Clear bra (XPel) seams and coverage examples needed

[gtaindetail]

Did the cuts around your front signals cover the entire painted surface or just taper off somewhere near the light fixture? (Lower front passenger side did not look like a perfect fit to my completely untrained eye).

I did not think to take a pic but am going back tomorrow as 1 section on lower front driver side needed to be reworked (seam with the front hood piece had pulled up in one spot leaving a 'hole' in coverage. Installer apologized, looked a little embarrassed and said he would fix it no problem. Rest of the car looked amazing...including seams beside stripes, the Ceramic Pro interior, exterior and wheels/lugs/calipers is on point.

Ya, a little lift can happen. We tend to keep cars a couple days after we complete the wrap so that if anything does come up we can address it, but on modern cars the consistency of the material you're adhering to can play a huge role - a lot of cars have uneven welds under the hood/inside the fender, etc. We try ti get very aggressive with our coverage and that can mean putting film in areas where there is a ton of tension. I guess the bottom line is, it isn't as easy as it looks, but your installer should definitely be able to address any concerns. Every guy I know how does PPF encourages clients to call them with any questions.

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[chitlins37]

Ya, a little lift can happen. We tend to keep cars a couple days after we complete the wrap so that if anything does come up we can address it, but on modern cars the consistency of the material you're adhering to can play a huge role - a lot of cars have uneven welds under the hood/inside the fender, etc. We try ti get very aggressive with our coverage and that can mean putting film in areas where there is a ton of tension. I guess the bottom line is, it isn't as easy as it looks, but your installer should definitely be able to address any concerns. Every guy I know how does PPF encourages clients to call them with any questions.

Cool thanks for the insight...I will post a couple of pics if pick-up of the car goes smoothly tomorrow. Would really love to get the insight of members here...esp on what the area around the fog lights (not turn signal) *should* look like vs. the pic I will post tomorrow

 

[Minn19]

I'm curious as to others hood install pics. I just stopped by to check on my car that is getting full front Suntek and Ceramic Pro done. It looks awesome, but I did have one disappointment. In the dip by the hood vent it looks like they had to overlay a couple of pieces of film instead of one solid piece. It isn't the biggest deal in the world to me as you cannot see it unless you are looking at close up. But, it did still bug me a little. I'll post pics this weekend when I get it back.

 

[gtaindetail]

I'm curious as to others hood install pics. I just stopped by to check on my car that is getting full front Suntek and Ceramic Pro done. It looks awesome, but I did have one disappointment. In the dip by the hood vent it looks like they had to overlay a couple of pieces of film instead of one solid piece. It isn't the biggest deal in the world to me as you cannot see it unless you are looking at close up. But, it did still bug me a little. I'll post pics this weekend when I get it back.

Im looking forward to seeing that picture. Are you sure they weren't in progress and hadnt trimmed away some excess film yet? "Layering" film is something that is extremely rare. The other alternative is they used a kit and you're seeing a relief cut. A relief is a section of the film that is trimmed away (usually in a triangular pattern) that removed the film from any high tension areas where it is prone to lift. That is very common when using pre cut kits.

 

[Minn19]

Im looking forward to seeing that picture. Are you sure they weren't in progress and hadnt trimmed away some excess film yet? "Layering" film is something that is extremely rare. The other alternative is they used a kit and you're seeing a relief cut. A relief is a section of the film that is trimmed away (usually in a triangular pattern) that removed the film from any high tension areas where it is prone to lift. That is very common when using pre cut kits.

Good questions and I don't know. They did say they had to trim up a few things. I'll post a pic this weekend.

 

[GTP]

Ya, a little lift can happen. We tend to keep cars a couple days after we complete the wrap so that if anything does come up we can address it, but on modern cars the consistency of the material you're adhering to can play a huge role - a lot of cars have uneven welds under the hood/inside the fender, etc. We try ti get very aggressive with our coverage and that can mean putting film in areas where there is a ton of tension. I guess the bottom line is, it isn't as easy as it looks, but your installer should definitely be able to address any concerns. Every guy I know how does PPF encourages clients to call them with any questions.

So true. Sometimes the head guy is training the new guy, and there can be a few problem areas. Perhaps that is what happened to the OP. I have put on a few small pieces myself, but I've only attempted small areas that are relatively flat, or else curved in one direction only. (For example, the circular film on my fogs are lifting around the edges. I think the shop didn't check them in the first day for adhesion.)

I'm curious as to others hood install pics. I just stopped by to check on my car that is getting full front Suntek and Ceramic Pro done. It looks awesome, but I did have one disappointment. In the dip by the hood vent it looks like they had to overlay a couple of pieces of film instead of one solid piece. It isn't the biggest deal in the world to me as you cannot see it unless you are looking at close up. But, it did still bug me a little. I'll post pics this weekend when I get it back.

For anyone that hasn't taken their car in for a full hood wrap, here is what works out great.

• Remove each hood vent yourself, being careful it doesn't scratch the raised hood once it is free.
• Then have the shop install the non-vent film design (=Ecoboost). And have them overcut the perimeter so that they can wrap it around the edges.
• Then they trim out the holes for the vents.
• They can also program the computer to overcut the vent pieces, and wrap them around the edges. The film really puckers on the underside, so they will need multiple relief cuts. But once the vents are reinstalled, there is no evidence of anything.

 

[gtaindetail]

For the hood and fenders we find it generally much, much easier to just do a bulk custom install. Hand cut reliefs are usually much tighter than the computer cut ones, and can almost be invisible when the hood is closed.

 

[Minn19]

Im looking forward to seeing that picture. Are you sure they weren't in progress and hadnt trimmed away some excess film yet? "Layering" film is something that is extremely rare. The other alternative is they used a kit and you're seeing a relief cut. A relief is a section of the film that is trimmed away (usually in a triangular pattern) that removed the film from any high tension areas where it is prone to lift. That is very common when using pre cut kits.

For anyone that hasn't taken their car in for a full hood wrap, here is what works out great.

• Remove each hood vent yourself, being careful it doesn't scratch the raised hood once it is free.
• Then have the shop install the non-vent film design (=Ecoboost). And have them overcut the perimeter so that they can wrap it around the edges.
• Then they trim out the holes for the vents.
• They can also program the computer to overcut the vent pieces, and wrap them around the edges. The film really puckers on the underside, so they will need multiple relief cuts. But once the vents are reinstalled, there is no evidence of anything.

I'm really happy with how it turned out. My only minor disappointment is how they did the hood around the vents. It looks like they didn't do it the way you guys were talking about. But, other than that it turned out really nice, I can't see seems unless I am really looking for them. As long as it holds up over the years I'll say it was worth the cash. With proper maintenance of course. Sorry for the crappy pics, but I haven't had time to do any better ones. Also the white mark on the hood is something from my camera and not on the car.

 

[Madigon]

There's a wrap place down the street in my area that does exotic cars all the time (so they can charge pretty much whatever they want) and their price for a full wrap is around $2500-$3,000 entirely custom.

For context. I think $2,000 for Ceramic Pro Gold and $2,500 for an expert PPF/wrap is nothing compared to the blood sweat and tears of polishing out bird poop, rocks, bugs, that 87 buick in the parking lot, and the local car wash joint.

 

[chitlins37]

Cool thanks for the insight...I will post a couple of pics if pick-up of the car goes smoothly tomorrow. Would really love to get the insight of members here...esp on what the area around the fog lights (not turn signal) *should* look like vs. the pic I will post tomorrow

Here are the results on the stripes and around the turn/fog light area I referenced…you can see the tiniest little air line on a small section of the left stripe:

 

[raceguy388]

Anyone get xpel done in front of the rear tires? My car came with the front end and part of the hood. I've heard the area in front of the rear tire can take a beating

 

[Shift]

Anyone get xpel done in front of the rear tires? My car came with the front end and part of the hood. I've heard the area in front of the rear tire can take a beating

I installed rock guards on the front wheel well. I don't have any chips on the rear quarter panel yet nearly 10,000 miles in. I passed on the small clear bra piece protecting that vulnerable spot because it looks unsightly.

 

[chitlins37]

Anyone get xpel done in front of the rear tires? My car came with the front end and part of the hood. I've heard the area in front of the rear tire can take a beating

I took mine back to go full wrap after noticing a new chip or two where the rear quarter panels flare. I also was constantly hearing pebbles/debris hitting the doors. Due to pick the car up in the next day or two. I can post additional pics to the thread if youd like?

 

[GTP]

I installed rock guards on the front wheel well. I don't have any chips on the rear quarter panel yet nearly 10,000 miles in. I passed on the small clear bra piece protecting that vulnerable spot because it looks unsightly.

+1

 

[Wine dude]

Just got a quote for full wrap XPEL $7000 and they need the car for 7 to 10 days

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