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I'm about to get a 911 Turbo S and wanted to get clear bra paint protection. The feedback I have gotten was to
do the front bumper area, hood, front fenders, mirrors and the rear wheel arches. The car exterior is GT Silver.
I wanted to understand the trade-offs on fading, yellowing, peeling/edges, bubbles, which one looks best, etc.,
and of course, price. Should I do the doors? I don't expect stones to hit the doors but was wondering if
light dings/chips could be prevented or minimized if someone opens their door into my car. What if someone keys
the car? Would this help?
My car is in a garage in FL but I will use it almost as a daily driver in the FL sun and in the late Spring - mid-Fall,
I'll be in Washington, DC with the car in a garage when I don't drive it. The choices I've most seen are
3M, Sun Tek and XPEL. If there are others I should consider, I would appreciate the feedback.
Good question, but the answer is complicated. This is an expensive decision that will either give you peace of mind or a total headache. Over 20 years of experience installing 3M paint protection film gives them my vote. This is coming from the perspective of both an installer and a customer. My original 87 Audi Coupe has factory 3M paint protection film. Yeah it's turned a bit yellow after 30 years, but it's still in one piece and not cracked at all. I also have 3M on my Sequoia that's over 10 years old.
From a technical standpoint, the right installer with the right product is key. They really need to be certified by the film manufacturer to be able to install the film. There is a lot that can go wrong if they aren't properly trained and certified. Did they prep the car properly? Did they overstretch the film? These, among other things, can cause film failure. Yes the film will do it's job, but now you have to take your car back to the installer to get it fixed and hope they don't give you the runaround.
The new Pro Series has amazing clarity and a self-healing top coat that keeps the film looking new for years to come. The adhesive on the 3M Pro Series is some of the strongest on the market, so the film bites in and holds on without damaging the clear coat underneath the film. 3M Pro Series comes with a 10-year warranty that covers yellowing, bubbling, peeling and cracking. They also offer a 5 year paint warranty that can be purchased at the time of the install, but many shops include it at no charge because it's such an amazing value. If a rock actually does make it through the film AND damages the paint, 3M will pay up to $3500 PER INCIDENT to have the damaged film removed, the damaged area repainted, and new film installed. This covers both new and used cars. No other company is offering that.
As I said, we've been installing and distributing 3M paint protection film for over 20 years, and the reputation of the company and their ability to back up the warranty is second to none. They manufacture their own film here in the US, using their own materials, so quality control is easily managed from the source. They also extensively test their products to make sure that the warranty they give isn't just a gimmick to sell more film. If you use a 3M Certified Installer, 3M pays the installer both labor and materials to repair or replace any of their film that fails, so there is no excuse why the job can't be made right. In all those years of installing the 3M film, they have never once denied a warranty we have submitted for either our self or one of our certified installers.
XPEL or Suntek is best. I have XPEL, however, I have seen Suntek and it seems to be more optically clear. Like everyone else has said, find a good installer and if they have XPEL or Suntek you should be good to go.
STEK and SUNTEK have been our go-to. Our machine measurements show they are at the top of the industry in terms of clarity and those readings are not subjective... they are fact.
Some full-wrap Porsche highlights since we are on RENNLIST....!
You will find that everyone has an opinion and probably never find your real answer.
One thing for sure is find a great installer as this truly is you get what you pay for. Installers may do a job that looks great at first but the true results shows up when the clear bra is removed.
My opinion and this is also the opinion of a very high end and well known installer we have locally. Speaking about all three companies highest end product, 3M the best, Suntek next and a fairly distant third is Xpel.
As many have mentioned, installer is key and seeing the work IN PERSON is also crucial.
If your main goal is aesthetics, then 3M and Suntek are very clear and XPEL is a close alternative. All three have a 10 year warranty and their customer service is very good. ONLY 3M has the additional 5-year chip warranty.
At moment, I personally like the total package that 3M is offering....very durable and clear film, great customer service, and the chip warranty.
Find an installer in your area that also specializes in Porsches...knowledge of routinely doing the same brand helps perfect the art because of the repetition of good technique
__________________ Specializing in Porsche/Ferrari since 1995
I'm about to get a 911 Turbo S and wanted to get clear bra paint protection. The feedback I have gotten was to
do the front bumper area, hood, front fenders, mirrors and the rear wheel arches. The car exterior is GT Silver.
I wanted to understand the trade-offs on fading, yellowing, peeling/edges, bubbles, which one looks best, etc.,
and of course, price. Should I do the doors? I don't expect stones to hit the doors but was wondering if
light dings/chips could be prevented or minimized if someone opens their door into my car. What if someone keys
the car? Would this help?
My car is in a garage in FL but I will use it almost as a daily driver in the FL sun and in the late Spring - mid-Fall,
I'll be in Washington, DC with the car in a garage when I don't drive it. The choices I've most seen are
3M, Sun Tek and XPEL. If there are others I should consider, I would appreciate the feedback.
Thanks,
John B.
John,
As others have mentioned, find an installer you trust. The correct installer is half the battle with any paint protection film installation. You've already got the best color for PPF as silver hides the film the best.
To answer your coverage questions about the doors...well that all depends on you. On a 911 Turbo, we typically do the entire front end, and the rocker panels including areas in front of and behind the rear wheels as the tires pick up rocks and shoot them at the painted surfaces on the sides. Doing the doors certainly wouldn't hurt, but I'd make sure to do the other areas first. If someone were to key the film on the door, it all depends on how hard they were doing it. We've seen cases where the film has helped against being keyed, and others where it hasn't. But that said, if it goes through the film and damages the paint to the point it needs to be repainted, then more often than not the insurance company will pay to have the film replaced as well.
Hope this info helps. Best of luck on your hunt and let us know if we can be of any assistance.
if it goes through the film and damages the paint to the point it needs to be repainted, then more often than not the insurance company will pay to have the film replaced as well.
3M's 5-year paint warranty is often included in the install price by most shops, and since 3M is the one covering the repair as part of a warranty, there is NO DEDUCTIBLE, unlike going through insurance. You also aren't running the risk of your rates going up for a few rock chips. All you have to do is take it to the shop that did the work, or any 3M certified shop, and 3M handles the rest. They will pay either the installer or the body shop to remove the film, pay the body shop to fix the damaged area up to $3500 per incident, and pay the installer to put new film on. We have handled a couple of these warranties so far, and it really is that simple.
Funny, I have my ‘18 911 Turbo fully wrapped in XPEL Ultimate and I just had my ‘18 Cayenne Turbo wrapped in SunTek and clearly I would tell you the SunTek is the better choice by far. The clarity is better, no yellow tint to it, and the zero orange peel. I also bought a ‘19 Audi A6 and had that wrapped in SunTek and that looks amazing! The Cayenne and the A6 were both done by Greg at Signature Detail and he did an amazing job! Highly Recommended!
Agree with prior responses. Make sure the installer is well-trained.
The SunTek shop in Naples (FL) has been in biz for 25 years, and owns abt 80% of the Clear Bra market.
12-20-2017, 10:42 AM
Clear Bra - 3M vs. Sun Tek vs. XPEL
