INSTALL CLEAR BRA OR WRAP? PROS & CONS?

[markology]

Not sure if they will be more obvious, but black cars are always difficult to maintain... car-wash swirls etc. that's why I wanna do it in the first days. (If my budget allows it of course...)
Edit: Without the Xpel film he didn't recommend me a black one either as his initial question was if wash my car very often... I said no, I wash my current black car about once a year ;-)

Just so I understand you, he doesn't recommend a black car if you didn't plan on getting the xpel?

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[Notes]

Just so I understand you, he doesn't recommend a black car if you didn't plan on getting the xpel?

No no, both! With or without Xpel, he pointed out that the paint layers & clear coating on non metallic colors are much thinner than the metallic colors. So Black, White, Orange & Race Red are the non metallics.

Keeping it shiny is more difficult due to the swirls you get when washing and more obvious in the sunlight. Also paint correction, detailing etc. is more difficult as you don't have that much margin due to the thin clear coat paint.

When we discussed the various films like 3M etc. and he wasn't very confident about them, said they dry out and become yellow etc.
At that moment I didn't knew yet about Xpel Ultimate, with a warranty of 10 years it must be a good product and it gets good reviews as well.

Still researching what my first steps will be though!

This last post is interesting http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showpost.php?p=526829&postcount=9
And this video is brilliant [ame]

 

[Matador91]

Did you only do the front or a full wrap? Been thinking to do a full XPEL ultimate wrap on my hopefully soon delivered 2015 EB Black. Reason for a full wrap is mainly because I don't like washing cars and car-washes messes up the paint to much & of course rock chips.

Found a few installers in my country but haven't asked any quotes yet for the pre cut XPEL ultimate and installment. Also wondering if its worth detailing and clear-coating first before adding the film?

Thx

If I had the time I would wrap my car, I would have done it without a question.

Price will be between $5000 to $7000 to wrap the car complete and expect to be without your car for a week at minimum.

You don't really need to have a shop go crazy detailing it. i would say clay bar and a basic polish aND you should be set.

 

[TmjMustang]

Full body wrap

Hi Mator91,

Background info:
I researched for about a year speaking with owners of install shops or detail shops and their customers (repeats and alike). After having to deal with the custom order shell game with Ford's COTUS:frusty:, I picked my car up in late Feb and drove it to the installer the very next morning (pre rush hour) to have the work done - full wrap. The installer Sun & Shield Auto Film agreed to honor the original quote of $2,500 for 3M Scotchgard PPF Pro Series but due to his staff being out and general workload I had to break up the work into two phases (complete front half + mirrors, door handles, lower wheel well ($950) followed a month later by the rear bumpers, fenders, mirrors and roof (no wheels or windows) I also would be out for a month due to shoulder surgery. So having to wait a month was no big deal. Also waiting three weeks or more allowed the wrap to cure and the bubbles to dissipate. It also allowed time for any install defects to appear without blaming me (the car has been garaged kept all this time only to come out on sunny days to allow the sun to further cure the material).

I'm headed back to the installer on the 18th to have the rest done.
Qustion: all areas aside the installer says I will have a single seam on each side where the roof pillars meet the rear fenders (he says the film is not wide enough). Honestly I could careless about the roof but the rear fenders always seems to get damaged (gas filler area is the worst). what's your experience with dealing with that seam? I hate the idea of seeing seems every time I get in the car.
And, are you aware of any problems with installing Full Stripes from Big Worm Graphics on the car after the 3M film cures (6+ months)? Thanks

 

[Matador91]

Hi Mator91,

Background info:
I researched for about a year speaking with owners of install shops or detail shops and their customers (repeats and alike). After having to deal with the custom order shell game with Ford's COTUS:frusty:, I picked my car up in late Feb and drove it to the installer the very next morning (pre rush hour) to have the work done - full wrap. The installer Sun & Shield Auto Film agreed to honor the original quote of $2,500 for 3M Scotchgard PPF Pro Series but due to his staff being out and general workload I had to break up the work into two phases (complete front half + mirrors, door handles, lower wheel well ($950) followed a month later by the rear bumpers, fenders, mirrors and roof (no wheels or windows) I also would be out for a month due to shoulder surgery. So having to wait a month was no big deal. Also waiting three weeks or more allowed the wrap to cure and the bubbles to dissipate. It also allowed time for any install defects to appear without blaming me (the car has been garaged kept all this time only to come out on sunny days to allow the sun to further cure the material).

I'm headed back to the installer on the 18th to have the rest done.
Qustion: all areas aside the installer says I will have a single seam on each side where the roof pillars meet the rear fenders (he says the film is not wide enough). Honestly I could careless about the roof but the rear fenders always seems to get damaged (gas filler area is the worst). what's your experience with dealing with that seam? I hate the idea of seeing seems every time I get in the car.
And, are you aware of any problems with installing Full Stripes from Big Worm Graphics on the car after the 3M film cures (6+ months)? Thanks

Installing stripes on top of the film is nothing to worry about. Also you won't see a seam. Hopefully what your installer is talking about is the gap between the roof and quarter panels. If that is the case there is plenty of extra material to roll edges for what hopefully is a seamless install.

 

[TmjMustang]

Thanks for the follow-up. I'll reconfirm with the installer and him move ahead with a full wrap.

 

[markology]

Starting to wonder if it's worth putting in month for a clear bra for my black GT.

 

[njarmstrong]

If I had the time I would wrap my car, I would have done it without a question.

Price will be between $5000 to $7000 to wrap the car complete and expect to be without your car for a week at minimum.

You don't really need to have a shop go crazy detailing it. i would say clay bar and a basic polish aND you should be set.

This is 100% incorrect, and very bad advise. ALWAYS, go crazy detailing the paint before putting on a PPF. Anything less than perfect is going to be there and will show though, and you will have not way to correct it except to remove the PPF and fix what should have been done in the first place.

 

[JohnK]

We originally had the 3M clear film on the front end of our Lexus but found it nicks pretty easily. After a minor scrape, we had XPEL film installed on the bumper and have really liked it, so I had the entire front end - bumper, full hood, fenders and rocker panels covered with XPEL on my Mustang. Regardless of what product you use - have the full hood done. On our Lexus we only had the front 18" done and I hate the line that you see. Also wax buildup at this line looks bad. Just my two cents worth.

 

[Matador91]

This is 100% incorrect, and very bad advise. ALWAYS, go crazy detailing the paint before putting on a PPF. Anything less than perfect is going to be there and will show though, and you will have not way to correct it except to remove the PPF and fix what should have been done in the first place.

No offense but I have far more experience than most people do with installing film and polishing cars. It's what I do for a living so I do know what I am talking about. XPEL is basically like adding another layer of clear coat, even 3000 grit sand scratches do NOT show through the film! Not that I am in favor of not polishing out sand scratches but I have seen XPEL Ultimate installed on top of sand scratches and they are NOT visible at all through the film. If a vehicle is new, it shouldn't need more than a clay bar and a basic polish before it is ready to have PPF installed. Yes on some vehicles there may be some defects or issues with the paint and those can be addressed more thoroughly if needed before the PPF is installed.

 

[njarmstrong]

No offense but I have far more experience than most people do with installing film and polishing cars. It's what I do for a living so I do know what I am talking about. XPEL is basically like adding another layer of clear coat, even 3000 grit sand scratches do NOT show through the film! Not that I am in favor of not polishing out sand scratches but I have seen XPEL Ultimate installed on top of sand scratches and they are NOT visible at all through the film. If a vehicle is new, it shouldn't need more than a clay bar and a basic polish before it is ready to have PPF installed. Yes on some vehicles there may be some defects or issues with the paint and those can be addressed more thoroughly if needed before the PPF is installed.

Good to know who to avoid for a PPF install if this is your business opinion lol.

 

[Matador91]

Good to know who to avoid for a PPF install if this is your business opinion lol.

 

[Matador91]

njarmstrong, this one is for you. Like I was saying before, I don't recommend putting film on top of such rough paint, but it can be done, and it will mask the imperfections. Granted they will be there if and when the film is removed.

 

[njarmstrong]

njarmstrong, this one is for you. Like I was saying before, I don't recommend putting film on top of such rough paint, but it can be done, and it will mask the imperfections. Granted they will be there if and when the film is removed.

That is wonderful, not the point. If someone is paying thousands of dollars to wrap their whole car, or even a few hundred for the front clip, the paint should be free of defects, regardless of if the PPF under certain circumstances, angles or lighting, will mask the imperfections. Any quality shop/installer will understand this, and ensure the paint is corrected. Anything less, and the installer is plain and simply lazy and not interested in ensuring the product they are sending from their shop is the best, and at top quality. If you are alright with 90% then go to town.

 

[foghat]

That is wonderful, not the point. If someone is paying thousands of dollars to wrap their whole car, or even a few hundred for the front clip, the paint should be free of defects, regardless of if the PPF under certain circumstances, angles or lighting, will mask the imperfections. Any quality shop/installer will understand this, and ensure the paint is corrected. Anything less, and the installer is plain and simply lazy and not interested in ensuring the product they are sending from their shop is the best, and at top quality. If you are alright with 90% then go to town.

The flip side to that is: The customer has to pay for all that correction prep work.

If I can buy a film that will hide those imperfections and the imperfections have no detrimental effect to the application of the film (I assume this is the case?), why would I want to pay for the paint correction if the non-corrected end result looks and performs the same (again, assuming this is the case) as the corrected application?

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