If I wanted mine done I would take them out and ship them to Moe so he could do them and send them back.

 

I feel both your guys’ pain. What also happens is that people will partially read a post, think it’s the same thing that has been recently asked and get snarky about the whole thing. But in the end, they missed the point of the post. Like in this case, I was asking about a delamination issue DURING the install of the PPF on the headlights. Not upon REMOVAL. The delamination issue when removing PPF has been documented here and with careful steaming, it seems headlights come out ger early unscathed. I did not read any delamination issues in any previous posts DURING installation but was told by my installer that they had this occur. That’s why I asked here. That’s it, nothing more.

 

My last one was a 2015 C2S that PCNA owned for a year. It had Expel installed on the headlights when new in Match 2015. My dealer removed all the PPF and the stripped headlights were perfect when I traded that one for my new 2017 in June 2018. I had my new one PPF'd right away with the best new Suntek film last June, but had to skip doing the headlights, because...

My SA had warned me not to PPF the headlights on my new 2017, because of this issue. It seems contradictory to me, based on my 2015. I'd love to have my headlights PPF'd for road rash protection, but it's a 2017 and is now is 3 years since leaving the factory.
I'm concerned that 3 year old headlights might be higher risk of delamination, so am reluctant to get them PPF'd.

 

I had it on my lights and lower led lights. I used a steamer and carefully stretched the ppf away at a low angle, not just pulling off. It came out fine, no issues. There are a few good videos on YouTube for removing correctly.

 

I covered my headlights with zero regrets...

The headlights will take an absolute beating without being covered. I’ve recently seen the headlights on a 991 with 80k miles on it without any protection and was shocked at how dull and pitted they were.

Ive also heard that because the XPEL is UV resistant even if the headlights were to peel during removal it’s as simple and removing the remains of it on the lens and recovering with a fresh XPEL layer.

 

Absolutely PPF those $4000 headlights. Period. Full stop.

 

I originally skipped the light film based on this guidance but ended up getting them done after all. My Xpel installer said 10% fail right upon install. With that said, having just replaced headlights on another car due to chipping, there is 100% chance they will pit without film.

Mine came out fine so hopefully they stay that way.

 

I agree that covering them seems like a no brainer and it doesn’t seem like there are issues of the delamination happening during the install at least based on the responses above. Thanks to all for chiming in.

 

Apologies for the snarkiness Jack, I don’t mean to be “that guy”. Glad that you got your question answered.

While I’ve got you, how do you feel about PDK -vs- manual tranny?

DaveGee

 

I have owned many cars with MT. That was I learned to drive. 10 years ago, I would not have touched a 911 if it wasn’t MT. The current PDK is so very good in my opinion. I don’t drive in traffic and only 5 miles one way to work so it’s not that the MT would be a pain. The PDK is so very good. And at the Nurburgring the PDK was stellar. No way I could have rowed through the gears at the same rate. Some day I might own an older 911 and that would be fun to have with MT. Do you have PDK or MT?

 

Anyway... OP: I’ve had both xpel, suntek, and 3m film applied to headlights on 4 different cars and they look fine - i don’t understand how delamination would happen during installation unless it’s some sort of chemical interaction - weird. I’m okay with rolling the dice on whether I’ll have an issue with delamination when it comes time to remove and replace the film. I drive plenty of miles so I think of it this way: it’s a high probabilty of damage now versus an unknown probability of damage later. I’ll take that deferred risk.

 

Protecting the headlights is a must. They are just on pricey to replace when pitted to hell. Xpel has IV protection anyway so the factory UV protectipn is not key.

 

If installer is skilled, non issue DURING installation.

 

In our experience, Suntek is the most user friendly and consistent installation. XPEL would be next, and 3M is to follow assuming you get material that isn’t defective. 3M adhesive has been unpredictable for us, especially 60” roll, and we no longer use the material

 

Except for my windshield, I have my entire car PPF-Ed. I still vividly remember my installer asking if I wanted the windshield also wrapped up and me declining.

After 2 years of fast driving enjoyment and multiple days at the track, my windshield will soon need to be replaced. It has chips all over the place. 911 is a magnet for crap to bash the front if owner is a spirited driver. The rest of the front of the car, including the headlights, are pristine except for chips and marks here and there on the PPF.

If I hadn’t PPF-ed the headlights, I would probably be in a situation the replace even the headlights when it came time to replace the windshield. So delamination or not, I think it is worth PPF-ing the headlights. I’ll take my chances if I ever need to redo my PPF but as of now the car is clean sans windshield.