Is Expel better than 3M PPF?

[Kenz]

Getting the front bumper, hood fenders and back of mirrors makes sense to me. More than that seems like over kill.

Xpel prices for material and install are on their web site.

Paint Protection Film Pre-Cut Kits

 

[XLR82XS]

Getting the front bumper, hood fenders and back of mirrors makes sense to me. More than that seems like over kill.

Until the rocker hip paint is destroyed after some months. Dont forget the headlights in the front wrap.

 

[Dana1]

I went with Xpel. Unless things have changed, I believe Xpel offers a 10 year, transferable warranty, where as 3M offers a 7-year warranty. Also, my local installer says that in their experience, Xpel stands behind their product and will indeed replace the film at no cost if ever needed. I also like the fact that Xpel created the technology in the first place.

Not the case, or not every case. I had to pay to replace bumper PPF. I probably wouldn’t do PPF again. Doesn’t really seem to do much and causes more problems.

 

[XLR82XS]

Not the case, or not every case. I had to pay to replace bumper PPF. I probably wouldn’t do PPF again. Doesn’t really seem to do much and causes more problems.

Weird. I've had EXTREME amount of of damage and chips to my vehicles without PPF. There's a reason why some manufacturers offer it. It does a lot to protect paint. I'll never own a new car without at least frontal protection.

Why did you have to pay for replacement? Older iteration of film? Today's Xpel and STEK films are phenomenal in quality and carry a 10 year warranty.

 

[Dana1]

Weird. I've had EXTREME amount of of damage and chips to my vehicles without PPF. There's a reason why some manufacturers offer it. It does a lot to protect paint. I'll never own a new car without at least frontal protection.

Why did you have to pay for replacement? Older iteration of film? Today's Xpel and STEK films are phenomenal in quality and carry a 10 year warranty.

Nope, It’s on Lucy. Originally installed July 2018. It got scrapped up making the repair that much more expensive. I’d never used PPF before and my cars were always pristine. I’d had concern about the slope of hood but in hindsight I wish I hadn’t bothered with PPF. For the cost a quality shop could touch up any chips, flawlessly, for several years.

 

[joebruin77]

Not the case, or not every case. I had to pay to replace bumper PPF. I probably wouldn’t do PPF again. Doesn’t really seem to do much and causes more problems.

Sorry to hear you had to pay to replace the bumper PPF. Was the PPF made by Xpel? If not, who was the manufacturer? Did you attempt to make a warranty claim and did they deny it? Again, really sorry to hear about that.

I have been very happy with my PPF. Not a single scratch or swirl mark anywhere on the paint.

 

[Clubhops10]

what is full coverage? the entire car or just the front end? most shops around me were quoting a bit less than $2k and that's with a professional installer that will often back their work/product.

as i was a repeat customer, i was afforded a discount, which i basically applied to the rockers.

Full coverage meaning the entire car where there's paint. About 95% protected, which was front end, headlights, all doors, rockers, rear bumper and quarter panels, trunk, everything. It is a bit of overkill but I was concerned about people trying to key the car, and any potential accidental scrapes along less coverage areas. The only section I elected not to wrap was the full pillars, as I only protected up to the top of the windshield. I did not take it all the way back to the trunk area. My total cost was about 2k for materials and did labor myself. Total elapse time was about 12-14 hours for my first time ever installing PPF for the entire car.

FYI for all: Precut kits are great but the edges MAY lift over time since the edges are not wrapped around panels. I also HIGHLY suggest rockers w/"hips" as a lot of road debris will chip these areas up.

Yes, it is true the edges may lift. I have had some of the edges lift and accumulate dirt. In this case I would slightly trim the lifted or dirty areas. I did have ServoPPF extend the edges in certain areas so I can wrap around the panels. So the hood is full edge wrapped, so are the edges of the doors. Some of the areas I did not get to edge wrap were the top of the rear bumpers, top of the door where it meets the chrome trim, etc. I did not want to remove panels or bumpers just to wrap so I live with it. What I did do right after was ceramic coat those unwrapped edges and it has seem to help with minimizing the amount of dirt.

I would co-sign the comment to get the rockers done on both sides. I should have known better to do this with the front end, but it was the last piece I installed. You WILL see paint chip marks over time and if you are already getting front coverage, do the rockers as it's not that much more overall.

 

[Dana1]

Sorry to hear you had to pay to replace the bumper PPF. Was the PPF made by Xpel? If not, who was the manufacturer? Did you attempt to make a warranty claim and did they deny it? Again, really sorry to hear about that.

I have been very happy with my PPF. Not a single scratch or swirl mark anywhere on the paint.

XPEL.