My CAT was bad and got expelled
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What product is that? Thinking about doing it to mine when it comes in.
Nice to be expelled!
Ok. Just checking. I can't remember the name of what they guy locally here uses but he seems to think it's good stuff. Thanks for the info.
just did my new truck yesterday...cost me $800 cash for the front end
i plan on doing the front and sides of the HC...im expecting $1300+
did you do the sides? (id do the sides before the front)
im putting my splash guards on my car and had to stop because ive already got stone chips on the edges of my wheel wells from the ride home (350 miles).....im waiting for touch up paint......the sides of this car will get chipped to hell from those tires......hope your did or are considering the sides
Xpel is supposed to be a top of the line product that can actually heal it self (i assume the suns heat melts it back together)
i was able to find some flaws in my trucks job for $800......some dirt, some stretch lines if you look just right and 1 dime size bubble in the bumper(which im taking it back for)...
how was your result...if your an anal person can you see flaws?...my truck is decent, but i will probably try someone else for my HC
i plan on doing the front and sides of the HC...im expecting $1300+
did you do the sides? (id do the sides before the front)
im putting my splash guards on my car and had to stop because ive already got stone chips on the edges of my wheel wells from the ride home (350 miles).....im waiting for touch up paint......the sides of this car will get chipped to hell from those tires......hope your did or are considering the sides
Xpel is supposed to be a top of the line product that can actually heal it self (i assume the suns heat melts it back together)
i was able to find some flaws in my trucks job for $800......some dirt, some stretch lines if you look just right and 1 dime size bubble in the bumper(which im taking it back for)...
how was your result...if your an anal person can you see flaws?...my truck is decent, but i will probably try someone else for my HC
I'm actually researching this now. Looking at front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, backs of mirrors, complete lower rocker front to back and door sills (I'm shooting for the areas that generally take a beating while driving -- would be nice to wrap the entire car but I don't want to drop that much cash). Currently talking to four different shops, discussing wrap material and options (wrap edges or not etc). Pricing is dependent on film brand and labor in your areas. I'm going to check out two dealers work this weekend (one is XPEL Ultimate and the other is Suntek).
I'm looking at XPEL Ultimate, 3M Pro (this is the newest 3M and supposed to be similar to XPEL Ultimate. I'm also looking at Suntek C. Suntek is less advertised in this space but if you do research it is well liked by installers. Also, as far as finished product many think Suntek is superior.
Some brands have different grades of material. Get the best.
EDIT: Huggy --- if you research it the stretch lines are somewhat unavoidable in some situations. Some films show it more than other (brands). From what I've researched the Suntek is the best in this regard. I've never used any and I'm not saying one is better than the other. Only relaying my research into this prior to taking the plunge. I do think the film is important but the installer is even more important.
I'm looking at XPEL Ultimate, 3M Pro (this is the newest 3M and supposed to be similar to XPEL Ultimate. I'm also looking at Suntek C. Suntek is less advertised in this space but if you do research it is well liked by installers. Also, as far as finished product many think Suntek is superior.
Some brands have different grades of material. Get the best.
EDIT: Huggy --- if you research it the stretch lines are somewhat unavoidable in some situations. Some films show it more than other (brands). From what I've researched the Suntek is the best in this regard. I've never used any and I'm not saying one is better than the other. Only relaying my research into this prior to taking the plunge. I do think the film is important but the installer is even more important.
i was told everywhere that Expel was #1
only 2 guys do it in the Milwaukee area.......the guy who did mine has 6 years experience full time.......i think he was rushed and tried to sneak another car in before mine....mine was supposed to be done in the morn, then get 5 hours to cure.....when i arrived at 5:30 for pickup he was still working on it...i saw him put a panel and it took like 10 minutes.....so i think he started my car 2 hours earlier....not at 7am like i was told.....so here i take a brand new install out in 10 degree weather.....probably not a good thing....i heated the garage to 70 last night and pushed out any flaws this morning....which appear to be good....but then i saw the BUBBLE
$800 just seems insane for the front end of a truck
what are you guys paying for the full treatment on a HC?????
$1300-$1600??
only 2 guys do it in the Milwaukee area.......the guy who did mine has 6 years experience full time.......i think he was rushed and tried to sneak another car in before mine....mine was supposed to be done in the morn, then get 5 hours to cure.....when i arrived at 5:30 for pickup he was still working on it...i saw him put a panel and it took like 10 minutes.....so i think he started my car 2 hours earlier....not at 7am like i was told.....so here i take a brand new install out in 10 degree weather.....probably not a good thing....i heated the garage to 70 last night and pushed out any flaws this morning....which appear to be good....but then i saw the BUBBLE
$800 just seems insane for the front end of a truck
what are you guys paying for the full treatment on a HC?????
$1300-$1600??
I'm not knocking XPEL Ultimate by any means. Great product. One guy I'm talking to does XPEL Ultimate or 3M Pro (this is the new 3M). Same price for either. He prefers the new 3M. Says it is more workable and slightly better end result. I'm leaning more toward XPEL Ultimate with this guy just on name recognition. The guy I like the best is Suntek. He seems like a fanatic about getting it right. I'm going to his shop on Saturday (not with HC) just to look at his work.
The work I described in my post above. Cheapest guy is $1500 in my area, the most expensive is $2500. This is all for exactly the same job. I haven't made up my mind yet. Based on initial impression the guy I like best is using Suntek and happens to be the most expensive. I called Suntek direct and they raved about this guy as one of the best installers period.
I think there is a LOT of profit in this business.
I don't think we are supposed to post links to other forums. I found this last week on a GTR forum. The post is only about a week or so old. This guy is a film installer and has worked with many brands. I thought is post was informative and I've cut and pasted the text here. His user name is Jean-Claude
Written by Jean-Claude on a GTR forum... Good info "As someone who has installed and is an authorized installer for Nano-Fusion, Xpel Ultimate, Suntek and 3m clear bra films, I will suggest you think outside of the marketing box.
While Nano-Fusion has a lifetime warranty and Xpel Ultimate has a 10 year warranty, I believe you should consider the films usable lifespan rather than what a warranty covers. Warranties do not protect you from wear and tear of the film. Over years of use the film will get damaged by rock impacts, bug marks that were not cleaned off immediately, bird droppings left on too long and/or staining from lack of cleaning or protection. A better question will be what film provides the best protection during a reasonable and usable life and looks the best while it does it?
Here is my breakdown and experience with the biggest name films in the USA.
3m/Ventureshield: stay away from it. 3m sent Venture down the toilet after they purchased it. 3m scotchguard sucks just as much if not worse. The adhesives are terrible and the exposed surface is insanely prone to marring and scratches.
Nano-Fusion: Best chemical resistance(think bug marks, bird droppings and acid rain). Installer-friendly adhesive and stretchability. The last formula I used had more texture than I would be happy offering paying customers. "Limited Lifetime Warranty" is offered.
Suntek top coated self-healing film: Looks just as good as Xpel Ultimate and in some cases better(not every roll is the same from any manufacturer). Quality is top notch with fewer manufacturer defects that I spot. Best adhesive in my experience, which equates to a better installation. The best and quickest at rectifying manufacturer problems with film(install enough from anyone and you get stuff that slipped through QA). Best pricepoint. The self-healing attributes absolutely work amazingly and just as good as Xpel Ultimate. 5-year warranty.
Xpel Ultimate: Tied with Suntek on looks. Works as advertised. Adhesive is too aggressive and can lead to working marks where Suntek or Nano would not. Customer service is not quite as good as Suntek -though that may be because my distributor handles my claims with Suntek and stuff gets done fast(overnight a 40 pound box from the northeast to me in Atlanta? No problem for them). I have been having issues with Xpel Ultimate's film being as defect free as you would expect from the most expensive film on the market.
The bottom line for me is that I believe Suntek hits the mark for most car owners. Their product is priced competitively while providing just as high quality, if not higher, as anyone else. True, they do not offer a 10-year or lifetime warranty. But if you're driving your car and the film is taking a beating, will you be happy with how it looks in 6 years? Unlikely. View the film as a wear and tear protection for the paint on your valuable car. I know someone else who tells their Xpel Ultimate clients that they should expect to replace it in 5 years regardless of what Xpel says. He understands what the products real world lifespan is and shares it with his clients. Xpel and CCL(the company that manufactures Nano-Fusion) know that playing the numbers means 95% of car owners will sell their car well before 10 years or a lifetime is up and that warranty will not need to be honored when the film is cracking and falling apart and making a nightmare for a car owner. The law of thermodynamics proves that if it gets used, it will age.
With all that said, if I were looking for the most resilient film, looks aside, I would get Nano-Fusion. Though, if I were not isolating this to just my view on clear bras alone. Suntek with a coating like CQuartz Finest on top of it provides a lot of chemical resistance as well and is a fine option which would offer the best looks and stellar chem resistance.
I know Xpel Ultimate is big in the community and I am not saying that Xpel Ultimate is garbage and any of you have wasted your money. I am providing the viewpoint of a professional who actually has installed all of those films over the years. For everyone, the bottom line is if you're happy with your purchase, you made the right one."
Written by Jean-Claude on a GTR forum... Good info "As someone who has installed and is an authorized installer for Nano-Fusion, Xpel Ultimate, Suntek and 3m clear bra films, I will suggest you think outside of the marketing box.
While Nano-Fusion has a lifetime warranty and Xpel Ultimate has a 10 year warranty, I believe you should consider the films usable lifespan rather than what a warranty covers. Warranties do not protect you from wear and tear of the film. Over years of use the film will get damaged by rock impacts, bug marks that were not cleaned off immediately, bird droppings left on too long and/or staining from lack of cleaning or protection. A better question will be what film provides the best protection during a reasonable and usable life and looks the best while it does it?
Here is my breakdown and experience with the biggest name films in the USA.
3m/Ventureshield: stay away from it. 3m sent Venture down the toilet after they purchased it. 3m scotchguard sucks just as much if not worse. The adhesives are terrible and the exposed surface is insanely prone to marring and scratches.
Nano-Fusion: Best chemical resistance(think bug marks, bird droppings and acid rain). Installer-friendly adhesive and stretchability. The last formula I used had more texture than I would be happy offering paying customers. "Limited Lifetime Warranty" is offered.
Suntek top coated self-healing film: Looks just as good as Xpel Ultimate and in some cases better(not every roll is the same from any manufacturer). Quality is top notch with fewer manufacturer defects that I spot. Best adhesive in my experience, which equates to a better installation. The best and quickest at rectifying manufacturer problems with film(install enough from anyone and you get stuff that slipped through QA). Best pricepoint. The self-healing attributes absolutely work amazingly and just as good as Xpel Ultimate. 5-year warranty.
Xpel Ultimate: Tied with Suntek on looks. Works as advertised. Adhesive is too aggressive and can lead to working marks where Suntek or Nano would not. Customer service is not quite as good as Suntek -though that may be because my distributor handles my claims with Suntek and stuff gets done fast(overnight a 40 pound box from the northeast to me in Atlanta? No problem for them). I have been having issues with Xpel Ultimate's film being as defect free as you would expect from the most expensive film on the market.
The bottom line for me is that I believe Suntek hits the mark for most car owners. Their product is priced competitively while providing just as high quality, if not higher, as anyone else. True, they do not offer a 10-year or lifetime warranty. But if you're driving your car and the film is taking a beating, will you be happy with how it looks in 6 years? Unlikely. View the film as a wear and tear protection for the paint on your valuable car. I know someone else who tells their Xpel Ultimate clients that they should expect to replace it in 5 years regardless of what Xpel says. He understands what the products real world lifespan is and shares it with his clients. Xpel and CCL(the company that manufactures Nano-Fusion) know that playing the numbers means 95% of car owners will sell their car well before 10 years or a lifetime is up and that warranty will not need to be honored when the film is cracking and falling apart and making a nightmare for a car owner. The law of thermodynamics proves that if it gets used, it will age.
With all that said, if I were looking for the most resilient film, looks aside, I would get Nano-Fusion. Though, if I were not isolating this to just my view on clear bras alone. Suntek with a coating like CQuartz Finest on top of it provides a lot of chemical resistance as well and is a fine option which would offer the best looks and stellar chem resistance.
I know Xpel Ultimate is big in the community and I am not saying that Xpel Ultimate is garbage and any of you have wasted your money. I am providing the viewpoint of a professional who actually has installed all of those films over the years. For everyone, the bottom line is if you're happy with your purchase, you made the right one."
Ask me in six months. Do some searches on this. There are pros and cons. I believe you and tsc use your cars as daily drivers. If so I think the benefits would far outweigh any negatives. You are basically putting a film over your car (or parts) to protect the paint. Many times the film which is easily replaceable is what is sacrificed rather than the paint.
I'd love to wrap my HC entirely but where I live this is a 4 to 8K job (seriously). I'm looking at doing what I described in my post. At a minimum the front bumper and full hood would give you some decent protection (and mirror back sideds).
Yeah, tsc's Challenger should definitely have something, but if he wants to drive my Charger I'm going to want it too, lol. We'll look into it. Thanks for the info!!
The guy who did mine is top notch and does both Xpel and Suntek. He recommends Suntek if you are doing the whole car because it is much easier to install but said both were equally as good for partial coverage with the warranty advantage for Xpel. He does all of the Ferrari's for the dealer and uses Suntek for those cars as he usually does the entire car. I did Xpel and I'm very happy with it. Attached are a couple of pics (notice the Ferrari next to my cat and the McLaren in the background.) On the 3rd pic, I took a close-up of the hood where the light caught the line where the Xpel stops 24" up the hood. You totally can't tell when the hood is down unless you specifically look for it or feel for it. The paint looks exactly the same through the Xpel.
Here is what I was quoted and went with the standard coverage:
Standard Coverage $750 installed
- 24” Hood, Fender and Mirror kit
- Full Front Bumper kit
- Headlight kit
Full Coverage $1300 installed
- Full Wrapped Hood
- Full Wrapped Fenders
- Mirrors
- Full Front Bumper kit
- Headlight kit
Rocker Panel kit $300
Sheesh... The more I talk to people the more confused I get. I just spoke to the guy that is the least expensive for 40 minutes. He sounds excellent. He is a distributor for XPEL and 3M. He can get any film on the market. He likes Suntek and will use it. He says XPEL Ultimate, 3M Scotchguard Pro 2, and Suntek C are the 3 best films on the market. Same price for any of the three. His favorite was clearly the 3M Pro 2 but he wasn't knocking the others in anyway just giving me pros and cons.
Also the 3M Pro 2 gets registered with a nationwide parts and labor warranty (7 year). So if you move or shop goes under you can get film replaced if any warranty issues. XPEL covers film for warranty (he covers the labor himself). I didn't ask on Suntek (forgot).
For $1500 he is willing to do the full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, mirror backs, full lower rockers, door sills, door edges and top of rear bumper. They wrap edges where ever possible within reason (primarily hood and fender tops in this application -- the most expensive guy wraps them all but I really don't want people taking stuff apart on my car etc) One thing I really like about this guy is they have a full shop or mobile. His son and son-in-law do the installs. I have a large, well lit heated garage so my HC stays home and they work on it here.
I may end up going with this guy but I need to make a couple of visits on Saturday and chew on this for a while. Ugh!
Also the 3M Pro 2 gets registered with a nationwide parts and labor warranty (7 year). So if you move or shop goes under you can get film replaced if any warranty issues. XPEL covers film for warranty (he covers the labor himself). I didn't ask on Suntek (forgot).
For $1500 he is willing to do the full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, mirror backs, full lower rockers, door sills, door edges and top of rear bumper. They wrap edges where ever possible within reason (primarily hood and fender tops in this application -- the most expensive guy wraps them all but I really don't want people taking stuff apart on my car etc) One thing I really like about this guy is they have a full shop or mobile. His son and son-in-law do the installs. I have a large, well lit heated garage so my HC stays home and they work on it here.
I may end up going with this guy but I need to make a couple of visits on Saturday and chew on this for a while. Ugh!
Oh, one more thing. I don't know if true but I was told Suntek makes the XPEL film for XPEL. Again no idea and this guy sells and uses them all so I doubt he would make it up.
So which one did you get? What was cost? Were you happy with the installers job he did? Thanks Danny
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