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Norcal Bay Area Model 3 Tint/PPF Group Buy

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Just got an email from ISA to schedule delivery for my AWD, a bit too soon for my liking since my lease ends next month. Guess I will be contacting Alex soon to set up an appointment.

Out of topic, from the email seems like my car is ready (still can edit from my tesla account) since he asked me to pick a date and time ASAP, maybe this is the new method for home delivery as ppl had mentioned.
 
new to tinting, how is the Xpel that is offered in this buy? I heard that ceramic will have much better heat absorbance than regular tint. This Xpel has ceramic, correct?

Additionally, is there such thing as just clear ceramic tinting that I could get installed on the front windshield? I feel that a lot of the heat comes from the front
 
new to tinting, how is the Xpel that is offered in this buy? I heard that ceramic will have much better heat absorbance than regular tint. This Xpel has ceramic, correct?

Additionally, is there such thing as just clear ceramic tinting that I could get installed on the front windshield? I feel that a lot of the heat comes from the front

XPEL XR Plus is their newest tint material. It is Ceramic and according to the specsheet it is supposed to be pretty solid, but probably best to look around for some reviews. You can get the windshield semi-clear, which I think is like 90% or something but still blocks UV. I am thinking about doing it to help cool the car down, but remember front windows and windshield is illegal in California so proceed at your own risk.
 
I got my full front and tint done here. It was XPEL for both. I have mixed feelings about it. I think he did a decent enough job but it wasn't as clean and precise as I had hoped. To be fair though, I haven't seen a ton of wraps on the M3 so I don't have much to compare to. Given that they are not a detail shop, I don't recommend going there if you think you need paint correction. As another poster said, they don't polish the car. When I asked if they would if they saw imperfections, I wasn't totally confident that they really would or had the skill to do it, at least at the level of a detail shop. My wrap also has some small bubbles that I am debating whether to go back for. At this point, I feel like I can live with it and I have the 10 year warranty so I can change my mind during that time. There was also some sticky stuff at various places on the film which I had to scrub off. If I had to do it all over again, I would have looked to see if I could find a detail shop that was experienced with clear bras (at a similar price) vs the other way around. He does have lots of experience with M3s though as there were some when I dropped my car off and even more when I picked it up. At the very least, I suggest you check out his work in person before making the commitment. That was my mistake.
 
I got my full front and tint done here. It was XPEL for both. I have mixed feelings about it.
...
At the very least, I suggest you check out his work in person before making the commitment. That was my mistake.

Good advice. Will probably stop by before deciding whether to wrap with them or not.

Can you comment on the tint job? How did that turn out?

Thanks!
 
@Red3,
Thanks for your post. Good advice. I'm planning on polishing the paint myself first thing before taking it in for PPF, so this still seems like a good one-stop shop for both PPF and tint. But good idea to stop by beforehand to check out the shop, work in progress and to ask questions.
 
I got my full front and tint done here. It was XPEL for both. I have mixed feelings about it. I think he did a decent enough job but it wasn't as clean and precise as I had hoped. To be fair though, I haven't seen a ton of wraps on the M3 so I don't have much to compare to. Given that they are not a detail shop, I don't recommend going there if you think you need paint correction. As another poster said, they don't polish the car. When I asked if they would if they saw imperfections, I wasn't totally confident that they really would or had the skill to do it, at least at the level of a detail shop. My wrap also has some small bubbles that I am debating whether to go back for. At this point, I feel like I can live with it and I have the 10 year warranty so I can change my mind during that time. There was also some sticky stuff at various places on the film which I had to scrub off. If I had to do it all over again, I would have looked to see if I could find a detail shop that was experienced with clear bras (at a similar price) vs the other way around. He does have lots of experience with M3s though as there were some when I dropped my car off and even more when I picked it up. At the very least, I suggest you check out his work in person before making the commitment. That was my mistake.


Please let us know how’s the quality for window tint, still deciding to do PPF with them or not, or just go with tint and chrome delete. I may drop by to check their work if I have time this weekend
 
They have two locations listed on their website. The one at Los Gatos seems to be belonged to another shop call deep reflection detailing. Are those two the same shop now? I am interested in the group buy but I would like to know if we have to pick one location or another? I will take delivery the coming Tuesday and plan to drop the car right away. Thanks for helping.
 
They have two locations listed on their website. The one at Los Gatos seems to be belonged to another shop call deep reflection detailing. Are those two the same shop now? I am interested in the group buy but I would like to know if we have to pick one location or another? I will take delivery the coming Tuesday and plan to drop the car right away. Thanks for helping.

Alex owns both locations now, but he usually works out of the Los Gatos one. You can call him and schedule for either location.
 
I got my full front and tint done here. It was XPEL for both. I have mixed feelings about it. I think he did a decent enough job but it wasn't as clean and precise as I had hoped. To be fair though, I haven't seen a ton of wraps on the M3 so I don't have much to compare to. Given that they are not a detail shop, I don't recommend going there if you think you need paint correction. As another poster said, they don't polish the car. When I asked if they would if they saw imperfections, I wasn't totally confident that they really would or had the skill to do it, at least at the level of a detail shop. My wrap also has some small bubbles that I am debating whether to go back for. At this point, I feel like I can live with it and I have the 10 year warranty so I can change my mind during that time. There was also some sticky stuff at various places on the film which I had to scrub off. If I had to do it all over again, I would have looked to see if I could find a detail shop that was experienced with clear bras (at a similar price) vs the other way around. He does have lots of experience with M3s though as there were some when I dropped my car off and even more when I picked it up. At the very least, I suggest you check out his work in person before making the commitment. That was my mistake.

Thanks for the report! Personally, I am not expecting the same level of installation like the ones that I got $7500 quotes for full body wrap compared to the group buy $4200. I'm going with the lower cost and think I will get 90-95% of what the high end guys do and both offer same warranty. I checked XPel's website and Wheel Experts have the same credentials as the high end guys. In my call with Alex, I felt he was a pretty straight forward guy and I learned 2 things that the high end guys never mentioned:

1) Chrome delete wrap does not last long because the pieces are so small and not much surface to attach. I decided to not to get Chrome delete based on his feedback. That tells me he would rather have me as a long term customer than short term dollars.

2) He will remove my emblems at my request for a slightly cleaner install, but it's a crap shoot on how well Tesla installed the pieces onto the car. They may or may not come off cleanly and may need to buy brand new emblems if they get damaged in the process. Since I am getting a stealth wrap (matte) and not a different color wrap, I'm going to keep the emblems on and have them do cutouts. I'm also thinking about just removing the rear emblems altogether. I want to be a 3!

Overall, I realize Tesla vehicles are in the top end of car prices, but let's be honest, the fit and finish is not quite up to other luxury brands in the same range. I will be getting a Mercedes AMG GT S later this year and in that case, I plan to go with the high end installers. However, if Alex does a >95% job with my MX, I will likely go back to him.

My MX wrap starts on 8/8 and will take 4-5 days to complete (same time frame quoted by the high end guys). Will report back when it's done.
 
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@bFlat,
Thanks for your write up of findings to date. Great info on the chrome delete. I've never had it done before and I was considering it, but now will forego.

I'm thinking the same as you wrt PPF. At this price point, there are bound to be a few short-cuts. I had our first Model 3 wrapped (front end plus door edges and top of rear bumper) for a similar price. He also cut around the emblem rather than taking off, and the side view mirrors were not completely wrapped.

I look forward to your report after you get your MX back.