To Have Xpel Applied or Not?

[h8dirtycars]

Heck no.waste of money and problematic.If you have a Rv then yes.Must change every 3 years hundreds to remove and hundreds or thousands to reapply for what 3 or 4 little rock chips.Give me the wax or coating please.

Funny, not the general consensus from this thread....as well you weren't that negative on it some posts back. Also, using sealants and quick detailers doesn't seem like delicate maintenance to me, something I plan on doing anyway. And it is only on the front.
Oh well, I guess time will tell. Anyway, if I ever have any problems with it, I'll be sure to post it so others will have more information.

[GSKR]

2014 E63 covered with that.Water spots your kinda screwed.Looks horrible and the car is black.Front bumper ok.Some people go overboard with that stuff.

[GSKR]

I never saw a decent install on anycar.Bubbles razorcuts delamination to much to maintain.That's my personal opinion. I think its great for Rv travelers or commuters on daily drivers that put alot of miles on there car.Other than that i personally wouldn't buy that.

[h8dirtycars]

Whatever. Like I said, If I ever experience anything your describing I'll be sure to post it. I'm not above showing everybody here if I made a mistake in doing so, and if so, would want all to know if I had any problems. So if anyone else wanted to do it, they would know.

[PorscheFan]

One thing to note is that this technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. The texture is better, the glue under the film doesn't yellow anymore. Ceramic coatings make them slicker and as easy to maintain as paint. When they're used for full panels you remove the risk of getting wax under the edges when protecting the regular uncovered panels. The templates can be cut oversized so that panels get wrapped better and you minimize the old risk of razor cuts. Much better stuff.

[Mike Phillips]

Just read through this entire thread, I don't think there's anything I can add except....

When washing an Expel film or any paint protection film, make sure your wash mitts are clean and new. Don't use tatty mitts that could scratch the film.

I tell people this all the time and I suspect a lot of people think I'm just trying to "sell them", but I'm not. I've made a career out of teaching people how to remove swirls, (funny and weird but also true), and here's my best advice.

DON'T BUY A WASH MITT!

Buy them by the dozens.


Or at least a few at a time. ALWAYS have a clean, new wash mitt in your arsenal in case you drop your wash mitt on the ground or you notice your current wash mitt is getting tatty and worn.


Think about it... how much did the Expel cost you?

Everyone else in this thread... think about how much money you've invested in your car, detailing tools for your car, pads, products, microfiber towels, and on and on an on... you finally get your car to the point where you happy and now all you have to do is MAINTAIN it.

How do you maintain it?

1. You wash it.
2. You dry it.
3. You wipe it with detailers.

In other words you touch it. So make sure everything you touch it with is clean, soft and free from contamination. The cost of having a supply of EXTRA wash mitts, (if you're like me and you wash your cars), is NOTHING compared to everything you've spent on it up to this point.

Have spare wash mitts on hand. As a wash mitt starts to look tatty and worn delegate it to under the bumpers, lower rocker panels, etc. and break out a BRAND NEW mitt to take care of your baby.


Here's my favorite and these are not the cheap ones like you find at Walmart that fall apart, these are the good ones that you can throw in the washing machine and wash over and over again. I use these in all my classes.



Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt 3-Pack


Heck order two 3-packs.

For those of you that heed this advice, there will come a day when you're ready to wash your car that you'll look at your current mitt - shake your head no - and then fetch a brand new mitt that you've pre-purchased just for this day and then you'll remember this post and thank me.


The most common thing that MOST of us do to our car is touch it when we wash it, dry it or wipe it. So make sure the things you use to touch it, dry it and wipe it are of the highest quality you can obtain.

New wash mitts = cheap insurance

[h8dirtycars]

Thanks for the advice, Mike.
The Xpel Ultimate is supposed to be self healing. Hope I don't have to find it if it works. However, I'm happy with it so far.

Funny you should mention wash mitts, I currently have 10. All new. Great minds think alike.

[PorscheFan]

Funny. Just this Sunday my 5 year old son was helping me wash my wife's car and when I was cleaning up at the end he asked if he could wring out my wash mitt

I handed it to him and he turned 180 degrees, set it down on the concrete driveway, and proceeded to try to push the water out of it.

I have a couple spare, but I think I'll need to buy extras for this summer.

[h8dirtycars]

UPDATE

I have to bring this thread back to life with an update. It's been a little over a year and in the end of Feb. beginning of March the Xpel film was breached. I noticed an approximately 1 cm cut in the film which I'm assuming came from an object while driving. And whatever hit it, although small did cause a chip in the paint under the film. I'm pretty sure it was while driving and not something or someone coming in contact with the car while parked because there were no other marks near the breach.
I called Xpel and the person who helped me on the phone mistakingly told me it was covered under warranty, to call my installer. I did this and he called Xpel and they told him that that's not covered under warranty, but since the person I spoke with on the phone made a mistake, they would cover it. Very reputable company in that they didn't say to bad the person made a mistake so too bad
The ppf was removed and replaced with no issues.
Now for the year I had it, it did it's job until the breach. I really liked it and took care of it with CG Wrap Detailer. And I realize that this isn't something that happens often with ppf. But, it is possible, obviously.
I'm posting this as information for people who might be considering ppf. As well, I might be trading the car in already because the dealer is giving me a great deal and I might do it due to not taking a huge loss that you might expect after only 16 months.
I have some thinking to do as if I will spend another $1800 on another ppf install or just keep DR. ColorChip on hand. After all, it is a dd, but not a commuter car and I do take good care of it, obviously being an AG forum member.

[TTQ B4U]

If you own the car or plan to keep it for more than a few years, I suggest doing it. I've had most of my cars done. Moving back to a lease on both ours now I'm less concerned. Really boils down to that IMO. Overal PPF's are solid products and work.