Dr. Watson

In Nov I picked up a 2007 GT3.
The paint protect film was yellowing (white car) and has since been removed.
It is slated to go in next week to get new film applied.

The 355 is going in after that for a full hood covering. The 1/2 hood was peeling.

They just asked what film I want:

3M Pro Series Ver4
Xpel
Suntek
Premium-Shield.

I am not up to speed on these films and assumed I only had 3M as a choice.

Any of you detailing / film experts have any suggestions or guidance?
Your opinions would be most appreciated.

BTW, quoted $2500 for full hood, fenders, mirrors and rear splash guards. Thoughts?

bweSteve

$2,500 for full front clip is a good price,... & that is based on my own personal experiences with XPEL "Ultimate". Ultimate is their self-healing film. I think it's about 7mm thick.

I've had it on 3 of my cars for varying # of years:

1) It's been on my 2012 Cayenne (full front clip) for 8 yrs now. it's a WHITE 958 Turbo with GTS aero-kit, and so it goes all the way down to the ground on white painted surfaces. It has yellowed a bit, but 8 yrs is a LONG time for film on a white vehicle. I have done 60,000 miles over those 8 yrs. Overall I am VERY satisfied with it's protection.

2) It's been on my 1991 964 Turbo, Guards Red, for 4 yrs now. For this car, which has a non-clear-coat, single stage solvent based paint from the early 90's,... I HAD to do a serious 3-stage paint correction & 4 layers of "CeramicPro 9H", with CP's Hydrophobic over top. THEN & ONLY then could I do the XPEL film over top. The 9H ceramic really helped fill in all the pores of the paint before film went on. But I have been very pleased with the protection over those 4 years,... it has really eliminated any paint nics from driving. In that car I've done about 3k miles over those 4 yrs.

3) finally, the XPEL Ultimate has been on my 997.2 Aqua Blue GT3 for 1.5 yrs now. 4K miles in that time. yes, I am DRIVING it. Zero paint nics on the front end, nor down along the side valences, nor in front of the rear Qrtr Panels (see pic below). I posted a pic here on Rennlist a while back (but cannot find the thread now),... pic was of exact location where I had the film placed along both sides of the car, which also replaced the film sharkfin that Porsche puts on OEM. It was a bit of an emotional strain to make the decision to pull the OEM film off. But now that I did, and have driven 1.5 yrs in all kinds of weather, and had pebbles kick up along the side of the car, I am SO GLAD I did. I'll post the picture down below for your reference. You need to look very closely at the picture to see the little red arrows showing where the film line is.... it is all one piece, and also folds up under the inner ledge under the door (which prevents shoe scuffs on the paint just below the door sills)

Note that each of those manufacturers have various "models" or levels in their product lineup. So you need to ask, for that $2,500 WHICH product from each of those companies, you would be getting.

Hope all this helps.
=Steve

Bxstr

I paid around $1500 for XPEL full front on 2 prior cars. That does not include the rocker panels though and rear stone guard area, which is necessary.

Also, expect that price to go up if you want them to remove parts and wrap more of the edges.

I also agree with Steve above, do the extended stone guard area. You will need it, do the entire rocker too.

no2pdk

If your installer has Suntek Ultra DEFENSE, I would recommend that on high impact areas. Its their latest and greatest, the PPF material itself is thicker.

Entire car is wrapped with Suntek Ultra, and with Defense on the front clip.

D1ESEL

I have used Xpel products over the last 5 years over the 3M products.

My current GT3 is wrapped completely with Xpel Ultimate and I love it!

Bxstr

I should note that if you saw the older XPEL film you may not like it as much as the new stuff. The new XPEL Ultimate Plus is way more clear. I know that Suntek uses slightly less adhesive so it is easier to remove. Not sure if that is still the case when comparing against XPEL Ultimate Plus.

XPEL

Dr. Watson,

Congrats on the 997 GT3! Those are incredible machines.

For the quote you received, that looks right on the money. The two most popular Porsche protection packages we see are
1 - Full Front End and Rocker Panels: This includes the full hood, full front fenders, front bumper, side mirrors, and rocker panels including a piece behind the rear wheel for impact protection. This package generally ranges $2,495 - $2,895 +
2 - Full Vehicle Wrap for the ultimate in protection and cleaning. This is generally $5,895 - $10k +
**Please note prices will vary based on labor rates, installer experience, vehicle size, difficulty, etc**

As you mentioned that the previous film yellowed, we can happily inform you that our ULTIMATE PLUS, ULTIMATE PLUS 10, and STEALTH PPF's are all warrantied for 10 years against yellowing, staining, blistering, and more. Parts and labor included. Should the film ever discolor or yellow for 10 years, we will replace it for FREE.

We've recently come out with ULTIMATE PLUS 10, a 10mil version of our very popular ULTIMATE PLUS (8mil) film that is 25% thicker and thus 25% more durable against rocks. The beauty of this film is that it's still extremely contourable and can be installed on the entire vehicle, not just the front bumper.

Be sure to ask for wrapped edges and for them to remove the crest emblem from the hood for a more seamless and easier to clean installation.

We hope this info helps, good luck and let us know if we can answer any other questions for you!

bweSteve

I agree with Bxstr & xpel, that removing headlights & marker lights are easy to do, and allows no edge-seam to be seen around those areas. I did all that myself in the parking lot BEFORE I gave the car to my guy.