no401k

My black 2007 (11 years) with the original clear bra turned a different color than the rest of the unwrapped body, not sure if it's film or the adhesive. I replaced it last summer, and while the PPFs on the metal are easy to peel off, the ones on the plastic (bumper, mirror covers etc.) were a pain in the *** to remove and requires a lot of scrubbing and paint correction afterwards. My red 2010 (8 years) appears ok but the edges have curled up in several places, also replaced a few months ago. So I say probably 7-10 years max. for old films, supposedly the new films are better but it has yet to stand the test of time

no401k

a good compromise is to PPF the front end and ceramic coat the rest of the car. I did this on several cars for 3k a piece.
The PPF will prevent rock chips if you ever take the canyons or go to the track, or debris from the freeway etc. Most of the PPFs are self healing so scuffs and scratches will heal itself in the heat. The ceramic coating will protect the rest of the car, because supposedly it seals up the paint and makes cleaning a lot easier. For cquartz, you just blow the dust off or use reload to keep replenishing the layers of coating. For ceramic pro, you wash and wind blow it dry. The point is to avoid contact as much as possible to avoid swirls and scratches.
Make sure the price includes paint correction, probably the most important step of all. You dont want to seal a imperfect finish under PPF or ceramic coating

ipse dixit

Ever try calling them out on that warranty? Not just for Xpel, but for any PPF manufacture.

GLWT.

Wimankid

Appreciate all the feedback & discussion. A lot to digest for doing this the first time. I'll definitely ask to see their work before deciding on which path to proceed.

MoeMistry

Joenyc

K-A

Interesting, thanks. Yeah, new PPF's have apparently come a long way since then, so I imagine they would fare even a lot better.

Thanks, that makes sense. If my car got it when new, it'll be going on 6 years this year. Seems perfect and I don't notice any discoloration (metallic blue) and the car's always garaged. I figure it should last quite a while.

So far so good with mine, and I'd guess it's at around 5 and a half years. I guess I'll just keep an eye on it, but so far it shows like the rest of the car (the bare paint parts).

Gary JR

No mine remains perfect. What needs calling out is any GLWT assertions that are not backed up. I'm sure you can come up with a one off anecdote or two.

R_Rated

Sadly - it is a PITA to get them to stand by their warranty. Here's the process

> Call Xpel
> routed to field rep
> Field rep tell you he has many porsches and builds a strawman
> Field rep determines it was a bad install and not their film's fault
> Field rep and installer go back and forth
> Field rep determines you have to get the original installer; who they already determined is the cause of all this headache, to redo it.
> Continue to B!tch on public forums where Xpel C suite reads and provide emails and pictures
> Xpel Execs fall on sword and swear it is a one off regardless of patterns
> lean on installer to write a check
> He won't
> Draft a small claims court lawsuit with the emails from Xpel blaming installer and claim 3x damages(normal procedure)
> Installer mails check.

Process takes about 5 months with documented pictures, dates and email communication to validate claim. Unfortunately you need the Xpel to put in writing that it wasn't the films fault but the installers. That's the recipe to have merit in small claims court. Nobody wants to go there but it's also sad when dealing in transactions worth thousands on >100K luxury products there should be more professionals acting like professionals in the way they run their business.

This is another reason to shop your installer. Not just to get the job done right but so that you don't have to go through this and if you do.... A.) they will still be in business and B.) they will stand behind their work and product.

Junior - The shop that did yours in Greenville, SC is a good shop with a long track record and stellar reputation. That's why you can't relate to this. Fortunately! ha!

MoeMistry

Bummer you had such a bad experience. This is why the focus truly needs to be on an installer, rather than manufacturer. To date, we haven't filed a single claim with XPEL, Suntek, or 3M on behalf of our clients...that doesn't mean there hasn't been any issues with the film. It just means we handle things different. If there's ever ANY issue that we can document and it's not a result of neglect, we simply handle it in-house for our client first, then deal with the manufacturer.

Our client's time is valuable and so is our reputation. That's one reason we charge what we do...we take the time to handle these problems, and if anyone knows business, the consumer pays a premium for this level of attention and customer service.

That's why it blows me away sometimes when I read comments like "is $4-5K too much for a full clear bra wrap on a 911"...to me, that's WAAAYYYY too low. The margins on that are so thin, that if anything ever goes wrong, say you have to replace the giant piece that covers the side of the car, good luck trying to get a warranty claim done ASAP...you get what you pay for gents...not just the install, but post install for years to come. This isn't something you do every year...with new film technology, films will last years, and on a $100+K car, whats a few thousand $$s to get the peace of mind?

R_Rated

That's the way it should be.... for the record.... This process was after multiple attempts at working with installer. He was young and I even offered to pay for half the labor to have a guy that's been doing it a long time come in and help redo it.... thought that would ensure i got it done right and help out a young guy to get some training.... He blamed it on the film - the film blamed him and round we went.

If you're OCD meter is high enough to get film at all... why would you not do it right knowing that for years, a hack job would drive you nuts and take away from the enjoyment of the car. Just do it right.

MoeMistry

+1...thank you for sharing your story

Gary JR

One that was a whole lot more about the installer and customer than the product. If the alternative is to go without protection no thanks.

R_Rated

Yes - but also how the manufacturer handles the warranty.

Installer is key - can't shout that enough.

Detailed Designs

Focus first on finding the most qualified installer. Consult with them and explain what's important to you. They should take some time to educate you about the options they offer and then you should organically come to the ideal solution.

PPF is not one size fits all no matter what someone says.