PPF and Tint through Porsche or third-party?

[wcw67]

@Spyder Scott
Firstly, I work for XPEL Corporate. I've been a customer of theirs since 2000 and have had a front row seat to how PPF has changed over the years. I was USAF for 11yrs and am a retired detective for a large PD. I've been with the company managing our installation markets coming up on 7yrs.

With that out of the way there are a LOT of misconceptions and half truths about PPF. In brief from reading your post I'd suggest you get what we call a "Full Front" & the Rockers done. The full front includes the front bumper, entire hood & fenders and mirrors. I also do the headlights as I do not like pitted plastic. Here in south Texas we've rock quarries everywhere as well as it being a rocky environment thus people will get a rock chip driving 2 miles. The Rockers are the entire painted area along the bottom profile of the car and continuing on to behind the rear wheels. I would do this as a minimum. Not only on most cars, but sports cars especially.

My '20 GT4 is wrapped entirely along with being completely ceramic coated. I do this A. because of where I work B. because I like the peace of mind PPF brings not having to worry about minor damage anywhere on the car and no worries from abrasive towels etc. Ceramic coating is like adding teflon in a pan. On paint it provides resistance to bird droppings, environmental concerns (sap, etc.), adds a deep gloss to darker paints and lastly makes it easier to clean. We also apply it to the glass, all trim and the face of the wheels unless asked for wheels off. Again, for true protection you need a physical barrier. XPEL has long had a standard 8mil film for typical highway speeds. We've also a 10mil for "enthusiasts". The market for this film are often track folks and off-roaders. However, when I track my GT4 (I've 10mil on the front) I also apply our temporary film called Trac Wrap for additional protection to not damage the PPF.

@Tom , your comments are somewhat misleading. There's two types of PPF installs. Bulk or Pre-cut kits by a computer. Bulk is highly dependent on the skill of the installer and these are few and far between. When done professionally & by someone well experienced, the film is laid down 'bulk' style and hand cut OFF the car. I know of a few places where they can bulk everything, but again these shops are in the minority. Inexperienced folks will actually lay the film down and cut the film ON the car. This is where you get 'cut marks' as they're cutting into your clear coat or paint. Pre-cut kits or Templates are perfected by pattern designers to where the edge of the patterns are within a millimeter of the vehicle body joints (ie. bumper to fender etc). It is done this way not only for efficiency, but leaves out the need for a blade to be on or near the car. The expertise here comes again, from the installer being able to properly align the film & this takes a lot of practice to be exceptional. The other key aspect is on body joints/seams the edges of the film are perfectly straight. Hand cut is incomparable as the installer has a heart beat, breathing etc. therefore on especially long seams you'll see a waviness to the "straight cut".

Also, ANY edge to PPF will allow dust, dirt, road grime to accumulate so you must clean it & not let it build up. This is rather simple. Wipe the edge. It comes off very easily. I have never had a customer vehicle or one of mine where it turned black and would not come off. Not challenging Tom, I've just never witnessed it. We'd a couple that towed their car behind their RV and had complained about the edges. We took a micro fiber, put a little acrysol on it and the accumulated road grime came off like butter. However there's a lot of people that just take their cars through car washes and never physically manipulate their cars. I highly doubt there's anyone in Carpokes that's like this however...?

Shops complaining about thicker films are right. However they're just not used to it. Due to the corporate installation shop in San Antonio being near our Product Development team as well as our Production facility they're frequently tasked with testing new products. They always balk at something new, but then adapt. What installers across the globe have discovered is the 10mil is actually easier to install and is more forgiving once they've acclimated to it.

The comment about an object penetrating PPF is partially correct. PPF is like a bullet proof vest. It'll stop all blunt objects. Anything with an edge will cut right through it no matter the thickness. This is why officers have a steel shock plate dead center of the vest. This is intentionally (and obviously) not openly shared.

I could continue and write a book about PPF, Tint and coatings, but I think I've already typed a brief novel as it is. I'm not on social media much so please feel free to email me at cwhite@xpel.com I can also make recommendations around the globe for top-notch XPEL authorized PPF installation shops. Lastly, as I'll always say and has been repeated in the posts in this thread, the installer is far more critical than what brand of film.

[Tom]

Hey Chris, thanks for posting all that, and don't be a stranger!

I sure wasn't trying to mislead anyone, so my apologies if it seemed that way. I was just commenting on my own experiences. The SF bay area where I live has way more than its share of high-end cars and PPF customers, so probably not a surprise that we have several really top-notch PPF installers -- so that's my frame of reference. I've seen some pre-cut kits that look "pretty good" but haven't personally seen one that competes with a great custom installer. Not saying they don't exist, I just haven't seen them. But I have seen some pre-cut kits that look pretty darn bad -- especially on Tesla's for some reason. That very well be more the (dealer?) installation than the product, I dunno. As for dirt lines around cuts, I was pleasantly surprised my new car/ppf (Suntek) wipes clean every time -- just like you say. That's just not my personal experience with the 3M film though. A fellow neat-freak Carpokean has two cars wrapped in 3M and he's tried everything to clean the cut lines, to no avail. That was also my experience on my 991 before I sold it; and with the my 944 (both 3M). I've seen some truly exceptional looking ppf jobs done in Xpel at shows, etc., but I have no personal experience with it, so very happy to get your insiders' insights!

[Hawk]

@wcw67
I appreciate your input. I currently use XPEL (both 10mil ppf and PRIME XR PLUS tint) on all of my vehicles and have also used your newer clear TRACWRAP. In my experience the best shops use a combination of Bulk and Pre-cut computer (CAD) guided kits / templates that are modified by the shop on the computer and cut slightly oversized. Good installers know from experience where to use Bulk and where to use "customized" Pre-cut. Some shops even prefer a certain manufacturer's film but a different manufacturer's templates. In my opinion, the best installers wrap and seal the edges to provide a seamless appearance and to avoid any visible build up of dirt on the edges of the film. Headlights, emblems, side marker lights, etc. are removed so that as many edges can be wrapped as possible. These shops are meticulous while cutting the film and never run their blade on the surface of the paint. They either cut between panels, if sufficient space, or the film is lifted off the surface and cut. I certainly prefer to have all, or as many, of my edges wrapped as possible. Not many shops have this expertise. If done correctly this is a more time consuming process and does come at a premium. For me the end result is worth it. I'm fortunate to have discovered a shop that possesses this expertise and uses XPEL.

[Spyder Scott]

Thanks. I'll check them out.

[Spyder Scott]

I appreciate all the great input! Excellent.

[wcw67]

@Tom all good! Words in text via email, texts or forums such as this are so easy to lose context. I know you know this so we're good! My post probably came across as terse...I just read it again and I certainly didn't mean it that way so please forgive me! Seriously, if there's anything XPEL can do for you (swag, services, etc.) send me an email. Or I can give you my cell. We're on this board as enthusiasts and I've been one since a kid I like to help others. As I said in my post there's a lot of misinfo out there about...well shoot...any industry lol.

@Hawk, good post! The corporate shop I currently manage also (and has always) wraps all edges where applicable. I take that for granted and am surprised when I see some shops not doing that or charging extra for it. For you as well, If there's any swag I can send ya for being a XPEL customer, ping me!

I LOVE to see kind forums/helpful posts. I'm here to help and enjoy being a part of a like-minded, thoughtful enthusiast group. cwhite@xpel.com

[Tom]

Absolutely no offense taken. We're thrilled to have you on the board! It's great to have your thoughts and info. You're among friends here.

[Hawk]

@Hawk, good post! The corporate shop I currently manage also (and has always) wraps all edges where applicable. I take that for granted and am surprised when I see some shops not doing that or charging extra for it. For you as well, If there's any swag I can send ya for being a XPEL customer, ping me!

Thanks. FYI - My installer, Naples Auto Armour, recently completed a 1.5 year test on his personal automobile. This is what he had to say - "Yep! I tested it on my car for about 1.5 years on the hood, had squares of each film. XPEL, SUNTEK, Prestige (ClearGuard Alpha), and STEK. After 1.5 years the xpel was by far the best looking and held up the best." XPEL Ultimate Plus is now the only film he installs.

[cnka33]

Sorry for being late to the post....I thought I already posted pics. Full car PPF + Gtechniq HALO done in Sacramento by Detail Maniac .... Very impressed with the detail to their work and the finished product. Fairly expensive but well worth it given the cost of the car itself.

[Pcarnut]

I would like to get my 2018 991.2 T done. Full front with wrapped edges, not precut pieces. What should I expect to pay for this from a reputable shop?