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It is smaller than the dimensions it covers, and it is supposed to be stretched during application. Hang on, I'll post a vid...
EDIT: here ya go.. https://youtu.be/1pFBLCsN3K0
For how much you paid and the ease of installation, I would say the downside can be tolerated.
I'm in Canada and bought the OEM 3pc front end clear film kit from a local guy. This one is made by Scotchguard 3M, but I DON'T recommend it because the fender pieces don't fit perfectly.
You can see the gap in the below pic, and no, I couldnt get that part perfect without the top V part overhanging. I was thinking WTF, this is OEM, its supposed to fit. Not good.
I'm in Canada and bought the OEM 3pc front end clear film kit from a local guy. This one is made by Scotchguard 3M, but I DON'T recommend it because the fender pieces don't fit perfectly.
You can see the gap in the below pic, and no, I couldnt get that part perfect without the top V part overhanging. I was thinking WTF, this is OEM, its supposed to fit. Not good.
In Canada, they charge $275 for this kit, lol.
Thanks for posting up the results, you actually want to cover those edges since that's what prone to chipping most of the time
I'm in Canada and bought the OEM 3pc front end clear film kit from a local guy. This one is made by Scotchguard 3M, but I DON'T recommend it because the fender pieces don't fit perfectly.
You can see the gap in the below pic, and no, I couldnt get that part perfect without the top V part overhanging. I was thinking WTF, this is OEM, its supposed to fit. Not good.
In Canada, they charge $275 for this kit, lol.
Yeah... those OEM pieces are not 3M's patterns - they are made by an independent 3rd party. How'd you like the film?
Yeah... those OEM pieces are not 3M's patterns - they are made by an independent 3rd party. How'd you like the film?
The film is great; thick and very strong, but if it isnt 3M, isnt that a misrepresentation? Im quite surprised. Ive always liked Lexus and this is my first one, but all these little disappointments Im noticing, from misfitting accessory items, crappy pedal positions, early rust, and needlessly high dealer servicing costs, ive made up my mind that I will trade it in once the warranty ends next spring.
The film is great; thick and very strong, but if it isnt 3M, isnt that a misrepresentation? Im quite surprised. Ive always liked Lexus and this is my first one, but all these little disappointments Im noticing, from misfitting accessory items, crappy pedal positions, early rust, and needlessly high dealer servicing costs, ive made up my mind that I will trade it in once the warranty ends next spring.
Pretty confident that the OEM program uses 3M Pro Series Paint Protection Film (although not sure how current their version is - 3M made some exciting changes around May/June). The sticker indicates the film, but not necessarily the pattern design.
There are a lot of independent companies that may make their own patterns for specific uses.
Here's a picture of mine when the car was delivered to me! The first couple of pictures are from when the shop first installed the Xpel kit. The last picture - I brought the car back to them to have it lowered and sealed with Ceramic Pro nano coating.
Sorry to dig this up, but couldn't find another thread on clear bra + 3rd Gen IS. Did you say you put Xpel on and *then* sealed over it with ceramic pro??
P.S. I ordered a pre-cut cut kit from invisiblemask.com. Have only done the front bumper, so far. I would grade myself a 9/10. One tiny finger that is unnoticeable, otherwise it was edge to edge. It takes some patience, and I did practice laying down a bit of film from a $20 roll of 3M off Amazon. I would recommend that little bit of extra practice ahead of time - it goes a very long way.
All in all, I'm very happy, since all-in for the front-third of the car (fenders, hood, bumper, side mirrors + free door cups and door edge guards) costs $700 for this vehicle. The range of quotes I got locally were $2100-$2400. If you want to go to a rock bottom installer working out of their garage, probably get it for $1400. 2-3x markup (or more) is not worth the marginal improvement getting it done by a pro (assuming they'd even do a good job...).
FWIW, there is the option to repurchase the same kit at 40% of original cost if you choose the 10% insurance at checkout. I did choose that, but honestly I am happy with the results. With this install under my belt, if I chose to do the install over again, it would easily be 9.5/10, and still wildly cheaper than having it done by someone else. Like I said, just do your research and practice a little with a cheap roll of film off the internet. You can flash your ECU with the savings
Or you can just save all your money ($2,000?!) and not get this at all. I don't understand the logic in such films unless you are regularly racing on the track or drive behind other cars on gravel roads. Cars are meant to be enjoyed. You can't do that with plastic all over the front half of the car. Reflection is dulled and you can see the lines. And after you remove it years later, the part that is uncovered dulled and faded at a different rate than the covered part. You should see my friend's corvette I just ripped the film off. His car looks hideous now. =(
Or you can just save all your money ($2,000?!) and not get this at all. I don't understand the logic in such films unless you are regularly racing on the track or drive behind other cars on gravel roads. Cars are meant to be enjoyed. You can't do that with plastic all over the front half of the car. Reflection is dulled and you can see the lines. And after you remove it years later, the part that is uncovered dulled and faded at a different rate than the covered part. You should see my friend's corvette I just ripped the film off. His car looks hideous now. =(
I had Xpel on a Subaru BRZ for over 3 years (full front end). Edges were tucked so you couldn't see the lines, it was ceramic coated after installed so there was no "dull" look to it, and by the time I sold it in there wasn't a single stone chip on the front. Yes it was expensive, but I think I recouped much of the cost in resale value. This time I only did the front bumper of the IS (mainly because it's a lease), but it doesn't have a single mark on the front end. Something I'm pretty OCD about. To each their own though right?
I had Xpel on a Subaru BRZ for over 3 years (full front end). Edges were tucked so you couldn't see the lines, it was ceramic coated after installed so there was no "dull" look to it, and by the time I sold it in there wasn't a single stone chip on the front. Yes it was expensive, but I think I recouped much of the cost in resale value. This time I only did the front bumper of the IS (mainly because it's a lease), but it doesn't have a single mark on the front end. Something I'm pretty OCD about. To each their own though right?
Yeah I say this every time E46CT says that, but he is old school about PPM (; Xpel is totally worth it to me. It has already saved my bumper from 3 major paint chips.
Or you can just save all your money ($2,000?!) and not get this at all. I don't understand the logic in such films unless you are regularly racing on the track or drive behind other cars on gravel roads. Cars are meant to be enjoyed. You can't do that with plastic all over the front half of the car. Reflection is dulled and you can see the lines. And after you remove it years later, the part that is uncovered dulled and faded at a different rate than the covered part. You should see my friend's corvette I just ripped the film off. His car looks hideous now. =(
I'm not sure how much, if any, UV-protection these films have. By design, it's an ultra-thin clear coat laid over polyurethane. They accept coats of wax just like regular clear coat, so the usual paint maintenance should be enough to protect from sun damage. Or in other words, I would expect any fading to happen uniformly, regardless of areas that have film on them.
On a side note, regular car care should be enough to prevent any fading, whatsoever, on modern cars. Clear coat tech has improved greatly since the days of Turtle Wax. I honestly can't say I've shared your friend's experience. I've had XPEL on my other car for 5 years, now, and the vehicle literally still looks brand new. (This time, I went with 3M Pro Series, since I did the install myself, I've heard it's easier to do than XPEL - it's also cheaper).
I'm not sure how much, if any, UV-protection these films have. By design, it's an ultra-thin clear coat laid over polyurethane. They accept coats of wax just like regular clear coat, so the usual paint maintenance should be enough to protect from sun damage. Or in other words, I would expect any fading to happen uniformly, regardless of areas that have film on them.
On a side note, regular car care should be enough to prevent any fading, whatsoever, on modern cars. Clear coat tech has improved greatly since the days of Turtle Wax. I honestly can't say I've shared your friend's experience. I've had XPEL on my other car for 5 years, now, and the vehicle literally still looks brand new.
It used to be that PPF didn’t have UV protection, but because of the yellowing problem, they started adding protection into the manufacturing process. They have added a clear coat to the PPF itself. This is why XPEL and most of the other companies offer a 10 warranty now and that warranty includes yellowing of the film. Will it actually last that long? Maybe, maybe not, but once again you have warranty if it doesn’t. I just seal and wax the PPF the same way I do my paint with the same Chemical Guys products (Jet Seal is awesome) and that should take care of any worries of my PPF yellowing.
