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      02-20-2015, 09:49 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335BOY View Post
Havent tried any. I hate seeing that line and i love the idea of waxing my car , not plastic. Like plastic on your couch IMO. I think I'm pretty much alone here though.............
What lines? Thats so 1990s- I got the entire hood, front bumper, front side quarter panels and EVEN THE BMW CF FRONT SPLITTER and headlight covers done for $ 1200
I see NO lines except in the edges where it bends- and that is minimal and has already saved me a quite a few nicks over 4 months of ownership. I35 from Austin to San Antonio- hell all the way to Dallas is just one huge line of rock trucks supporting all the construction and houses being built. It is a must around here and absolutely no one can tell you even have it on.
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      02-20-2015, 02:07 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by ft1330 View Post
Also they cut into your paint when installing, trust me. I don't care what they say. I was looking over the XPEL guy shoulder at the Porsche of the Main Line dealership, and they go right over the paint with an Exacto knife. He said he was careful... Yeah right.
Some shops use bulk stock cut from a roll and trim by hand the way you describe. I'm not comfortable with that either. Others have invested in a plotter which pre-cuts the material to fit with no hand cutting...or almost none. That's what these guys appear to be doing:

http://blog.xpel.com/2014-bmw-335i-m...a-san-antonio/

Xpel has a huge library of patterns, but access to those is built into the installation cost. Just bring money.
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      02-20-2015, 03:06 PM   #25
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I went one year without and when I did the M sport front bumper I decided to get it. I got the full hood so there is no line and bumper. Can't tell its on there and yes you can wax it. If you go 3M get the pro which is their top line. Xpel is great as well and don't discount Suntek which is another good brand.
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      02-21-2015, 06:13 AM   #26
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Xpel or 3m is the way to go.
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      02-21-2015, 06:36 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ft1330
Installers are asking crazy prices, which I thought was absurd for a piece of plastic. $1,200 for a front hood is just not making sense to me. Do I have chip rocks, hell yeah. Do I want to spend $1,200 just for a bumper.......... I don't think so. For $500 I would say yes. But XPEL ain't that cheap. Also they cut into your paint when installing, trust me. I don't care what they say. I was looking over the XPEL guy shoulder at the Porsche of the Main Line dealership, and they go right over the paint with an Exacto knife. He said he was careful... Yeah right.
+1 same reason I'm terrified of getting my roof wrapped, I hate those knifes!!
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      02-21-2015, 07:28 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ft1330
Installers are asking crazy prices, which I thought was absurd for a piece of plastic. $1,200 for a front hood is just not making sense to me. Do I have chip rocks, hell yeah. Do I want to spend $1,200 just for a bumper.......... I don't think so. For $500 I would say yes. But XPEL ain't that cheap. Also they cut into your paint when installing, trust me. I don't care what they say. I was looking over the XPEL guy shoulder at the Porsche of the Main Line dealership, and they go right over the paint with an Exacto knife. He said he was careful... Yeah right.
Then you had an idiot installer. Most installers (professional ones) get the paint protection precut on a machine, then apply it to the car.

And, my whole front bumper, splitter, headlights, and mirrors will be about $400.
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      02-23-2015, 12:24 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snj49er View Post
Some shops use bulk stock cut from a roll and trim by hand the way you describe. I'm not comfortable with that either. Others have invested in a plotter which pre-cuts the material to fit with no hand cutting...or almost none. That's what these guys appear to be doing:

http://blog.xpel.com/2014-bmw-335i-m...a-san-antonio/

Xpel has a huge library of patterns, but access to those is built into the installation cost. Just bring money.
I'm aware of that. The Porsche guy also had the machine with templates. But the precut pieces do not fit perfectly (it doesn't run all the way to the edges). That's because they have to leave some leeway for stretching and other variables of installation. So you're stuck between having areas that are not covered due to the precut template, or having someone cutting into your clear coat with a knife. At the end of the day I left it alone due to the crazy cost though. I might revisit the issue later but I would have to get an installer that is going to remove ALL trim pieces and wrap the film around edges. Bottom line: major PITA.
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      02-23-2015, 12:27 PM   #30
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Wrapped edges is the only way to go. Also any seam will be collection point for dirt. On my white car, you can practically see the outline of the clear bra in black due to the dirt that accumulated.
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      02-23-2015, 03:10 PM   #31
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Im a victim of a shitty installer, had suntek film not wrap to the edges...good thing its the film is very clear
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      03-10-2015, 09:38 AM   #32
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This thread has been helpful and whether or not to apply a clear bra has proven to be a tough decision. I'm picking up my glacier silver 435i at the end of the month, and there is a shop near me that offers Premium Shield and Xpel. Lifetime warranty, etc. This is their site: http://www.drivenperfection.com/paintprotection.html

Their standard installation covers the leading edges of the hood and front fenders (25% - 30% Coverage), the side mirrors and the entire front bumper. It is about $600 for my car for the Premium Shield. I'll have them quote the Xpel. I'm just nervous about how it is going to look over time, but I can't stand chipping from the highway. I plan to keep this one for a while (famous last words).

What to do...what to do.
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      03-10-2015, 09:45 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abinder99 View Post
This thread has been helpful and whether or not to apply a clear bra has proven to be a tough decision. I'm picking up my glacier silver 435i at the end of the month, and there is a shop near me that offers Premium Shield and Xpel. Lifetime warranty, etc. This is their site: http://www.drivenperfection.com/paintprotection.html

Their standard installation covers the leading edges of the hood and front fenders (25% - 30% Coverage), the side mirrors and the entire front bumper. It is about $600 for my car for the Premium Shield. I'll have them quote the Xpel. I'm just nervous about how it is going to look over time, but I can't stand chipping from the highway. I plan to keep this one for a while (famous last words).

What to do...what to do.
I feel your pain! I am incredibly anal about things like my car. I had a clear bra on my Audi S5 (Venture Shield). Some kind of object hit my hood, created a tear in the clear bra, and chipped the paint underneath. Obviously I would not expect a clear bra to protect my car from this kind of incident but what made it worse was how the tear in the bra looked over time. Dirt got into it and made the impact area look even larger than it was.

I dont think there is a right answer here, positives and negatives with and without clear bra. For this car, I have decided to go naked and repair any rock chips with something like dr. colorchip. Probably much cheaper in the end.
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      03-12-2015, 08:12 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tboooe View Post
I feel your pain! I am incredibly anal about things like my car. I had a clear bra on my Audi S5 (Venture Shield). Some kind of object hit my hood, created a tear in the clear bra, and chipped the paint underneath. Obviously I would not expect a clear bra to protect my car from this kind of incident but what made it worse was how the tear in the bra looked over time. Dirt got into it and made the impact area look even larger than it was.

I dont think there is a right answer here, positives and negatives with and without clear bra. For this car, I have decided to go naked and repair any rock chips with something like dr. colorchip. Probably much cheaper in the end.
You have more tolerance than me.
Whenever I get a rock chip or scratch I go to the body shop for repair.
The thought of seeing a scratch or dent every time I get into my car would destroy my psyche. It is usually a $400-500 experience but the car comes back looking perfect.
I do have a bottle of touch up but my attention is immediately drawn to the defect and bothers me.
Total OCD
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      03-12-2015, 08:51 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Damon44 View Post
You have more tolerance than me.
Whenever I get a rock chip or scratch I go to the body shop for repair.
The thought of seeing a scratch or dent every time I get into my car would destroy my psyche. It is usually a $400-500 experience but the car comes back looking perfect.
I do have a bottle of touch up but my attention is immediately drawn to the defect and bothers me.
Total OCD
I am with you about OCD. Believe me I have a totally tortured mind that gets fixated on things like dents and paint chips. On my Audi I scrapped the front bumper on the underside while exiting a gas station. You could only see the scratches if you purposely looked under the car. Of course I had to get it repaired immediately! That being said, I've tried to mellow a bit in my old(er) age. Sometimes I am able to control it but other times my OCD totally consumes me and drives me nutty!
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      03-12-2015, 04:15 PM   #36
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Speaking of tears in the film, some films are better than others in respect to this. Here's a test done by someone on another forum meant for paint films and tints:
http://www.tintdude.com/forum/index....f-orafol-xpel/

Although it's a bit old (about 1.5 years), it gives you a decent indication of how well a film would perform against penetration to the paint by high speed objects. Unfortunately it doesn't have results on some of the newer films like 3M Scotchgard Pro Series...

I'm torn between Xpel Ultimate & 3M Pro Series for my new car when I get it (Alpine White). Anyone have experience with either products, especially on white cars? Xpel Ultimate has been out for a longer period of time and the 3M Pro Series came out last year.

Last edited by DrifterX; 03-12-2015 at 04:21 PM..
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      03-12-2015, 06:23 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tboooe
I had Expel and Venture Shield on my previous cars. Both worked well, without any yellowing. I was able to apply G Techniq sealants on it. That being said, I decided to not do it on my current car. My reasoning aside from laziness is that for the money spent on installing a clear bra I could just get any chips fixed or components re-painted. I think either approach is sound. Also, even though I did have protection, a large enough rock did penetrate the clear bra and chip the paint so in the end I would have had to repaint anyway.
Plus 1...here in the Boston area, a good installer charges $800-$1000 for xpel (just bumper and partial hood). You can repaint the front 2X with that kind of money
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      03-13-2015, 12:14 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ska///235i View Post
Plus 1...here in the Boston area, a good installer charges $800-$1000 for xpel (just bumper and partial hood). You can repaint the front 2X with that kind of money
Yes you can repaint, but in between paint jobs you have chips. LOL.. Also once you repaint a car, the finish is never as durable. Every repaint I have had chipped way easier than a factory paint job.
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      03-13-2015, 01:36 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dippydo
Quote:
Originally Posted by ska///235i View Post
Plus 1...here in the Boston area, a good installer charges $800-$1000 for xpel (just bumper and partial hood). You can repaint the front 2X with that kind of money
Yes you can repaint, but in between paint jobs you have chips. LOL.. Also once you repaint a car, the finish is never as durable. Every repaint I have had chipped way easier than a factory paint job.
I agree
As much as I want a clear film...cant justify the $800 cost here
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      04-07-2015, 05:31 AM   #40
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Picked up my F33 Friday. They quoted venture sheild for the front and partial good for $650. I don't want the good because you can see the line over time. They offered to just do the front bumper/fenders and side mirrors for $350. I decided to go for it since I can't take chips/road rash. The film is precut and they wrap the edges. Please let me know if I should think twice - I'm doing it on Saturday. Car is glacier silver. In f'n heaven right now btw. First bmw.
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      04-07-2015, 11:39 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abinder99
Picked up my F33 Friday. They quoted venture sheild for the front and partial good for $650. I don't want the good because you can see the line over time. They offered to just do the front bumper/fenders and side mirrors for $350. I decided to go for it since I can't take chips/road rash. The film is precut and they wrap the edges. Please let me know if I should think twice - I'm doing it on Saturday. Car is glacier silver. In f'n heaven right now btw. First bmw.
Sounds cheap...the installation is more important than the film

If they do a clean job then go for it...
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      04-08-2015, 12:51 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abinder99
Picked up my F33 Friday. They quoted venture sheild for the front and partial good for $650. I don't want the good because you can see the line over time. They offered to just do the front bumper/fenders and side mirrors for $350. I decided to go for it since I can't take chips/road rash. The film is precut and they wrap the edges. Please let me know if I should think twice - I'm doing it on Saturday. Car is glacier silver. In f'n heaven right now btw. First bmw.
I have it on my 3rd BMW. My new car is GS. Do it. No harm to the car and you never even know it's there.
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      04-08-2015, 01:04 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abinder99 View Post
Picked up my F33 Friday. They quoted venture sheild for the front and partial good for $650. I don't want the good because you can see the line over time. They offered to just do the front bumper/fenders and side mirrors for $350. I decided to go for it since I can't take chips/road rash. The film is precut and they wrap the edges. Please let me know if I should think twice - I'm doing it on Saturday. Car is glacier silver. In f'n heaven right now btw. First bmw.
300-350 is about average for the bumper and mirrors. I still strongly suggest getting the full hood to avoid the lines. To me it was worth every penny. Also makes one more part I don't have to clay and polish. LOL...
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      04-23-2015, 12:43 PM   #44
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hey everyone,

I just joined this forum today so I am new. I would appreciate your reply and suggestions in the future Thanks in an advance!

From what pro installers have told me, it seems to me that he differences in paint protection films is all about Pro's/Con's. Increasing one characteristic may lessen another. There is no perfect film and is all about deciding which film is appropriate for you and your car.

I got my BMW M4 installed with Xpel Ultimate (full front coverage) a year ago and the film is very durable, i drive on the PCH and California freeways and do not see any rock chips or scratches. Will update more.

Here are the photos

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...0513626&type=3
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