Stealth XPEL Maintenance

[kataleen]

Hey folks, I just had my Model 3 wrapped in stealth XPEL. I have to say I am stunned in this product. The car looks amazing and I can't take my eyes off it. I posted some pictures here: Tesla Model 3 wrapped in Stealth XPEL Paint Protection Film » The Brainspike

My question is: does anyone have some first hand information on how to maintain the film? I know that I shouldn't wash it for about a week after the installation. How does it fare with time?

Thanks!

 

[Atari2600]

if lightly scratched let it bake in the sun or pour warm water on it.

XPEL | Paint Protection Film | STEALTH Satin Finish Paint Protection | Self-Healing Clear Bra

Self-Healing
When exposed to heat, the enhanced clear coat properties eliminate fine scratches and swirl marks over time.

 

[C141medic]

I have Xpel Ultimate full PPF. Had ceramic on top of the Xpel. It’s been about 7 months and haven’t really needed to do much other than regular washings. Xpel sells PPF maintenance items on their web site. They also have some care instructions here:
XPEL | Help | Film Care & Aftercare Assistance

 

[Jffurlan]

Looks amazing! But I might be bias as I have the same colour with stealth.

 

[afadeev]

Hey folks, I just had my Model 3 wrapped in stealth XPEL. I have to say I am stunned in this product. The car looks amazing and I can't take my eyes off it.
My question is: does anyone have some first hand information on how to maintain the film?

Hand wash only, and carefully.
No automated washed - EVER!

Don't polish and wax it either. Xpel sells its own Film Sealant - use that.

How much did it run you?
$4-5?

a

 

[vickh]

Hand wash only, and carefully.
No automated washed - EVER!

Don't polish and wax it either. Xpel sells its own Film Sealant - use that.

How much did it run you?
$4-5?

a

does it resist water spots? H20 is very hard in AZ

 

[Silver Ghost]

I have the stealth Xpell on a silver P3D+
I did ceramic coat it
No special care needed.

It is only a car- not a museum piece.

ENJOY

 

[Thp3]

I’m now a fan of the XPEL Ceramic Boost on top of XPEL. I only know to get it from XPEL. This is how I maintain the fully wrapped car.

Car Care, exterior and interior and PPF

It took me 25 minutes and about 16 microfiber towels to wash it yesterday. Easy, fast and pretty.

 

[kataleen]

I have the stealth Xpell on a silver P3D+
I did ceramic coat it
No special care needed.

It is only a car- not a museum piece.

ENJOY

I am planning to do the ceramic coating as well. I will go for CQUARTZ. Most likely next week.

I have Xpel Ultimate full PPF. Had ceramic on top of the Xpel. It’s been about 7 months and haven’t really needed to do much other than regular washings. Xpel sells PPF maintenance items on their web site. They also have some care instructions here:
XPEL | Help | Film Care & Aftercare Assistance

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look. I did expect that it doesn't require too much maintenance since its purpose is to resist all you can throw at it, literally and figuratively.

Hand wash only, and carefully.
No automated washed - EVER!

Don't polish and wax it either. Xpel sells its own Film Sealant - use that.

How much did it run you?
$4-5?

a

$5400 + tax

 

[jkoya]

Hey folks, I just had my Model 3 wrapped in stealth XPEL. I have to say I am stunned in this product. The car looks amazing and I can't take my eyes off it. I posted some pictures here:

@kataleen - Read post #8 from Xpel on a thread I started:
XPEL Stealth satin finish PPF easy to maintain ?

Xpel does make a longer term Ceramic Product for their paint protection films, but it looks like they don't sell it to the DIYers.

I'm going with the "No Badge" look also.

 

[verystandard]

Nice! How much it cost to wrap it? I was on the fence of getting XPEL/WRAP too but I know my wife will crash the car sooner than later (she curbed my wheel after 3 days of delivery.

 

[rainforest]

Nice! How much it cost to wrap it? I was on the fence of getting XPEL/WRAP too but I know my wife will crash the car sooner than later (she curbed my wheel after 3 days of delivery.

I know a good wrap shop and wheel repair guy. PM me if you want it.

 

[boos67mustang]

does it resist water spots? H20 is very hard in AZ

Absolutely does NOT resist water spots. I parked mine outside once to charge overnight at a location with sprinkler system and have generally hard water in the area. The water spots are permanent even though the wrap is less than 6 months old and had ceramic over the top of it. Nothing you can do but re-wrap it to get rid of the spots all over my hood, my installer tried everything he could to get rid of them. Needless to say I'm not very happy with the product as the manufacturer is now claiming 'negligence' and won't warrant it. What exactly is the point of paint protection film if it can't even resist water spots?

 

[ModelNforNerd]

What exactly is the point of paint protection film if it can't even resist water spots?

because the water spots wipe away and don't cause any permanent damage to the paint.

product works as designed....


a ceramic coating MAY help with the spots, but hard water is always going to be a thing. just wipe it off.

 

[afadeev]

Absolutely does NOT resist water spots. I parked mine outside once to charge overnight at a location with sprinkler system and have generally hard water in the area. The water spots are permanent even though the wrap is less than 6 months old and had ceramic over the top of it. Nothing you can do but re-wrap it to get rid of the spots all over my hood, my installer tried everything he could to get rid of them. Needless to say I'm not very happy with the product as the manufacturer is now claiming 'negligence' and won't warrant it. What exactly is the point of paint protection film if it can't even resist water spots?

What wrap brand / product did your installer use?

because the water spots wipe away and don't cause any permanent damage to the paint.
product works as designed....
a ceramic coating MAY help with the spots, but hard water is always going to be a thing. just wipe it off.

The trouble with that proposition is the timing.
You can quickly dry the car after you wash and avoid water staining.
You can't always be on guard and at the ready when a sprinkler system or a cloud opens up on a windy day, and dust blows onto wet car exterior. It's only a function of time before you come back to the car with the trace markings of where water droplets had dried up. That's life.

What matters is how easy those water marks are to remove.
Same goes for hard bug splatter and bird droppings.

On clearcoat, you can can polish them off with some elbow grease.
But film is more delicate than clearcoat, so you may not be able to do the same with PPF.
Here, unfortunately, the answer seams to depend by brand of the PPF used, and custom products offered (or not) to care for and maintain that film.

a

 

[ModelNforNerd]

The trouble with that proposition is the timing.
You can quickly dry the car after you wash and avoid water staining.
You can't always be on guard and at the ready when a sprinkler system or a cloud opens up on a windy day, and dust blows onto wet car exterior. It's only a function of time before you come back to the car with the trace markings of where water droplets had dried up. That's life.

What matters is how easy those water marks are to remove.

On clearcoat, you can can polish them off with some elbow grease.
But film is more delicate than clearcoat, so you may not be able to do the same with PPF.

I have had mine wrapped since January, to include most of this past winter's snowy season. Never had any real issues with removing anything from it.

 

[woodguyatl]

does it resist water spots? H20 is very hard in AZ

A water deionizer for final rinse will fix that.