To Have Xpel Applied or Not?

Thanks very much. My detailer is as picky as I am, so good to go.He told me up front as you just did about the cutlines, so thanks for the advice.
He is going to decon and clay(NanoSkin) all areas to be Xpeled. Made sure to visit his shop and pretty much interviewed him prior to giving him the job. Also saw a few Xpel jobs he just finished at his shop. Like I said a few posts back, very professional.
 
Good news! Looks like you've found the right installer. That's a great start! Plus he's a detailer... so he should be as OCD as us :xyxthumbs:

I have to say, I found a good installer and he had a good local reputation. He had done Veyrons, the works... However, he botched a few pieces on my car. It just wasn't his best day. The good thing was he stood behind his work and redid those pieces, but it was a little painful.

I had other people telling me that another local installer was a better bet. Well, he did all of the cars for one of the local Porsche dealerships when the customer chose to buy the service at the point of sale. Some enthusiastic customers described this guy as an artisan. Well, I saw many of his installs as I was trying to gather reference points for what an acceptable PPF job looked like. Frankly, I was surprised... Some of his jobs were great, and others where worse than my car the first time it had been done. The way the PPF was wrapped at the top corners of the hoods differed dramatically from job to job. It doesn't help when they use the pre-cut templates, as sometimes they have to wrestle it to fit more than others.

Bottom line, I think anyone can have an off day. The good thing is most of these guys stand behind their work and want to make the customer satisfied. It may help if you look at a few examples in advance and have an idea of what looks 'good' to you.
 
FOLLOW UP

I had the car done last Thur.-Sat. and picked up on Sat. @ noon.
Very happy with his work. The film is smooth as glass and you can't tell it's there.
I had the full hood, bumper, mirrors and headlights done. Didn't want the partial fenders as I didn't want to see the line. He cut around the license plate bracket, and we had discussed this. This was done because the Lincoln bracket is riveted on, and we didn't want to chance drilling it off and putting it back and it rattling. And no way to really bolt it back on without removing the front bumper. Unnecessary, in my opinion. Still, the film is close enough to the bracket, and doesn't bother me.
He sealed the film with CarPro reload, and taught me how and when to apply, and gave me a 3.38 ounce spray bottle of the Reload. Also gave me a new empty 16.9 ounce CarPro Echo2 bottle, and a 1.7 oz. bottle of the Echo2 for quick detailing or waterless washing. Will be buying more, as I like it.

All in all I'm very happy with my decision to do this, and want to thank everyone for their responses to my concerns.
 
FOLLOW UP

I had the car done last Thur.-Sat. and picked up on Sat. @ noon.
Very happy with his work. The film is smooth as glass and you can't tell it's there.
I had the full hood, bumper, mirrors and headlights done. Didn't want the partial fenders as I didn't want to see the line. He cut around the license plate bracket, and we had discussed this. This was done because the Lincoln bracket is riveted on, and we didn't want to chance drilling it off and putting it back and it rattling. And no way to really bolt it back on without removing the front bumper. Unnecessary, in my opinion. Still, the film is close enough to the bracket, and doesn't bother me.
He sealed the film with CarPro reload, and taught me how and when to apply, and gave me a 3.38 ounce spray bottle of the Reload. Also gave me a new empty 16.9 ounce CarPro Echo2 bottle, and a 1.7 oz. bottle of the Echo2 for quick detailing or waterless washing. Will be buying more, as I like it.

All in all I'm very happy with my decision to do this, and want to thank everyone for their responses to my concerns.

Great news - congrats! If you're good with it in the first week (that's the tricky part) you'll likely be ecstatic with it going forward. If you got Xpel ultimate then I believe it's also self-healing to a degree, but regardless they're all pretty good now.

Nicely done on not doing half-panels. Enjoy!
 
FOLLOW UP

I had the car done last Thur.-Sat. and picked up on Sat. @ noon.
Very happy with his work. The film is smooth as glass and you can't tell it's there.
I had the full hood, bumper, mirrors and headlights done. Didn't want the partial fenders as I didn't want to see the line. He cut around the license plate bracket, and we had discussed this. This was done because the Lincoln bracket is riveted on, and we didn't want to chance drilling it off and putting it back and it rattling. And no way to really bolt it back on without removing the front bumper. Unnecessary, in my opinion. Still, the film is close enough to the bracket, and doesn't bother me.
He sealed the film with CarPro reload, and taught me how and when to apply, and gave me a 3.38 ounce spray bottle of the Reload. Also gave me a new empty 16.9 ounce CarPro Echo2 bottle, and a 1.7 oz. bottle of the Echo2 for quick detailing or waterless washing. Will be buying more, as I like it.

All in all I'm very happy with my decision to do this, and want to thank everyone for their responses to my concerns.

Great news! Do you think you'd get XPEL on your vehicles in the future or is it too early to tell?
 
Great news! Do you think you'd get XPEL on your vehicles in the future or is it too early to tell?

For new cars, absolutely! For the other 3 cars in my household, no. But those cars are going to be my practice detailing cars. :xyxthumbs::buffing:

Two kids and wives car, they need a lot of work!
 
Excellent decision on your part, IMHO. Your guy really set you up for maintenance, too. Who was it, in case others are interested from your area? Hope I didn't miss that if you already mentioned it.

We purchased an XPel package from Maserati at time of purchase, and it was the most coverage they offered. The work was performed at Modern image in San Diego. Not the entire vehicle, but certainly more than just hood, mirrors, front fender. Since my dear prior spouse felt at the time we could afford the vehicle (anniversary gift), I figured we could afford to protect it. My vehicle is white, so I don't understand the comment above on not putting it on a white vehicle. This was in June 2014, and I am thrilled with it. I do intend to keep this vehicle for a long time. That's my tendency always. The Mas is nearly always garaged, and that probably makes a difference in longevity of the XPel product.

Now, I did have a problem with it. There was a line left of center down my hood. It bothered me when I noticed it during my first hand wash, but I didn't take the time to go show them. However, in the first year, I also got a yellowish quarter sized stain on it that did not come off with cleaning and did not disappear in the sun. I did bring it back to them for that, as well as show them the vertical line, and they immediately replaced the hood section, at no charge of course. The line was a crease from when the product was folded before application. They said that should never happen, and they don't know how they missed it. They would've still replaced it if it had only been the stain.

I'm extremely pleased with the self repair aspect, as I've seen it at work several times in these past few years. It has received no special treatment other than sealing along with the rest of the car, and waxing. The Mas does not have a coating. I've been back to Modern Image many times to discuss their work, and look at their ongoing wrap jobs. They taught me how to clean the edges that get dirty in the doorhandle well that don't come clean with a regular washing. Simply take a bit of very diluted IPA with a drop of soap in the mix and clean up that seam with a cotton swab. Those are the only obvious edges and while I dont love them, it's worth protecting that area. Reload after such a cleanup would probably be great.

I now recommend this to anyone with a new car (or new to them) who can afford it. I think it is very well worth avoiding heart ache from rock chips in the future. Enjoy your vehicle! Drive safely, always.:dblthumb2:
 
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It was done by a detailer in Connecticut. I'm not sure if allowed to post a business name, as well, I want to ask him if he wouldn't mind me mentioning him. Don't know why he wouldn't, since I think he did a great job, but you never know.
 
Excellent decision on your part, IMHO. Your guy really set you up for maintenance, too. Who was it, in case others are interested from your area? Hope I didn't miss that if you already mentioned it.

Checked with admin it's ok, so here he is, Darien Detail, 528 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820 | 203-424-1155
 
I was wondering if anyone has the Xpel (or any similar product) applied to their cars, and do you like it. I called a place today, and they gave me some prices over the phone for application to my 2017 MKX. He gave me prices for partial front, full front and totally covering the car. Pretty expensive, but I already have a nick on the front bumper and one on front of the hood. And I'm not covering the whole car, about 6 grand for that.
I asked how to maintain it, and he said just like I would without it, just don't use a wax with petroleum in it. From researching here on Autogeek, I now know that the petroleum distillates are necessary to keep the wax pliable, so to speak. So I guess the second part of the question is, what is a good wax that doesn't have PD's as an additive.
Thanks in advance for any info.

Heck no.waste of money and problematic.If you have a Rv then yes.Must change every 3 years hundreds to remove and hundreds or thousands to reapply for what 3 or 4 little rock chips.Give me the wax or coating please.
 
Heck no.waste of money and problematic.If you have a Rv then yes.Must change every 3 years hundreds to remove and hundreds or thousands to reapply for what 3 or 4 little rock chips.Give me the wax or coating please.

Funny, not the general consensus from this thread....as well you weren't that negative on it some posts back. Also, using sealants and quick detailers doesn't seem like delicate maintenance to me, something I plan on doing anyway. And it is only on the front.
Oh well, I guess time will tell. Anyway, if I ever have any problems with it, I'll be sure to post it so others will have more information.
 
2014 E63 covered with that.Water spots your kinda screwed.Looks horrible and the car is black.Front bumper ok.Some people go overboard with that stuff.
 
I never saw a decent install on anycar.Bubbles razorcuts delamination to much to maintain.That's my personal opinion. I think its great for Rv travelers or commuters on daily drivers that put alot of miles on there car.Other than that i personally wouldn't buy that.
 
Whatever. Like I said, If I ever experience anything your describing I'll be sure to post it. I'm not above showing everybody here if I made a mistake in doing so, and if so, would want all to know if I had any problems. So if anyone else wanted to do it, they would know.
 
One thing to note is that this technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. The texture is better, the glue under the film doesn't yellow anymore. Ceramic coatings make them slicker and as easy to maintain as paint. When they're used for full panels you remove the risk of getting wax under the edges when protecting the regular uncovered panels. The templates can be cut oversized so that panels get wrapped better and you minimize the old risk of razor cuts. Much better stuff.
 
Just read through this entire thread, I don't think there's anything I can add except....

When washing an Expel film or any paint protection film, make sure your wash mitts are clean and new. Don't use tatty mitts that could scratch the film.

I tell people this all the time and I suspect a lot of people think I'm just trying to "sell them", but I'm not. I've made a career out of teaching people how to remove swirls, (funny and weird but also true), and here's my best advice.

DON'T BUY A WASH MITT!

Buy them by the dozens.


Or at least a few at a time. ALWAYS have a clean, new wash mitt in your arsenal in case you drop your wash mitt on the ground or you notice your current wash mitt is getting tatty and worn.


Think about it... how much did the Expel cost you?

Everyone else in this thread... think about how much money you've invested in your car, detailing tools for your car, pads, products, microfiber towels, and on and on an on... you finally get your car to the point where you happy and now all you have to do is MAINTAIN it.

How do you maintain it?

  1. You wash it.
  2. You dry it.
  3. You wipe it with detailers.


In other words you touch it. So make sure everything you touch it with is clean, soft and free from contamination. The cost of having a supply of EXTRA wash mitts, (if you're like me and you wash your cars), is NOTHING compared to everything you've spent on it up to this point.

Have spare wash mitts on hand. As a wash mitt starts to look tatty and worn delegate it to under the bumpers, lower rocker panels, etc. and break out a BRAND NEW mitt to take care of your baby.


Here's my favorite and these are not the cheap ones like you find at Walmart that fall apart, these are the good ones that you can throw in the washing machine and wash over and over again. I use these in all my classes.



Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt 3-Pack


Heck order two 3-packs.

For those of you that heed this advice, there will come a day when you're ready to wash your car that you'll look at your current mitt - shake your head no - and then fetch a brand new mitt that you've pre-purchased just for this day and then you'll remember this post and thank me.


The most common thing that MOST of us do to our car is touch it when we wash it, dry it or wipe it. So make sure the things you use to touch it, dry it and wipe it are of the highest quality you can obtain.

New wash mitts = cheap insurance


:)
 
Thanks for the advice, Mike.
The Xpel Ultimate is supposed to be self healing. Hope I don't have to find it if it works. However, I'm happy with it so far.

Funny you should mention wash mitts, I currently have 10. All new. Great minds think alike.
 
Funny. Just this Sunday my 5 year old son was helping me wash my wife's car and when I was cleaning up at the end he asked if he could wring out my wash mitt

I handed it to him and he turned 180 degrees, set it down on the concrete driveway, and proceeded to try to push the water out of it.

I have a couple spare, but I think I'll need to buy extras for this summer. ;)
 
UPDATE

I have to bring this thread back to life with an update. It's been a little over a year and in the end of Feb. beginning of March the Xpel film was breached. I noticed an approximately 1 cm cut in the film which I'm assuming came from an object while driving. And whatever hit it, although small did cause a chip in the paint under the film. I'm pretty sure it was while driving and not something or someone coming in contact with the car while parked because there were no other marks near the breach.
I called Xpel and the person who helped me on the phone mistakingly told me it was covered under warranty, to call my installer. I did this and he called Xpel and they told him that that's not covered under warranty, but since the person I spoke with on the phone made a mistake, they would cover it. Very reputable company in that they didn't say to bad the person made a mistake so too bad
The ppf was removed and replaced with no issues.
Now for the year I had it, it did it's job until the breach. I really liked it and took care of it with CG Wrap Detailer. And I realize that this isn't something that happens often with ppf. But, it is possible, obviously.
I'm posting this as information for people who might be considering ppf. As well, I might be trading the car in already because the dealer is giving me a great deal and I might do it due to not taking a huge loss that you might expect after only 16 months.
I have some thinking to do as if I will spend another $1800 on another ppf install or just keep DR. ColorChip on hand. After all, it is a dd, but not a commuter car and I do take good care of it, obviously being an AG forum member.
 
If you own the car or plan to keep it for more than a few years, I suggest doing it. I've had most of my cars done. Moving back to a lease on both ours now I'm less concerned. Really boils down to that IMO. Overal PPF's are solid products and work.
 
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