Had Full Xpel Ultimate PPF Done - Need Opinions on the work done

[qtrracer]

FWIW, I had the front grill area/hood/fenders, door edges and mirrors done with 3M PPF on my 2016 GT. The guy who did the work used to work for 3M traveling the world training people on how to install 3M's product. I found him just after he started his own shop.

Just went out and looked at my car and if there are relief cuts he blended them into body lines/ridges to be invisible. The only place you can see the seams is where he stopped on the hood and fenders. He also fixed any lifting or other imperfections (very few) after the install. He is very good.

In fact, he did PPF on my '86 GT 'Vert Pro Touring car. On this he did a full custom job since there were no pre-cut kits for an '86 GT. He measured, took templates, fit, cut and hid the seams and relief cuts exactly the same way. The '16 is Magnetic in color; the '86 is an Acura grey called Polished Steel. Unless the car is dirty (dust collects at the seams), one can't tell the PPF is there unless one looks very closely.

Sorry to hear of your problems. I know how pricy PPF can be. But I've had the PPF on the '16 since new (now has 35K on it) and it is holding up outstandingly even after two dozen or so track days.

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[StangRS]

Thanks everyone for the continued feedback. I called the shop again today and worked out to bring the car by "Weds or Thurs." I asked to clarify if I was also going to be dropping it off or not and they said no, if any re-work is needed (lol) they are booked out about a month right now. They told me 2 weeks before and were about 4 weeks late beyond that, so I have little faith in their estimation abilities.

Hi StangRS...I feel your pain. Same poor quality work happened to me not once but twice with the same shop in MA. Mostly Rough edges, air bubbles and lots of contamination(debris) under the PPF. Most of the bubbles did go away but some remained. He ended up trying to pop the bubbles with a needle. He wanted to try a third time. I said absolutely not. I have read stories of the paint peeling when they try to remove the XPEL on some 2020 GT500s. XPEL says the expel is 40X less adhesive than factory paint though. They said most likely Ford paint was the issue on some of the cars. At that point I went to the only authorized XPEL rep in RI. He took pictures and said he would call the district rep for me. Having no patience, I called the XPEL district rep. The district rep agreed to have the RI shop strip the improperly installed XPEL and re-do at no cost to me. XPEL corporate backs their product. Recommend you try the same. The RI dealer did it perfectly. I see no defects at all now. Good luck.

Thanks a lot for the recommendation. I was thinking of this as a last resort. I figure I owe giving them one more chance before I start going up the chain. This also depends how things go on Wednesday when I have a chat with the owner. I share the same concern others have mentioned in that they may do a crappy job a second time as well, or especially rush through it because they were already paid and don't care. We'll see.

One concern I have in relation to complaining to xpel is that they may not care about the issues with the film not cleanly wrapping over the edges (Where applicable) since their templates don't do this from the start. I can still argue about unevenness though.

That is terrifying about the paint. I'm not sure if the film has cured enough yet to have that kind of adhesion or not. I know it takes a while to fully cure and it continues to strengthen over time initially (afaik).

Ok. You got me there. I didn't realize it was that much. We should probably know the name of the place so no one else gets bamboozled.

https://fadetoblackprotectivefilms.com/

 

[Pparana]

I wouldn't worry about the paint, it's usually ppl who get it ppf right at delivery. Paint needs a few months to outgass which yours has had.

 

[StangRS]

I wouldn't worry about the paint, it's usually ppl who get it ppf right at delivery. Paint needs a few months to outgass which yours has had.

Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks. I'm sure if it was wide spread it would be showing up a lot more. I'm not too worried about it. I'm more more concerned with my stripes than the possibility of the paint having an issue tbh... I have stripe PTSD after the dealer I got it from took multiple months to figure out how to even obtain a replacement because one was damaged from the factory (cracked).

 

[Inthehighdesert]

Sorry, but automotive paint does not need a few months to “out gas”. OEM finish‘s are applied in a strictly controlled environment where the material is force cured at the end of the application. Modern finish’s even in an air cured scenario can be cut and buffed after a few hours. The only exception to this is if the material is applied in sub temperature situation. Generally speaking under 60 degree’s is an issue. Applying ppf on any vehicle that is new is not remotely an issue.

I wouldn't worry about the paint, it's usually ppl who get it ppf right at delivery. Paint needs a few months to outgass which yours has had.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

It’s absolute crap there not standing by there work or product. I’m not one to play the legal game but will. If they don’t do what they should it a timely manner and to your reasonable expectation I wouldn’t hesitate to take them to small claims court and go after the entire bill and have some one reputable redo the work. If you paid with a check you already have a very big leg up in being made whole after you get a judgement.

Thanks everyone for the continued feedback. I called the shop again today and worked out to bring the car by "Weds or Thurs." I asked to clarify if I was also going to be dropping it off or not and they said no, if any re-work is needed (lol) they are booked out about a month right now. They told me 2 weeks before and were about 4 weeks late beyond that, so I have little faith in their estimation abilities.



Thanks a lot for the recommendation. I was thinking of this as a last resort. I figure I owe giving them one more chance before I start going up the chain. This also depends how things go on Wednesday when I have a chat with the owner. I share the same concern others have mentioned in that they may do a crappy job a second time as well, or especially rush through it because they were already paid and don't care. We'll see.

One concern I have in relation to complaining to xpel is that they may not care about the issues with the film not cleanly wrapping over the edges (Where applicable) since their templates don't do this from the start. I can still argue about unevenness though.

That is terrifying about the paint. I'm not sure if the film has cured enough yet to have that kind of adhesion or not. I know it takes a while to fully cure and it continues to strengthen over time initially (afaik).



https://fadetoblackprotectivefilms.com/

 

[Pparana]

Sorry, but automotive paint does not need a few months to “out gas”. OEM finish‘s are applied in a strictly controlled environment where the material is force cured at the end of the application. Modern finish’s even in an air cured scenario can be cut and buffed after a few hours. The only exception to this is if the material is applied in sub temperature situation. Generally speaking under 60 degree’s is an issue. Applying ppf on any vehicle that is new is not remotely an issue.

Ppg one of the worlds.largest suppliers of oem finishes states 90 days to fully cure.

Xpel and 3m won't warranty any install on paint under 90 days old from build date or collision work.

 

[Blwnsmoke]

Thanks everyone for the continued feedback. I called the shop again today and worked out to bring the car by "Weds or Thurs." I asked to clarify if I was also going to be dropping it off or not and they said no, if any re-work is needed (lol) they are booked out about a month right now. They told me 2 weeks before and were about 4 weeks late beyond that, so I have little faith in their estimation abilities.



Thanks a lot for the recommendation. I was thinking of this as a last resort. I figure I owe giving them one more chance before I start going up the chain. This also depends how things go on Wednesday when I have a chat with the owner. I share the same concern others have mentioned in that they may do a crappy job a second time as well, or especially rush through it because they were already paid and don't care. We'll see.

One concern I have in relation to complaining to xpel is that they may not care about the issues with the film not cleanly wrapping over the edges (Where applicable) since their templates don't do this from the start. I can still argue about unevenness though.

That is terrifying about the paint. I'm not sure if the film has cured enough yet to have that kind of adhesion or not. I know it takes a while to fully cure and it continues to strengthen over time initially (afaik).



https://fadetoblackprotectivefilms.com/

Why do you say their templates don't allow for wrapping over the edges? Of course they do. This is purely the installer over cutting or not stretching it properly. I posted pics of mine done which clearly shows the contrary.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

I’m aware of that. What you just referenced has to do with what I previously stated about sub temperature scenario’s. It’s aimed at shops that follow improper application technique’s. I was an ICAR paint instructor. PPG makes a great product, but I preferred BASF products, not that that is important.

Ppg one of the worlds.largest suppliers of oem finishes states 90 days to fully cure.

Xpel and 3m won't warranty any install on paint under 90 days old from build date or collision work.

 

[The Rooster]

My OCD would not let me live with that. looks horrible at any cost.
I would not have any faith in their ability to correct the job as there are just too many blatant flaws.... making me question their ability to do any better.
Only option for me would be complete removal and the shop should refund the entire labour portion of the invoice. Id be willing to eat the cost of the material.

 

[UnhandledException]

I have done PPF in a lot of cars (GT350, ZR1, GT3RS). I have used several different installers and here is my summary of years of dealing with PPF:

- It has advantages and some pretty distinct disadvantages
- No install was perfect. A true perfect installation is cost prohibitive as it requires them to disassemble all trim pieces and custom cut film. The cost for this is 2-3x labor than regular template based film
- Its true that film gives you piece of mind but its not as practical as the paint. Meaning, to remove/reapply PPF isnt as easy as you think. I have seen many, many, MANY installers talk about paint peeling off (in Porsches, Corvettes, BMWs) even with using steamers. They blame bad paint from factory, the manufacturer does not warranty the work, so you are fucked. I am talking about 4 different installers over a 3 year period on 5 different brands. So it can happen to anyone.
- If you need any paint work on the car, you must remove all the ppf on surrounding panels to blend the paint.
- The edges of PPF turn into black borders with dirt. No way around it. I have tried various approaches like washing it weekly, using a brush, etc. but its so much headache
- you cant polish off ppf as you can a clear coat to remove scratches etc. this self healing film thing is a BS. I have accumulated 150,000 miles with PPF and not once I could take advantage of this. I have lots of scratches (due to dirt getting stuck on a wash mitt during wash) that I am staring at.

I would still cover cars where panels are CF. The ZR1/GT3RS hoods cost over $15,000 (no its not a typo). The wing cost $5,000, front splitter $4,000. In these cases, $500 per panel is worth as insurance. But for GT350, I would not PPF it at all.

 

[Performance nut]

I had an issue with the guy who installed my XPEL film. I live close enough to XPEL headquarters where they inspected it for free. They said if you see it, it's wrong. Period. The guy was dropped from being an XPEL installer due to many complaints.

Based on the pics, this is not to manufacturer standards

 

[Performance nut]

I have done PPF in a lot of cars (GT350, ZR1, GT3RS). I have used several different installers and here is my summary of years of dealing with PPF:

- It has advantages and some pretty distinct disadvantages
- No install was perfect. A true perfect installation is cost prohibitive as it requires them to disassemble all trim pieces and custom cut film. The cost for this is 2-3x labor than regular template based film
- Its true that film gives you piece of mind but its not as practical as the paint. Meaning, to remove/reapply PPF isnt as easy as you think. I have seen many, many, MANY installers talk about paint peeling off (in Porsches, Corvettes, BMWs) even with using steamers. They blame bad paint from factory, the manufacturer does not warranty the work, so you are fucked. I am talking about 4 different installers over a 3 year period on 5 different brands. So it can happen to anyone.
- If you need any paint work on the car, you must remove all the ppf on surrounding panels to blend the paint.
- The edges of PPF turn into black borders with dirt. No way around it. I have tried various approaches like washing it weekly, using a brush, etc. but its so much headache
- you cant polish off ppf as you can a clear coat to remove scratches etc. this self healing film thing is a BS. I have accumulated 150,000 miles with PPF and not once I could take advantage of this. I have lots of scratches (due to dirt getting stuck on a wash mitt during wash) that I am staring at.

I would still cover cars where panels are CF. The ZR1/GT3RS hoods cost over $15,000 (no its not a typo). The wing cost $5,000, front splitter $4,000. In these cases, $500 per panel is worth as insurance. But for GT350, I would not PPF it at all.

Not true. Whereas it was more expensive, the manufacturer showed me what is possible without removing large parts. Yes some disassembly is required (5.0 logos for example) but nothing major. If someone is requiring that, then they aren't following manufacturer recommended installation methods

 

[beetle6986]

https://fadetoblackprotectivefilms.com/

That looks like your car in their gallery on the website.

 

[qtrracer]

Xpel and 3m won't warranty any install on paint under 90 days old from build date or collision work.

I can confirm this with my 3M product. Installer didn't want to do the work until I had the car for 60 days. When I needed the hood redone after a repaint from wind damage, he said the same thing - 90 days.

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