madodel
X at the end of a rainbow
I posted this earlier on a related thread: I am in NE Pennsylvania. Closest spot to me for the wrapping that I had recommendations for was in Allentown, Rock Guard Film. He only uses EXPEL Ultimate and has worked on a couple Teslas before whose drivers highly recommended him. Cost to wrap the entire car (Full Front, Bumpers, Fenders, Mirrors, All Doors, Trunk, Spoiler and the A/B Pillars and roof) as well as repair one wheel that was kerbed was $4,717. That price doesn't include the paint correction, interior detailing and the CQuartz ceramic coating which was done by Pristine Detailing which was an additional $1,611. I haven't seen the car yet as I just got back from a trip yesterday and have scheduled to pick up my X on Saturday. I will post photos when I get the car back but they both tell me the car looks amazing. In my extremely biased opinion it looked pretty damn good before hand so we shall see.
So you decided to skip the 4 seat backs? Any idea how much he wants for those? Also, how long did the wrap take if you were not out of town if you know? It might be worth a drive up from Maryland if you approve the final product, as around DC/MD/VA the costs are much higher from what I have discovered so far.
Tech_Guy
ALWAYS IN LUDICROUS MODE! P90D>P100D Upgrade
I think your slightly confused with terminology ceramic film is a term used for window tint products not paint protective films, ceramic window tint reduces the amount of heat that transfers though your windows vs non ceramic window tint.
Suntek does not have a dealer/installer finder only a distributer finder for bulk purchases of rolls. Suntek offers 3 types of film of various thickness and structure PPF C (Top Coated) PPF M (Matte) PPF S (Standard) there specifications can be found here http://suntekfilms.com/files/PPF Specifications.pdf
It seems that every shop or installer has there own preferred brand id suggest looking at there warranties and if possible compare cars wrapped with different films. In my opinion I've been leaning towards 3M or Xpel.
madodel
X at the end of a rainbow
He asked me about doing the seat backs but I don't have little kids so for now I decided to skip it. I'll try to remember to ask him when I pick it up on Saturday.
He is also located very closely to the Tesla Allentown Supercharger which helps with charging the car. Tough to say how long. I was away for 8 days and I'm not sure how long the paint correction took. I'll ask him how long he spent just on the wrap. Also we communicated entirely over email since I was in Germany and I made some changes to what I wanted done. As I recall in the original quote which didn't do the hatch or pillar or roof he said 5 days or less but that was with paint correction and CQuartz. I could pick the car up today but getting a ride down to Allentown is easier tomorrow when my wife is off.
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madodel
X at the end of a rainbow
Here is a link to a few photos of my wrapped X after I picked it up earlier. Looks great. The color is much brighter and consistent.
I asked EJ how long it would have taken had I just had the complete wrap done (no paint correction or CQuartz ceramic coat) and he said it could have been completed in 2 days if he just worked on the one car. It needed to sit for a full day for the XPEL to cure before the CQuartz could be done. I asked him how much for the seat backs and he didn't remember but he can look it up after the holiday. He had come to his office today just so I could pick up my X. I'm very satisfied with the work. No seams are apparent. He showed me where rocks kicked up by the wheels had already begun to damage the bottom edge of the FW doors. The XPEL covers it now but running your finger over the edge you can feel the indentations. EXPEL was done by Rock Guard Film and paint correction, interior detailing and CQuartz ceramic coating was done by Pristine Detailing.
I asked EJ how long it would have taken had I just had the complete wrap done (no paint correction or CQuartz ceramic coat) and he said it could have been completed in 2 days if he just worked on the one car. It needed to sit for a full day for the XPEL to cure before the CQuartz could be done. I asked him how much for the seat backs and he didn't remember but he can look it up after the holiday. He had come to his office today just so I could pick up my X. I'm very satisfied with the work. No seams are apparent. He showed me where rocks kicked up by the wheels had already begun to damage the bottom edge of the FW doors. The XPEL covers it now but running your finger over the edge you can feel the indentations. EXPEL was done by Rock Guard Film and paint correction, interior detailing and CQuartz ceramic coating was done by Pristine Detailing.
EV-lutioin
Active Member
I am confused.... it Clear Bra a brand or just a description of the process? If it is a brand, who makes it?
Tech_Guy
ALWAYS IN LUDICROUS MODE! P90D>P100D Upgrade
Clear Bra is just a description of the clear film material / wrap used there are multiple manufactures of these films / wraps, each makes there own version of the material and each has there own warranty. To top that off there are the coatings that can be applied over the film once its installed, these coatings make the film very slick/slippery etc... and ease the cleaning of any surfaces they are applied to. these coatings can be applied to other surfaces as well like your wheels or the materials inside your car.
EV-lutioin
Active Member
Interesting.... our local installer has an "r" (as in registered trademark) next to ClearBra as if it were a brand. I you don't mind, can you take a look at his website (link below) and see if you can figure out what he is using for a wrap?
Clear Bra® - Premier Glass Tinting - Chico, CA & Auburn, CA
Tech_Guy
ALWAYS IN LUDICROUS MODE! P90D>P100D Upgrade
looks like another brand of film, personally I haven't heard of that brand but I'm not a profesional just a Tesla nut trying to find the best protection for my car. When I went to their website it didn't work for me so I wasn't able to look at the specs or warranty options. I see you in norcal I've heard great things about OC Detail I would suggest talking to him for the highest quality job in the area!!
mvanch
Member
EV-lutioin
Active Member
[email protected]
Local Vendor - SoCal
The final results/level of quality and protection your vehicle receives comes down to one thing, the installer. The skill, experience and standards of the installer/s make or break the installation. I've seen the "best" film used by inexperienced installers leading to a sub-par final product and vice versa.
Pricing will vary from place to place, installer to installer. As a rule of thumb, you do get what you pay for. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but $10k for a full wrap will be on the upper end for sure, but in the long run the results must match this premium otherwise said shop/installer would not be able to sustain those prices (something to think about).
We use a film called "ClearGuard Nano" It is the clearest and highest gloss film on the market currently. Some installers will chose one brand over the other for a multitude of reasons. When researching a shop, look at their work in person if you can. Oftentimes shops will post pictures from far way not giving you the best idea of how things really look up close. Look at how the edge/corners are trimmed and wrapped. This will gauge the skill level of the installer and their standards.
Hope that helps!
Pricing will vary from place to place, installer to installer. As a rule of thumb, you do get what you pay for. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but $10k for a full wrap will be on the upper end for sure, but in the long run the results must match this premium otherwise said shop/installer would not be able to sustain those prices (something to think about).
We use a film called "ClearGuard Nano" It is the clearest and highest gloss film on the market currently. Some installers will chose one brand over the other for a multitude of reasons. When researching a shop, look at their work in person if you can. Oftentimes shops will post pictures from far way not giving you the best idea of how things really look up close. Look at how the edge/corners are trimmed and wrapped. This will gauge the skill level of the installer and their standards.
Hope that helps!
gwagen27
Member
If you do not mind me asking, what areas did you end up covering Suntek and what did it cost you? Feel free to PM me as well. Thanks~
AnOutsider
S532 # XS27
- Apr 3, 2009
- 11,957
- 198
He was the priciest around when I got a quote from him before, but the next best option is 3 hours way, so I guess we'll be going there -_-
EV-lutioin
Active Member
I just visited our local Suntek installer and he said he uses pre-made templates from Suntek and that the film will be installed within 1/8 inch of the edges of body panels, sensors, trim etc. I just wanted to check with others on the forum to see if 1/8" is a common tolerance for installation? I recall one story of a stealth Xpel install where the trim was removed to hide all edges, but in a normal clear film installation where the trim is not removed, does 1/8" seem about right? By the way, Suntek now has pre-made templates for MX seat backs.
Diavel
Member
I would be concerned with dust and grime collecting around those edges. It may be noticeable depending on color of your X.
Also note that you will be one of the first few who uses the precut suntek templates so there is a small risk to fit. Please let us know what you decide.
Our S has the factory PPF when Tesla used to offer the "Paint Armor" option. It has a 1/8" or so tolerance on the 1/4 hood PPF and honestly, it does not look nearly as good as my other S with full wrapped edges. The edges will get dirty you can see the slightly off-color edging. .
1/8" is also a rather large tolerance and I would pay extra to get it full edge wrapped.
I would look for another installer who is more accustomed to doing full wrapped edges rather than laser cutting templates and slapping them on within 1/8" tolerance.
AnOutsider
S532 # XS27
- Apr 3, 2009
- 11,957
- 198
100% agreed. I have a white Model S with Tesla's "factory" install (done well after I took delivery of the car, and the install was not great). The edges DEFINITELY show.
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