Tint & PPF issues

[KH84]

So I got my windshield and windows tinted as well as full front end ppf by a highly rated shop according to Yelp. It was xpel xr prime tint and xpel ppf, costed me $3000. It's been almost 2 weeks and I'm seeing debris/dust under both the tint and ppf. The ppf also has bubbles and doesn't lay flat in multiple areas. Shop said these are common issues and they will fix. I asked them to put their most experienced guy on this since they didn't seem to do a good job the first time. Shop said both their guys are very experienced.

What do you guys think of the pics? I feel like a professional install should come out with less flaws.

 

[KH84]

Here are the ppf pics

 

[heavyD]

You shouldn't have any lifting film. I see a lot of lifted film at edges and some of the curved areas. You aren't always going to get perfection when you get a lot of work done but for that kind of money you should get better than what your photographs are depicting.

 

[DimaCA]

That is very horrible job! The edges were probably not ghost-gloved and presence of debris under the film shows the quality of the job is very poor. The fingerprint under the film means that they touched it with dry hands, which is a big no-no. The cuts are very sloppy too.

The bubbles are not a big deal. The bubbles that are filled with water will disappear on their own (after a few days or a couple weeks). The ones that have air inside will need to be punctured (normally diabetic syringe is used). If you do it carefully, you cannot even see the hole.

 

[UncertainTimes]

The lifting is unacceptable. The tiny dust and debris, well they’re not working in a dust-free clean room so can’t expect absolute perfection there.

 

[DimaCA]

Those dust particles are quite large to be easily noticeable. If the technician was paying attention, he would notice them and remove while squeegeeing the film.

 

[KH84]

Thanks guys. Shop called and said will redo bumper and possibly headlight. I asked if removing ppf will damage paint and what would my options be if that happens. They said unless car has been repainted, there should be no issues. But they are not responsible for damage to paint and I would need to contact Tesla. Do you know how often paint is damaged from ppf removal??

 

[stopcrazypp]

Thanks guys. Shop called and said will redo bumper and possibly headlight. I asked if removing ppf will damage paint and what would my options be if that happens. They said unless car has been repainted, there should be no issues. But they are not responsible for damage to paint and I would need to contact Tesla. Do you know how often paint is damaged from ppf removal??

I've seen cases of the rocker panels where the paint peeled off, but the paint was likely defective from factory already (or was chipped by rocks previously) and would have peeled off eventually even without PPF.
2021 M3 LR Rocker Panel Paint Peeling

As one of the posts points out, the bond of the PPF is much weaker than that of the paint to the rest of the car, so it is highly unlikely for it to pull off paint (even if done fully cured and baked in for years, the bond is even weaker when it is fairly fresh like yours).

That is however, assuming they didn't use any other adhesives (for example to get corners/edges to stick).

 

[heavyD]

I have had panels re-done many times on various vehicles and have never had paint lifted. Just had a panel re-done on my wife's GV70 last week in fact. I have heard of it happening with paint jobs done after the fact if a body shop didn't do a good job of prep so it's something to keep in mind if you have had had paintwork done.

 

[DimaCA]

If the panels were recently done, it should be fine to remove the PPF without damaging the paint. Many people have done it.

 

[Manbutter]

Keep us posted on the re-do. I'm about to DIY it myself and if a "pro"did such a shoddy job, I'm afraid how mine will turn out. The youtubers make it look so easy.

 

[DimaCA]

Keep us posted on the re-do. I'm about to DIY it myself and if a "pro"did such a shoddy job, I'm afraid how mine will turn out. The youtubers make it look so easy.

I did DIY PPF on one of the cars. As long as you take your time prepping the car, learn the proper techniques, and go slow, it should turn out ok. I compared PPF that I installed with two professionally-installed PPF front ends and my installation was cleaner and it was my first time doing it.

 

[T061]

The lifting is unacceptable. The tiny dust and debris, well they’re not working in a dust-free clean room so can’t expect absolute perfection there.

For $3,000 it better be perfection.

 

[confuseduser]

So I got my windshield and windows tinted as well as full front end ppf by a highly rated shop according to Yelp. It was xpel xr prime tint and xpel ppf, costed me $3000. It's been almost 2 weeks and I'm seeing debris/dust under both the tint and ppf. The ppf also has bubbles and doesn't lay flat in multiple areas. Shop said these are common issues and they will fix. I asked them to put their most experienced guy on this since they didn't seem to do a good job the first time. Shop said both their guys are very experienced.

What do you guys think of the pics? I feel like a professional install should come out with less flaws.

A speck here and there for tints are normal and a re-do might actually come out worse. Think of installing a screen protector on a 65" screen.

That PPF install on the other hand looks like it was done by an amateur. Did they end up fixing it for you?

 

[dbiland]

Currently experiencing something similar with an expensive tint job on my model 3. Noticed bubbling on several windows. Took it back in and shop tried to touchup affected areas. Actually looks worse now and they left finger prints on the interior of my clean glass. Shop asked me to give it a couple of days. Its upsetting either way... cost, trips to the shop, wait time blah blah

 

[MattH]

Currently experiencing something similar with an expensive tint job on my model 3. Noticed bubbling on several windows. Took it back in and shop tried to touchup affected areas. Actually looks worse now and they left finger prints on the interior of my clean glass. Shop asked me to give it a couple of days. Its upsetting either way... cost, trips to the shop, wait time blah blah

How is it doing now? Bubbles still there?

 

[Eric W]

For tinting I think since earth is not a dust free planet I wouldn't expect 100% good work. if a dust is in the area that bugs you while driving, then maybe ask to fix it. For PPF maybe not a good place to start with. if you recently done ppf, then I don't think It will peel