Hi all,

I ordered headlight protection kit from xpel after noticing tons of rock marks on the headlights. When I got the bumper, hood and fenders wrapped with xpel ultimate, the installer refused to do the headlights because of potential liability issues.

I spent time searching about the risk involved with delamination but couldn't find a convincing proof. I saw testimonials from many people who got it done and have no issues.

I saw the youtube video and it looks doable. I was wondering if anyone did the installation himself.

Any advice/hints appreciated.

Thanks

 

I am sure a thousand people on here will tell you NOT to do it, and quote the owners manual, and point to delamination cases (which for the most part I haven't been able to attribute to protective covers either), and so on. But I'll share with you from my own experience that if applied correctly, and removed correctly, you really shouldn't have issues. And, I would rather have my lamps covered with zero chips for maybe years and risk that someday MAYBE I have a POSSIBLE but NOT ABSOLUTE issue vs. have a pristine car with pitted headlamps!

I have applied and removed headlamp assembly vinyl no less than three times over the past 3 years. First time I went too dark (I have pictures somewhere....), second time I didn't like the material, and last time I got it just right with the eXpel clear. Application isn't easy -- the video from Expel makes it look like a simple challenge, but in reality it can be downright frustrating, and very easy to crease the vinyl and so on. But with the right ambient temperature (you can heat the heck out of that stuff even if applying wet) you can get a perfect fit. I noticed all sorts of ding marks which if I hadn't installed the lens covers would no doubt have etched the glass, and worse!

Liability? I think what some installers are afraid of is that if the owner is denied some sort of warranty claim on the headlamp the vinyl will be blamed (interference with the operation of the headlights as referenced in the owners manual). Now, I wouldn't advocate going with different colors, dark tints, etc. but clear is a no-brainer IMHO.

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't

 

Agree with plenum. Tried it once and gave up. It is a lot harder than they make it look.

 

Thank you all.

I think I will give it a shot. The weather will be crappy this weekend so I will postpone it to next weekend.
I will let you know how it goes.

 

Be cautious. Headlight film (all brands) has been delaminating 991 headlights due to the heat generated.

 

Wrapped the entire car in XPEL and the lights too. Better protect the paint than deal with having to paint.
The shop applied some kind of protective coating on the headlights prior to XPEL, in order to protect them should the film be removed.

 

My head lights are wrapped and I have noticed no issues with doing so over two cars and 2+ years. I am also using an additional protective film over the wrapped headlights for track weekends. If you don't protect your headlights after some time you will notice micro scratches.

 

I have mine done by the best installer in South Florida and I was told about the risk. I took the risk everything went fine, when the time comes I can polish the plastic and re-install. If you want to play safe use protection!

 

Bemo, what film?

 

XPEL Ultimate. Super happy with the job and concept. Washed the GTS for the first time yesterday afternoon and the grime/bugs came off so easily that I couldn't believe it.
Spent almost $6k so not inexpensive but either way you pay, we chose to pay upfront!

 

Xpel Ultimate, two years on, no issues. Glad I did the headlights.

 

Good to hear positive stories

 

I applied the headlight xpel film 3 years ago. I am for now very happy. It is very thick stuff. It has no marks. The impact will have to be unusually severe to damage the stuff, which is good because I wouldn't want to try to get it off. I have same year Pany without film. There are tiny pits in glass. If I can polish them out I'll probably do the same with the Pany.
The film is much thicker than body panel film. Creases/ stretch marks are not the problem. Due to thickness and asymmetry of the film and curve of the glass positioning is the challenge. In addition to following instructions I applied painters tape on four sides of film and car to mark where I wanted to end up before removing backing sheet. Working from center without rotating the film you can self adjust placement depending on which quadrant you start and in what direction you apply as long as your initial positioning is close. That is what the painters tape guide is for. No need to hurry. My heat gun got plenty hot on lower setting. Make sure you over and over and over reapply the edges. They continue to want elevate again secondary to the curve and thickness. Once dry it's too late. Don't ask me how I know. Fortunately it is only noticeable up close on one side. I purchased the knife recommended by xpel. I had to trim some on my first light. Make sure you trim when wet. With better technique it was not necessary on second light. Only trim if really off bc it's hard to get edges smooth. Thin areas of fluid/air will disappear over time. Don't try to reposition by pealing off. That seemes to cause irregularities in the adhesive which don't disappear. If you want it perfect have a professional do it or practice on another car with substantion convexity. I like a challenge and even though not perfect the issues are only noticeable up close and all that matters is I'm happy with it.
The running lights are a breeze. I'd start with them first. They come with the kit too.

 

I just had my new to me 13 xpel'd. My headlights are delaminating and that is before he put the film on. I didn't notice it before, but I'm going to try to get it warrantied. The taillights are also delaminating and have all kinds of spider cracks inside of them. South florida sun, I guess.