gwalsh88

Has anyone used Xpel and then added some real mileage? I have 82,000+ on my 2014 and my front fascia/cover is full of road rash as would be expected with a high mileage car. I have wondered how effective the product would be on a real daily driver.I'm sure the actual paint will be much better under the Xpel but worry the Xpel will look battle scared which is only marginally better than my current situation. Every example of Xpel I have seen in person are beautiful looking but low mileage examples.

Obviously it is too late for this car, but when I get my next one I am looking to plan ahead.

Thanks!

KenHorse

Sounds to me that the Xpel did exactly what it was supposed to.

If the road rash bothers you that much, you can have that piece of Xpel replaced and no one will ever know it happened. And for a LOT LESS than it would cost to repaint the affected sections.. THAT is the beauty of Xpel

cowboy casey

I just hit 19,000 miles on my XPEL, my only regret is not doing from the doors forward (cost was my issue at install time)... I only had the bumper done and just found 2 rocks chips on the fenders and 1 rock gouge about 1/2 inch long on the hood... The bumper has tons of hits and some have gone through the XPEL but it is a sacrificial layer and that is why it's installed...

gwalsh88

I get it you are absolutely correct! To be clear I am not bashing Xpel but am trying to see if it is a viable option for a car which will be driven a lot of miles...

My question is how does the Xpel hold up? As I mentioned, I have never seen a high mileage example in person. I'm just wondering if anyone on the forum has any real world experience they can share? Does it look great for the first 40,000? Does it start to like tired at 60,000? The way I deal with it now is with touch up paint which looks pretty good to everyone else but not so great to me

This forum is a wealth of knowledge so i'm sure someone might be able to offer some insight...

Thanks!

KenHorse

When I sold my Z51, it had 52K on the clock and the Xpel absolutely took some hits on the nose but the underlying paint remained untouched. The new owner will be the one to decide if he wants to replace the Xpel in the affected area or not.

My point being that it will be MUCH cheaper to replace the Xpel than re-shoot the nose of the car (and don't have to worry about matching the existing paint either for that matter)

Allen_B

That was exactly the reason I opted for Xpel. My car is a DD and I peppered the daylights out of the nose in the 1st 6+ months of ownership. I am a little OCD (ok, a lot if you ask my wife) and it was heartbreaking. Thanks to paint defects from the factory, it was replaced with a virgin panel so the 1st thing I did after it was complete was take it in for Xpel. Wish I had done it prior to delivery BUT with the paint issues from the factory, it all worked out anyway.

If you have a low-mile weekend car, it is not worth the expense- you're better off just doing a ceramic coating for looks, lower routine maintenance and paint correction. If you drive it and subject it to the elements on a regular basis, Xpel is well worth it from what I can tell. The two are not mutually exclusive as I did both, but the Xpel adds the durability and protection I wanted for a car I bought to enjoy 10 or so months a year on crappy roads...


Allen

Joe C5 C2

I had a '08 C6 that I had 3M protection and you could tell a difference in the material to paint line but it did save me a few times from major hits to the paint. When I got the new C7 last January Xpel was the first thing I did for the front and it looks great. The improvement in the material is really good and you can hardly see any difference from bare paint. One suggestion for those that have the PPF, get the sealer that Xpel makes (you can order it off their web site). It really makes the finish even slicker and bugs just come off with hose spray (watch out for any waxes or sealants that contain petroleum in the makeup because it can cause yellowing). As others have said, find a good installer.

bankers1

I had expel dealer installed ($ 1,500) was on the invoice, just for the nose and 1/4 way up the hood.
Now I'm looking at Ceramic Pro, 4 layers on top of it... Should I have the expel removed before I Ceramic????
I was at a show this weekend with a Ceramic/Guy, his Vette was 5 years old and looked 6 months old. $ 1,500. 2 day application,
what do you say????

Joe C5 C2

I think if you check with them the prices shown are the material cost only and no labor. At those prices they would have people lined up around the block to get their cars done.

Allen_B

Apparently, my installer made some waves with a different approach by doing ceramic pro 1st then Xpel over it. Not the industry norm for many but pretty convincing seeing removal and the final results. Seems his approach has been adopted by many for good reason.

You can do ceramic over Xpel with great results, but the basic mechanics suggest ceramic 1st followed by Xpel is a more efficient process in the long run...


Allen

GTFD2

I have a 2014 that was fully wrapped and when I got my 2019 that is the first thing that was done, another full wrap.

Deepdiver

Just wondering, is your guy an authorized Xpel installer?

Always Red Dave

Same exact shine and you guessed right about $3500 but I did it in 3 stages so it didn't seem as much of a hit.

Sixgun95

Full front end, lower rockers and rear quarter panel (removed the OEM protection) - very happy!

AZav8r

I have found a few imperfections on my car, but very slight, and you have to look really hard. I can live with them....

DarthKickA

Not Xpel, but SunTek. 100% full wrap. Still low miles but no regrets. I picked mine up in Bowling Green. I took a wrong turn out of the museum. I heard what sounded like pellets attacking my ride on a country back road. Made me cringe. Now, when I hear the same, I just hit the gas and smile.

Since I plan on keeping mine for a while, I feel it was worth the investment. I think that if I were only going to have it for a short time I may have chosen differently.

As far as the look after install, I thought in mine, and another, similar car I was able to see in a before/after moment, it seems like it gives it a more "deep" or "wet" paint feeling. No swirls and no waxing for 2 years at least. Easy to wash and clean up as well.

Cost-wise, it seems to me that your location and available great installers dictate the cost. IE my install was significantly more than the prices mentioned here. As I learned on this forum it is not the product you pay for, but the installer. In my case, that came at a slightly higher premium than other installers in my area.

Just my $.02 / YMMV.

Badgerfan87

I had xpel added to my 2019 front bumper , lights , rockers , rear quarters and mirrors and then had ceramic added over the xpel and painted areas.. i have had only for
4 months on my 2019 GS so long term experience is yet to be seen. So far love the protection from "road hash" on the in the areas xpel applied . No regrets so far ..cant even
tell its on the car. I will concur with other forum members proper installation is the the most important factor.

Dan

Texas1

23/C8Z

perfect example right there as to the benefits
exactly...

I just noticed a small tear in the Xpel on my front bumper. I touched it up with clearcoat to seal it up keep any water or spray sealer etc.

if it gets bad or tons of hits I will replace it. But I wouldnt ever NOT reapply it if you saw the hits the film takes including the headlights... man it would he mess at only 5800mi.

when you run with other cars if the same caliber all have sticky tires and WHIP stones and sand at you... my only regret is not applying the windshield film as well. Now I think it's too let as there are small sandblast hits here and there. But I bet having it applied now might even cover them up?

LT4CMG