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HookBill
Member
While I'm sure there are other reasons, Moe at Glistening Perfection in Orange County told me the primary differences are: (1)Suntek is a bit thinner with slightly less protection but leaves a shinier looking car. (2) Expel Ultimate is slightly thicker and will protect a bit better but doesn't leave quite the shine Suntek does.
I had a 2015 corvette in which the front bumper was XPEL Ultimate and the hood and fenders were Suntek. The Suntek definitely has a smoother finish with less of the orange peel effect. Both protect your car from rock chips but from my experience, the Suntek will show where a rock has hit and damaged the film but XPEL is more forgiving and does not get damaged by small rock chips as easily as Suntek.
Suntek
1. Glossier smooth finish
2. Some rock nicks will show
3, Harder film
Xpel
1. Slightly thicker with a little bit of an orange peel effect
2. Does not show most rock nicks
3. Softer film
Most people on the corvette forum as well as my installer recommended that I get Xpel for the more damage prone areas like the front bumper and then Suntek for the rest.
Suntek
1. Glossier smooth finish
2. Some rock nicks will show
3, Harder film
Xpel
1. Slightly thicker with a little bit of an orange peel effect
2. Does not show most rock nicks
3. Softer film
Most people on the corvette forum as well as my installer recommended that I get Xpel for the more damage prone areas like the front bumper and then Suntek for the rest.
ssq
Member
Xpel is thicker and offers more protection . Suntek is thinner and glossier. Xpel ultimate has better warranty 10yrs with labor cost also included.
I had my whole car xpel'ed, but film keeped getting damaged and needing to be replaced. On someone's advice in the film business I replaced the front portion of my car with Nano Fusion (Nano Fusion Film - Paint Protection Film for the Automotive Industry) 6 months ago and it has held up dramaticallybetter than the Xpel.
I used Suntek primarily because of installer expertise. I didn't get good vibes from the Xpel installers at the time. The Suntek has been fine for 3.5 years and 73K miles. There are a couple of rock chips at the lip of the hood, but I'm not convinced that another film would be significantly better. It has saved the paint from other vehicles rubbing the car (fortunately, not hard enough to cause creases so the foreign paint was removed with tar and bug remover).
MoeMistry
Former Vendor
Great question.
They each have their pros and cons, as does EVERY film on the market.
Suntek is for those not liking the look of clear bra or wanting the finish to look as close to original paint as possible. More aesthetics.
XPEL, for those wanting more protection and durability and a longer warranty, 10 years...suntek offers 5 years.
You usually don't mix and match film, but it's completely up to the owner. You could use xpel on bumpers and rockers, areas getting most of damage, and use Suntek on areas you visually notice more, like the hood.
By the time you nano coat the film, the gloss and depth are greatly improved and it looks pretty darn close to paint when you see it in sunlight.
Don't get too hung up on the film though...your installer is the most important factor in the equation. You should be looking for one specializing in Teslas, as this gives him/her the familiarity of the curves and body panels and a greater depth of knowledge of how/where to tuck the film and make strategic cuts to make the film as invisible as possible.
Also, stop by the shop and look at work in progress and finished work as well. That's the best indicator of the right installer for YOU.
I'm not sure people should get too hung up on the comments of clarity of XPEL. I find nothing wrong with it and it is installed on many supercars daily, if clarity was really an issue it wouldn't be. I cant tell the difference between an installed panel and a non installed one and if your looking that close to find a slight difference then PPF maybe isn't for you.
Both are great films and like MoeMistry said, the most important part of both of them is the installer!
Both are great films and like MoeMistry said, the most important part of both of them is the installer!
AutoArmour
Former Vendor
The Model X is a really cool vehicle and we’ve been lucky enough to work on quite a few of them now. With SunTek or Xpel, it really comes down to personal preference, but we tend to like Xpel more. Xpel really stands behind their product; so much so, they have a 10 year warranty which is double that of SunTek’s. However, SunTek’s film can be easier to work with as it stretches better and doesn’t tack down as quickly unless you use an accelerant, so it gives the installer a little more time to work complex curves – this is great for very complicated bumpers or body panels. But, the Model X isn’t that complicated of a vehicle. SunTek tends to yellow much faster than Xpel; especially on White cars. Xpel tends to have a bit more orange peel in it, but Tesla’s paint isn’t perfect so it’s pretty hard to see the difference of where the Xpel starts and stops at.
Reviving an old thread.
I have a Suntek installation lined up.
Was planning on Xpel.
Then installer informed me that he used Suntek.
Any thoughts?
I have a Suntek installation lined up.
Was planning on Xpel.
Then installer informed me that he used Suntek.
Any thoughts?
Do you mean that the installer chose Suntek against your order?
In any case if you prefer protection capabilities of XPEL you might want to redo the protection film. However if you prefer gloss then actually Suntek is better for your needs. It's going to take a long time to remove and re-apply protection film, so if you think you're ok, and if I were you I'll be OK with it.
My car is fully XPEL but I think the surface is apparently less glossier than just paint and glass coating. Guess Suntek is better.
No. Not applied yet. I had assumed it was Xpel. My fault. I saw a model 3 he did with the Suntek film. It was amazing. Just now researching Suntek. Not until 3/28 after I take delivery of my MS 100D. Also getting a Model 3 done when it arrives in 2-5wks
Ok, sorry for confusion. Then I would recommend you ask the installer to see actual card with XPEL. It's not a cheap product, so better to compare in your eyes. If you don't see any differences then XPEL is stronger that's for sure.
Odenator
Member
People get way too worked up over one film or another. I have Suntek on my Model S and Xpel on my Model X. I LITERALLY can not tell the difference looking directly at them and can only see a slight difference with reflected light in my garage. The MOST IMPORTANT aspect that I have experienced is the skill of the installer. One installer wrapped my edges and the other did not. Anyone can guess which I prefer.
I mostly agree with you but have some different opinions. First I think some people can clearly tell whether the car is with film or with glass coating (no film). Also for some people it's also easy to tell coated film and just film. It depends on how OCD you are
Also I completely agree with the importance of the installer, but it is not necessarily true that wrapping edges with film is always better. For example if it's a hood the edges are very visible so wrapping is better. However if it is very complex surfaces like doors and mirrors, it may be better not to wrap the edges. If the installer wraps such difficult edges:
- if the installer hand cuts film there will be increased risk of damaging the paint with the knife
- wrapped edges can be easier to peel, so some air or even moisture could get in between the paint and the film, damaging the look of the edges.
So if the installer knows what he is doing then he can do anything - like hand cutting and not using XPEL templates (precut films).
The job the installer does is more important than the film used. My Suntek looks fine at five years and 100+ K miles. Xpel is supposed to be a bit thicker, but that was when I had mine done. It could have changed over the last five years.
This is what my installer used. I've had Xpel before and not a fan. You can't tell it's there. With Clearguard it's super smooth and slick. You can't tell it's there. My installer is regarded as the best in the industry - Premier Protective Films in Fremont, CA. They have worked on all of the hypercars and this is the product they use. I wouldn't use any else now.
From what I've seen first hand, most the most glaring difference when getting film installed is the quality between installers. A lot of the films are only distinguishable when you have them side by side to each other. My installer gave me options, and there are definite textural differences between the films I saw. Xpel, 3M, Suntek, and Clearguard. ClearGuard had the nicest finish when directly compared.
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