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Okay, I am probably going to get flamed for this, but here goes. I currently have Sun-Tek PPF on the front bumper of my 2022 HTC. I had XPEL on my 2014 C7 for nearly eight years before I sold it to buy the C8. If I had to do it all over again, I would have insisted on XPEL for the C8 as well. It turns out the 10mm XPEL film is FAR superior to the 8mm Sun-Tek. In all the years I owned my C7, I've NEVER seen a projectile successfully damage or get through the XPEL to the finish underneath. In the nine months I have owned my Sun-Tek "protected" C8, I have acquired at least four large chips in the front bumper that not only punctured the film, by chipped the paint underneath...
My conclusion, if you are going to "protect" your C8 with Sun-Tek, don't bother. INSIST on XPEL, or your C8 may suffer the same fate as mine...
I've never used Sun-Tek, but I can confirm that a switch from 8mm to 10mm on the nose of a vehicle makes a big difference. I believe regular XPEL Ultimate used to be 8mm, but about 3 years ago, they developed a thicker 10mm film specifically aimed at better protection for noses and hoods, etc.
I have had 8mm XPEL penetrated by flying projectiles on vehicles before, but fortunately, only the film was damaged, and it did protect the paint. I switched to the 10mm on noses of 3 cars, and I've not had a penetration since.
Just FYI, my installer recommended 10mm only for nose, hood, mirrors, and rockers, and 8mm everywhere else because the velocity of impacts, as well as the probability is greatly reduced. 8mm is easier to install without blemishes and bubbles.
I also had a rock prang my nose with Expel 8mil film. Dug a chunk out of the film, and I thought it got the to the paint. A few months later I had the front piece of Expel replaced and no paint damaged. The film did its job. Replaced with 8mil not the 10mil on advice from my installer who said they have have problems on C8's with the film lifting ... 8mil worked fine before so I agreed.
That is a disadvantage of 10mil, and I wouldn't use it anywhere but the nose and maybe mirrors. The vast majority of other impacts are going to be more glancing, lower velocity blows.
I have heard from a reliable source that Xpel 200G is the way to go!
Xpel clearly has great marketing and its own installation stores and distributors.
That said, early last year, I purchased a car that had Suntech, few months later, I decided to add additional film to other parts of the body. Used Xpel. have a pretty keen eye, I couldn't tell the difference with film quality.
That said, I would go with Xpel as their network, at least where I live; is deeper, and my installer only does Xpel.
Not sure why you thought you would get flamed for this, its a reasonable and accurate post. I don't think it actually has anything to do with the particular brand of film, as the thickness of the film. I don't know much about SunTek, but I have had Xpel and it was flawless. I currently have Llumar on my Jeep and it has been flawless too. I think most if not all brands now offer a thicker 10mil option for extra protection.
This also could explain why some people have had issues with PPF and some have not... I see a lot of comments complaining about getting chips through the PPF, maybe they just had the thinner stuff.
This also could explain why some people have had issues with PPF and some have not... I see a lot of comments complaining about getting chips through the PPF, maybe they just had the thinner stuff.
I agree. I think too,, some installers over stretch the precut film and maybe produce too much heat during the installation.
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I have had Xpel on four different vehicles and have been very pleased with the protection offered by the film. Have not used SunTek and it may be a very good PPF too, but I just haven’t found a reason to use something besides Xpel yet.
Went with SunTek, very happy with it. Installer sold both, but claimed SunTek had better clarity then Xpel and also SunTek was easier to remove.
I've heard that "clarity" argument before for SunTek, but there as many installers who say that's not true as those claiming the opposite. Installers negotiate deals with the various suppliers, and if they have a better deal with a particular one, that's probably going to be the one they say is the best.
A thinner film may have slightly more clarity, but of course, that's a negative for protection. I have a pretty critical eye, my installer showed me both, and I can't distinguish any difference. He doesn't believe there is either.
I've heard that "clarity" argument before for SunTek, but there as many installers who say that's not true as those claiming the opposite. Installers negotiate deals with the various suppliers, and if they have a better deal with a particular one, that's probably going to be the one they say is the best.
A thinner film may have slightly more clarity, but of course, that's a negative for protection. I have a pretty critical eye, my installer showed me both, and I can't distinguish any difference. He doesn't believe there is either.
My installer also showed me the two side by side and there was a discernible difference between them, the SunTek was crystal clear where as the Xpel was slightly hazy. He also said SunTek is easier to apply in all the nooks and crannies.
I have the SunTek with a Revivify coating on top. I have no issues whatsoever and have had a couple of strikes that have “healed” themselves. That’s a property of the Revivify with simple application of heat.
Over the years/vehicles I’ve always had the SunTek but with different coatings on top, like Ceramic Pro Gold (911GTS), GTechniq (Macan S) with no issues. I would use SunTek again on any vehicle…..and my installer does XPel and STek (not SunTek) as well and always recommends SunTek.
XPEL vs. Sun-Tek PPF
