BradB

Very happy. I just replaced my 7 year old Xpel with the newest iteration and it's incredible. I did the whole hood, fenders, headlights, mirrors, sills, rear fender leading edge and behind wheel openings front and rear.

porsita

3M gone after exactly five years per manufacturer's recommendation -
X-pel in its place and looking real good for the next seven
As far as the visible lines it is in a different class from the older 3M product
Regarding its healing properties, only time will tell
Good thing about the 3M is that it peeled off clean with no drama; touch-up paint underneath is the cause of many issues on removal so be aware as it has the tendency to spread / blend in with the paint and thus come off with a piece of it
Anyway getting ready to clean her this weekend after the clear bra project which was necessitated by the Euro bumper and front splitter install so will post pics then

curve lover

^^ +2 ^^
Who's had it installed for long enough to know for sure?

A reliable friend avoided XPEL; he heard it was overly thick, yellows, & has 'orange peel.'
Are there different thicknesses/ products? This thread gives me the impression XPEL only sells one type of film, which sounds thin compared to others.

I'm considering it for an area of repetitive friction.
The "self-healing" seems almost too good to be true.
Would LUV to hear from long-term testers that it's the real deal

Stealth 993

Xpel, ULTIMATE is what you want, it's the "best" one out there right now. It is the same thickness as Venturshield, and does NOT have the orange peal of the other films.

The self healing is true, I have played with it quite a bit. It's also solvent proof, that is a HUGE plus right there. The film doesn't yellow, it was the glue used that turned yellow. Ultimate hasn't been out long enough to know how it will look in 3-5 years. But I think for our well kept garage cars it will outlast most other films out there.

Sadly, I have not had Scarlet redone yet (have other things to spend $2300 on right now) but have it on my MINI, it's been about a year and so far so good.

msw

fyi...got this response from a very reputable shop in bay area when inquiring about xpel ultimate...

'We actually do not carry any of Xpel's films due to continuous adhesive issues with their films. In addition, Xpel is using the same technology clearcoat that Nissan invented alongside with DuPont (their self-healing paint) in 2007. As you may know, Nissan / Infiniti no longer uses this system due to long-term issues. For this product from Xpel, we would like to see some longer term usage before we carry it for our clients.'

interesting because on xpel website...they were listed as an installer.

perhaps sour grapes on pricing...who knows.

it comes w a 10 year warranty...hell i'd be happy if it lasted 5 years

seeking another installer in bay area

scott watkins

If anyone in the Houston area is looking for an Xpel installation, give Eric Petree a call at 832.414.4387.

Eric and Adrian did a great job on my car a couple of weeks back.

curve lover

Mike, Mike, & Scott-- Good inputs!


__________________
Cheers --Jäger

XPEL

Just to clarify, we have three different films. None of which have orange peel texture. The Ultimate is our top of the line film that has the self healing properties. XPEL ULTIMATE FILM

For those of you that haven't seen these before. Check out these videos.
XPEL Ultimate Paint Protection Film / Clear Bra Self Healing Demo

Most films on the market are around the same thickness. Between 8-8.5mils(.008"). And very few of them can resist yellowing. Yellowing is caused when contaminates get into the pores of the film giving it a yellowish hue. The solution for yellowing is to prevent contaminates from sticking to the film. The two ways Ultimate accomplishes this are with having low surface energy and solvent resistance. Having low surface energy makes the film slippery and resistant to things sticking to it. It's similar to the way teflon pans work. And, like Stealth 993 said it's also solvent proof. If something does happen to stick to it you can use practically anything to remove the contaminants or debris including acetone or lacquer thinner.

It's fairly common for installers to badmouth their competition when they don't have a lot of great selling points about their own product.

Talk to Force Field in
San Jose, CA 95123
(408) 691-6791

We are happy to help with any questions you might have and feel free to give us a call at (210)-678-3700.

Mike J

What is the longest time you have had Xpel Ultimate on a car?

XPEL

We did the first cars and test panels during development with the early versions of Ultimate in 2008, and the film has been improved even more since then.

rlme36

If there is a recent respray on the bumper, do you recommend X amount of time before putting the product on?

XPEL

It depends on the products and processes used. The main thing that needs to happen before applying film is to make sure all of the solvents have evaporated out of the paint. A good way to check is to smell the repainted area. If there is a solvent smell, it's not ready for film yet.

Mike J

Seriously, your nose is a good indicator if off-gassing has finished?

XPEL

Yes.

Mike J

Bold statement

No sure how you would prove that, or if you have actually measured it with instruments and verified with your nose to say its a fact, but that statement really knocked on your credibility. What test cases have you run that demonstrate accuracy using this method? Did you use any scientific method ?

What I am getting at is using that the paint does not smell anymore is really a very coarse and not accurate indicator. What if someone's nose is not sensitive? What if the paint is a water based paint where the curing does not produce much if any smell?

Seems very unscientific and non-reliable to me.

Cheers,

Mike