Protective film on Model 3 ?

[EV-lutioin]

Both XPEL and Suntek are excellent films, it's the installer you need to make sure is a good fit for you.

We ALWAYS apply CQuartz over the film to help further protect it.

Here's a recent project we completed:

Vendor - amptsup's M3 Project @Glistening Perfection - Clear bra and NanoCeramic tint

Interesting, an installer I talked with in Sacramento said he never puts CQuartz over PPF, because it makes it brittle and reduces its life. Another installer I worked with in Fremont puts Nanolex Si3d HD over PPF and it looks great. I'm not sure who has it right??

 

[outdoors]

Full, as in the entire vehicle? If so, that's amazing.

Yes thought so. Full car. Rockers as well. Came in at $5200 for my S. Just dropped off. He did my tinting for my S and has done Tesla's many times. For sure his first Model 3. I am sure he will be posting the car like crazy for business. Maybe relative to the price in this case. I was not complaining.

For me the Expel is it. I can't go the extra layer upon layer of nano ceramic asteroid particle silica stuff. Have to draw the line somewhere. It is a car still. When it can fly. I will get that stuff so I maybe don't have to de-ice or something.

 

[gaswalla]

Getting mine full Expel Ultimate on Friday. $3975. Any thoughts on price? High or low. Thanks.

My thought is that is about 10% of the cost of the vehicle.

 

[KGTES]

Yes thought so. Full car. Rockers as well. Came in at $5200 for my S. Just dropped off. He did my tinting for my S and has done Tesla's many times. For sure his first Model 3. I am sure he will be posting the car like crazy for business. Maybe relative to the price in this case. I was not complaining.

For me the Expel is it. I can't go the extra layer upon layer of nano ceramic asteroid particle silica stuff. Have to draw the line somewhere. It is a car still. When it can fly. I will get that stuff so I maybe don't have to de-ice or something.

@outdoors, where are you located? that's not a bad price for FULL car XPEL. Could you ask him how much for full front? (
Full Hood, Full Fenders, Front Bumper & Side Mirrors, lights)

 

[dhu1]

@outdoors, where are you located? that's not a bad price for FULL car XPEL. Could you ask him how much for full front? (
Full Hood, Full Fenders, Front Bumper & Side Mirrors, lights)

Just drove mine straight from delivery to get it done via Premier. Hood, fender, bumper, mirror and back bumper. Costly, but I know will be worth it.

 

[dhu1]

Yes, I priced them out--probably a 10% premium. But they did some previous work on my X and they did a great job. Much of this kind of work really is a function of the installer rather the actual product--so as many things in thing in life, you get what you pay for.

 

[EV-lutioin]

Yes, I priced them out--probably a 10% premium. But they did some previous work on my X and they did a great job. Much of this kind of work really is a function of the installer rather the actual product--so as many things in thing in life, you get what you pay for.

They quoted me $7,700 for a full M3 wrap, which seems like more than a 10% premium. I agree they do good work.

 

[dhu1]

They quoted me $7,700 for a full M3 wrap, which seems like more than a 10% premium. I agree they do good work.

Full wrap is definitely costly....but not doing the doors will save you some real dough. I was mainly worried about rock chips from driving on 880 all day long. My X has gotten small chips on the windshield, but my wrap has saved the fender and hood from debris on the freeway.

I compared against ocdetailing who uses xpel ($3600) vs premier ($4000) uses clearguard. Given that I know Premier’s work, I just sucked up the diff

 

[EV-lutioin]

Does anyone have experience with S-Tek Dyno Shield? Supposedly, it has the best hydrophobic qualities negating the need for ceramic coating over the PPF.

 

[UnpluggedP]

Blue Model 3 we recently finished with Xpel Stealth wrap, chrome delete, window tint, UP-03 wheels, carbon ceramic brakes and coilovers

Unplugged Performance
Unplugged Performance | Tesla Model 3

 

[dhu1]

Blue Model 3 we recently finished with Xpel Stealth wrap, chrome delete, window tint, UP-03 wheels, carbon ceramic brakes and coilovers

View attachment 275636
Unplugged Performance
Unplugged Performance | Tesla Model 3

dang....how much for the Xpel full car wrap?

 

[UnpluggedP]

dang....how much for the Xpel full car wrap?

PM sent

 

[PlayaVista]

Sure not doing doors can save money. I rented out X via Turo and later when detailing discovered with a 0.5" gash on the self-presenting driver door. I am of course disappointed but am glad it ruined the film and not the paint.

 

[dhu1]

Sure not doing doors can save money. I rented out X via Turo and later when detailing discovered with a 0.5" gash on the self-presenting driver door. I am of course disappointed but am glad it ruined the film and not the paint.

If I was renting it out on Turo, I would wrap every square inch of the car. You're relinquishing control to a complete stranger....

 

[Jean-Claude]

The questions/concerns about what to use to protect a new car's paint is not new but there is a large amount of products available now and that number grows monthly.

Really, the number one factor is going to be the folks placing their hands on a car and how they conduct themselves professionally. Everyone has their favorite products so expect them to lean towards a brand. Yes, there are differences among the coatings and the absolutely are not all created equal. But instead of completely relying on the professional, my advice would be to gather information on brands and the professionals and then do your own research. This will help you make a wise long-term choice and greatly limit the opportunity for buyer's remorse.

If you would like to better understand what causes the most common forms of damage on modern paint and protection options that range from the most simple to the mostest-bestest(yeah...I went there lol), feel free to check out this article I wrote. When discussing the coating option, I named Modesta but one could insert their own coating of choice as a placeholder and still get a wonderful grasp of how all of these technologies work. Feel free to fire off any questions and I will do my best to help out. (and check my signature for our latest Youtube video showing off the process to give a Model X our top-tier protection service which is noted in this article)

What Causes Swirl Marks & Other Defects In Modern Car Paint?

 

[Jean-Claude]

Interesting, an installer I talked with in Sacramento said he never puts CQuartz over PPF, because it makes it brittle and reduces its life. Another installer I worked with in Fremont puts Nanolex Si3d HD over PPF and it looks great. I'm not sure who has it right??

Cracking??
Not. Going. To. Happen. It sounds like someone has neither tested their claims nor do they completely understand coatings/PPF. It's a sad thing but many in service industries are talking heads and don't really understand the technologies they sell.

Here's an example of how not only a coating does not crack nor get brittle and the self-healing attributes still work. One single shot with no attempts to disguise accurate results. That is a stainless steel pick I am using to scratch the surface. Feel free to watch in full-screen:

 

[EV-lutioin]

Cracking??
Not. Going. To. Happen. It sounds like someone has neither tested their claims nor do they completely understand coatings/PPF. It's a sad thing but many in service industries are talking heads and don't really understand the technologies they sell.

Here's an example of how not only a coating does not crack nor get brittle and the self-healing attributes still work. One single shot with no attempts to disguise accurate results. That is a stainless steel pick I am using to scratch the surface. Feel free to watch in full-screen:

I don't think I said anything about cracking and the installer I paraphrased didn't either. Not sure where you got that.

 

[Jean-Claude]

I don't think I said anything about cracking and the installer I paraphrased didn't either. Not sure where you got that.

I read your referring to the application of a coating over PPF as it potentially making "it brittle". I understand brittle to describe something that is liable to break, crack or shatter. Did I misinterpret what you meant by brittle?

 

[suwaneedad]

Two questions about the various protection options out there:
1. which would make washing my car a pain in the ass? I'm not interested in applying protection that relegates me to hand washing forever. My regular car wash facility runs it through machines that do make contact but I've not had any issue with damage over ~five years and ~100 washes.
2. The door handles of Model 3 are sure to result in women's long fingernails scratching the hell out of the nearby paint. I therefore want those areas protected. I presume that means the entirety of each door needs to be protected...correct? Any protection better than others specifically for this sort of constant scratching abuse that occurs from fingernails? (Confident there was not one female, nor a male married to a female, on the Tesla door handle design team.)
3. Are the various options all going to last roughly the same amount of time? And what's that approximate life?
Thanks all.

 

[PlayaVista]

If you are OK with your car going through 100 washes (my previous car did), you may be ok doing the same with Model 3 too. For me, because first new car in 10 years, I hand wash - cost a lot more time but much happier with results.

In terms lasting, it is in order of coating + paint protection film > PPF > vinyl color wrap > coating > wax > nothing. as