Some paint protection wrap advice for trackers 3M Pro vs Xpel
04-06-2016, 11:29 PM
#1
Alcoholics Unanimous
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Some paint protection wrap advice for trackers 3M Pro vs Xpel
On my 15 SG Z06 I had the new 3M Pro installed after I first got her. Everyone was pimping Xpel at the time but at the advice of my local shop that sold both I reluctantly went with the 3M Pro. It turned out to be a great decision because with just a simple wax coating on top of it it held up to an entire year of track days and normal driving and took the same amount of time to clean up after a track day as if it wasn't there.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
04-06-2016, 11:53 PM
#2
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Too bad you didn't write that review about 3 months ago. I have the Expel on my car and will be taking it to the installer after my first track weekend. He wanted to inspect it after I did an event to see how the film held up.
Bill
Bill
04-06-2016, 11:54 PM
#3
Team Owner
On my 15 SG Z06 I had the new 3M Pro installed after I first got her. Everyone was pimping Xpel at the time but at the advice of my local shop that sold both I reluctantly went with the 3M Pro. It turned out to be a great decision because with just a simple wax coating on top of it it held up to an entire year of track days and normal driving and took the same amount of time to clean up after a track day as if it wasn't there.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
Likely 20 times bigger company than Expel. I had 3m put on and it works well. No experience with Expel.
04-07-2016, 12:09 AM
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Again, it's not like it looks bad in person. It's just the different nature of the film compared to the 3m that doesn't lend itself to track use, and needs specific things to do and avoid in street usage.
I have no skin or stock in either product (although given all the negative rep from installers and pending lawsuits, Xpel has some serious issues on their plate), I just try to note my objective observations
04-07-2016, 12:24 AM
#6
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
I did have my local tint shop that just started selling LLumar do a demonstration for me where they took a metal wire brush and scrubbed it over both their regular paint protection film and their matte film that's their equivalnt of XPEL Stealth, and the brush did no damage to either (XPEL Stelath will turn to gloss with a spirited microfiber towel wipe) ... so that was somewhat impressive, but it didn't speak to how well it would hold up over time in regards to yellowing and other variables like adhesion.
Anyhoot, I just wanted to note my personal observations in regards to the two films I have used.
04-07-2016, 12:32 AM
#7
The Consigliere
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Good info, Serge. Thanks.
Unfortunately there is only one installer in my area that does expert work. He's top notch as an installer, but he only handles Xpel. I don't know if he's tied by contract to that product or not. But given the importance of the installer's skill, and the fact I live in the middle of nowhere, LOL, I'm stuck with the Xpel.
Hopefully he'll start using the 3M as well in the future. If so, I'll give it a try if I need to replace any pieces.
Unfortunately there is only one installer in my area that does expert work. He's top notch as an installer, but he only handles Xpel. I don't know if he's tied by contract to that product or not. But given the importance of the installer's skill, and the fact I live in the middle of nowhere, LOL, I'm stuck with the Xpel.
Hopefully he'll start using the 3M as well in the future. If so, I'll give it a try if I need to replace any pieces.
04-07-2016, 01:00 PM
#9
Drifting
On my 15 SG Z06 I had the new 3M Pro installed after I first got her. Everyone was pimping Xpel at the time but at the advice of my local shop that sold both I reluctantly went with the 3M Pro. It turned out to be a great decision because with just a simple wax coating on top of it it held up to an entire year of track days and normal driving and took the same amount of time to clean up after a track day as if it wasn't there.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
04-07-2016, 04:18 PM
#10
Drifting
Uh huh
I've always had the 3M products on my Vettes, and never a discouraging word about them. The installer I use can do both Xpel and 3M, and agreed both were good, but when push came to shove, he leaned a bit more to the 3M Pro, which is what I ended up getting my Beast wrapped in.. easy to clean up, and I can use "Bug Melt" without worrying about it dulling the finish.
04-07-2016, 06:35 PM
#13
SUBVETTE
On my 15 SG Z06 I had the new 3M Pro installed after I first got her. Everyone was pimping Xpel at the time but at the advice of my local shop that sold both I reluctantly went with the 3M Pro. It turned out to be a great decision because with just a simple wax coating on top of it it held up to an entire year of track days and normal driving and took the same amount of time to clean up after a track day as if it wasn't there.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
I recently purchased a 991 TTS and decided to try the Xpel wrap. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is all about and why it costs one third more than the 3M (other than the fact that the customer pays for all their marketing costs). I guess if all you do is drive in public roads it's not much of an issue, but the simple fact is that the Xpel is a LOT more porous than the 3M. Even after a coating of Opti-Coat Pro Plus on top of it, although there is a small improvement, it is incredibly tacky. Without an extra coating like Opti-Coat or Quartz you could spend hours just getting dead bugs out of it. Not only that (and thank god I did a test panel before trying it) because of its porous qualities, god help you if you put any kind of wax on top of it ... it will absorb it and result in a cloudy/hazy finish that takes a day to polish off, or you might even have to replace that panel.
Basically, just the film alone without any coatings, you can run your finger over the 3M Pro film with one tenth the friction and tackiness of the Xpel film.
In short, if you decide to go with Xpel and only drive on public roads, don't use any wax on top of it and make sure to coat it with with OC or CQ. If you are going to track your car stay away from Xpel like the plague, because track debris and dirt will cling to it so hard that you'll be struggling to ever get it off ... 3M pro is not only superior for track use but it also costs way less.
Thankfully I'm only going to track the TTS a couple of times, so I'll just have to pay my detailer 3X the price to get it cleaned afterwards. Both look great when clean, but on the new Z I'm going back to the 3M because it has proven to clean easily and completely after the most tortuous track days.
My 2c from personal experience.
04-07-2016, 07:00 PM
#15
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Every forward facing surface: front bumper, stage 3 aero, grille, hood, headlights, A pillars, mirrors, fender extensions (custom pieces), rockers, side skirts, quarter panels = $1700 (it would have been $2800 with Xpel)
Last edited by soulsea; 04-07-2016 at 07:01 PM.
04-07-2016, 10:40 PM
#16
Melting Slicks
I did the front bumper and rockers in xpel. My car is also AW. I'm having an issue with the borders of the plastic Turning dirty. Starting to look bad after only 300 miles. I'm pretty **** and this is bothering me. Aside from the few particles of dust under the coating that is driving me insane.
04-09-2016, 09:50 AM
#18
Le Mans Master
I had $2000.00 worth of Expel put on my Z06 a year ago. My rockers are beat to $hit. I will never use it again.
04-09-2016, 05:56 PM
#19
Drifting
I've been tracking my '15 SG Z07 which is fully wrapped with XPEL, and has not been coated ..... I've had no issue getting rubber marks, bugs, and general track dirt off my car. It's actually been pretty easy to get it clean. I usually run in the advanced/instructor group, so the car comes home with all kinds of black rubber marks on it in addition to the usual other track dirt.
04-09-2016, 06:26 PM
#20
Drifting
I have most of my '16 991 TTS covered in Xpel.
I have not noticed it being tacky at all, but I have seen its self-healing property work flawlessly, completely ridding itself of scratches a few days after they occur.
I can't say whether the 3M Pro product works as well, but I'm having 5 of my vehicles either done or redone with Xpel in the next few months.
My '16 Z which should be built in the next 2 weeks, will have it over most of the body as well.
I have not noticed it being tacky at all, but I have seen its self-healing property work flawlessly, completely ridding itself of scratches a few days after they occur.
I can't say whether the 3M Pro product works as well, but I'm having 5 of my vehicles either done or redone with Xpel in the next few months.
My '16 Z which should be built in the next 2 weeks, will have it over most of the body as well.
