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XPEL Prime XR?

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I put 3M on my wife’s new BMW X3. 15% all around and 50% windshield. 3M makes a better quality product and will be more expensive at most tint shops. Xpel has worked their way into the market and their Xr plus film which I put on the M3 has a more flat black look compared to a metallic look of the 3M ceramic. And it cost me about $150 less than the 3M.

What matters is your installer. Contaminants wrinkles whatever, the manufacturer isn’t going to offer any warranty from Xpel or 3M. So you have issues with the install you are dealing with the installer. Manufacturers don’t give a rip about that because they aren’t responsible. Kind of like the Tommy Boy analogy. You want me to take a crap in a bag and slap a warranty label in it so you can sleep at night…I got time. That is the tint makers. How often, once they have a quality product line, does a tint fail and someone gets a claim warrantied? Who know they won’t say. Kind of like a Carfax buyback guarantee.

BTW I’ve never had an installer get a tint job perfect. Don’t think there is a such a thing. Always something like small bubbles that never go away or debris etc..
 
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I put 3M on my wife’s new BMW X3. 15% all around and 50% windshield. 3M makes a better quality product and will be more expensive at most tint shops. Xpel has worked their way into the market and their Xr plus film which I put on the M3 has a more flat black look compared to a metallic look of the 3M ceramic. And it cost me about $150 less than the 3M.

What matters is your installer. Contaminants wrinkles whatever, the manufacturer isn’t going to offer any warranty from Xpel or 3M. So you have issues with the install you are dealing with the installer. Manufacturers don’t give a rip about that because they aren’t responsible. Kind of like the Tommy Boy analogy. You want me to take a crap in a bag and slap a warranty label in it so you can sleep at night…I got time. That is the tint makers. How often, once they have a quality product line, does a tint fail and someone gets a claim warrantied? Who know they won’t say. Kind of like a Carfax buyback guarantee.

BTW I’ve never had an installer get a tint job perfect. Don’t think there is a such a thing. Always something like small bubbles that never go away or debris etc..

did you get the ceramic IR or the crystalline?
 
did you get the ceramic IR or the crystalline?
3M Ceramic IR. It definitely has a slightly different look to it compared to XPel. She loves the 15% all around and 50% windshield, doesn't have to put a stupid windshield cover up on the dash anymore...although it still gets hot in the car etc...at least it helps with UV and some heat on the dash. Plus my ceramic guy put IGL's interior coating on the dash and other stuff which helps with not needing something to protect from UV and issues of interior plastics.

If I had to do it over...I would still probably do the XPel on the Model 3. Xpel is good stuff, no doubt. And if you like somewhat of a flatter/matte tint look, which on the 2021 M3, looks great against a white car and it's black trim IMO.

Can't go wrong with the 3M though for sure. Again...installer, installer and installer...what matters.
 
3M Ceramic IR. It definitely has a slightly different look to it compared to XPel. She loves the 15% all around and 50% windshield, doesn't have to put a stupid windshield cover up on the dash anymore...although it still gets hot in the car etc...at least it helps with UV and some heat on the dash. Plus my ceramic guy put IGL's interior coating on the dash and other stuff which helps with not needing something to protect from UV and issues of interior plastics.

If I had to do it over...I would still probably do the XPel on the Model 3. Xpel is good stuff, no doubt. And if you like somewhat of a flatter/matte tint look, which on the 2021 M3, looks great against a white car and it's black trim IMO.

Can't go wrong with the 3M though for sure. Again...installer, installer and installer...what matters.

thanks for all that information, i have a black exterior with white interior and im more concern with quality rather than price but it seems to me that the difference between these too are fairly small but ive read that the price difference between these two is almost $200... just trying to figure out what im paying for besides a different finish
 
3M Ceramic IR. It definitely has a slightly different look to it compared to XPel. She loves the 15% all around and 50% windshield, doesn't have to put a stupid windshield cover up on the dash anymore...although it still gets hot in the car etc...at least it helps with UV and some heat on the dash. Plus my ceramic guy put IGL's interior coating on the dash and other stuff which helps with not needing something to protect from UV and issues of interior plastics.

If I had to do it over...I would still probably do the XPel on the Model 3. Xpel is good stuff, no doubt. And if you like somewhat of a flatter/matte tint look, which on the 2021 M3, looks great against a white car and it's black trim IMO.

Can't go wrong with the 3M though for sure. Again...installer, installer and installer...what matters.
All great info. Would you happen to have a photo comparison of the more “metallic” 3M as you mention vs. the “flatter/matte” Xpel?

Best,

Ski
 
I did Prime XR Plus 35% all around. Looks great.

South Florida sun and heat are brutal my car is parked out in the open all day at work no shade. The interior reaches around mid 90f inside at peak afternoon (measured by Tesla app) with outside temps being in the hi 80s. Now that the outside temps are in the low 90s I measured the car interior in the afternoon at 125F. I wonder how hot the interior components can handle, summer is coming and temps will hit high 90s down here so I'm guessing the interior temps will rise even higher.

Chuck305, where did you end up getting the tint. I just received my Model Y and notice it is hot as well. This is the only bad part of Miami.
 
Chuck305, where did you end up getting the tint. I just received my Model Y and notice it is hot as well. This is the only bad part of Miami.

Happy New Year. I did the tint and brake caliper paint at Miami Auto Spa in Downtown Miami.

I went Xpel Prime XR Plus 35 all around including the roof, they did a single sheet for the roof to the trunk section. I would recommend going darker on the roof to the trunk, maybe step down to 30. I found 35 on top of the already factory tinted roof & trunk was not enough and stuck in traffic on a sunny day that heat hits the head and neck, not scorching but enough to be warm with the AC on blast. I had a 2020 M3P & the AC was not sufficient to counter Miami heat on hotter days. The challenge with going darker on the roof is at night it will diminish your ability to see the skyline.. during the day it probably wont be an issue with our sunlight.

 
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