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Looks like my c8 will be picked up this week. I'm looking into some local shops for PPF. Have narrowed down my options to two different shops. Both seem to have top notch installers and get excellent reviews on various services.
PPF package would include full front, side mirrors, and area on sides behind wheel wells.
Shop #1: xpel installer. Large operation. Cost around $4,000 (which sounds high)
Shop #2: Stek installer. Small operation. Cost around $2,300
I was ready to go with xpel until I found this other shop. Another factor is that the Stek installer can schedule me about a month earlier than the xpel shop.
I realize the installer is more important than the product. All things being equal, is xpel worth almost twice the cost?
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The cost for Xpel does sound high, at least to me. Is there no other quality shop around you that you can get another quote from? Honestly I have never heard of Stek as a PPF and have Xpel Ultimate Plus on my C7, but $4K is a lot of money.
The cost for Xpel does sound high, at least to me. Is there no other quality shop around you that you can get another quote from? Honestly I have never heard of Stek as a PPF and have Xpel Ultimate Plus on my C7, but $4K is a lot of money.
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it sounds high.
I looked at several shops in my area and was not comfortable with the other installers. I'm going to keep looking as there are one or two I haven't spoken to yet.
Stek Dynoshield is the same 8mil thickness and carries the same 10yr warranty as Xpel. While I agree that xpel is the most well-known brand, everything I have read about Stek indicates it is of comparable quality.
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it sounds high.
I looked at several shops in my area and was not comfortable with the other installers. I'm going to keep looking as there are one or two I haven't spoken to yet.
Stek Dynoshield is the same 8mil thickness and carries the same 10yr warranty as Xpel. While I agree that xpel is the most well-known brand, everything I have read about Stek indicates it is of comparable quality.
I have done a lot of research on this. Stek was ahead of xpel in tech until very recently. Now, they are quite comparable, but a lot of opinions say Stek has a better shine. I think you would be fine with either option though- the differences are not huge.
as far as cost - yea, that xpel price is too much. A front end job like that should not be more than $3k max (unless ceramic is being added). I have a quote for a full frontal PPF using Stek for $2700 from an excellent installer. That includes full hood, full fenders, bumper, headlights and side mirrors.
I have done a lot of research on this. Stek was ahead of xpel in tech until very recently. Now, they are quite comparable, but a lot of opinions say Stek has a better shine. I think you would be fine with either option though- the differences are not huge.
as far as cost - yea, that xpel price is too much. A front end job like that should not be more than $3k max (unless ceramic is being added). I have a quote for a full frontal PPF using Stek for $2700 from an excellent installer. That includes full hood, full fenders, bumper, headlights and side mirrors.
Based on your numbers my Stek installer price is in-line and my Xpel installer is high. FYI - they both do ceramic at an extra cost and both have the same price for that.
I have also read that Stek is supposed to be a littler glossier than Xpel. Some say after 6-8 months they both look the same.
I had XPel on my C7 and now STEK on my C8. I like them equally. I paid more than that for ZTEK. If you get good recs for that money I'd go with the STEK for sure.
Some of the price variation could be due to the amount of paint preperation. Could be the attention to install detail (e.g., remove and reinstall the hood ornament on the PPF, semi customization of the film pattern for better film coverage and seam elimination, etc.).
I have STEK Dynoshield on my C8. Because PPF can be much more noticeable on Artic White, I did a lot of research before hand and decided on STEK. Their website helped me find a local authorized installer --- a small shop that was not previously identified in my prior searches. Glad I found him! We had a clear understanding of my expectations... and he delivered.
Find the best installer and then clearly communicate your expectations. I also highly recommend getting the rockers covered as these get a lot of rock/debris strikes on mine.
That sounds terribly high. I had my C7 done across the entire front bumber, the headlight covers, and rear view mirrors with Xpel about 2 years ago. It was ~$450.00, and the installer did an excellent job. Good enough that I took another vehicle of mine to him again. Where are you from?
Never had stek or xpel before. Went with xpel platinum plus. Full front including mirrors and headlights. Bottom sides to the front of the rear wheel and Full boomerang areas. Paid $1,450 for a nice professional job. Looks clear and smooth to me. No lose edges or peeling. @Bird67 knows he’s used both.
I went with SunTek, both have the same warranty, installer said SunTek has better clarity. Had bumper, bikini cut on hood, mirrors, A pillars and partial roof.
Cost : 1k
Thank you to everyone for the responses. I feel better about Stek now (most people just talk about xpel).
@NextOne: neither installer has seen the car and paint prep was not part of the quoted number. I just think my xpel guy is somehow able to command a higher than market price. He does very good work and is located in a high traffic area.
If a PPF manufacturer offers a ten year warranty I would feel pretty comfortable they are providing a good product unless they haven't been around for very long. As @Bird67 said, Xpel is what most car people think about when they think about PPF. I will say that $4k is extremely high for Xpel for what that shop was doing for your car @jrm21. The shop owner who ceramic coats all my cars did tell me he didn't have a lot of "wiggle room" in Xpel pricing compared to the ceramic coating brand he uses - Ceramic Pro - but he isn't nearly that high.
My local high end detail shop uses both Stek and Xpel, although he prefers Stek. He gave me the option to look at both of them on paint and the Stek visibly had less orange peel than the XPel.
I went with Stek on both of mine, however with that said, I had the rockers done with Xpel as it was easier to do that with the template than bulk wrapping them with Stek and you really couldn't tell much difference. Areas like the hood, etc I would prefer the Stek.
Go with the coating where tout get the best deal. The coating will get damaged from rock chips.
My XPEL Platinum plus took a few good rock hits and its very visible damaged. Im ok with that but why pay a big premium when the result is the same.
xpel vs stek
