X-Pel Clear Bra Paint & Headlight Protection Kits

[pe2unia]

I have been debating the idea of adding this paint protection to my gal. How many of the forum members have this installed with X-Pel? I am looking for some feedback on how well this turned out and what the consequences will be if I decide to have it removed. I have attached the website below if anyone want to see exactly what I am talking about.

http://www.xpel.com/products/config...evseries=0&type=1&year=2006&make=12&model=860

 

[06fordgt]

pe2unia I have used venture shield. Results were outstanding!!!!

 

[STORMCAT]

Great results here..

 

[FlorIdaho Chris]

I am pleased with my window shield.

My advice- pay to have a pro install it.

 

[MAD IN NC]

PotatoChris- the Windshield kit was from: http://www.prolinestyling.com/ and I do agree a pain in the a$$ even for a professional to install but WELL WORTH IT!

This year twice alone it saved my windshield, once on the way back from Hampton Beach Va. and oncee on the road back from Charlotte NC.

You can see scars where the debris scarred the windshield film but the glass appears to be OK!::thumbsup

Stormcat found this company at SEMA last year - way to go Brian:cheers

 

[B O N Y]

PotatoChris- the Windshield kit was from: http://www.prolinestyling.com/ and I do agree a pain in the a$$ even for a professional to install but WELL WORTH IT!

This year twice alone it saved my windshield, once on the way back from Hampton Beach Va. and oncee on the road back from Charlotte NC.

You can see scars where the debris scarred the windshield film but the glass appears to be OK!::thumbsup

Stormcat found this company at SEMA last year - way to go Brian:cheers

Have it installed by a Pro after getting the instructions from Stormy. Mine was installed by a pro, but based on the factory specs, had to be reinstalled the next day. Looks lousy. Pro-line promised to do something, they have not followed up. I would never buy from them again. Bas-turds!:thumbsdow

 

[STORMCAT]

I am pleased with my window shield.

My advice- pay to have a pro install it.

Have it installed by a Pro after getting the instructions from Stormy. Mine was installed by a pro, but based on the factory specs, had to be reinstalled the next day. Looks lousy. Pro-line promised to do something, they have not followed up. I would never buy from them again. Bas-turds!:thumbsdow

I think the original post is about the Xpel head light covers which are different than the windshield skin. I am happy with both. I have the Xpel head light product on 3 different vehicles..

 

[pe2unia]

I think the original post is about the Xpel head light covers which are different than the windshield skin. I am happy with both. I have the Xpel head light product on 3 different vehicles..

Stormcat, you are saying you did the head lights but did you do any of the paint protection on the car?

 

[fjpikul]

We should be calling him "Lazycat!" Where's my SJB CF piece? Get to work! Quit doing stuff to your car and start working on everyone elses'.

 

[STORMCAT]

Stormcat, you are saying you did the head lights but did you do any of the paint protection on the car?

I did the whole Xpel kit. They have several different GT kits. I did Complete hood , full fenders, front end , rockers, rear quarters etc... I did the the install myself but I have had some practice. My full fenders came out great but it was a alligator wrestling match !!. I now have a second car to contend with. I plan to do the same full kit but I'm told Xpel has the other film available so I may try that. My car has been viewed by many GT owners and they never knew it was there until I said some thing.. Their fitments is spot on. Let me know if you need more info..

 

[STORMCAT]

We should be calling him "Lazycat!" Where's my SJB CF piece? Get to work! Quit doing stuff to your car and start working on everyone elses'.

I hear you Frank.. I'm a little frustrated with the CF mfg. They finally sent me some units today. If they look OK you'll have yours next week. "Lazycat" is that the best you can do?? Wait till i see you I'll show you what a Lazycat can do...:biggrin

 

[pe2unia]

I did the whole Xpel kit. They have several different GT kits. I did Complete hood , full fenders, front end , rockers, rear quarters etc... I did the the install myself but I have had some practice. My full fenders came out great but it was a alligator wrestling match !!. I now have a second car to contend with. I plan to do the same full kit but I'm told Xpel has the other film available so I may try that. My car has been viewed by many GT owners and they never knew it was there until I said some thing.. There fitments is spot on. Let me know if you need more info..

Stormcat, If you ever need to remove the film is there any negative ramifications that you are aware of? (IE. residue, glue, fading, etc).Also, What is the difference in the other film that you are speaking of that they came out with?

 

[STORMCAT]

Stormcat, If you ever need to remove the film is there any negative ramifications that you are aware of? (IE. residue, glue, fading, etc).Also, What is the difference in the other film that you are speaking of that they came out with?

I'm told no problems should be incurred. I took off a piece that had been on for a month with no issues. Blue 1923 now known as Black 907 had some removed with no issues. Supposedly the Venture Shield has a glossier finish than the 3M stuff. I'll have to do some more research before I switch. If Xpel sells both I plan to question them. Either way I like the protection..

 

[pe2unia]

I'm told no problems should be incurred. I took off a piece that had been on for a month with no issues. Blue 1923 now known as Black 90? had some removed with no issues. Supposedly the Venture Shield has a glossier finish than the 3M stuff. I'll have to do some more research before I switch. If Xpel sells both I plan to question them. Either way I like the protection..

Stormcat, thanks for all of the advise you are the bomb!!!!!:cheers

 

[Red Rocket]

I also have had the Venture Shield for over a year. It is almost invisible and protects great. It does not have the 'orange peel ' look of other products. I am told it can be polished if it dulls.

Removal: The glue on these is very sticky though, and extra care must be taken around the hood stripes because of the way the stripes were painted. You can run the risk of peeling off some of the paint where the stripes meet the body color. Heat must be applied during removal. Pay a pro.

What I want to know (from earlier posts no one replied to) is - has anyone tried the clear spray-on protector called ArmorCoat, as seen on Dream Car garage. Their results were outstanding (on the show)

 

[mdbuffy]

Best to get install by an experienced installer. X-Pel has a competition of their installers at SEMA. A guy from Calgary won as the best X-Pel installer last year and maybe someone in your area has won or placed in this competition.

The 3M product is great and the X-pel kit is IMHO one of the better kits. However, none of the kits cover the leading edges of certain parts of certain cars and it appears that rather than using a bit of extra material, the kits try to minimize the material used..i.e. no complete wraps of certain body parts leaving them exposed to stones.

 

[cobrar1339]

I have done the clear bra thing on 6 cars. I always work with the installer on them and have done some easier kits myself. Here is what I have learned.


FYI Xpel makes the patterns only.

The patterns can be use to cut what ever film you want. If your installer has the ability to cut the patterns in his shop, you have found a higher volume installer.

The software also allows for the person cutting it to add material to the original pattern. This allows for a wrap of the edges. They will charge more for this and it is not insignificant. The extra time to wrap the edges is where it adds up. The software change is a new feature this year.

That said, if you have a light color car it will show more dust/dirt in the edge of the film line. I would advise that a wrap be considered where possible and it would make sense. Rear fenders, the area under the rear scoop, etc.
If you have a Tungsten car, Black car you won't even notice it. The light colors could use this. I like the protection but really hate this part. I have a Machine Silver Z06 and it's invisible. On the White GT you will see the lines when it gets dirty. I clean the lines with a Q-tip and some Plexus Plastic Spray cleaner. Did I mention how much I hate cleaning the lines. To be fair, you won't notice it from 8' away. People do say I can be a bit too anal retentive.

You might also consider doing the Fender Wells on the Clam itself. It's just raw carbon fiber, so it will get rock chips over time. I thought this was a good investment, especially if you have sticky tires on a track day.

I also like to to do the top leading edge of the roof. It seams to be an area prone to chips on other cars.

The painted stripes on our cars have a raised edge. The bra material will not be perfect here as it cannot make that sharp of a bend. But it does not look obvious or bad.

some folks like to do the rear bumper as well, I guess the diffuser kicks stuff up can can chip the under side. I did not do this. I heard about it after I did mine.

Since I plan to track the car once in awhile, I also did the bra over the stripes on the side up to the edge line on the door and into the front fender. After driving through some water on the street I could tell where rocks may fling. I used the water spots as a reference point. I had also noticed cars with noggies in the stripes in my search for some used cars.

3M - I have this on a couple cars. They are over 3 years old and the product has been updated since then. Both have yellowed. One car sits outside most of the time. The other is in the garage and only has 6k on it. The protection is great and has paid for itself IMO. Sacraficial Barrier.

This was all that was out a few years ago. The orange peel matches the orange peel in the factory paint jobs on many cars.

The installers like this film and the new Avery film as it is a tad thicker, but also softer feeling and easier to install in complex areas than Venture. It is clear coated so it has some protection.

Venture - This stuff actually makes paint looks better than the orange peel on many cars. Makes you want to wrap the whole car. It has more orange peel than the GT has but it is the best of the majors IMO. Again the installers don't like doing some complex areas with it. Venture has patterns like Xpel for high end installers. These patterns may differ. Installers may tell you that Venture does not have a clear coat and requires more maintenance. Many only recommend the Plexus on this film. I believe it looks better than the Avery and 3M on the GT or other cars with super nice paint finishes. I think some installers would rather do it with 3m for the ease of install and try to get you to lean that direction. Some will charge more for a Venture install.

A good installer will have acess to all the patterns available. When he downloads the pattern he pays a fee to the pattern makers. Look closely at these and you will see differences. The cutter does not care which film it is cutting. So you can pick and choose patterns from Venture, Xpel and others. Example: One pattern for the nose wraps the lower flat area of the radiator opening. Another does not.

Installers are now starting to get come comebacks from the Lifetime Warranty days over the yellowing issues. many have reduced the warranty limits. The installer that did my first car will not re-do it for free as his warranty states, he wants me to fork out the cost of the material. This is in writting and I even kicked him some work. Ask up front and even then beware. The last 5 cars are from a different guy.

All the Mfg's recommend Plexus Plastic cleaner and polish spray to maintain the film. It works pretty good. Some say you can wax it, but note not to use a wax with a pigment. On light color cars I would just use the Plexus product.

Can you do it yourself, yes. Do you want to?, maybe. It's takes a full 8 hours with two guys to do a GT nicely with some extra wraps.

 

[EA40]

Just chiming in here a few years after your posts. I just bought a Tungsten GT and am considering X-Pel to protect the paint.

Would you all STILL recommend the product?

Any issues you've seen since you had it applied?

 

[GKW05GT]

Have full fenders, hood, rockers,mirrors, grill area,rear rocker, headlights,door sills everything Xpel offers in GT patterns. Very satisfied was done by professional installer who came to my house. Was very diligent reworked some areas 2-3 times until perfect 6 to 7 hour process but invisible since most seems fall in panel lines.Total cost Atlanta $1600.
Worth the price to have a proffesional in my opinion

 

[GT Venum]

I have been installing paint protecting film for about 4 years now and the patterns and film from Xpel are one of the best if not the best in the industry. I would make sure that you have the newest film installed called Ultimate.