Wraps in GTA?

[BillyBob99]

S90D in transit - est arrival July 01-15

Any recommendations/experience with wrapping car in GTA area?
Whole car or just front end?
Does it protect against door paint damage when parked?
Durability? Does it need re-wrapping?
Any concerns re UV differences in colour if only part of car is wrapped.
(I understand that the film confers additional UV protection)

Thanks

 

[tsarlsy]

S90D in transit - est arrival July 01-15
Any recommendations/experience with wrapping car in GTA area?
Whole car or just front end?
Thanks

Are you talking about vinyl wraps or clear paint protection films (PPF) like XPEL?

If PPF, I looked at Advanced Automotive Film in Mississauga. They do great work there but I ended up just getting Opti-coat from the team he shares the shop with. At $5.5k+tax, it felt like I was "pre-paying" the cost of potential repairs.

 

[BillyBob99]

Is vinyl the one that comes in various colours?
I was thinking of the clear - like XPEL or 3M - unless the vinyl conveys the same protection.
Why did you decide on the Opti-coat?
Either way seems pricey. Wonder how much it would cost to repaint a body panel

 

[rypalmer]

I bought some 3M Scotchgard Pro Series on eBay to wrap the hood and front bumper of my soon-to-be-delivered S. It's not cheap stuff -- $570 CAD shipped just for these two pieces. I'll be installing next week and posting my DIY findings. Stay tuned!

 

[tsarlsy]

Is vinyl the one that comes in various colours?
I was thinking of the clear - like XPEL or 3M - unless the vinyl conveys the same protection.
Why did you decide on the Opti-coat?
Either way seems pricey. Wonder how much it would cost to repaint a body panel

Yes, vinyl is the one with colours. I went with opti-coat because it was much cheaper ($750) and the never need to wax promise appealed to me. To be clear, it won't protect against stone chips and such.

 

[Najeeb]

RestyleIT in Vaughan is great. They use 3M. The PPF is much thicker and more protective than any wrap - and much more money.

I've had the 3M PPF on my car since new (full hood, frontal impact, doors, etc). I'd never want to drive without it.

I found it does help with minor touches from other car doors in parking lots.

 

[BillyBob99]

OK got my midnight silver P90D from Lawrence today!! Drove it home and will leave in garage until wrap decision
.
Did some research. According to Xpel their Ultimate film allows UV to pass thru so protected & unprotected will age the same (How does this help those with full body wrap? - wouldn't they want reduced UV penetration?) If there will be a difference then vertical surfaces will be less evident than horizontal so a partial hood would be more noticeable than one that stops at the vertical door panels. 3M seems to be less expensive than Xpel - is there a difference?

However still some questions: What about longevity? Most reports indicate 5-10yrs and the longer it remains the more difficult it will be to remove. What is the cost of removal? Anyone wrap the windshield? Or cheaper just to replace windshield?

@rypalmer: How did the DIY go?

 

[rypalmer]

OK got my midnight silver P90D from Lawrence today!! Drove it home and will leave in garage until wrap decision
.
Did some research. According to Xpel their Ultimate film allows UV to pass thru so protected & unprotected will age the same (How does this help those with full body wrap? - wouldn't they want reduced UV penetration?) If there will be a difference then vertical surfaces will be less evident than horizontal so a partial hood would be more noticeable than one that stops at the vertical door panels. 3M seems to be less expensive than Xpel - is there a difference?

However still some questions: What about longevity? Most reports indicate 5-10yrs and the longer it remains the more difficult it will be to remove. What is the cost of removal? Anyone wrap the windshield? Or cheaper just to replace windshield?

@rypalmer: How did the DIY go?

I wrapped the hood on day 2 of Model S ownership but I've driven 3,000km since and haven't had the chance to install more or file a proper report.

Long story short, there are numerous gotchas. Including hairy arms. It ended up going very well but it's not a professional job. I'm fine with the job we did though, and I hope the other pieces will go on easier since they are all considerably smaller. The hood was a rather large piece.

I can provide advice, dimensions, etc. While I'm on the road it might be easiest to call me. DM me if you're interested!