I've been trying to research the brands of clear wrap for paint protection as well as the recommended coverage areas for my F Type R that is arriving early June.
At this point I'm steering towards X Pel Ultimate or Suntek as they have some healing properties. Not sure if anyone on this site has any experience with these.... the 3m is said to be not quite up to the same quality of these, yet still good.
The other question is coverage.. the material is expensive and so many people just do half the hood and the front end. I was considering the whole hood (so lines are not obvious where the coverage begins/ends) and the front end, and I was thinking of the front fenders or at least the front parts.
As well the rockers up high enough to ensure no stone damage and as well behind the rear wheels.
I live on a dirt/gravel road and it takes 5 minutes (slow driving) to get to the paved road, so stone damage is an issue concerning rockers.
Anyway, opinions, information and comment welcome.
I will also post this on the Canada site.. I live 1 hour north of Toronto.
Lawrence

 

I had Xpel installed on the entire hood, side panel to door, door edges and around windshield. They had to piece together the section around the windshield creating the only visible seam which is very small. It came out great. Much better than the usual seam halfway up the hood. I highly recommend it.

 

Hi Mulmar, Don Mills here.
I've used 3M on my bimmers and have had no problems. I believe with 3M that there is a width limitation to the roll, so that is why most stop halfway up the hood.
I don't know if self-healing is that important. It's the initial protection you are after.

 

I have a friend who owns a paint protection film business in the DC area. He has used all of the major brands out there over the years. I asked him for his opinion on which brand to use when I put film on my new car a few months ago. He had no dog in the fight (he's in DC, i'm in TX), and I trust him entirely. His opinion was that XPEL Ultimate is the best out there. Suntek he said was cheaper, and comparable at least initially in quality to XPEL Ultimate, BUT, the XPEL Ultimate warranty is superior, and proven over the long-term. Suntek apparently has not been out in the market long enough for him to have a solid understanding of how it performs over time.

Also, he said to be EXTREMELY careful of unscrupulous installers selling you XPEL then using Suntek, as they are indistinguishable (ie neither have logos on the rolls, so you would never know). An installer tried to do that to me here in TX, and needless to say, I will not be doing business with him going forward.

I had XPEL Ultimate put on my car before it even left the dealer's lot. I've been very happy with it. I have 3M Starshield on my Lotus, and I will likely be swapping it out for XPEL Ultimate.

 

Also, i think your coverage plan is smart. Rocker panels and fenders for sure. I went half hood on both my cars, and have no chips of any kind on the exposed back half of the hood. I can't see the line where the half-hood film ends, so i wouldn't be too worried about that.

 

I've had XPEL on my G35 and now have Suntek on my XK. Same installer, same great results. I didn't have any issues with the XPEL but was told it has more orange peel and started having issues with the adhesive. I did notice after my 3rd G35 install (different mishaps required the 2 additional installs) that the Xpel clear bra pulled away the clear from the paint. Yes, the Xpel has a 10 year warranty, and the Suntek has 5, but my car is mostly garaged. I'd be more concerned about the installer than the product. Also, if you are thinking of the hood, I would do the entire hood as the line is visible on the shorter hood coverage. Get a good installer! Good luck. It's one of the best investments you will make for your car.

 

"I did notice after my 3rd G35 install (different mishaps required the 2 additional installs) that the Xpel clear bra pulled away the clear from the paint."

Do you mean it removed the clear coat paint?? That sounds like a small disaster.

 

It pulled the clear in one very small corner on the front bumper where the curved shape pulled heavily on that spot. It was the size of a quarter and I had Ivory Pearl (white) so it was not noticeable. I caught if right after the install and there were no other issues anywhere else. I did hear from another installer as well about the adhesive they currently are using. I'd ask around if you are concerned.

 

Just got back from a trip and thanks to everyone for your input. I've decided to go with the XPel ultimate, based on comments here and more research on line. As well, the installer does all my Jag. dealers paint protection work and according to the guys at the dealer; he is very experienced and trustworthy. He works with either 3M or Xpel ultimate (the Xpel is more money).
Apparently, the Xpel ultimate has some healing properties and just as important to me is that you can use any auto wax without concern for the ingredients.. I'm told that many of the other protections have restrictions around which wax can be used.
I'm doing the front, up to the fenders and the hood and the rockers as well as behind the wheels.
The car is apparently going to be in within a week, so we'll soon see how it goes. If I can figure out how to take a picture and post it here, I will.
Lawrence.

 

I had a personal note from 'Anthony' concerning who is doing my Xpel paint install, but my system has now blocked it for some reason.
So, Anthony, its the dealer 'Metro Jaguar West' that is having it done using an experienced installer that does all there work. You could try Domenic Bertucci who is my car sales guy, who would get you to the right person.
Metro west is on Dundas W, near the 427.
Lawrence.

 

Just curious, are others finding the price for XPEL to be in the neighborhood of $1,600 for the hood and front bumper? With no guarantee they protect against normal chips, this seems high.

 

Thanks Lawrence.

Anthony
(Big Slick)

 

The name of the Jag dealer is actually Jaguar Land Rover Metro West and the number is 416-207-0565
Lawrence

 

Yes, the XPEL is more money for sure, but quotes may vary.
I ended up with: (approx.)
Front bumper, up to fenders: 650.
Entire Hood: 700.
Behind each wheel and rockers: 180.

The material is called Xpel Ultimate and it has some healing properties and you can use pretty much any wax on it. Feedback I've gotten is that its chip protection is as good or better than the other products on the market.. I live on a gravel road, so need the protection on the rockers and behind the wheels.
Lots of opinions on these products, however I've heard the best concerning Xpel ultimate and Sun Tek as they self heal, and good reviews on 3M scotch guard.
Lawrence.

 

You can't drive on New Zealand roads without having major stone chip problems so I had the 3M shield applied to as much of the car as I could before it left the dealers. I had a 500km drive so was not prepared to risk driving home without the film being applied. Most people opt for a half hood but I had all the front of the car, including headlights, wing mirrors as well as the doors and the lower part of body behind the door. The back was not done. When I got home I cleaned the car and applied Wolfgang paint sealer and then Zymol Glasur. There is a slight wrinkling of the film in one spot and you can see the joins where the wax has built up. I could probably get that off with a soft toothbrush. The photos should show that there is no difference to the gloss between the front and back of the car, and the slight lines of the edge of the film. AND, I have no stone chips!!

 

I'm having mine done in a week. Front bumper, full hood, Front corner panels, mirrors and back rocker panels. Did the full front and corner panels on the 997 TTS with Xpel and it has worked fine so going with it again.

Walt

 

I'm looking at getting the XPEL ultimate applied.

For those that now have it, how does it look and how is it holding up? Any change in color, especially when going from a covered panel to a non covered panel?

Picking up my car in Colorado before driving back to LA and was thinking of getting it done in CO. Any recommendations on installers in the Denver area?

Edit: Looks like my dealer works with Suntek via a third party installer. Did anyone install Suntek?

 

Someone in a post said to be sure and get a good installer.. I echo that comment, no matter which material you use.

Mine turned out good and I wax right over it.. I visited the dealer when it was being installed and the installer seemed actually good at his job, however he complained a lot that the xpel ultimate did not adhere as well as the 3M, but he said the xpel was a more advanced material.

Around my mirrors, I have a wee bit of lift in a corner, but its not really noticeable.

I did have a large stone hit the front, from a truck, and it did damage the xpel, but no damage to the paint. If I had not done the xpel the paint would have been damaged for sure.

You cannot tell where the xpel is regarding the colour, only where you see the edges.. where it ends and that is not very noticeable although wax can build on the edge and needs to be removed which takes a few minutes... glad I got the treatment.
Good luck with whatever you use.
Lawrence.

 

Thanks Mulmur. I think I'll have to trust that the dealer works with a good installer. They deal with mostly Jag, Lamborghini and Aston Martin so you would hope that the quality is there.

Just got a quote back. Dealer will do full front up to windshield plus window tint for $2780. They give a lifetime warranty. Sounds a bit high to me. I can tint the windows for $200. The XPEL without install is around $1450.

 

I had the XPEL Ultimate installed on entire front-end and half-way up the hood, along with the mirrors for $1350. It is perfect, and on a white car, the seam is essentially invisible. It is a great product, and superior to the 3M product I've had on other vehicles.

That dealer price sounds very high.