I've heard about XPEL, and one of the local, high-end detailers uses this. They also have several others -- Artic Coating, Opti-Coat Pro, and Ceramic Pro.

So, have any of you used/had this installed on your car? Do you do the entire front end and hood? The front quarter panels? I bought my car -- first MB I bought as all my others were leased -- and I'd really like to take care of, maintain it, etc., and keep it looking pristine. What's the best paint protection/coating to use, where do you have it put on, and what's the approximate cost? Thank you very much in advance.

 

I did the entire front hood and the entire front bumper. I do this on all my cars. I am happy with it but it also costs a lot of money. Make sure they wrap the plastic sheet around the edges of the body panels so that you cant see the "line". This also prevents wax catching on the line and creating an unsightly look.

 

I had XPEL installed, did the entire hood, front bumper, headlights and the front fenders. I was told for maintenance, just wax the PPF just like you would the rest of the car. I've had mine for seven months now and still is almost impossible to tell its on the car.

 

The best protection is a full PPF wrap. I had my vette wrapped and it was $6500. Super durable, stays clean, and looks great. Install costs vary by where you're having it done (I live in a high cost area). For my E63S wagon I had it coated w/ceramic pro and had the lower fenders, doors, quarter panels and the rockers wrapped in PPF for a little less than a third of the cost. The ceramic coating helps keep it clean and the PPF protects against errant rocks that are thrown up by the tires.

 

Thanks...so you did the entire front hood and the entire front bumper...with what? Which product/service? Would you mind giving a ballpark figure as to cost? Thanks for the advice/insight on wrapping around the edges of the body panels.

 

Thanks! Would you mind giving a ballpark of what you paid?

The local detailer here -- really high-end, and seems to be very expensive -- recommend XPEL, and they recommended the entire front of the car, hood, front quarter panels, and up the A-pillars (I think that's what he called them), right up to where the top of the windshield is...and he quoted me $2500. I don't know a thing about XPEL, what it is, what it does, etc. -- but $2500 seems like a lot of money to me. Is it worth it? If it is, then I guess there is a lot of value there. I do want to really take care of this car, treat it right, maintain it, keep it looking good, etc. So, it's an investment, a cost, in that.

Thanks.

 

BoMB,

I have an E450 All-Terrain on order, and already have an installer lined up to do a full car Xpel wrap and then apply a Ceramic Pro coating on top of the Xpel painted surfaces, and also on the windows, cladding, wheels and chrome trim to which Xpel does not adhere. Total cost will be $6,500. Note that because the installer is doing a full wrap they are offering a "discount" on the coating because much of the same prep work has to be done for the wrap and coating (initial wash, iron removal, paint correction, etc.) so they are not "double charging" me for the coating. Typically the coating itself is $1,795.

I currently drive a Subaru Outback and do not have a garage, and because I am particular about my vehicles I believe in wraps or coatings. The Subaru has a full Xpel frontal wrap (fenders, hood, A pillars, front quarter panels, headlights) and Opti0Coat Pro coating on the remainder of the vehicle, including the windows and rims. The car is 6 years old and looks very good. Almost zero rock chips due to the Xpel.

Two things I would mention to consider. First, pick the installer, not the product / cost.. As mentioned above by joshg1001 it is nice to get all edges wrapped (not always possible based on the design of the vehicle), and installers with many years of experience. Most dealerships outsource the film and coating installation to "detailers" that work on volume and so tend to take shortcuts. Second, pay very close attention to what the installer does to prepare the vehicle for installation of wrap or coatings. Bad preparation results in a film or coating "locking in" the underlying problem (swirl marks, factory marks, etc.).

Lastly, many people ask why place a coating on top of a wrapped vehicle? The short answer is a film protects against some chipping, bird drop etching, etc. and a coating tends to add depth to the shine and more lubricity which, like the wrap itself, tends to help with cleaning. Even if I had a garage, which I don't, I would likely still get my car wrapped and coated.

Hope this helps!

 

Hi BoMB,

I paid $2200 for my installation and that included $350 for 30% ceramic window tint all around, not including windshield of course. To me to maintain the front end of my car as new, this is well worth it. I live in Texas and its very dusty/sandy and in some places lots of road debris. I did not do it on a previous vehicle, an X5 I was leasing and it had a handful of chips on the hood and bumper.

 

Agree with all of the above. Especially picking your shop to do the FFP. I did lots of research before picking my shop and they did a fantastic job and had my car for three days for the PPF and window tinting.

I did not do the ceramic coat because my E450 wagon is white and white never has depth. I felt it was not a good investment to spend $1500 - $2000 on ceramic coating. Instead, I have a awesome detailer who can wash, clay bar and wax and seal my car quarterly for far less than the $2K. If I had a nice silver or gray car then I'd get ceramic coating. Here is a pic of my wagon right after detailing.

 

That looks awesome!

 

Thanks! It doesn't last long though, Texas is very dusty so after two or three drives it is full of dust. Weekly I use quick detailer spray and a microfiber cloth and wipe down the whole car to extend the cleanliness between details.

I see you're from RI, I used to live close by in Norfolk MA. I don't miss the salty roads, down here we hardly ever get any snow and there is no salt on the roads.

 

I cant remember what product they use, but it was not XPEL. I believe for front bumper and hood, it was low 2000s, high end place in Bay Area, CA