orclean1

I contacted XPEL and asked if their product can be used on head lights . YES YES and if you want a precut kit for headlight they sell them . My installer puts it on . There install removes headlights as well and tucks all edges . GREAT JOB

jphughan

No one is saying XPEL can't be used on headlamps. We're saying that it shouldn't be used on 991 and 981 headlamps because they unlike most headlamps, including most Porsche headlamps, have a special UV coating on them that does not mix well with clear bra. Ask if XPEL will warranty any damage to the headlamps on these cars that could plausibly have been caused by the presence of their film, even though the Owner's Manual for these cars specifically warns against using clear bra on the headlamps. My guess is they'll say their warranty only applies to the film itself and maybe the quality of the installation. Many XPEL installers have already said they won't do headlamps on 991s and 981s, some of them after paying quite a bit to replace customers' headlamps.

Crazy Eddie

I agree with all that has been said so far
With one exception
Actually two
One I am using 3M pro
Two my installer is absolutely convinced that its the removal process that will cause the headlight to de-laminate.[ i.e. who and how it is removed.]
I am doing mine, as he has convince me that he has yet to have an issue, ever!
I believe him
Regards
Ed

4carl

Like I said my first post. I had the coating starting to peel off my 14 CS when I removed the expel. This is actual first-hand experience not theory . They can tell you anything they want. See if they will pop for six $ grand for a headlight when the coating comes off. .Carl

IrishAndy

That's correct. It's the removal process that would typically expose you to the risk of delamination... But there is a small risk that it could also be caused during installation (and I'm assuming this is the only reason why any installers would have had to replace any headlamps to this point).

How could this happen during installation? Even though installers spray gel or soap mix on the car and on the back of the film occasionally part of the film can dry and randomly stick to the car during installation. If the film hasn't been oriented correctly at that point the installer pulls it back off the car (essentially like a mini removal process) to re-wet and then re-orient the film.

Now, while the likelihood of this happening to an area as small as a headlamp piece is probably really small (and the adhesive hasn't cully cured at that point), it's certainly possible, so I'd agree with jphughan on this.

One question I'd ask is how your installer can be so confident on film removal on these specific headlights? These things last typically 5-7 years, and some of the newer films are warranted for 10 years or more. I'd maybe ask him to lift one off in a year to confirm

I'm kidding of course... I totally understand why someone would want to take the risk 10 years down the road vs. the almost certainty of chipping and pitting if the headlights aren't protected at all.

zmon

My installer would not do them.

jphughan

In addition to having to potentially remove part of the film during installation, there's the other potential risk of the clear bra trapping heat in the headlamp assembly. That's the other issue that the Owner's Manual warns about, and given that PDLS headlamps always include the washers because they're required to by (German/EU) law due to their 40% higher wattage than the base headlamps (35W vs 25W), the likelihood of heat issues would seem to be even greater with those lamps. So as I've said in other threads, not only does adding clear bra to your headlamps on these cars likely void your warranty on them due to the Owner's Manual language if you happen to have issues with them in the future, but the clear bra could potentially CAUSE issues with your headlamps.

IrishAndy

So here's an interesting data point. I went onto the Xpel site to look at the GT4 products. Every kit/part imaginable is available except for... the headlights. There's a message stating 'Vehicle design in progress' with a message that design will begin as soon as a vehicle can be obtained for patterning.

Fair enough, but it's just a Cayman headlight, right? I search on Cayman GTS. Same message. Cayman S same message. 2015 Cayman - same message. 2014 Cayman... 2014 Boxster... You get the gist...

911 - the part is available.

Most Xpel installers use the templates too, so unless this is a temporary quirk of the site (possible) an installer that uses the templates vs. whole sheets wouldn't even have the option to install this.

drdonger

Talked to a local installer here in Dallas who is supposedly the best and he advised not to do the headlights. He said he will if I insist however. He has done a lot pf GT3's and a few GT4's already. He advised to just cover the lights on track days. That's is probably what I will do.

Crazy Eddie

I hear ya ...
So for the hell of it I just asked him
Actually he said he would...
I do and I understand all of your skepticism


This installer has done 2 million dollar cars ...
He has methods and does things other installers would dream to do
All his work is custom My front bumper is one piece without a single cut
I have been watching him for 3 days and he is like a surgeon with a scalpel
The only reason I am doing it is because I have full confidence that he can remove the film without damaging the coating ...
I know I am taking a chance, but I trust what he says...
He has done museum cars...
Honestly, if it were someone else doing the work I would not have the headlights done
Best regards
Ed

Crazy Eddie

I hear ya
But he would do the installing and removing, and that would be the difference
If he wasnt doing the work then I would not have it done
Its that simple
I will either look like an idiot or a idiot with nice headlight covers

IrishAndy

That's awesome!

Actually, there's no skepticism here. I just don't think the facts talk to anyone (including a really good installer) being able to 'know' what the interaction would be on these specific headlights. It's like a drug company 'knowing' what the long term affects will be of a certain drug. They don't 'know'... they can't 'know'... they only know the results of their tests to-date.

I think he knows what's happened on other headlights.
He may know that's happened when he's tried to remove a film that's been fairly recently applied to these specific headlights.
But, he didn't formulate the adhesive on the Xpel and he didn't formulate the UV coat on the GT4 headlights... and he can't see into the future.

So, I think he can make a reasonable guess as an expert, but so can Porsche.

So personally I have no skepticism... just my own uncertainty and my own ignorance of the long term impact. I'm still searching for that crystal ball.

Regardless of the risk I think your making a good choice. You protect the headlights for a decade, and at that point if there's an issue the clearcoat can be replaced if necessary. Below the clearcoat your polycarbonate will ultimately be sound. Better than mine will be.

I put it to you this way... I have a rug in my hallway to prevent my mahogany floors from getting too scratched up. At the same time I know that having the rug there will cause uneven fading of the floor. Am I right? Am I wrong? It's so hard to say. We all search for the least-worst option.

Oh, and good on you for being able to keep a good humor about it all. It's a good discussion.

bigkraig

If you're looking for something temporary check out http://generalchemicalcorp.mybigcomm...ntshield-5720/. I just used this on our cars for auto crossing this last weekend and it prevented cone marks from transferring to the paint. Peels off when you're done if you put it on thick enough.

Maverick1

This looks interesting.
http://www.roadwarriorplus.com/
Might be an option for the headlights.

IrishAndy

If I was tracking or going on a road trip I'd definitely be looking at applying one of these paintable coatings. I'm intrigued...