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M2 Technical Topics > Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash/Wax/Detailing/Exterior Restoration & Repairs) > Did you X-Pel or similar? Please vote!

View Poll Results: Did you apply paint protection film, or do you intend to?
Yes 110 73.33%
No 40 26.67%
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      02-09-2017, 11:26 AM   #1
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Did you X-Pel or similar? Please vote!

Hey guys, I know there are a ton of threads concerning paint protection around here and other forums, but I wanted to try and gather some statistics on how many M2 owners actually did apply paint protection film in the form of X-Pel or a similar product, or wholly intend to once their vehicle is delivered.

Note, this does not include paint protection coats like Opti-Coat.
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      02-09-2017, 06:28 PM   #2
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I did full Xpel wrap. To me, the fact that it doesn't get scratched every time of car wash is worth it. The towel they use is the devil...
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      02-09-2017, 06:36 PM   #3
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Got XPEL on mine. I think if you're planning on keeping your vehicles for a long time (like me) then a wrap is a must. Up front it might seem like a lot of money for a full wrap but you need to think of the long term benefits here. I also drive a lot so knowing that my cars are protected is something to not worry about.
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      02-09-2017, 06:43 PM   #4
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Got Suntek done on mine. Had the rest of the car Cquartz coated. Looks beautiful.
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      02-09-2017, 06:53 PM   #5
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I reside in singapore, and i use autozkin.

i used xpel for my c63 last time.after some time, the stains/watermarks cannot be removed.

check out autozkin here, not sure if it's available in the states.

http://www.autozkin.com/

watch the youtube demo.

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      02-09-2017, 08:42 PM   #6
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I got xpel ultimate on the front half plus doors and rocker panels, then the car got three coats of cQuartz.

Sitting in the garage avoiding rain right now but it turned out great. I'm really happy with how it looks, can't speak to the protection qualities yet obviously. Also got a light tint done to the windows 3M crystalline
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      02-10-2017, 12:41 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lukewayne View Post
I got xpel ultimate on the front half plus doors and rocker panels, then the car got three coats of cQuartz.

Sitting in the garage avoiding rain right now but it turned out great. I'm really happy with how it looks, can't speak to the protection qualities yet obviously. Also got a light tint done to the windows 3M crystalline
Where'd you get it done, if you don't mind me asking? I may be looking for an installer. Also curious about price if you're interested in sharing.

Thanks
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      02-10-2017, 12:43 PM   #8
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I got Xpel Stealth all the way around my MY 17 MG.
I did it primarily for the looks, but I definitely appreciate the protection. We have sand on our roads 5-6 months a year. I also like the thought of removing it in 6-8 years and having pristine paint.
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      02-10-2017, 06:28 PM   #9
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Is a paint protection film worth it on an Alpine white car? Will the edges look dirty over time? Will it yellow? Thanks!

That stealth wrap looks clean!
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      02-11-2017, 11:12 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jam3v View Post
Where'd you get it done, if you don't mind me asking? I may be looking for an installer. Also curious about price if you're interested in sharing.

Thanks
I had it done at Advance Auto Engineering in Cerritos. http://www.advancebra.com/


Pricing was competitive, although I didn't get apples to apples quotes as I changed my mind a few times about how much to get done. I also got slight price breaks for doing multiple things at the same time with the cQuartz and tinting. I think the xpel job alone was about 2200. His quotes were much better than the quotes I received from the other two near by Xpel approved installers.

Scott did a great job, and was very informative about his techniques. I believe he used the computer precut pieces for the bumper, front fender, and mirrors, and he used custom pieces for the doors, rocker panels, and behind the rear wheels for a little extra protection. the only visible seams are on the lower section of front bumper, and they are very hard to find. Custom cut pieces allow for less seams, such as on the doors he removed the handles to allow for a single piece, with no seam behind the door handle.

Here are some progress shots I got while waiting for the job to be done. Last one is an after photo from the day I picked it up.
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      02-11-2017, 06:04 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lukewayne View Post
I had it done at Advance Auto Engineering in Cerritos. http://www.advancebra.com/


Pricing was competitive, although I didn't get apples to apples quotes as I changed my mind a few times about how much to get done. I also got slight price breaks for doing multiple things at the same time with the cQuartz and tinting. I think the xpel job alone was about 2200. His quotes were much better than the quotes I received from the other two near by Xpel approved installers.

Scott did a great job, and was very informative about his techniques. I believe he used the computer precut pieces for the bumper, front fender, and mirrors, and he used custom pieces for the doors, rocker panels, and behind the rear wheels for a little extra protection. the only visible seams are on the lower section of front bumper, and they are very hard to find. Custom cut pieces allow for less seams, such as on the doors he removed the handles to allow for a single piece, with no seam behind the door handle.

Here are some progress shots I got while waiting for the job to be done. Last one is an after photo from the day I picked it up.
Thanks for all the info. I'll definitely look into this shop. How long did it take for him to complete that job?

Oh, and how do you get away with not having a front license plate in CA? I thought it was required.

Also, great showing in the poll. Thanks to everyone that took time to vote.
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      02-11-2017, 10:40 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lukewayne View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by jam3v View Post
Where'd you get it done, if you don't mind me asking? I may be looking for an installer. Also curious about price if you're interested in sharing.

Thanks
I had it done at Advance Auto Engineering in Cerritos. http://www.advancebra.com/


Pricing was competitive, although I didn't get apples to apples quotes as I changed my mind a few times about how much to get done. I also got slight price breaks for doing multiple things at the same time with the cQuartz and tinting. I think the xpel job alone was about 2200. His quotes were much better than the quotes I received from the other two near by Xpel approved installers.

Scott did a great job, and was very informative about his techniques. I believe he used the computer precut pieces for the bumper, front fender, and mirrors, and he used custom pieces for the doors, rocker panels, and behind the rear wheels for a little extra protection. the only visible seams are on the lower section of front bumper, and they are very hard to find. Custom cut pieces allow for less seams, such as on the doors he removed the handles to allow for a single piece, with no seam behind the door handle.

Here are some progress shots I got while waiting for the job to be done. Last one is an after photo from the day I picked it up.
I just picked up my car from Advanced Auto. He said that he has done 3 LBB M2's recently. I had the following done:

Xpel on front bumper, headlights and rocker panels - basically where my previous cars have shown the most wear. I also had 3M tint applied all around except windshield.

I highly recommend Scott and his team.
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      02-12-2017, 12:11 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jayg80 View Post
I just picked up my car from Advanced Auto. He said that he has done 3 LBB M2's recently. I had the following done:

Xpel on front bumper, headlights and rocker panels - basically where my previous cars have shown the most wear. I also had 3M tint applied all around except windshield.

I highly recommend Scott and his team.
Do you mind me asking how much you paid for all that and how long it took for him to do the work? No problem if not.

btw, no XPel on the fenders?
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      02-12-2017, 12:13 AM   #14
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I'm much more interested in something like opti-coat or cquartz. I'm a little leery of how a film will peel off in a few years. I have difficulty believing it won't either take off some paint or leave a residue that would be difficult to remove.
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      02-12-2017, 12:46 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jam3v View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayg80 View Post
I just picked up my car from Advanced Auto. He said that he has done 3 LBB M2's recently. I had the following done:

Xpel on front bumper, headlights and rocker panels - basically where my previous cars have shown the most wear. I also had 3M tint applied all around except windshield.

I highly recommend Scott and his team.
Do you mind me asking how much you paid for all that and how long it took for him to do the work? No problem if not.

btw, no XPel on the fenders?
I considered the front fenders but then I would probably want to do the hood. I didn't want to spend 2,000 to 2,500 and end up wrapping half of the car or more. I focused on the high impact areas of my prior cars. The total price was $775 for just the Xpel.

My last car was a preowned ISF and the front bumper, leading edge of the hood and mirrors were wrapped w protection film. It protected the car very well leading to a high resale value. What I didn't like was that the film was hand cut and was a number of pieces. Also, after 5 years with the number of pieces some edges started to peel.

The good news I was able to remove the hood and mirror pieces with zero damage to the paint in 5 mins.

Scott and his team did a killer job. You honestly can't tell it is even on the bumper from 5 feet. They also use a machine to cut perfect pieces and the front bumper is 90% in 1 large piece.

He had a Tesla there that had the hood and fenders fully wrapped and they wrapped the edges underneath so you don't see any edges.

I'm also going to do Opticoat but they will do nothing to stop the chips on your front bumper.
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      02-12-2017, 01:29 AM   #16
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Did the entire front of my car, rockers and expanded areas in front of the rear tires in Xpel. Living in AZ its a must, lots of rocks on the roads. Within 48 hours of having it put on I had a rock skip across my hood, put a little nick in the Xpel but didn't touch the paint. I was very happy to have spent the money when that happened.
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      02-12-2017, 03:55 AM   #17
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I didn't put any ppf. Debated it as my previous car had a bunch of chips on the bumper and hood. However I figured I'd rather spend that same money on track days and all the costly stuff that goes along with it (tires, pads, actual cost of hpde) I also figured that most of the chips on previous car came from track days not so much daily driving in my relatively well paved commute so I purchased Traktape to protect the front end of the car.

I'm glad with my choice. On track, I received a chip (that turned into a 12 inch crack) on my windshield and I have a chip on my passenger side door near the front. I was only planning on putting ppf on the full front. That wouldn't have done anything to protect the door and my windshield. Traktape or similar products are sufficient for me.

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      02-12-2017, 09:46 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rouxeny View Post
I'm much more interested in something like opti-coat or cquartz. I'm a little leery of how a film will peel off in a few years. I have difficulty believing it won't either take off some paint or leave a residue that would be difficult to remove.
I don't think it will take off paint as you have a factory clear coat on top. Although having PPF on car the paint will still degrade through out the years. If there is any residue left behind then a good detailer should be able to refresh the car and make it look better. Depending on what brand you use you may have to reapply PPF in the future as it can wear out. Having PPF doesn't mean no maintenance and there are products recommended to be used to maintain the look of the PPF.

Here is a thread I posted about PPF and coatings.

http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1315358
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      02-15-2017, 09:59 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jam3v View Post
Thanks for all the info. I'll definitely look into this shop. How long did it take for him to complete that job?

Oh, and how do you get away with not having a front license plate in CA? I thought it was required.

Also, great showing in the poll. Thanks to everyone that took time to vote.
I dropped off on a wednesday, and picked up on a sunday. the cQuartz is what added most of the time though, allowing some drying time between coats. also it was raining and I didn't want to pick it up when it was raining, so I offered him as much time as he wanted to complete it.

To the plate question.... Had it wrapped before receiving plates. I bought a us millworks to hook mount to try out. I'll probably install that today.
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      02-15-2017, 08:37 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DelGriffith View Post
I got Xpel Stealth all the way around my MY 17 MG.
I did it primarily for the looks, but I definitely appreciate the protection. We have sand on our roads 5-6 months a year. I also like the thought of removing it in 6-8 years and having pristine paint.

Great looking Car! Is yours a frozen paint or is that how the Xpel Stealth came out? I have a MG on order still deciding on what wrap to put on.

Thanks Sean
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      02-16-2017, 07:55 AM   #21
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      03-04-2017, 06:47 PM   #22
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For the 25 percent that didn't put a ppf on the front bumper you should. After 2k miles I have a shocking amount of rock chips. Definitely regret not getting ppf.
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