I purchased a complete car kit for my brand new 2021 Model Y from Opus Premium Films. The film arrived last Friday so I started installing this weekend. I figured I'd start a thread to discuss the trials and terrors that are sure to follow as I learn how to install this material.
I have no experience with PPF and only limited, hobby level experience with vinyl, paint, and paint correction. I've watched a lot of you tube channels and read any writeups I could find. The owner of the company has been helpful in providing tips / suggestions as well.
The kit I purchased comes with four or five rolls of pre cut panels. Each roll has PPF for various panels. I decided to start with the hood because it is a large flat surface and from most indications should be the easiest. It was a fairly traumatic experience with below average, acceptable results. My second panel was the fender and it turned out significantly better still. Here we go:
Biggest takeaways
- I can do this! It is going to take a lot of practice to have anything close to a professional result, but I can get about 95% there and save over $4k from big-metro prices.
- This takes a long time! The hood took me 2.5-3 hours. I've also done a fender and I got the time down to a little over an hour.
- Xpel is extremely forgiving. Keep the material VERY wet with slip solution and rewet often. Keep the Xpel wet on BOTH sides constantly.
- Don't overstretch and don't panic. With lots of slip solution, Xpel can recover if it sticks to itself or be removed and repositioned pretty well.
- Lint, dirt, and hairs are the worst. The cleaner a space you have the better. If working outside / partially outside, low wind and warm temperatures will help. Get the surface as clean as you can and always be on the lookout for lint.
- You can do a lot of the early positioning work with your hands before you start squeegeeing and/or taccing the material into place.
- This is not for the faint of heart. PPF is expensive for a reason. I'm undertaking this project so I have the skill set to wrap future cars I'll own. Its an investment beyond this one car for me.
Things to consider buying for prep:
Car wash supplies - I picked up a foam cannon and a leaf blower for drying. I also purchased premium kirkland microfiber towels and some chemical guys microfiber applicators. Finally, I bought a McGuire's claybar kit.
Spray bottles - For slip solution, a pump sprayer is very preferred. Also have on hand two other small spray bottles.
Rubber/latex gloves
1. Step 1 - Collect your supplies. In addition to your preferred cleaning supplies, you're going to need lint free microfiber clothes, 2-3 spray bottles, Isopropyl alcohol and some common soap. For the isopropyl alcohol, I used 70% but 100% would do as well. I put 5-6 ounces of straight alcohol in my smallest spray bottle. This will be for cleaning / removing lint prior to wrap. Then, second small-ish bottle will be for "tac" solution: This should be about 10mL of alcohol to 16 ounces water. You can use distilled water, if you prefer, I did not. Finally, for your "slip" solution: use the best spray bottle you have. I used what I saw most guys using, pump spray bottles that can be purchased at most home repair stores. For soap, the recommendation is johnson and johnson baby soap. You could also use a different baby soap or even dish soap. Mix 16 ounces of water with about 3 drops of soap. If in doubt, round up on the amount of soap you use. Ensure the soap mixes with the water but don't shake so as to keep the suds and bubbles down.
2. Paint prep. - Wash and clay the car! I have moth balled my MY for several weeks now to avoid damaging our fragile paint. Therefore, the paint is pretty clean. For prep, I washed the car with a chemical guys foam gun. I dryed with an EvGo leaf blower. I then clayed the hood to remove debris and water spots from previous rain.
3. Position the car - If you can do this in a closed garage with exhaust ventilation its probably going to help a great deal to minimize dust. My garage is cluttered from a move, so I made room to get half the car inside with the garage door open... :/
4. Prep the PPF - Unrolling the PPF proved challenging. Each roll I received was 6-9 feet long. I suggest clearing a large, long table if you have one. Another great option would be to hang the PPF from hooks on the wall or even a clothes line. The adhesive side of the PPF is protected like a sticker backing, but you need the space to work with it carefully and avoid introducing unwanted dirt and lint. Once unrolled, find the section you're doing and cut it out.
In this case, I should have cut out the hood from the roll. Instead, I made the mistake of trying to transfer the hood directly from the massive roll that included multiple panels. That was terrible and ended in us cutting it free after we had already transferred about 1/3 of the hood panel to the car. A bit traumatic.
5. Final prep before application - Using my slip solution, I sprayed down the hood and wiped dry with kirkland microfiber towels. Also clean within 5-6 inches on adjacent panels since the PPF may touch those surfaces when you transfer it to the car. Next, I sprayed the pure alcohol lightly and wiped clean a final time ensuring all dust and lint were removed. For future I plan to try and devote a great amount of my time to this step to get it just right. The towels tend to leave behind very fine dust and hairs without the right environment. I didn't have the best lighting in my garage and missed some dust / hairs.
6. Applying PPF to the hood - I washed my hands really well. Next time, I'm going to don latex gloves at this point. I grabbed two friends to help with the application, but you can do it alone if you have to.
I suggest reverse rolling the piece you intend to apply, in this case the hood. Once reverse rolled, you will be able to grab a corner and start peeling it away from the backing and transfer it to the paint in a manageable way. Hold the roll in one hand and the exposed PPF in the other. If you have helpers, they can hold down corners of the PPF once applied to the car.
Before you start peeling the PPF away from its backing, rewet the entire hood with an ample amount of slip solution. You can not have too much at this stage. You're going to want the hood and eventually the adhesive side of the PPF to be wet so the material doesn't start sticking to either the car or itself. Now, with full confidence in your TMC bretheren and not a fear in your heart, unroll the PPF onto the paint.
I'll return when I have more time to edit and continue sharing my experience.
I have no experience with PPF and only limited, hobby level experience with vinyl, paint, and paint correction. I've watched a lot of you tube channels and read any writeups I could find. The owner of the company has been helpful in providing tips / suggestions as well.
The kit I purchased comes with four or five rolls of pre cut panels. Each roll has PPF for various panels. I decided to start with the hood because it is a large flat surface and from most indications should be the easiest. It was a fairly traumatic experience with below average, acceptable results. My second panel was the fender and it turned out significantly better still. Here we go:
Biggest takeaways
- I can do this! It is going to take a lot of practice to have anything close to a professional result, but I can get about 95% there and save over $4k from big-metro prices.
- This takes a long time! The hood took me 2.5-3 hours. I've also done a fender and I got the time down to a little over an hour.
- Xpel is extremely forgiving. Keep the material VERY wet with slip solution and rewet often. Keep the Xpel wet on BOTH sides constantly.
- Don't overstretch and don't panic. With lots of slip solution, Xpel can recover if it sticks to itself or be removed and repositioned pretty well.
- Lint, dirt, and hairs are the worst. The cleaner a space you have the better. If working outside / partially outside, low wind and warm temperatures will help. Get the surface as clean as you can and always be on the lookout for lint.
- You can do a lot of the early positioning work with your hands before you start squeegeeing and/or taccing the material into place.
- This is not for the faint of heart. PPF is expensive for a reason. I'm undertaking this project so I have the skill set to wrap future cars I'll own. Its an investment beyond this one car for me.
Things to consider buying for prep:
Car wash supplies - I picked up a foam cannon and a leaf blower for drying. I also purchased premium kirkland microfiber towels and some chemical guys microfiber applicators. Finally, I bought a McGuire's claybar kit.
Spray bottles - For slip solution, a pump sprayer is very preferred. Also have on hand two other small spray bottles.
Rubber/latex gloves
1. Step 1 - Collect your supplies. In addition to your preferred cleaning supplies, you're going to need lint free microfiber clothes, 2-3 spray bottles, Isopropyl alcohol and some common soap. For the isopropyl alcohol, I used 70% but 100% would do as well. I put 5-6 ounces of straight alcohol in my smallest spray bottle. This will be for cleaning / removing lint prior to wrap. Then, second small-ish bottle will be for "tac" solution: This should be about 10mL of alcohol to 16 ounces water. You can use distilled water, if you prefer, I did not. Finally, for your "slip" solution: use the best spray bottle you have. I used what I saw most guys using, pump spray bottles that can be purchased at most home repair stores. For soap, the recommendation is johnson and johnson baby soap. You could also use a different baby soap or even dish soap. Mix 16 ounces of water with about 3 drops of soap. If in doubt, round up on the amount of soap you use. Ensure the soap mixes with the water but don't shake so as to keep the suds and bubbles down.
2. Paint prep. - Wash and clay the car! I have moth balled my MY for several weeks now to avoid damaging our fragile paint. Therefore, the paint is pretty clean. For prep, I washed the car with a chemical guys foam gun. I dryed with an EvGo leaf blower. I then clayed the hood to remove debris and water spots from previous rain.
3. Position the car - If you can do this in a closed garage with exhaust ventilation its probably going to help a great deal to minimize dust. My garage is cluttered from a move, so I made room to get half the car inside with the garage door open... :/
4. Prep the PPF - Unrolling the PPF proved challenging. Each roll I received was 6-9 feet long. I suggest clearing a large, long table if you have one. Another great option would be to hang the PPF from hooks on the wall or even a clothes line. The adhesive side of the PPF is protected like a sticker backing, but you need the space to work with it carefully and avoid introducing unwanted dirt and lint. Once unrolled, find the section you're doing and cut it out.
In this case, I should have cut out the hood from the roll. Instead, I made the mistake of trying to transfer the hood directly from the massive roll that included multiple panels. That was terrible and ended in us cutting it free after we had already transferred about 1/3 of the hood panel to the car. A bit traumatic.
5. Final prep before application - Using my slip solution, I sprayed down the hood and wiped dry with kirkland microfiber towels. Also clean within 5-6 inches on adjacent panels since the PPF may touch those surfaces when you transfer it to the car. Next, I sprayed the pure alcohol lightly and wiped clean a final time ensuring all dust and lint were removed. For future I plan to try and devote a great amount of my time to this step to get it just right. The towels tend to leave behind very fine dust and hairs without the right environment. I didn't have the best lighting in my garage and missed some dust / hairs.
6. Applying PPF to the hood - I washed my hands really well. Next time, I'm going to don latex gloves at this point. I grabbed two friends to help with the application, but you can do it alone if you have to.
I suggest reverse rolling the piece you intend to apply, in this case the hood. Once reverse rolled, you will be able to grab a corner and start peeling it away from the backing and transfer it to the paint in a manageable way. Hold the roll in one hand and the exposed PPF in the other. If you have helpers, they can hold down corners of the PPF once applied to the car.
Before you start peeling the PPF away from its backing, rewet the entire hood with an ample amount of slip solution. You can not have too much at this stage. You're going to want the hood and eventually the adhesive side of the PPF to be wet so the material doesn't start sticking to either the car or itself. Now, with full confidence in your TMC bretheren and not a fear in your heart, unroll the PPF onto the paint.
I'll return when I have more time to edit and continue sharing my experience.
