PPF for G20: XPEL vs 3M vs None?

[bimmer21k]

Is it worth spending money on paint protection, my car color is black and I havent seen PPF films in action in any of my friend's cars so wondering if it is really useful? Do we have to take any special care of the vehicle after applying the film, would mechanical car washes be ok?

Which one is better compared to XPEL and 3M for partial protection? Are both of them robust? Both are similarly priced, xpel seems to be cheaper by about 100 bucks.

[alex2364]

Depends if you care about paint chips on your bumper and hood. If it's something that would bother you then get it. If you decide to get it, the key is finding a quality installer. There is an art to it and there has been horror stories about scratching the paint and bad installs.

[ScottyRyan2019]

I have had PPF put on several of my cars over the years due to the sand and road debris from Minnesota winters. It is a huge benefit. I am also a fan of XPEL over 3M.


You can find XPEL's care instructions here. https://www.xpel.com/care


I just use a quick detailer on mine with a sealant and it looks like new.

[sanch8]

I got XPEL installed on the full front (did not want a visible line of PPF going across the hood) along with door cups and a luggage strip. I got it for peace of mind, knowing the paint is protected.

Find a quality installer and make sure they wrap around the edges where possible.

Besides protecting the car from stone chips, it makes it easy to maintain the paint since you no longer have to worry about minor scratches and swirl marks.

[hockeymen14]

Originally Posted by sanch8

I got XPEL installed on the full front (did not want a visible line of PPF going across the hood) along with door cups and a luggage strip. I got it for peace of mind, knowing the paint is protected.

Find a quality installer and make sure they wrap around the edges where possible.

Besides protecting the car from stone chips, it makes it easy to maintain the paint since you no longer have to worry about minor scratches and swirl marks.

What did this cost? I'm surprised that I'm getting quoted upwards of 2k+ for a professional install covering the bumpers, hood, a pillars and mirrors. Seems excessive to me.

[sanch8]

Originally Posted by hockeymen14

What did this cost? I'm surprised that I'm getting quoted upwards of 2k+ for a professional install covering the bumpers, hood, a pillars and mirrors. Seems excessive to me.

CAD 1,700 + tax. My BMW dealer gave me a better quote than this but i went with another detailer that could do both film and ceramic coating. I didn't get A pillars done.

[pneumodoc]

I’m in seattle, where everything seems inflated in price. i looked around and really liked Eastside Auto Salon when I met them, even though they weren’t cheapest. I’m paying the following:

Paint correction: 300-400 (they said likely less since new, will see it today)
Xpel full front, door cups, side mirror: 1800
Modesta BC04: 1600

[sanch8]

I paid another CAD 900 for the Ceramic Pro Silver. My detailer was nice enough to not charge me for paint correction even though the paint on my brand new car was far from perfect. Getting the coating and film together saves the detailer time/labor in terms of car prep so they should give you some discount.

[DocB]

I vote none. Just wash and wax regularly.

[pneumodoc]

FYI just picked up my black sapphire metallic with xpel full front and Modesta BC-04 and 35% tint-it’s fantastic. For those in Seattle, east side auto salon was great.

[WXdrivefun]

From the reviews online is Xpel Ultimate has like 10yr warranty. I'm planning to get mine with Xpel. Like others have said, it is also about the quality install process shop, google reviews/yelp reviews help too.

[hockeymen14]

So I got my m340i back from a high end PPF/tint/detail shop in the Tampa Bay area. Ended going with Xpel ultimate for the PPF and 30% tint all around and 70% windshield and sunroof with Xpel prime XR Plus. I did the bumper, full hood, headlights and mirrors. My only gripe is that the cerium grey on the front bumper is a different material then the mirror caps. They used matte on the bumper and gloss on the mirrors as the matte on the mirrors looked horrible. Overall it looks great but for those that can't stand it doing PPF on the mirrors comes with a sacrifice. The PPF ran me $1250 and the tint was $1000. More then I wanted to spend but you get what you pay for. pics are after her first foam bath this evening. Enjoy!

[johnnyg238]

Originally Posted by hockeymen14

So I got my m340i back from a high end PPF/tint/detail shop in the Tampa Bay area. Ended going with Xpel ultimate for the PPF and 30% tint all around and 70% windshield and sunroof with Xpel prime XR Plus. I did the bumper, full hood, headlights and mirrors. My only gripe is that the cerium grey on the front bumper is a different material then the mirror caps. They used matte on the bumper and gloss on the mirrors as the matte on the mirrors looked horrible. Overall it looks great but for those that can't stand it doing PPF on the mirrors comes with a sacrifice. The PPF ran me $1250 and the tint was $1000. More then I wanted to spend but you get what you pay for. pics are after her first foam bath this evening. Enjoy!

🤬a grand for tint!?! W. T. F.

[hockeymen14]

Originally Posted by johnnyg238

🤬a grand for tint!?! W. T. F.

Agreed

[SpaceGhost]

Xpel headquarters is here in San Antonio. They want $1900 for a full front. They do offer 10% off for military, first responder, etc. Tint is $699 for top of the line. $399 for 2nd tier carbon ceramic. They also have a proprietary ceramic paint coating they just released. Not sure of the price on that. Local independent installers are a bit cheaper. We had an independent installer do my wife's car but they did a subpar job. I think I will probably go straight to the source for my M340.

[BMWm340ixC1X]

8000 for xpel ultimate (ppf)/ xpel XR (tint)/ pro ceramic gold (ceramic)

[TTG]

Originally Posted by johnnyg238

🤬a grand for tint!?! W. T. F.

Originally Posted by hockeymen14

Agreed

+1 He just got ripped off.

I am all for PPF and got Xpel's latest film this time around and did my own ceramic coating: A: Bec I know how to do it, B: paying $1K plus for something that is so easy to apply is a rip off. I used Quartz 3.0 and very happy with it.

There is also Stek Dynoshield that is incredibly shinny and looks super good. I have it on an other car. But after seeing the results from the latest Xpel ultimate, I am so glad I did not pay for extra Stek.

Xpel recently significantly improved their computer cuts. The PPF and coverage that was installed on my F10 summer of 2016 is so much different than what was just applied on my M340. The new version of the film (much shinnier) + their new and improved computer cut is no brainer. The whole installation appears almost to be seamless.

Also, I opted for not applying ceramic coating on PPF knowing what it does to application pads afterwards. I don't want something on my PPF that will harden and compromise its self healing properties. Yes, this is up for debate and there are other coating options for PPF but hitting the PPF covered areas with Car Pro Reload does the trick just fine. What exactly is the point of protecting something designed to protect anyway......another rip off designed to get you by today's detailing hype.

Bottom line, get a good PPF and call it a day & do your ceramic coating, yes it is that easy.