aznkorboi

Interesting! So you would recommend a FULL wrap?

How often do you wash and wax your car? I'm worried about scratches and chips as well but man, a full wrap would be baller money. I guess if we are paying for a luxury vehicle, we can dish out a few more..

kitlz

I believe someone did a full wrap on their 3RX. Cost was over $5,000. If you've got the money...

Bearcat

I think the stuff is cool but you do lose some shininess with it. I personally could afford it but wouldn't want it.

Lubber

Wouldn't it be better to just save that full wrap money for a new paint job?

skiracer

Ya painting a hood or bumper isn't super costly, but still not cheap...

Mors

In the summer, i'll wash it every 2-3 weeks. Winter - I wash it when I can (texas winters are still cold where i'm at)
NOTE though: I work from home so it's not driven much. I have 6600 miles in 1.5 years that i've owned it. I take it out to lunch almost every day. On the weekends, we'll take the wife's car. I've driven it out of town a few times (300 miles back and forth)

I don't think I'd recommend a full wrap to anyone, because most people just get the front end done and that's what really needs protected. After having it and dealing with washing the car, etc....I think i'm going to do a full wrap on my next car. I do recommend the following (in order of preference:
Full bumper (bumpers are difficult. The installer will do their best to install it on every painted piece, but they won't install it on the plastic grill.
Full hood - don't dare do partial hood
Full fenders (the reason I say to do the fenders is because a wrapped hood may look a little different than unwrapped fenders if you get close enough.
Mirrors
A-pillars and partial roof

If anything - make sure and do the front end (full hood and bumper). That should save most, if not all, rock chips.

I have a black RX that I paid tons of money for (as we all do) so I wanted it to stay looking as best as it could while I owned it. A paint job might cost less in the end (before you sell it), but rock chips look like crap while you own it...so why not get a bra? I have absolutely no regrets getting it done. I have 0 rock chips from what i can tell. If i look very close, i may be able to see something, but even when I wash it, i can't tell.

As for the shininess, I don't really see a difference. My eyes are bad though

Make sure you get it done from a reputable installer. Xpel has good films. I'm pretty sure mine is Suntek. From what I read, 3M has had issues....they may have fixed them, but who knows.
Don't worry about yellowing. It may happen many years from now, but from what i've read, they seemed to have improved on that quite a bit.
Another note about the films, make sure you get quality films (self-healing, etc). Each mfr makes different kinds of films, so make sure you get the one you want. That may be why I don't see a difference in how shiny the wrapped part is vs the unwrapped

All i know (like I said earlier), it is SOOOO much easier to wash the wrapped part of the car. The mitt just glides across easily.
Side Note 1: don't ever let the dealer wash your car - I don't care if it's free
Side Note 2: don't ever take your car through a brushed car wash (the crap that's on the brushes will scrape your car and leave swirl marks).
Wash your car yourself...even if you go awhile between washes. If you're able to wash your car, do it yourself....especially if you have a dark colored car (blue, red, black, dark gray). Lighter colored cars hide the swirl marks better - they still get them...it's just harder to see).

I've learned alot from the Automotive Care & Detailing forum on here.

Pyt

Right on Mors. My installer recommended against a full wrap as well and basically said it wasn't worth it. For partial coverage, it's definitely more recognizable for dark colored cars so if you fall in this bucket, you should consider full. I do have partial coverage on my rear bumper that I can show if anyone's interested in seeing it.

Also, one thing to note about the PPF is there's always a possibility of some particle (dust or etc.) that may be visible after the installation. For my case, I have one on my hood and can be seen if you look at it up close. The metallic in the caviar does help mask it better.

hkbruin2

How bad is the scratch? Will a polish take it out?

Mors

I bet it wouldn't take much to get it out. Once the temp warms up here, I'll take it somewhere to get it cleaned up. It just bugged me because it's the first one I've had to deal with in this car and it's a long scratch.

Mors

yes. I have a small tear in my film somewhere (don't remember where right now). And there is a very small part where dust is stuck under there , but for the most part it's a good install.

aznkorboi

Thank you so much for the tips! WIll listen to you and have the following with xpel ultimate! Thanks!

sigp239

I have an appointment to have the full hood, bumper, lights, and mirrors done. I went to the Xpel website and found an authorized dealer. My concern is they use a combination of films and according to them it provides the best results. I know they use Xpel ultimate on the bumper, lights, and rockers, but was told they use Suntek on more visible areas like the hood b/c the film is clearer and easier to remove later if needed. According to the installer, both films are manufactured by the same company and both have the same warranty. I was told I could request all Xpel ultimate and they would make sure they only use Xpel. Any thoughts?

Bearcat

Unfortunately I don't have a Xpel dealer nearby and my Lexus dealer said that they only use 3M chip guard and that you can't do the front bumper with that. Is that true? They said they could only do hood, mirrors, and door edges. Is Xpel the only stuff you can do the whole bumper?

sigp239

Bearcat,

I just had the whole front end done by a local authorized dealer of Xpel and Suntek. They actually did Xpel on the bumper and Suntek on the hood, fender, and mirrors. Both brands had templates for the bumper. I know my installer did not speak highly of the 3M film! I would see if you have a local Suntek installer.

Bearcat

When you say the bumper, do you mean everything or just the body color part? or also the grill surround? I have an F Sport so there is a lot of lower stuff below the grill too.