Does Xpel work/is it worth the cost?
 

I purchased a 2018 Z06 Z07 last night and have a 2015 Z51 with no paint protection and a lot of track days. The front fascia & splitter are pretty pitted.

I got an over-the-phone estimate of $2k to completely cover the 2018.

My question is 'does it work, and is it worth covering everything?'

I asked for lower cost options like just covering the front fascia, splitter, mirrors, and rear brake duct areas and was told ~$900. On my Z51, all other areas were not pitted; just the front fascia & splitter primarily.

Anyone with paint protection please share your feedback.

Thanks

Yes and yes.

Just two days ago, I was overtaking a concrete truck on a freeway, and as I was about to pass, it hit a bump and rocks started flying out of the folded delivery chute. Despite evasive action and braking, hundreds of good sized rocks started bouncing off the road, and I heard multiple impacts on the front end.

I was dreading the inspection once I was able to stop, but the only damage was to my front license plate, which was folded back on one side along with a deep dent in the plate.
It ironically saved the grill.

My entire front end is XPEL Ultimate wrapped. The only other damage was a 1/4" tear in the film on the chin, along with a dozen or so dusty impact marks on the film. Those all washed off with no film damage whatsoever, and I was able to repair the tear and make it largely disappear with touch-up paint.

Without XPEL, I would now easily have a dozen or more pretty nasty paint chips on the nose.

Thanks Foosh.

So what exactly do you have covered with Xpel?

I agree that Xpel works and it’s worth it. Many cover their entire car, while others apply it to only higher impact areas, which I’ve done with no regrets. Those areas are generally the rockers, rear quarter and brake ducts, front bumper... then hood, front fenders, side mirrors... and any add-ons, i.e., splitter, side shirts, etc.

The real lesson is to stay away from concrete and gravel trucks, unless they are going really, really, slow. :yesnod:

Yes and yes.

ttt
 

Well worth it man. The only down side just get a good person that does really good prep work before it goes onto the car. If you don't get good prep work done before it WILL SHOW every bad place under the xpel coat of clear...:thumbs:

About three-quarters of my daily-driven C7 is covered with #M clear bra including entire front end, headlights, hood, mirrors, fenders, complete skirts, rockers and lower door surfaces, removable top, sides of rear fascia and rear spoiler. I drive 45 miles of the Ortega Highway and I5 to work here in SoCal which is basically like commuting through a 45-mile sandblast cabinet. Needless to say, my C7 is still pristine (except for the badly sand-blasted windshield) after almost two years of commuting. I have even been hit with a six-foot road gator on the left front fascia and wheel at 75 mph and the huge black scuff mark a foot wide/high simply rubbed off the film with a soapy, wet sponge.

Same with my 2011 Mini Cooper I commuted with on the same route for five years. I had XPEL installed on that when new and it suffered similar abuse with minimal damage - one nick that cut the film. It also was hit with a large road gator at 70 mph and that scuff mark also washed off. It has also been hit with large rocks that I would have bet would have severely damaged the paint but had no effect.

I will never go without this protection on my daily drivers. My wife, OTOH, didn't want film on her lightly-driven '13 Audi Q5 and, after 30k miles, it has it's share of road rash and scuffs that could have been avoided.

Try that in any major metropolitan area in the US during rush hour, and let me know how you managed to do that.:thumbs:

I have the nose, entire hood, entire front fenders, mirrors, rockers, and area behind the rear wheels covered.

That price seems very low for full coverage. I thought it would be more around a 5-6k job, with a 2k job only covering the front end

Yes and yes. Had my black C7 GS completely covered except for the rear. After a couple of track days the front end and rear quarters are pretty beat up, but it's only film damage.

If you're going to cover it do it very soon. The film tends to exaggerate any imperfections in the paint so if you get any dings prior to install it may magnify them.

Someone sideswiped the car in a parking lot and left me a little present. Only damaged the film. Pealed it off and replaced it. I've dinged the leading edge of the roof a few times as well, but was saved by the film.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7098ca6c9c.jpg

I wonder what it would cost to repaint those parts that you are thinking about covering?

I don't have my Corvette yet, but I'm planning the car-care steps I'll want to take.

Detailing question: can you get as high a shine on top of the XPEL as you can on paint or nano-coating?

In my experience yes. I have the LLumar product installed which is "self-healing". So far I've avoided the dreaded swirls that show up so easily on black.

I doubt anyone who has paid to have the film protection installed is going to tell you it is not worth it. My last 2 Vettes driven a total of 9 years to date each had a total of 3 small rock chips. All repaired with drcolorchip.
I do not like the way it looks and yes you can see it. I do not like the fact it can also be damaged and has to be repaired. For me the money spent is not worth it but I am definitely in the minority at least on this forum regarding this topic.

A lot of it depends upon where you live and how you use the car. All these stories of no film, and no rock chips simply do not apply to daily-driven cars in heavy traffic areas with vehicles packed like sardines on crumbling roads with construction vehicles everywhere.

If mine were a garage queen that only came out on sunny, summer days on deserted country roads, I wouldn't have had the film installed either.

$2K for a full car Xpel seems really cheap to me, too. I would guess that just the materials are more than that.

Yeah, I do agree that does sound too cheap. The film can look really horrible or essentially invisible depending upon the experience and skill of the installer.

My partial XPEL Ultimate wrap cost $2500, with no visible seams and all edges wrapped. This is not the type of job you want to award to the low-bidder, which more often than not, is the least experienced.

That 2k quote sounds more like a graphics wrap, not PPF. If not, please ask to see their finished products, that's way too good to be true.

I've got the same coverage as Foosh, based on his description, the same seamless finish, and he's East coast, I'm midwest, and our prices paid for high quality are almost identical. And I don't think either of us are careless with our money. So keeping this in mind, please ask them lots or questions before you commit

:yesnod: Fair enough assessment.