Been going back and fourth on this one. Just leased a GTS for 30 months and will most likely keep it at the end. If I were to clear bra it the front end hood and front quarters would be covered in xpel.

This is not a daily driver......yet but could easily turn into one. There are several highways around my home so plenty of debris to consider.

Pros / cons to both? Help me decide!

 

I would prefer not to have the covering on the paint but it drives me crazy to get chips in the paint from rocks and bugs. It is worth it to me for the peace of mind.

If I was just leasing and did not plan to keep the car then not sure I would do it but I own this baby and plan to keep it for a long time now that everything is FI.

The key if you decide to do it is get a quality installer.

 

If you think you are going to keep it do it. The paint on the bumper is very soft and chips very easily. I would also do the edge of the rear wheel well, the back edge, down to the underside of the rear bumper as well. Xpel has a precut pattern piece that fits the area great.

 

Do it.

DaveGee

 

+1

 

Thanks fellas. I will take a look at installers in the Bay Area.

Cheers!

 

I recommend clear bra for front bumper, fenders and full hood, especially if you have a dark colored vehicle. I also had rear bumper done, but many don't bother with the back end.

It's worth the money in preventing paint chips and road rash, which (to me) really detract from the car's beauty. Without a clear bra, they are inevitable.

I had Xpel Ultimate installed with Opticoat over the entire car (black color).

You have to look really hard to see the Xpel. It's virtually transparent.

There are many threads on this forum regarding clear bras.

The most important choice is not the product...it's the installer. Go with someone with lot's of experience on high end vehicles. The current products are really good and don't fade or yellow.

I also had this done on my prior vehicle (Grey Mercedes 550CLS) and I think it helped resale value. The front end always looked like new.

Good luck.

 

I'll be the contrarian. I've never put any plastic on any of my cars and never had any problems with stone chips. But then we don't get much of a winter out here and my cars rarely ever get driven in inclement weather. Might feel differently if I was in a cold/bad weather climate and/or a DD.

 

I've been in this dilemma for the last 10 months of ownership.

I have a white car and live in a hot sunny climate.
The risk of yellowing will drive me more nuts than a few chips.
And when I scrutinize the warranty, in the fine print it says only "excessive yellowing" will warrant free replacement. Now that's so subjective and I'm sure the manufacturer will look to deny any claims.

I also doubt a few chips will affect trade in value

 

My RS5 that is close to white in color has been sitting outside in the Florida sun for 2 1/2 years since not enough garage space for it yet. The XPEL still looks fine after 3 1/2 almost 4 years. It doesn't yellow like other products. When I get my additional garage done I may take it in to get it redone...and having asked the installer here anyway said it would be no problem to do a claim if the color was shifted. My R8 that lives at night inside has the XPEL for 3 years and its still perfect

 

It is not the film that yellows, its the adhesive. Supposedly, adhesive technology has come to the point where yellowing is a thing of the past. From what I understand, the film will peel before it yellows.

 

Great advice about the rear wheel fender edge.

 

Bare minimum: front bumper, leading edge of hood/fenders, mirrors, replace the rear quarter film with one that covers from door the wheel opening and rockers. -These are areas that will take a beating with highway miles.

Get a bit more expensive but looks better with more protection: Same coverage but make it full hood and full front fender coverage.

 

Spoke with an installer who does not use xpel and has moved to suntek? Anyone have. Suntek out there that can comment?

 

The best installer in South Florida recommended me Suntek on my white GTS. I started with the full hood and front bumper. Last Friday I had to take it in to get a minor fix on the bottom where the film didn't stick all the way and before going there I inspected the fenders and I found one rock chip on top of the fender and two on the side on the other fender.

I polished it with Menzerna 4000 to prep the paint in case I decided to cover the fenders. At first, I didn't think I would need it but after finding those rock chips with only 1800 miles driven I decided to go ahead and cover the fenders and mirrors. I used touch up paint to cover the rock chips and the film was put on. After that I could not even find the touch up paint repair. They also removed the whole bottom film and installed a new piece at no charge.
If you are OCD like me I would highly recommend it, make sure you find a reputable installer who uses Suntek or XPel.

A beautiful 2010 GT3RS was getting done at the same time, before a GT4 was getting the treatment too. I was told that Suntek is a thiker film than XPel therefore provides better protection. Also, comparing both films XPel has a little bit of yellow tint compared to Suntek. Maybe someone with more experience could confirm this.