Quality Concerns with Newly Applied PPF and Tint – Seeking Community Insight

[YiZhong Xu]

Hello everyone,

I recently had Paint Protection Film (PPF) and window tint applied to my car, but I've noticed several potential issues that I'm concerned about. There appear to be problems with edges not properly sealed, bubbling, lifting, and potential damage signs. The installer claims these are all normal, but I'm not convinced. I've attached photos for reference.

Could anyone with experience in PPF and tint installations give their opinion on whether these issues are standard? Any advice on how to address this with the installer would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your help!

Looking forward to your responses and advice.

 

[Tulipo]

We had our X PPF’d stealth and I can tell you it does not look like that. Some of that looks pretty rough imo.

 

[YiZhong Xu]

We had our X PPF’d stealth and I can tell you it does not look like that. Some of that looks pretty rough imo.

Thank you for your feedback. It's actually even worse in reality than it appears in the photos. The main technician assured me that this was normal, which is quite disheartening.

 

[Big Earl]

That’s poor quality work. You shouldn’t have all of those seams and visible edges. The corners look bad and there appears to be contamination under some parts of the PPF.

Is this tint shop an XPEL or other name brand installer?

 

[YiZhong Xu]

That’s poor quality work. You shouldn’t have all of those seams and visible edges. The corners look bad and there appears to be contamination under some parts of the PPF.

Is this tint shop an XPEL or other name brand installer?

Thank you for your response. I've attached a screenshot of the bill for more details about the PPF and window tint installation. Despite choosing the shop for its proximity to my home and its high ratings, I am quite disappointed with the outcome. As a first-time customer for PPF and window tint, the issues were apparent to me as soon as I saw the results. The installer insisted that seams and bubbles are part of the normal process, but I feel the extent of the issues is beyond what would be considered normal.

 

[zoomer0056]

They did only an 80% job which is not good enough. They did not check their work for professional results. Very glaring mess up to not align the corner PPF on the fog light. It is clearly hanging off of the lense. It's obvious they did not use precut film for the bumper seams and they aren't detailed enough to make their own cuts. Totally stupid to overlap that one seem. They pulled, stretched and reapplied one piece so it shows glue separation under the film. I could go on ... terrible job. If it was Xpel, it would be backed up with workmanship and product guarantee. I know a thing or two about applying PPF because I did my whole car myself. DIY PPF on 2022 Blue Model S

 

[Mercimek]

Not normal.

 

[Tulipo]

Thank you for your response. I've attached a screenshot of the bill for more details about the PPF and window tint installation. Despite choosing the shop for its proximity to my home and its high ratings, I am quite disappointed with the outcome. As a first-time customer for PPF and window tint, the issues were apparent to me as soon as I saw the results. The installer insisted that seams and bubbles are part of the normal process, but I feel the extent of the issues is beyond what would be considered normal.

When I picked up my car, the detail shop said to bring it back if I notice any stubborn bubbles but said any bubbles would likely go away on their own. I never noticed a single bubble anywhere. It honestly looks flawless. I’m sorry you had a poor experience!

 

[YiZhong Xu]

Thank you for your responses and sharing your PPF experiences. I left a 1-star review on the shop's Google Maps page, and they responded with: [

]. Considering my previous concerns, I'm uncertain about returning for the 2-week check they suggested. I'm apprehensive about the potential awkwardness or unintentional damage to my car due to my negative review. Any advice? Is asking for a refund reasonable in this case? If a refund isn't feasible, I might just let it go. I'm also uneasy about leaving my car there for the checkup."

 

[zoomer0056]

They're making excuses by repeating the "it's not paint perfection film" phrase. They also say it's "far from perfect ", which is ironic in relation to the rest of the response. You can go to another shop and ask what they think. Yes, keep the two week appointment. They need to see the errors. They're definitely not familiar with hod to apply the precut bumper piece. There are two seams, same as on mh car. They did not follow the tack procedure when applying. So obvious, because one seam is overlapped and the other was cut. I would be very hesitant to let them cut on your car. When you take it to the other shop, just ask how much to correct the mistakes. It's too late to fix the bumper piece, it can only be replaced. Don't worry about their attitude too much, no arguing with them. Stand your ground calmly.

 

[Mrdrbot23]

I had XPEL stealth PPF (that comes with a 10-year warranty) installed on my MYLR and it is flawless compared to what this shop did. The shop I used did not have a 2-week inspection process nor was it needed - there were no bubbles or lifting edges at pick-up and the seams between sections are barely visible.

When they use a plotter to cut the film, my understanding is that they can set the plotter to automatically add a few millimeters to each piece to allow them to wrap the edges better and offer more coverage - seems like they didn't do that here. Or, they just had an inexperienced or rushing installer who didn't care to stretch the film to get good coverage and let it cure more before you picked it up.

I see you left them a review already - personally, I would've waited to address all of this at the 2-week inspection and brought pictures of other PPF installations for comparison and to set expectations. If they hadn't addressed these issues at that inspection, then I would've left a review. But it is what it is now and I hope they can fix these for you.

 

[YiZhong Xu]

They're making excuses by repeating the "it's not paint perfection film" phrase. They also say it's "far from perfect ", which is ironic in relation to the rest of the response. You can go to another shop and ask what they think. Yes, keep the two week appointment. They need to see the errors. They're definitely not familiar with hod to apply the precut bumper piece. There are two seams, same as on mh car. They did not follow the tack procedure when applying. So obvious, because one seam is overlapped and the other was cut. I would be very hesitant to let them cut on your car. When you take it to the other shop, just ask how much to correct the mistakes. It's too late to fix the bumper piece, it can only be replaced. Don't worry about their attitude too much, no arguing with them. Stand your ground calmly.

Thank you for your insights and suggestions. Regarding the two seams you mentioned on the bumper, I actually found that there are four seams on the lower front bumper, not just two. Furthermore, I noticed seven dust particles trapped inside the left headlight and one in the right headlight.

 

[YiZhong Xu]

I had XPEL stealth PPF (that comes with a 10-year warranty) installed on my MYLR and it is flawless compared to what this shop did. The shop I used did not have a 2-week inspection process nor was it needed - there were no bubbles or lifting edges at pick-up and the seams between sections are barely visible.

When they use a plotter to cut the film, my understanding is that they can set the plotter to automatically add a few millimeters to each piece to allow them to wrap the edges better and offer more coverage - seems like they didn't do that here. Or, they just had an inexperienced or rushing installer who didn't care to stretch the film to get good coverage and let it cure more before you picked it up.

I see you left them a review already - personally, I would've waited to address all of this at the 2-week inspection and brought pictures of other PPF installations for comparison and to set expectations. If they hadn't addressed these issues at that inspection, then I would've left a review. But it is what it is now and I hope they can fix these for you.

Thank you for sharing your experience with XPEL Stealth PPF. It's reassuring to hear about flawless installations like yours. Your advice on waiting until the 2-week check-up to address concerns and compare with other installations is insightful, but unfortunately, the visible flaws in my installation compelled me to act sooner. I appreciate your suggestions and hope the shop can rectify these issues effectively. As a first-time Tesla owner and someone new to car films, I simply searched for nearby auto film shops on Google and chose the one closest to me with the most five-star reviews. Despite being relatively close, it's still almost a two-hour drive round trip for me. Unfortunately, my first experience turned out like this, showing that five-star reviews aren't always indicative of quality. Their website claimed their staff were highly professional, and their YouTube and TikTok videos gave me the wrong impression.

 

[zoomer0056]

Thank you for your insights and suggestions. Regarding the two seams you mentioned on the bumper, I actually found that there are four seams on the lower front bumper, not just two. Furthermore, I noticed seven dust particles trapped inside the left headlight and one in the right headlight.

For them to make it right they will have to replace. They should own up and learn from their mistakes. They should chaulk it up as an expensive lesson with no complaints.

 

[Big Earl]

Thank you for your response. I've attached a screenshot of the bill for more details about the PPF and window tint installation. Despite choosing the shop for its proximity to my home and its high ratings, I am quite disappointed with the outcome. As a first-time customer for PPF and window tint, the issues were apparent to me as soon as I saw the results. The installer insisted that seams and bubbles are part of the normal process, but I feel the extent of the issues is beyond what would be considered normal.

I have never heard of Kavaca tints and films.