Clear Bra for my new MS

[adambirozy]

Hello

New MS owner trying to get my car prepped and protected. I drive about 72 miles a day on the freeway and my old car had a lot of dings on the hood and front bumper due to heavy freeway driving with lots of big rigs.

1) Has anyone heard of Xpel Ultimate clear bra: http://www.xpel.com/xpel-ultimate-paint-protection-film/
They advertise that their product is self healing and will not yellow, haze, or add any texture to paint, making it
indistinguishable from your factory paint.

2) If I was to install, would you do a full hood, mirrors, and front bumper so that no lines showed?

Thanks.

Any thoughts on installing this is greatly appreciated. I want to protect my new MS and keep it looking great as long as possible, but don't want to spend money needlessly.

Adam Birozy

 

[Mrwatchdawg]

Adam - best investment you will make

 

[adambirozy]

Adam - best investment you will make

Thanks. Do you think it is true that the newer ones like this are hard to see (I.E. blends in with paint) if done correctly and a full hood?

 

[Mrwatchdawg]

As long as they go edge to edge it will barely be noticeable.

Also self healing against minor scratches. What color is your car?

 

[adambirozy]

white with black leather interior

 

[Nosken]

Since minor scratches on the rest of the car in parking lots may be an issue, I decided to do a complete, full wrap.
I know that if I had just done the front, I would've gotten scratches somewhere else. I'm very happy, and relaxed that my XPel will keep me safe from scratches, birds and tree sap.

 

[TexasEV]

Has anyone ever heard of XPEL Ultimate? Try the search function on this site and you will find hundreds of posts about it.

 

[KidDoc]

I'm pretty happy with mine but only got 1/2 hood and should have gotten the full hood. At certain angles you can see the line and at other angles you cannot. After 3 years it does have some gashes and holes in the film that do not self repair, it only self repairs if it doesn't pierce the film 100%. I plan to get it removed and full hood placed for my 4 year birthday next March.

 

[XPEL]

Hello

New MS owner trying to get my car prepped and protected. I drive about 72 miles a day on the freeway and my old car had a lot of dings on the hood and front bumper due to heavy freeway driving with lots of big rigs.

1) Has anyone heard of Xpel Ultimate clear bra: ULTIMATE - XPEL
They advertise that their product is self healing and will not yellow, haze, or add any texture to paint, making it
indistinguishable from your factory paint.

2) If I was to install, would you do a full hood, mirrors, and front bumper so that no lines showed?

Thanks.

Any thoughts on installing this is greatly appreciated. I want to protect my new MS and keep it looking great as long as possible, but don't want to spend money needlessly.

Adam Birozy

Adam,

We are glad you are interested in our product. Since you drive your car everyday, this is a great investment to protect your paint for many years down the road.

As far as coverage, many Tesla owners like you usually tend to wrap the entire front of the car including the full hood, mirrors, bumper, headlights, and front fenders. Many Model S owners protect the rocker panels and luggage area as well, due to these being high impact areas with rocks, loading golf clubs, loading groceries, etc. This is a great idea, as you drive 72 miles a day and you never know what could happen with the daily commute.

Also, being in Southern California, we have many reputable qualified installers in your area that can do this for you. A link has been provided below to see installers close to you. You can also see a video of a Model S getting an XPEL ULTIMATE installation so you can get a better understanding of the process and how our product is applied to your car. If you have any more questions feel free to contact us.

Installer Locator for Southern California

Tesla Model S Install Video

 

[Dukeybootie]

I have a 100 mile daily commute and got XPEL for the entire car. My plan is to keep the car for at least 8 years and I don't mind spending a bit more to keep it looking like new as long as possible. Have already had the front bumper wrap replaced once and plan on getting the hood wrap replaced later this year. Like KidDoc, I accumulated a number of gashes/holes in the hood wrap that are beyond self repair. One can only look at the pits and gouges for so long, especially since they collect dirt and grime that is hard to clean.

The question that doesn't get asked enough is this -- what is your threshold for replacing damaged wrap? It is expensive to apply and expensive to replace. If the primary goal is protecting the car, XPEL is amazing and offers peace of mind like no other. But it is not a financially wise decision by any means.

Just my two cents.

EDIT: I highly recommend Ultimate Shield in Orange, CA. And if I were to do it all over again, i would only wrap the front end.

 

[Cricket88]

You make the same commute as i do. For mine, I did the full front clip which included the full hood, fenders, fog lights, headlights, & mirrors. I noticed you were asking about opticoat as well. Just make sure whichever way you decide to go, the clear film goes on first, then the opticoat, but prior to that, the color correction/paint prep needs to take place, so if you decide to do both, make sure you coordinate things with the vendors appropriately so you get all of the steps done correctly.

 

[IODMako]

So I assume that the cost is fairly similar across all installation locations? What is the cost for doing the front end as specified in this post?

 

[XPEL]

Keep in mind these are what we typically see across the country and it can vary with these factors:

- Where you live

- Demand for paint protection film

- Size of your vehicle



For a partial front end: This includes 18-24” up the hood and fenders, front bumper, mirrors and sometimes headlights. This ranges from $895 - $1,195.


For full front coverage: This includes the entire hood and front fenders, front bumper, mirrors and sometimes headlights. This ranges from $1,895 - $2,195.


For full car coverage: This includes every painted surface on the car possible. This ranges from $4,500 - $8,000.



When you do find an installer:


- Be sure to ask for wrapped edges where possible (meaning that the film will wrap over the edge of the panel)

- Visit their shop and look at some of their installations they've completed, as certain installers may do things differently

- Exam the installation to see if the visible seams are close the edge of the body panel

- You can ask them if they've wrapped your vehicle before, some installers may have wrapped a few, some may have wrapped a hundred...it's best to find an installer you feel comfortable leaving your pride and joy with.

 

[Silverstreak]

Just had my new S done - front bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors, door handle and Front pillars. Satisfied,mlooksngood imho. Expel Ultimate

 

[adambirozy]

So I assume that the cost is fairly similar across all installation locations? What is the cost for doing the front end as specified in this post?

In Orange County, Ca I was quoted 1,500 for full front end.

 

[sorka]

For full front coverage: This includes the entire hood and front fenders, front bumper, mirrors and sometimes headlights. This ranges from $1,895 - $2,195

This is what I did. Front bumper, nosecone, headlights, fenders, and side mirrors for $1195 using Xpel Ultimate.

Jeremy at Invisiguard Clear Bra in San Carlos did mine. This included an Xpel warranty card declaring that the product is Xpel Ultimate in case you're wondering if it really was.

I don't think there's anything better. The product really does self heal yet stays as shiny as ultra glossy swirl free paint.

That said, I've managed to keep the car completely swirl free for two years when examined with a 10 watt paint light. Ask me how I do it with a single bucket wash

 

[ron8853]

As long as they go edge to edge it will barely be noticeable.

Also self healing against minor scratches. What color is your car?

Rolling all edges makes for a very nice install and prevents buildup of dirt/wax etc. along the edge..

 

[SMAlset]

We did a custom full body wrap knowing that stuff comes at you from all angles from the road to parking lots and kids. Given the cost of the car (a purchase not lease) we felt maintaining the car's original paint job to the best of our ability would be worth the investment long-term. We had great installers and they did a nice job wrapping the edges too. A full wrap did mean that we were without the car for about a week and we did bring it back in as recommended within the time frame they asked for any adjustments to be made (bubbles, any thing that didn't adhere well). That was pretty much a quick trip in and short wait.

OP if you are taking your car in, you might also ask them to cover the aluminum door sills. When we went back for our checkup we had those done realizing that they are very susceptible to scratching from shoes when getting in and out of the car (read a number of comment from owners about their sills looking bad otherwise).

 

[Premier Mobile]

Go for ClearGuard Nano ppf. We use it for all our client cars including $3 million dollar Paganis. Pros for it:

1. much clearer than any film on the market (no orange peel texture)
2. extreme hydrophobicity - so it is easier to clean
3. high gloss - makes the paint pop very nicely

This film is pretty much the upper echelon of paint protection film, so it's installer network is smaller. Contact the manufacturer: www.prestige-films.com
408-657-3880 to see if there is someone near you.

 

[adambirozy]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Always nice to hear from people who know.