Option on PPF install issues

[andrewng30]

Hello,

Just picked up my car yesterday from a very reputable auto detailing business in Houston.

But pretty underwhelmed with the quality of work done. They already said they will redo my hood at followup appointment but I wanted some opinions on other areas of the install.

I got full hood, front bumper, side mirrors and fenders covered. Looking at the edges, is it reasonable to ask for it to be redone and would it even help?

First 2 pics are of the side mirrors, you can see the seams on both mirrors are on the top and the gap huge.

Misaligned cutout for the side marker

Uneven edges under the headlights and in the bottom air ducts.

I am not sure what can be done for these other than having the entire film removed and redone.

[Eric S]

the kit install is not designed to be all the way to edges/touch the screens, etc

With that said, some of those areas just need a straightening trimming if you are after aesthetically appealing lines under the headlights. the mirror is maybe off 1mm (looks bigger in the zoomed in picture) so unless you do a custom one piece, it will get a tad better, but its very minor difference. the lower bumper can be trimmed straighter as well in the splitter area as its slightly misaligned. however, the bumper needs to be redone as you cant fix the reflector light alignment.

Without the reflector issue, a quick tidy up and you will be good to go. Or if you paid top dollar and for a custom one piece mirror with a 1 piece bumper with 99% coverage where the bumper gets dropped, screens get removed, kidneys removed, etc. then no you didn't get that (retail around $3200 for the front end). If you paid for a kit, you got one that just needs minor adjustments at this point.

Keep in mind, nothing is perfect, no ones install is perfect and the goal is paint protection, not paint perfection. If you look close enough, you will find issues with any and every single install. your paint is far from perfect to begin with...and that was painted in a 2 billion dollar facility!

[andrewng30]

thanks for the reply,

This is first time I have gotten PPF done and not sure what to expect. Trimming the edges seems reasonable.

The PPF was part of a package that included ceramic coating, interior coating, wheels all for around 4K so I assume a kit is reasonable for this price range.

There were other issues but like I said they said they will correct them so I will not bring it up here.

honestly if I do this again, I would either do a custom or forego the PPF entirely, I can't stand the edges.

[Eric S]

the edges is simply part of the game. If you forego the PPF altogether, you are going to be staring at 1000's or rock chips, which is worse.

The little nuances you see, the edges, are only visible if you are looking at it from 5 feet away. From 10 feet, you wont see them, BUT, your paint will be protected, which is the point of the film.

[MrSmartyPants]

I hate the edges too, especially on white, but the piece of mind that its protected outweighs that annoyance.

And for some reason this car picks up and throws lots of rocks. Being low it gets hit more too. PPF is smart if it's a keeper.

I don't think that your install is that bad. The reflectors are the most annoying thing. When I did mine I left the film solid and did not cut them out. Just added a little extra slip solution underneath and completely covered them. Looks awesome, no lines, no bubbles, no dirt.

[andrewng30]

honestly you cannot see any of the lines unless you are looking for it.

But once you know to look for it, it's like you can't not see it haha. I mean I guess it's why it's called detailing

[Alvinized52]

My entire car is wrapped with Xpel Stealth and Ultimate. I decided not to go to a shop that would rush the job because I wanted a clean job. Instead, I found a PPF installer in my area (SoCal ) who does not use precut patterns but is skilled in customizing Xpel Pattern. Just so you know PPF is harder to install then vinyl wraps, its of thicker material and requires a different skill set. My installer is an authorized Xpel installer that has his own cutter and familiar with our cars. He warned me that he takes his time because he makes his own pattern and also removes emblems, other removable parts, and tucks all the seams so they are hidden. The project took almost a month (partly because i left the country for vacation) but he did such amazing job even the dealer thought my car was an original Frozen color when I took it in for maintenance. I spent $5500 for Xpel Stealth (for main body painted parts ) and Xpel Ultimate (on headlights, all black trims, CF roof, CF Splitters, CF mirror caps, and other CF aftermarket parts). He even wrapped my door handles and black window trims. So it was well worth it because it was very very well done.

My point is.... A reputable detail shops doesn't necessarily mean they have good PPF installers. Most shops work with precut PPF patterns and rush the jobs in a day or so. Unfortunately, precut patterns for our cars are not good...as Im sure you know. So It all falls on the installer and specifically if he knows how to alter the precut patterns the PPF comes with. The shop will need to have the right software and PPF cutting machine to alter patterns. Though those seams are not that obvious now since its freshly installed, after a few weeks seam edges will harbor dirt and will show... unfortunately.

[Andrae26]

Originally Posted by Alvinized52

My entire car is wrapped with Xpel Stealth and Ultimate. I decided not to go to a shop that would rush the job because I wanted a clean job. Instead, I found a PPF installer in my area (SoCal ) who does not use precut patterns but is skilled in customizing Xpel Pattern. Just so you know PPF is harder to install then vinyl wraps, its of thicker material and requires a different skill set. My installer is an authorized Xpel installer that has his own cutter and familiar with our cars. He warned me that he takes his time because he makes his own pattern and also removes emblems, other removable parts, and tucks all the seams so they are hidden. The project took almost a month but he did such amazing job even the dealer thought my car was an original Frozen color when I took it in for maintenance. I spent $5500 for Xpel Stealth (for main body painted parts ) and Xpel Ultimate (on black trims and CF roof, CF Splitters/ mirror caps and other CF aftermarket parts). It was well worth it because it was very very well done. He even wrapped my door handles and black window trims.

My point is.... A reputable detail shops doesn't necessarily mean they have good PPF installers. Most shops work with precut PPF patterns and rush the jobs in a day or so. Unfortunately, precut patterns for our cars are not good...as Im sure you know. So It all falls on the installer and specifically if he knows how to alter the precut patterns the PPF comes with. The shop will need to have the right software and PPF cutting machine to alter patterns. Though those seams are not that obvious now since its freshly installed, after a few weeks seam edges will harbor dirt and will show... unfortunately.

I'm in SoCal. Who's your installer?

[Alvinized52]

Originally Posted by Andrae26

I'm in SoCal. Who's your installer?

Look up ClearBra Pro on YELP. His name is Peter. 1 (562) 810-8468
Tell him youre a friend of Alvin with the Silver M4.

[andrewng30]

so would. anyone have recommendations for custom wrap that's seamless in Houston?

[icegrill]

Looks pretty good to me for a kit. There's an installer on YouTube I think who explains that ppf should be looked at as not a permanent fixture of the car. It should be removed and reapplied after x years. I like this philosophy because I would never want to risk the razor cut marks so common with "custom" cut installs.

[bimmerboyE92]

If the film doesn’t overlap where it doesn’t belong, that’s not bad. They used a precut kit and charged you accordingly. As long as there are no finger prints or dirt, that’s how it is. The edges show more on white then any other color.

The photos you see of no edges, the installers remove the reflectors, lights, badging, black plastic trim, etc and put on the whole sheet and trim so that everything goes back in. But you pay accordingly. I had my entire hood done and contemplated removing the badge myself but ultimately didn’t bother. Can you see it, not really. It’s a driver and track toy. Purchased to enjoy and later sell when I have the balls to track a P-car.