the hood piece. The front of the hood piece lays nice an flat, but you have to be careful to watch the tightness of this piece when it's new. Especially on the freeway over 65 mph it seemed like air would try to get under it. 

I don't run either bra in the winter, because honestly I don't want snow and ice getting behind the fabric and rubbing. I use it for long road trips and vacations, where I'll drive 5,000 miles in a few weeks. 

I remember that the second and third time putting it on is easier, as the fabric has "stretched" and molded to the car. 

I have no idea how you got the bumper cover on with this weather in Wisconsin! I had all I could do to stretch it on during a 90F day in Minnesota.

It will be a lot easier when the material is warm. This item works great for bug guts, and rock chips during road trips, but I'm not so certain how it's going to hold up in a midwest winter. You'll be the first one that I know of. Maybe I'm just super picky about the water between the bra and the clearcoat. I don't want stuff collecting between there, in fear of having more problems with it on than with it off. 

Good Luck.


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

Thank you for the reply, carbon02. I was hoping I didn't have to remove any of the seals. I probably just need to spend a little more time with the hood cover. On all my previous cars the hood cover has always been the EASY piece to install! (But then again, none of my previous cars have had seals interfering with hood cover installation!)

I keep car bras on all year, even here in the Midwest. I remove it twice per year to wax the entire car.

Since I have underground parking (generally 60-70 degrees F) it's not a problem installing the bra this time of year. There's also a hose available for washing cars (which I'll hopefully get to do tonight, provided the precipitation we're having today clears out in time).


- Joe


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

Washed my Cruze on Tuesday night and successfully put the hood cover on Wednesday night!
















Thanks to all for the help!


----------



## tmburke (Nov 23, 2014)

I'm not a fan of car bras, they're terrible for your paint! You're just better off cleaning the front of your car after bug heavy commutes.


----------



## JoeInMilwaukee (Dec 10, 2014)

I'd agree with you if the only problem was bugs, but paint that has been chipped off due to flying debris (mostly stones) can't be easily repaired. I've already got two of these on the hood of my 2014 Cruze and it's just over two months old!


- Joe


----------



## auraxr (Nov 29, 2011)

Have used Covercraft bras on all three New Cruzes. '11 & '13 now '15. All LTZ/RS Have had good luck with all. Happen to have Le Bras off of '11 and '13 For Sale if anyone interested. None have been cut out for front license plates. As said these are for LTZ/RS. Have another that my daughter had on her '12 LT without RS option.


----------

