Xpel Install on Fresh Paint

[davidkyle1986]

Hey guys. My local body shop will be blending a small area on my front bumper that has a gnarly rock chip, as well as getting rid of my front plate holes. The shop, who I trust, said I should be good to get Xpel Paint Protection film installed. He said before the car leaves his shop that they polish the paint and that it should be cured well enough. I would wait, but I don't want to risk more rock chips. How long should I wait after a blend a re-clearing of my bumper to have Xpel installed?

 

[Cosmin]

it should be cured well enough

here is the question , did they use an oven or what method , if is similar with factory specs than is good to go , it not the paint needs to breath till is fully cured

 

[Evan.J]

I would wait 30 days to let the paint out gas before putting film down. I know they polish the paint but it still has to out gas even after it leaves the shop.

 

[davidkyle1986]

I would wait 30 days to let the paint out gas before putting film down. I know they polish the paint but it still has to out gas even after it leaves the shop.

Im so scared something will happen in that time frame. Xpel says their product allows breathing. Does that help?

 

[davidkyle1986]

here is the question , did they use an oven or what method , if is similar with factory specs than is good to go , it not the paint needs to breath till is fully cured

They use factory specs to my knowledge.

 

[allenk4]

From the Xpel website:

"How long should I wait to apply your product if my car has been repainted?"
You will need to talk to your body shop and see what they recommend. The time will vary depending on the paint system the body shop used. In any case, the time that they recommend you should wait to wax the paint, is the same time you will need to wait to install our product."

 

[davidkyle1986]

From the Xpel website:

"How long should I wait to apply your product if my car has been repainted?"
You will need to talk to your body shop and see what they recommend. The time will vary depending on the paint system the body shop used. In any case, the time that they recommend you should wait to wax the paint, is the same time you will need to wait to install our product."

And I thought I looked all over their site. Body shops are usually going to say 90 days to cover their @$$. I was under the assumption that paint would cure in 30 days. If they bake the painted area does that speed it up?

 

[Evan.J]

I would play it safe and wait it out.

You can call xpel and see what they say

 

[jsgntulok]

Just last week the front bumper on our 2011 Subaru Outback was replaced/painted. The work was done at THE BEST body shop in Tulsa OK. They had new paint protection film installed before returning the Subaru to us. So, follow the advice of your body shop.

 

[jsgntulok]

here is the question , did they use an oven or what method , if is similar with factory specs than is good to go , it not the paint needs to breath till is fully cured

Cosmin, great to hear from you. I have been wondering if you are still going strong in Austin.

 

[FUNX650]

The shop, who I trust,
said I should be good to get Xpel Paint Protection film installed.

He said before the car leaves his shop that
they polish the paint and that it should be cured well enough.

How long should I wait after a blend a re-clearing of my bumper to have X installed?
I would wait, but I don't want to risk more rock chips.

Are you sure you trust this shop?
(Sure doesn't sound like it to me.)

Will you be satisfied with this shop's polishing efforts?
{The XPel PPF is transparent---any left-over-defects will stick out like a sore thumb!}

Is this vehicle a DD? If so:
I would almost be willing to bet the farm that within 30-30+ days (allowance for more out-gassing) your vehicle will have, once again, incurred some type of road rash...
if "un-XPelled", that is.


Bob

 

[davidkyle1986]

Are you sure you trust this shop?
(Sure doesn't sound like it to me.)

Will you be satisfied with this shop's polishing efforts?
{The XPel PPF is transparent---any left-over-defects will stick out like a sore thumb!}

Is this vehicle a DD? If so:
I would almost be willing to bet the farm that within 30-30+ days (allowance for more out-gassing) your vehicle will have, once again, incurred some type of road rash...
if "un-XPelled", that is.


Bob

The same shop did a blend and total re-clear on my rear bumper. They did an exceptional job, and I' very critical. I trust them, but this shop does not install Xpel. That is why I'm picking the minds of individuals who have experience with clear bra. I only drive locally, and very little of that. This one chip was a bad freak occurrence.

 

[FUNX650]

The same shop did a blend and total re-clear on my bumper. They did an exceptional job, and I' very critical. I trust them, but this shop does not install Xpel. That is why I'm picking the minds of individuals who have experience with clear bra.

Then...
Their recommendation on the readiness of their repair/respray to successfully accept an XPel install should bear quite the weight.

Final thought:
This repair/respray---it does come with a warranty, correct?

Good Luck with the decision you make.

Bob

 

[davidkyle1986]

Then...
Their recommendation on the readiness of their repair/respray
to successfully accept an XPel install should bear quite the weight.

Final thought:
This repair/respray---it does come with a warranty, correct?

Good Luck with the decision you make.

Bob

Yes. A lifetime warranty against cracking, peeling, or any other defect not caused by improper auto maintenance or collision/acts of God.

 

[Andr3wilson]

We have bra'd and vinyl wrapped fresh paint no problem. Heck, I even did it to my new bimmer that had it's bumper blended (dealership rubbed up on it with another car) no problem.

Modern VOC compliant paint and baking will off gas the paint 95%+ in 24hrs. The "30" and "90" day limits that everyone says are really there as a safety zone incase paint in unbaked/improperly baked by an idiot.

Unless it's a old shop with a booth that can't bake and is using archaic paint, you are good to go.

 

[davidkyle1986]

We have bra'd and vinyl wrapped fresh paint no problem. Heck, I even did it to my new bimmer that had it's bumper blended (dealership rubbed up on it with another car) no problem.

Modern VOC compliant paint and baking will off gas the paint 95%+ in 24hrs. The "30" and "90" day limits that everyone says are really there as a safety zone incase paint in unbaked/improperly baked by an idiot.

Unless it's a old shop with a booth that can't bake and is using archaic paint, you are good to go.

They use a "cycle bake"

 

[allenk4]

We have bra'd and vinyl wrapped fresh paint no problem. Heck, I even did it to my new bimmer that had it's bumper blended (dealership rubbed up on it with another car) no problem.

Modern VOC compliant paint and baking will off gas the paint 95%+ in 24hrs. The "30" and "90" day limits that everyone says are really there as a safety zone incase paint in unbaked/improperly baked by an idiot.

Unless it's a old shop with a booth that can't bake and is using archaic paint, you are good to go.

The OP is talking about a respray

How can this car be "Baked"?

They do it at the factory before anything is installed (trim, glass, seals, interior)

 

[Andr3wilson]

You are good to go. I would clear bra over that ASAP and leave it

The OP is talking about a respray

How can this car be "Baked"?

They do it at the factory before anything is installed (trim, glass, seals, interior)

Hmm..

Well best way to put it, majority of paint booths in body shop a have a "bake" function. (Google SprayBake booths). The bake function will heat the booth to 140-160 and bake the paint. Typical resprayed paint (not factory) is baked anywhere from 20-45 minutes depending on paint manufacturer and "model" of clear. I have personally baked complete cars - meaning interiors in and everything with not even a remote problem. In fact manufacturers intentionally design interiors and every part to handle heat much higher than what a booth can throw at it! With that said, hybrids can't be baked, best to remove the part and bake separate. Now the way manufacturers and automotive refinishers bake paint is completely different and the paint is blended to work in these different baking cycles and temperatures. Typically manufacture uses a higher heat (around the 200 mark and up) and a paint that works with that heat. As heating a booth to that mark actually requires insane amounts of energy and time, body shop booths are made for lower heat (140-160)

Now why bake paint? Well I can speak from paint that is unbaked, forget about not waxing for 30 days, you can't even drive the car for at least a week. The paint is so soft dirt will impregnate the layers and cause all sorts of nightmare. What baking does is catalyze the solvent evaporation. A proper bake cycle will heat the surface and continuously expose clean air to allow for maximum off gassing. Now in all of this I am referring to curing clear - which has solvents in it that need to "evaporate" Primer and base is pretty much all water based, unless someone out there prefers solventborne base, waterborne is dry and ready for clear after a 20 min bake.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[davidkyle1986]

The OP is talking about a respray

How can this car be "Baked"?

They do it at the factory before anything is installed (trim, glass, seals, interior)

The bumper would be baked seperately of the entire car since the blend is taking place in a small area on it, and the entire bumper is being recleared to prevent orange peel.

 

[davidkyle1986]

You are good to go. I would clear bra over that ASAP and leave it



Hmm..

Well best way to put it, majority of paint booths in body shop a have a "bake" function. (Google SprayBake booths). The bake function will heat the booth to 140-160 and bake the paint. Typical resprayed paint (not factory) is baked anywhere from 20-45 minutes depending on paint manufacturer and "model" of clear. I have personally baked complete cars - meaning interiors in and everything with not even a remote problem. In fact manufacturers intentionally design interiors and every part to handle heat much higher than what a booth can throw at it! With that said, hybrids can't be baked, best to remove the part and bake separate. Now the way manufacturers and automotive refinishers bake paint is completely different and the paint is blended to work in these different baking cycles and temperatures. Typically manufacture uses a higher heat (around the 200 mark and up) and a paint that works with that heat. As heating a booth to that mark actually requires insane amounts of energy and time, body shop booths are made for lower heat (140-160)

Now why bake paint? Well I can speak from paint that is unbaked, forget about not waxing for 30 days, you can't even drive the car for at least a week. The paint is so soft dirt will impregnate the layers and cause all sorts of nightmare. What baking does is catalyze the solvent evaporation. A proper bake cycle will heat the surface and continuously expose clean air to allow for maximum off gassing. Now in all of this I am referring to curing clear - which has solvents in it that need to "evaporate" Primer and base is pretty much all water based, unless someone out there prefers solventborne base, waterborne is dry and ready for clear after a 20 min bake.

Hope that answers your question.

What a great in depth answer. My body shop said the manufacturer of the paint typically says 90 days, but he told me the clear bra would not be an issue. I even reaffirmed this with him, and he once again said that his recommendation would be that I go directly to the Xpel installer and have it done, as to prevent damage in the interim. An exact quote is "No, you could have the clear bra installed immediately, it won't effect the paint. The paint peeling issue is highly unlikely. Paint is a 2 step process, the base which is the color coat and the clear which is the top coat. They work together to make what you see. One can't exist without the other. That clear bra wouldn't peel the paint. If it had to be removed for whatever reason, it is removed by heating the area to soften the adhesive and then peeled back to be removed and the residue must be cleaned off." That is a direct quote in an email sent from the body shop owner.