Clear Bra Lifting After 5 Days

[zhusuper]

I just got the front end wrapped with Xpel 5 days ago and some rain last night lifted a corner up from the bumper.
Just got in contact with the installer and he said it is not necessary to wrap around the bottom part of the bumper anyways and suggested trimming the lifted piece off.
Should I just let him trim the piece and be done with it and let him find time to reapply the film? Thanks!

[te37]

From what I remember from installing mine that section is a separate piece which can be easily reinstalled.
If it were me, I would rinse both the paint and the clear bra in some isopropyl alcohol wait 5 minutes for it to dry off then just stick it back down.

[Eric S]

you have a couple options:

use some 3m adhesive promoter - primer 94
Dry the area with compressed air
apply the primer 94 to the paint, let it tack up.
then push the film back down
should hold fine

cut it away

replace the piece as it is indeed a separate small piece and is quick and easy. If it was the whole bumper, different story.

make sure all edges are heated down before driving away. Xpel sticks pretty well, so 5 days later I'm surprised it lifted.

[AIRHEIR]

Uhh..no. That should not have happened. Had Xpel installed by certified installer and had car for 20K miles and nothing lifted. If you are starting to see this after only 5 days how well do you think it will actually hold up?

I would have the installer redo it till its to your liking. Just my 2 cents.

[ddas]

Just tell your installer to fix it. I can't see why this should be complicated for him.

[Mike991M4]

you paid for a service, take it back and have him do it right.

[zhusuper]

Originally Posted by Eric S

you have a couple options:

use some 3m adhesive promoter - primer 94
Dry the area with compressed air
apply the primer 94 to the paint, let it tack up.
then push the film back down
should hold fine

cut it away

replace the piece as it is indeed a separate small piece and is quick and easy. If it was the whole bumper, different story.

make sure all edges are heated down before driving away. Xpel sticks pretty well, so 5 days later I'm surprised it lifted.

The same corner on the other side has started to bubble up. The installer said redo that piece will cost him about an hour and a half. And he said that there is a lot of tension on that piece and suggest just trim down both side to have it not wrap around the edge.

[zhusuper]

Originally Posted by AIRHEIR

Uhh..no. That should not have happened. Had Xpel installed by certified installer and had car for 20K miles and nothing lifted. If you are starting to see this after only 5 days how well do you think it will actually hold up?

I would have the installer redo it till its to your liking. Just my 2 cents.

Is your bumper wrapped around the underside as well? The installer said that there is to much stress on that piece and that's what causing the lift

[Who's on first]

The time it takes him to correct a paid service is of no consequence to you.

[RickFLM4]

Get him to fix it properly - no reason to consider any shortcuts.

[jfritz27]

A friendly suggestion: While you're at it, also get your rear wheel fender arches covered NOW. You'll be kicking yourself (as I am now) in a year when you notice all the rash and are trying to touch it up. And the pre-fab Xpel kit that is available for the F80 is NOT designed to adequately address the entire vertical portion of the arch that is affected by rash (at least in its current form). You need your installer to do a larger custom piece (typically run up the front-facing aspect of the arch up to the horizontal crease, then cut in a diagonal that heads down/backward towards the "apex" of the wheel arch).

There are a couple threads floating around that discuss this (can't cite them off the top of my head).

[AIRHEIR]

Originally Posted by zhusuper

Is your bumper wrapped around the underside as well? The installer said that there is to much stress on that piece and that's what causing the lift

Yes it is tucked under

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

A friendly suggestion: While you're at it, also get your rear wheel fender arches covered NOW. You'll be kicking yourself (as I am now) in a year when you notice all the rash and are trying to touch it up. And the pre-fab Xpel kit that is available for the F80 is NOT designed to adequately address the entire vertical portion of the arch that is affected by rash (at least in its current form). You need your installer to do a larger custom piece (typically run up the front-facing aspect of the arch up to the horizontal crease, then cut in a diagonal that heads down/backward towards the "apex" of the wheel arch).

There are a couple threads floating around that discuss this (can't cite them off the top of my head).

Is this what you're referring to?
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=118

Also do you think the full front fenders need to be wrapped to? I'm thinking of just getting partial front fenders, the parts that face forward. Do the areas right behind the front wheels take a lot of abuse?

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

Is this what you're referring to?
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=118

Also do you think the full front fenders need to be wrapped to? I'm thinking of just getting partial front fenders, the parts that face forward. Do the areas right behind the front wheels take a lot of abuse?

Yes, that pic looks about right for the rears (hard to see exactly though with that glare). I haven't actually noticed major issues on the front. I think if you plan to track the car, it may be a good idea (I have not, yet), but if just for daily use mine seems to be holding up OK there.

[zhusuper]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

Yes, that pic looks about right for the rears (hard to see exactly though with that glare). I haven't actually noticed major issues on the front. I think if you plan to track the car, it may be a good idea (I have not, yet), but if just for daily use mine seems to be holding up OK there.

I actually got the rear extended but the piece is not as big as the one in the picture. If I'm going to the track I might just tape that area down

[starbai]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

A friendly suggestion: While you're at it, also get your rear wheel fender arches covered NOW. You'll be kicking yourself (as I am now) in a year when you notice all the rash and are trying to touch it up. And the pre-fab Xpel kit that is available for the F80 is NOT designed to adequately address the entire vertical portion of the arch that is affected by rash (at least in its current form). You need your installer to do a larger custom piece (typically run up the front-facing aspect of the arch up to the horizontal crease, then cut in a diagonal that heads down/backward towards the "apex" of the wheel arch).

There are a couple threads floating around that discuss this (can't cite them off the top of my head).

So this is how that rear fender should be protected?

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

Is this what you're referring to?
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=118

Also do you think the full front fenders need to be wrapped to? I'm thinking of just getting partial front fenders, the parts that face forward. Do the areas right behind the front wheels take a lot of abuse?

I would cover the entire front fenders. I can't recall which thread it was posted in but Bruce_SC's comments are spot as it relates to minimum ppf coverage. He said he would get as much film as you are comfortable paying for. With the minimum recommendation being the full front clip and possibly rocker panels.

I would also suggest the luggage kit in the rear, door cups and a custom strip behind the rear wheel well. This is what I went with on my current M3 and will do the same on the next one. I have no regrets.

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by ddas

Just tell your installer to fix it. I can't see why this should be complicated for him.

This. Installers make their money on their reputation. If my installer told me to "cut it off" I would blow a gasket. I had a tiny piece of dirt trapped under the Xpel on the lower bumper where you can't see it and when I noticed it my installer insisted that he re-do it. Needless to say, I recommend him highly to others.

Originally Posted by starbai

So this is how that rear fender should be protected?

Yes, that is the standard extra protection. This is a MUST DO on the F80; I honestly don't understand why the factory PPF was not extended even if this added a bit to the price of the car. The OE PPF is worthless. To be honest, I always go back and forth on whether to do PPF, but since I knew the fenders had to be done, I did the rest.

[Wo-Wo]

Originally Posted by Mike991M4

you paid for a service, take it back and have him do it right.

^ This - simple

[Stealthm4bcm]

What a shit install. Have them fix it.

[zhusuper]

Originally Posted by KevinM

This. Installers make their money on their reputation. If my installer told me to "cut it off" I would blow a gasket. I had a tiny piece of dirt trapped under the Xpel on the lower bumper where you can't see it and when I noticed it my installer insisted that he re-do it. Needless to say, I recommend him highly to others.



Yes, that is the standard extra protection. This is a MUST DO on the F80; I honestly don't understand why the factory PPF was not extended even if this added a bit to the price of the car. The OE PPF is worthless. To be honest, I always go back and forth on whether to do PPF, but since I knew the fenders had to be done, I did the rest.

The installer is quite reputable in the area and is always very busy. I would like to get this fixed as quickly as possible so I guess letting him trim if off is my only option. Does the underside of the bumper take any damage? If it doesn't, I guess it would be fine not to tuck the wrap under.

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by zhusuper

The installer is quite reputable in the area and is always very busy. I would like to get this fixed as quickly as possible so I guess letting him trim if off is my only option. Does the underside of the bumper take any damage? If it doesn't, I guess it would be fine not to tuck the wrap under.

What options did he provide you to remedy the situation? And yes, the underside of the bumper will take damage. Any painted surfaces not covered by film can and will take damage. In my opinion it's less of a concern since it's the underside of the vehicle.