$650 is cheap, factory Infiniti was charging me $900...its too late for me to get the clear bra, I already have minor pitting and light spot on my bumper so its really no use now. Perhaps once I buy the car, then I will get the whole front end repainted and clear bra'd. I really should dished out the cash right then and there
Having spent years in the car business earlier this decade, I feel I should jump in and illuminate a few truths. One, $650 is not cheap for a clear bra installed. That's a ton of money by any standard. Its becomes more absurd when one factors in the profit margin these dealers are taking. The cost of the materials and labor is significantly (read: hundreds of dollars) below this figure. The $900 "retail" quote from Infiniti is designed to take advantage of that brand's demographic -- well-to-do folks with little or no mechanical savvy. These people have money to burn and are not do-it-yourselfers -- they'd much sooner, on balance, farm out the work then personally attempt it, or search for a better deal. Any exception to this is hugely rare. Walk into any Infiniti, Acura, or Lexus dealership and take a look at all the coneheads in these places. They can tie a necktie, but the closest they've been to manual labor is watching their gardner through a living room window, or the picture of the service department staff on the waiting room wall at the dealership.
I sold for Ford -- we didn't gouge people on the clear bra -- fortunately, didn't even offer it. I would have been sorry to see people waste their hard earned money (especially after negotiating a good car deal) on such a ripoff. Over the years, I've had friends sell for other brands, including Honda. His insight on the clear bra echoed the statements above. He was aghast at how many people the dealership hosed on these things.
There's certainly a way to buy these for somewhat reasonable money, but it definitely pays to avoid the dealer install. Earlier in this thread, I mentioned a dealer, as they are indeed the most common purveyors of such an item, but they're probably best for just a lead. Once purchased through the cheapest channel, have a talented body guy do it. Someone who is used to analyzing contours and symmetry, light and shade.
Lastly, and unrelated to the thread at large, I would caution anyone against buying out a lease. Far more often than not, you're much better off just letting it go. If you want to do a buy, do one from the start. With the cap costs and amortization of leases, particularly in the foreign markets, and especially in foreign expensive cars, where buyers do not place high priority on value, you'll end up paying much more than necessary for the same old car. Why pay for the projected cost of depreciation by buying out a lease when you can address that same deleterious factor through effective negotiation on an initial buy?