Suntek vs xpel question

[P4mnceblue82]

Ok,
So I have 2 installers near me. One does Xpel and one does Suntek. The Xpel certified installer has quoted me 675.00 for tint and 3-4k for PPF (everything but trunk, spoiler, and rear bumper) and 600.00 for Ceramic coat.
He also states he wraps edges and makes it as seamless as possible. He has done one GT500 already but have not seen any of his work in person. As a whole the shop gets great reviews!
My concern is that the shop is not the cleanest. I had tint work done by them 2 weeks ago on my truck and going to have to have one window redone due to tear and debris in tint. They are fixing with no questions asked. So not complaining and everyone makes mistakes. Just makes me nervous as this was my 1st time using them and my 1st time ever needing tint redone.

Now the other dealer does suntek.
He has been doing tint for 30 years and says he has been doing ppf for 10 years. Comes highly recommended online as well but have never personally used him.. Tint was quoted at 475.00 for ceramic. 500.00 for ceramic coat. And 3-4k for PPF. However, he says he free cuts and does not wrap edges! There will be roughly a 1/16" seam from all edges. The reason is bc he says the suntek is difficult to wrap, which is actually opposite of what I've read online. Though he does a lot of vehicles, he says he would never do his own as seeing the edges drives him crazy. And wouldn't recommend to anyone who is OCD as the edges are noticable when standing near the vehicle.

So curious what you guys are using, experiences, and opinions.

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[likeaboss]

Ok,
So I have 2 installers near me. One does Xpel and one does Suntek. The Xpel certified installer has quoted me 675.00 for tint and 3-4k for PPF (everything but trunk, spoiler, and rear bumper) and 600.00 for Ceramic coat.
He also states he wraps edges and makes it as seamless as possible. He has done one GT500 already but have not seen any of his work in person. As a whole the shop gets great reviews!
My concern is that the shop is not the cleanest. I had tint work done by them 2 weeks ago on my truck and going to have to have one window redone due to tear and debris in tint. They are fixing with no questions asked. So not complaining and everyone makes mistakes. Just makes me nervous as this was my 1st time using them and my 1st time ever needing tint redone.

Now the other dealer does suntek.
He has been doing tint for 30 years and says he has been doing ppf for 10 years. Comes highly recommended online as well but have never personally used him.. Tint was quoted at 475.00 for ceramic. 500.00 for ceramic coat. And 3-4k for PPF. However, he says he free cuts and does not wrap edges! There will be roughly a 1/16" seam from all edges. The reason is bc he says the suntek is difficult to wrap, which is actually opposite of what I've read online. Though he does a lot of vehicles, he says he would never do his own as seeing the edges drives him crazy. And wouldn't recommend to anyone who is OCD as the edges are noticable when standing near the vehicle.

So curious what you guys are using, experiences, and opinions.

I'd see if you can track down an example of their PPF work before making a decision.

 

[Ablaze]

I had Suntek installed. Shop hand cut the film and tucked all the edges. My last Shelby had Xpel precut. Edges were exposed. I'll never go back to that.

 

[FreePenguin]

My ecoboost has expel around all the edges. (Where possible) Ie. My hood, fenders etc. it’s nice not having the edges

but they have to have a machine capable of making their cuts larger to do it.

 

[Inthehighdesert]

My buddy that did both my 350’s is an Xpel certified installer as well. One of the big plus’s for that is there patterns(xpels) are very good. Both of my 350’s ate wrapped. I didn’t want any cutting on either. He completely understood. I’m an old paint and body guy and I know how difficult it is to repair blade marks in paint, especially a color like rapid red. I completely get the messy shop deal, I keep my jobsites clean and do judge trades guys by how they maintain there tools and equipment. Even the cleanest shop can get debri in an install , it happens. Suntek makes a great product as well.

 

[Ablaze]

The shop that did my PPF used knifeless tape to cut the majority of it. They showed me how it gets more uniform, invisible edges, and a safer process for the paint as a result.

 

[Mike5876]

I used to have a business selling PPF.....xpel has the best fitting patterns but suntek film is easier to work with...Both companies give you the option of having the pattern either go to the edge or wrap around the panel....I would look at some work done by each company then decide..I would be very wary of someone who cuts the film on the car free hand and doesn't use a pattern

hope this helps

 

[Bikeman315]

I used to have a business selling PPF.....xpel has the best fitting patterns but suntek film is easier to work with...Both companies give you the option of having the pattern either go to the edge or wrap around the panel....I would look at some work done by each company then decide..I would be very wary of someone who cuts the film on the car free hand and doesn't use a pattern

hope this helps

+1. Both are excellent films. Pick your installer and go by their recommendation. I did Suntek and I'm very please with it.

 

[Snakecollector]

Not sure where you're located, but my XPEL installer (Auto Paint Guard in Tampa) has literally done around a dozen GT500s already. Knowing the quirks / problem areas of each vehicle makes a huge difference when it comes to PPF installation and they did a stellar job with every single edge tucked where possible.

 

[Tomster]

Many installers do both. Mine does and I had a choice. Suntek has less orange peel appearance and xpel has better adhesives so I am told. I went with xpel.

 

[Caballus]

Previous GT350 was fully wrapped with Suntek. Current GT350--roof and trunk are Suntek, remainder of the car is Xpel. Reason-Suntek installer did a poor job, so I had him remove all but the roof and trunk, then took it to a different installer. Second installer (Xpel) did a better job, but still not as satisfied as I was with the first car. I attribute it to a change in film. The new film (Suntek and Xpel) is thicker. Overall, that's positive, because it's more durable. However, the drawback is that it's harder (maybe impossible?) to make it as clean as the older, thinner film. I'm not sure I would be as critical if I didn't have the previous experience.

Bottom line--both films are top notch. So, the installer is far more important than the film.

 

[Jmeo]

This is good information. My car was fully wrapped with Xpel before I sent it to SA. I am thinking of using a different place this time, and they use Suntek. Wish I knew then what I know now, it could have saved me some serious money, lol.

 

[P4mnceblue82]

A lot of good info here! Thanks for all the replys! I've been doing some reading as well! Called a few other shops about 2-3 hrs away. They had a lot of good info and do mostly exotics and higher end vehicles. Their prices were double my local shops and instead of needing the car for 3-4 days they were wanting it for 2-3 weeks. Not necessarily a bad thing as you pay for quality and experience, but was hoping for similar pricing and time frame.

 

[socal2fast]

Go Suntek

I have had Xpel, Suntek, 3m Pro. It's more about having a Great installer.

Also a Brand new PPF Suntek film just came out a few weeks ago I would look into that.

It's called SunTek Reaction Film.

Ok,
So I have 2 installers near me. One does Xpel and one does Suntek. The Xpel certified installer has quoted me 675.00 for tint and 3-4k for PPF (everything but trunk, spoiler, and rear bumper) and 600.00 for Ceramic coat.
He also states he wraps edges and makes it as seamless as possible. He has done one GT500 already but have not seen any of his work in person. As a whole the shop gets great reviews!
My concern is that the shop is not the cleanest. I had tint work done by them 2 weeks ago on my truck and going to have to have one window redone due to tear and debris in tint. They are fixing with no questions asked. So not complaining and everyone makes mistakes. Just makes me nervous as this was my 1st time using them and my 1st time ever needing tint redone.

Now the other dealer does suntek.
He has been doing tint for 30 years and says he has been doing ppf for 10 years. Comes highly recommended online as well but have never personally used him.. Tint was quoted at 475.00 for ceramic. 500.00 for ceramic coat. And 3-4k for PPF. However, he says he free cuts and does not wrap edges! There will be roughly a 1/16" seam from all edges. The reason is bc he says the suntek is difficult to wrap, which is actually opposite of what I've read online. Though he does a lot of vehicles, he says he would never do his own as seeing the edges drives him crazy. And wouldn't recommend to anyone who is OCD as the edges are noticable when standing near the vehicle.

So curious what you guys are using, experiences, and opinions.

 

[socal2fast]

Also I have all my edges wrapped with SunTek and it works great.

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