What are your thoughts on paint protection film? I have the 2015 S550 and want to protect it from stone dings etc. I read about expel ultimate, any one with experience and cost involved. Thanks

 

Do it.

Have had it done on my last five cars and love it. I here the new Expel film is excellent.

Suggest a full hood, front fender and grill/ spoiler wrap. Most go with mirrors and A pillars was well. My guy puts small pieces where the rear wheels would kick up crap on the rear fenders and the top of the rear fender where things coming in and out of the trunk could hit.

Avoid the front 1/3 hood jobs. On certain colors it will be noticeable and you have to be careful when waxing not to highlight the line with residue.

I have noticed significant price differentials based on the part of the country, but I'd say the coverage noted above will be in the $1,400 - $2,000 range.

 

Thanks BigHat I will be going with Expel as I heard good things about it too

In my previous car S550 4matic 2008 I had Venture Shield and was very happy with it. Since Venture Shield is no longer available I was looking around to see what is the best available at present. Expel seems to have improvements over Venture Shield and good reviews also.

Thanks for your input.

 

my input: damnit I wish I would have done this to my car

 

Nice video of an Expel install.

 

I dropped off my car today to be covered in Xpel Ultimate and decided to get the whole car done. I will get it back next week on Thursday as it takes time to settle and the person doing it is meticulous. Will post pictures as soon as I get the car back.

 

You'll be glad you did the entire car. Don't know if you had a paint correction done. I had multi-stage correction, Xpel and then topped off with OptiCoat - Modesta appears to be the new industry standard. Flawless finish.

 

Good call Wow!!!

 

Hi FFXF1 my car is just two weeks old and I got the DuPont interior fabric and exterior paint protection done. There are no blemishes on the paint it is clean and the person doing it said it was fine after he had the car washed. Thanks for pointing it out to me. I am really excited about the PPF can't wait to see how it will look after it is completely done.

 

I've got a black 550 C4 on its way and would like to protect the paint. Is this stuff more scratch resistant than the MB paint itself, does it turn yellow over time, how hard is it to remove etc? Any other downside to doing this?
Thnx

 

The "clear bra" as it's referred to is no more scratch resistant than paint, but it will help prevent scratches getting deep into your clear coat. It is not bullet proof, and stones with enough mass or velocity are going to chip your paint, but in far fewer numbers. That's why the top coat of OptiCoat or Modesta, which is harder than clear coat - again, not bulletproof.

I don't care how "clean" your car is - there is absolutely no way it's going to arrive from the dealer without swirls in the clear coat. If you're going to spend the money I would suggest you take it to a reputable hi-end detailer and get the paint correction - you - and others will notice the difference. I have a black CLK AMG and you can hardly tell the clear bra is there. Three years and no yellowing. If it's applied properly it's wrapped so little visible sign of wax in the seams.

After three years...

 

^Thanks for the info.
Can the paint be damaged during the application process via any cutting on the car, or are the sections precut?
How much protection is in the OptiCoat itself?

 

I've heard some pretty bad stories of finishes being ruined by a hack with a razor blade - that's why I stress using a reputable shop. Check out your local cars & coffee, locate a few hi-end car owners and get to know them - well. They'll clue you in to the best local indie shops, tuners, detailers and modifiers.
OptiCoat or Modesta are far better than raw clear coat, but the Expel gives you an increased layer of protection.

 

^Thanks. Do the new car dealers ever apply the opti? I'm also hearing that some MB dealers e.g. Euro Motor Cars in Bethesda, have anspecial detail club for certain higher end mb models only.
I'd like to get my done before i take delivery for two reasons; 1) The paint will be protected while i'ts still new and 2) if they screw up the paint in the process I can choose another car if need be.

 

I wouldn't suggest using the dealer - detailing is not their specialty. Sounds like you're in the Washington, DC metro area. Look up Speedfreak Detailing in Sterling, Va. on the Internet or Facebook. Will give you an idea as to the type of cars they usually work on, and the quality of work. Brian Lewis owns the shop - one of the best in the business. And one of the most honest guys I've run across. Most of his customers are Redskins players, Nationals, Caps or Ravens. David Saya runs his own business in the same facility applying clear bras. That's all he does. Needless to say, no dealer is going to give you this level of care.

 

Like all things it never hurts to ask the question. It's been my experience in the DC area that few, if any, dealerships do this type of work via any of their full-time staff. What they often do is set up arrangements with shops to do the work on their behalf. If your aim is to roll the price of the bra into the sale or lease, this is often the only option and it's simply asking them who does their work and/or will they contract the job with the local installer you'd like to use.

That said, my last three cars were done away from the dealer because I had no desire to roll it cost into the sale and had become comfortable with the shop I was using.

 

Thanks for the info but I actually live in S FL...I have friends in DC who say Euro Motorcars has a special detail dept where only certain MB models are done and according to them they do exceptional work far above and beyond anything Euro's normal detail shop does...I was wondering if other MB dealerships also provide this extra cost service. With respect to the Xpel, if I did it, I'd want the entire vehicle covered vs just a bra. At the very least I'd go for the OptiCoat. Once my car gets closer to its arrival I'll do some further investigation around here and see what's available.

 

Got back the car after 4 days with complete paint protection with Xpel. The car looks great and the guy did a great job with attention to detail and not rushing. He wanted the Xpel to settle in just like cement needs to cure.

I am very happy with the result and like my previous car 2008 S550 I am sure this will last me for a longtime. Loving it

Here are some pictures of the completed job:

 

looks great, the only real place you can kind of see it (in the pix) on around the door handles.........damn I should have done this

 

wows500 - as discussed, Xpel & OptiCoat are not impervious to scratches, swirls, and holograms. FYI - below is my weekly process for maintenance. It may seem a bit OCD at first, and it's not for everyone - My car has had multi-stage paint correction, full 3M clear bra & topped with OptiCoat. I spend about four to five hours every week on my car. Longer when necessary. For a quick wash it'll only take 90- min or so. 5-bucket method using 4 buckets with grit guards. Use warm water and Detailer's Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo. Three dedicated MF wash mitts.

1 - Power wash car to remove loose surface dirt and grit.

2 - Wash wheels, tires & wheel wells first: Pre-spray wheels with Sonax Wheel Cleaner. In first bucket of Detailer's Xtreme Foam, use Daytona Speed Master PRO Wheel Brush to clean spokes and wheel rims. First MF mitt to clean wheel face. Tire bush to clean both sides of tire. Handle brush to scrub wheel well. Rinse.

3 - The dirt belt (wash area around the vehicle from the side trim down): Two new buckets of Detailer's Xteme foam and grit guards. Pre-spray area to be cleaned with foam cannon filled with Detailer's Xtreme foam, using second MF mitt and two buckets of Detailer's Xtreme foam and grit guards (one for pre-rinse, one soap) work from side trim down - never move from dirty back to clean but always from clean to dirty. Rinse.

4 - Wash entire vehicle from top down: Another two clean buckets of Detailer's Xtreme foam. Pre-spray area to be cleaned with foam cannon filled with Detailer's Xtreme foam, using third MF mitt and two clean buckets of Detailer's Xtreme foam and grit guards (one for pre-rinse, one soap) work from top down - again, never move from dirty back to clean but from clean to dirty. Rinse.

5 - Drying: OptiCoat and Modesta are highly hydrophobic coatings, and you can dry the vehicle by simply sheeting a stream of water and "pulling" it down the car. Perfectly dry with no water spots. Dedicated leaf blower on low to blow water from trim and crevices, followed by Wolfgang's Detailer Spritz and MF towels dedicated to exterior drying only (more "patting" than actual drying). The less "touching" you do to your car the better. Never MF a car without some form of detail spritz or waterless wash.

Microfiber care. I have a bucket of Detailer's Pro pad rejuvinator sitting by the side. When I finish using a MF towel I throw it in there and let it sit. Perfect for loosening up dirt, wax etc, before you wash. I use Detailer Pro Micro Fiber Restorer Detergent and distilled white vinegar in the rinse well (do not forget to use the vinegar)! Do not wash MF with any other fabrics. Separate your MF based on their use. Separate loads for buffing polishing MF and cleaning/interior/leather MF. Wash three times on hottest setting, i.e., Sanitize! AIR DRY ONLY, without a dryer sheet. Periodically you'll begin to notice your MF becomes water repellant. Indication that it's time to really clean them. The best method is to use boiling water. I use the Detailer's Pro pad rejuvinator, and fill a 5 gal bucket with boiling water and let my towels soak for about 15 minutes. After washing the towels are soft, and hydrophilic, like new.

All of this takes some time. Far more than your average schmo who walks out on a Saturday morning with a sponge, bucket and a chamois. But if you've just spent a few thousand dollars on having your finish brought to perfection - you're the type who will appreciate the results. If you use this method there is absolutely no risk of introducing scratches or swirls, and your car will look showroom perfect for years to come. Best of luck!

 

Good suggestions for a thorough job but frankly I don't think you'll need to do this often. With the color of your car being silver it won't refract as many issues. My car is Ruby Black and has been OptiCoated and Xpeled, with the front third having the Xpel treatment and the rest OptiCoated. I've found that the OptiCoated areas will indeed scratch and show swirl marks, but the areas with Xpel will not. Since Xpel is a self healing material, unless it is a deep tear, it will repair any minor defects by itself.

 

 

What can I say?! Some of us need serious meds! As you can probably tell - I'm not your typical MB owner, and do things to my car far beyond what your average owner does. I'm a student of my car, do most of my own maintenance, get to know the manufacturers of the parts I modify with, and understand how they all work together. She's a daily driver that's near Concours quality. I get unsolicited compliments just about everywhere I go, people rolling down windows at stop lights to ask about her, and poor saps in Accords and Camry's eyeing her as she goes by. She's quicker than just about anything you're going to run up against on a daily basis - and maintained like the performance car she is. To the group of folks who love their cars like I do, none of this sounds unusual. To your average car owner I'm certain it borders on insanity!

 

PS ~ Here's a tip you may find useful. When you begin to see wax build-up along the seams of your clear bra, take one of the old rubber erasers you used to buy at the five & dime to put on the end of your pencils. Just gently run it along the seam. Removes 100% of the wax without reside.

 

Hello FFXF1,
Thank you for the thorough detail in explaining how to maintain the car in showroom perfect condition. Indeed it is lot of effort to keep the car in that condition. You car picture tells the story and after three years it does look in perfect condition.

What about winters do you follow the same routine? Also here in the Northeast the salt and snow does take toll on the car. I wonder if anyone takes the car through the car wash for the under body wash?

You mentioned The less "touching" you do to your car the better". What are your views on the Air Force Master Blaster Revolution lot of reviews mention it takes less time in drying the car without touching it. Also gets the water out from crevices and hard to reach areas for a hefty price of course.