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A friend of mine just showed me his Audi A4 that he had clear film called xpel Ultimate film installed on his car. His installer charged him $1,800. The film is supposed to protect the paint job from chips and scratches and is also supposed to have "self healing" properties. Have any of you tried this product or similar type of product before?
Should I have it done for my S550? or does s550 paint already come with some protectant coating?
Hi,
That's a really good product. I've used it on my last four cars and plan on continuing to do so. Your new car paint does not have anything like it, but you probably can get the dealer to do it as they all seem to have 3rd party vendors that come in to install film these days.
The price seem in the ball park depending on what he had done. I think I paid $1,400 for the following on my 2013 SL550:
1. Entire hood. (Get this done, the front 1/3 approach isn't the way to go).
2. Both front fenders, entire lower front end to include the lights.
3. Mirrors and A pillars
4. The section behind the rear wheels where crap could kick up.
5. Top of rear bumper where loading or unloading the truck might cause damage. (Flat, square section that's cheap and easy to do)
You wash and wax it just like to do your paint and it has gotten very, very good at resisting yellowing in the past few years.
Some guys with high-end cars like Ferraris and Lambos cover the entire car.
I absolutely recommend this film. Your stock S paint will not stand up to rock chips after driving enough. The film will help protect the factory paint underneath and it won't stick out like a sore thumb.
That price is in the right ballpark for a high end installer to do a perfect job with a custom cut film (which is what you want especially on an S Class). Inexperienced people who may charge less may end up scratching your paint with their blade when cutting the film.
I want the film too. I am being quoted $4000 for the whole car here in the Dallas area
That might seem high, but it's in line with quotes I've seen for a full body wrap. As one of our colleagues noted above, what you pay is highly dependent of the quality of install and the amount of labor required. The film itself is a minor part of the cost. You won't regret parting with the cash when no one can even tell it's on the car unless you tell them.
I do not miss the days on washing my car and seeing little rock chips in the front of car. Nor do I miss the "fun" of cleaning out the dried wax that makes then stand out even more.
Additionally, I feel I have always gotten my money back so to speak. You show the potential buyer pristine paint work under the film and your car stands out from others of similar age and mileage. Used car buyers of cars in this class want nearly new with someone else eating the intial depreciation hit, but they'll pay a bit more for a highly maintained car.
Edit: No it's not cheaper in repaint it in a couple of years unless you're only looking for a crappy paint job. There's a reason, Ferrari owners, etc often cover the entire car.
Isn`t it just cheaper to repaint the car in a couple years?
Cheaper or not cheaper to repaint is not relevant in my personal evaluation because I'd rather NOT have a resprayed front end on my car. I want to keep the factory paint in tact as long as possible and to preserve what came on the car.
With that said I'm doing Euro Delivery on an upcoming E where MB drills your front plate on. When I get the car back home I'm going to repaint the bumper and have it wrapped.
A friend of mine just showed me his Audi A4 that he had clear film called xpel Ultimate film installed on his car. His installer charged him $1,800. The film is supposed to protect the paint job from chips and scratches and is also supposed to have "self healing" properties. Have any of you tried this product or similar type of product before?
Should I have it done for my S550? or does s550 paint already come with some protectant coating?
Depends on if you leased the car - I lease all my Merc's now after witnessing the massive depreciation and complexities/difficulty of selling (to any dealer or individual) my old S550.
If you own the vehicle, definitely get the clear bra. If you leased it and you don't care about the finish of your car - e.g. you take it to commercial car washes, or if you drive it on pristine roads with barely any possibility of rock chips, don't worry about it. If you are like me on the other hand, and are obsessed with everything unnecessarily (even on a leased car), you might as well get one too. It all comes down to personal preference.
Clear bra (X-pel Ultimate) JUST for the bumper and headlights (I didn't cover the grille or the hood or fenders or mirrors) cost me $450 in the LA Area. There's always so much construction everywhere you turn that even after a 2 year lease, the bumper on a Merc can look sandblasted...this happened on my 2011 E350 and SLK350.
wish I would have done this: already have 'blemishes'
not much point now I guess
I got a clear bra on my 2013 SLK350 after it had a sandblasting incident at around 8,000 miles. It actually covered up a lot of chips - although, there are a few bubbles. Can't really see them unless you look close - car looks great!
Sadly, nothing can really protect your grille though - and the grilles on the S class are HUGE. I heard that if you apply a clear bra on the "chromium" pieces, it can remove the top layer of the plastic when you remove it. Only install the clear bra on painted parts of the car.
It looks pretty legit and they have a lot of high-end cars getting wraps and stuff done there. They also have numerous dealerships who go there for the clear bra.
I am just debating between option 1 and option 2 for my S550. I never had any clear bra done on my previous cars.
I got my car wrapped yesterday and I'm pretty happy with the results. After talking to my installer; which has been recognized by multiple forums and high profile customers as one of the best installers in the nation; he mentioned that Xpel Ultimate is the best wrapping solution at the moment.
He also advised that the norm is to cover the full front of the car with option to cover the entire hood and rocker panels.
Hi had this completely wrapped..each panel is computer plotted with perfect fit..splitter and side skirts also covered..looks like a plastic car
And I also had the front/hood/pillars/rockers/mirrors and headlights done on Frank...here where sand (gravel) is applied to the roads it's mandatory to try to keep the rash to a minimum
And Lexi also has extensive filming..front/hood/rockers/lights/mirrors..even fog light lenses
Ormond2004, my car is a lease but I see this install as a plus. Yes there is a high initial cost, but I trust that when I turn the car back in after the lease is over, that I wont have to stress about any nicks, dings or scratches to the front of the vehicle, and in addition I get the benefit of a flawless looking front for the duration of my lease.
As far as washing, I just had mine installed Saturday so haven't been able to see how easy the bugs come off, but I can tell you that it has been raining every day since Sunday and my front looks clean as hell.
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