Utopia Texas

The good, the bad and the ugly please.....

parsfdon

I had Xpel on my CLS and Suntek now on my 2016 SL. They are both excellent products but I think the Suntek gives a better gloss. Both cars had full frontal and rocker panels covered. If you want to keep your car protected..this is a must.

Utopia Texas

I had Xpel on my '96 Z3 years ago and loved it. I checked out a lot of Z3's on club tours and those without a clear bra on the front looked horrendous on the front from road rash and literally dozens and dozens of rock chips. It has been so many years I thought I would ask current users. Yes, I admit it....I owned a aZ3!

TennesseeZ4

And I will admit I had a Z4. Great little car, fun to drive. Not a GT by any stretch.

For those of you that have used the clear bras, is there any downside to paint underneath? I am considering the same treatment as I do drive my car, and detest the chips of white in the blue paint. Your comments are appreciated.

Utopia Texas

Discussed this with a neighbor who is in the car business last night that uses the Xpel service. He said the installers who use the pre-cut kits from Xpel are good to go and if there is any damage to the car in the future such as a wreck the Xpel can just be peeled off with no problems. The installers who use the bulk rolls of Xpell apply in mass and then cut the outlines on the car by hand and leave a slight cut line in the clear coat. Later on if the Xpel is removed the lines will show and may not be able to be polished out if too deep.

He also stated that he uses a service that not only washes the paint before installation but also clay bars the paint where the Xpel will be applied for optimum shine under the Xpel. This is even done on brand new paint. The services that use the bulk roll Xpel and do not clay bar first are cheaper but you get what you pay for and how much you want to pay may depend on how long you plan to keep the vehicle.

This neighbor has had Xpel on his 2012 Mustang for 4 years, from the windshield forward, and you cannot tell it is on the car. It looks like it came off the showroom yesterday.....

parsfdon

The pre-cut kit is the only way to go and it's a must to have a skilled installer that knows what he is doing. One other thing...the car not only needs to be clayed, but polished prior to any clear bra install.

roocarl

I own a sign company in the UK and whilst I have limited experience in these clear bras but in general adhesive vinyls clear or coloured are best applied to clean paint wax based polishes reduce the bond and more likely to come away as the material is stuck to a thin layer of polish not the paint .

ibanezking

Quite right Carl

The vinyl needs to stick to the bare paint/laquer
Suggesting it needs to be polished first is ridiculous!

I would polish it with 3M Finnesse it, to get a mirror finish but with no residue, and then apply

roocarl

I have had cars that have been highly waxed polished and the vinyls just literally will not stick to the car almost like Teflon and I have had to wipe down those areas with Brake cleaner to remove the wax , as said before this is not a DIY job for most people ! I have seen plenty of cases of so called professional jobs that are shocking , also if there is a chance your car has had a respray or touch up before there is also a chance when you remove the bra it may remove some paint ! So in summary , do not wax your car , make sure it is original paint /good quality respray and find a company with recommendations or try and see their work if poss :-)

Shot249

Utopia,
Have a clear bra on my SL. Works fine. Cannot even see it on the car unless you look really close at the plastic edge. Best thing no rock chips.
Regards, Shot

Utopia Texas

I have made arrangements to have everything covered from the windshield forward so there will not be much of a chance seeing edges anywhere especially across the hood. The group doing this also includes the head lights and door edges where you might bump against another car parked next to you. Appointment is not for 10 days so I am in a holding pattern at the present time.........

Utopia Texas

The installer with two helpers came out 4 days ago and did the Xpel installation. After sitting out in the sun the second day 99.9% of the imperfections went away and I am a happy camper. 3 tiny dots still there but so, so small no one will ever notice. No seams at all with the pre-cut kits. He also did the lights for me. Miles and miles of protected shine now!

visionatsea

Utopia and others, thanks for sharing your clear bra experience. Am considering same. Would you or others mind sharing cost and what sections of vehicle were covered. Thanks again.

Utopia Texas

If you go to the official Xpel web site you can see what kits are available for your particular car and year and also who your certified Xpel installer is in your area. They can give you the prices depending on how much you want done. I assume prices for labor are different in some areas so me giving out what I was charged would be irrelevant. I had everything covered from the windshield forward....mirrors, hood, sides and front and It took the fellow 6 hours including washing and using a clay bar on the paint and then installing the Xpel.

ibanezking

in the UK............

i was just quoted £699($850) for a full front bumper and headlights, half the wings and half the bonnet by the Uk's 3M authorised fitters

Nemrosim

Xpel on my SL . Gloss is ok, has that wet look to it, easy to clean. It has paid for itself quite a few times already due to the beach sand that is blowing around these parts.

jetjok

Nemrosim,

How much of your car was done with Xpel, and what did it cost you to have the stuff installed?

Thanks.

JJ