We all know it’s important to take steps to protect our house from the ravages of winter weather, but how many of us think about protecting our next biggest investment —our cars? The professionals at Clear Bra Indy in Carmel have made protecting cars their business since 1999 when owner Kyle Owen turned his passion for protecting paint into a business when he began applying paint protection film (PPF) aircraft.

In 2003, he literally took his love on the road when he began applying PPF to cars in their own driveways. Fast forward to today, and Owen has 17 employees applying PPF, ceramic coatings, window tint and vinyl wraps inside a spotless facility housed at 1071 3rd Ave SW. On any given day those employees might be working on a car owned by an Indy 500 legend, an NFL coach, or an ordinary car lover, including the one whose $400,000 car was slated to arrive any day from California into their trusted hands.

“My dad and brothers were painters, and I always had a passion for protecting paint and this film is perfect for that,” Owen says of the film which was created to protect helicopter blades during the Vietnam War and later converted for use in the automotive world.

PPF Magazine named Clear Bra Indy one of the nation’s top PPF dealers in 2018, and Owen and Clear Bra Indy President Eric Meyer attribute that growth to their unyielding attention to detail. And that attention to detail is what can help protect your car from the damaging effects of winter and of daily use.

“Really, what you should do to protect your car in the winter is what you should be doing to protect your car year-round,” Meyer says.

Here are some tips:

• Always store your car inside if possible.

•Only use quality detail products.

“You definitely get what you pay for in this business,” Owen says.

•Get a quality, professional detailing at least once a year.

“This is the type where they use specific tools to get in all of the nooks and crannies of your car to get out all of the dirt and dust that you can’t even see,” Meyer adds. “It should take several hours, and nothing should be left untouched.”

•Remove all stains from your upholstery and carpeting.

•Only use touchless car washes to prevent damage.

•Protect the exterior of your car with a spray wax at least three times a year.

•Consider a paint protection film (PPF) to protect against dings and other impact damage.

•Investigate ceramic coatings to protect your car’s paint from stains and fading.

You can visit clearbraindy.com to learn more about PPF and ceramic coatings. ClearBra Indy is located at 1071 3rd Ave SW in Carmel. For more information, give them a call at 317-752-4151