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So, just a word of caution here. I have my front bumper covered in XPel and recently discovered a small chip in the material. It looks like whatever hit me (a rock?) chewed right through the PPF and still was able to chip the paint underneath. That projectile must have been really moving... I still recommend PPF on the front bumper (and some other places), just keep in mind, it is not "bullet proof", a really "dedicated" projectile will still get through...
Yes, it is not bulletproof, and is designed to lower the probability of damage. If something penetrates a high-quality PPF, then it would have been much worse without.
Within the last year or so, XPEL has introduced a thicker, 10 mil film, which is designed for noses, hoods, and mirrors that are the most prone places for higher speed impacts. I've had it done to two our our sports cars, with zero penetrations or damage to the 10 mil film. Other parts of a vehicle take more glancing blows so thinner film is OK there.
Prior to that with 8 mil or less film, I did have minor penetrations to nose sections although they were rare.
No, the film is meant to be sacrificial and nothing will ever protect against all types of road hazards. Warranty covers debonding, bubbling up, discoloration, etc.
I will say the film can take a lot. My wife once had a fender-bender tangle with our garage door frame, and a fender was dented, but the film wasn't torn or scratched. It was completely unblemished over the dent after removing the door frame trim paint from it. The film actually protected the car paint over the dent from cracking and scrapes. Paint was actually perfect over the entire dented area.
My wife’s Grand Cherokee also has several of these spots on the front end and hood where the film has been penetrated and the paint chipped. We also have a couple spots where the film has not “self healed”.
Overall it is better than not having it. Her previous work vehicle looked like the front end & hood had been sandblasted after 100k mi, so I’m hoping this one looks a lot better when we go to trade it in in a few years.
had film on old car and similar would happen. Started peeling at the edges so eventually ripped it all off. C8 now has no film and no obvious chips at 2400 miles
For anyone contemplating an XPEL PPF job on a new car, I'd highly recommend asking your installer about using the thicker 10 mil film on nose hood and mirrors. See post #4.
I don’t see how they would be responsible for fixing the chip or damage in the paint body.
True, how on earth could they know what was going to hit the front end. Could be a single small stone or a chunk of concrete the size of a baseball that fell out of the truck ahead of you. I have seen that and also had it hit the top of my windshield of a company car. PPF is some level of protection, without it, it's just paint vs. world.
Yep it happens... I also have 2 nicks in the front bumper film. I have the 8mil film. Not sure if the 10mil would have helped.
There's a downside with thicker film. It's harder for installers to stretch over complex shapes, like the nose of the front end. Most will just add another cut line, sometimes in high-visibility locations.
So, just a word of caution here. I have my front bumper covered in XPel and recently discovered a small chip in the material. It looks like whatever hit me (a rock?) chewed right through the PPF and still was able to chip the paint underneath. That projectile must have been really moving... I still recommend PPF on the front bumper (and some other places), just keep in mind, it is not "bullet proof", a really "dedicated" projectile will still get through...
I'm getting the 10mil one on the front hood bumper and quarter panels. It can handle some of the bigger pebbles.
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Tough break on the damage to not only the PPF but also the paint, but it does happen with larger item hitting the car. I know how you feel as right after I had Xpel Ultimate installed on the front end of my car, I got two chips in the film on the lower front fascia (not sure about the paint).
Well you got your first paint chip, now it’s time to go out and drive. I have had xpel on several cars and never thought it was worth the expense. You could remove it, and fix the chip.
I've already faced the fact that sh*t can happen anytime whenever your car is driven...no matter how careful you are. I had a tendency to allow at least 2+ car lengths in front whenever I drove my C5. It still somehow managed to get dinged with chips now and then on the bumper and hood.
There's a downside with thicker film. It's harder for installers to stretch over complex shapes, like the nose of the front end. Most will just add another cut line, sometimes in high-visibility locations.
All true, but a good installer can make it pretty inconspicuous unless you actually look for seams. Actually, the same issues exist on the thinner films because of the complex shapes of C8 nose. Seams are also visible with thinner films and only slightly less so.
My son is a service manager at a big dealership. He told me that when the film is installed they use razor blades to cut some of the film when it is positioned on the vehicle. Most of it is stamp cut before applying but it still needs to be trimmed in certain cases. Have any of you seen this, if so what are your thoughts.
So much for PPF
I still recommend PPF on the front bumper (and some other places), just keep in mind, it is not "bullet proof", a really "dedicated" projectile will still get through...
