Full Vehicle Clear Protection Wrap - Cost?

[Zermatt]

Im taking delivery of my 2018 M3 in a month and would like to do a full clear protection wrap. I would love to get some input:

1. For those who have done it, how much have you paid? (thus far Ive received two quotes for $7,995 in Xpel Ultimate and Suntek which seems really high)

2. Would love to hear feedback and pictures of those who have done it - especially if someone has a pic of a full wrap on Tanzanite or tips on what to look for when deciding on an install shop.

3. My M3 will be my DD which means a lot of snowy passes, often. Seeking thoughts on going through car washes with a full wrap? (I know the best is only to hand wash but this is after all, a removable paint protection film. I can live with negligible imperfections on the PPF but I dont want it to look like crap after a few years either)


**Quote Update:
Ive received a few additional quotes from reputable Xpel authorized dealers. Lowest at $4.8k and highest was $7k. Most common price point was $~5k. Ironically the couple quotes from Seattle shops yielded surprisingly poor customer service. I called each a couple of times to ask questions and was really surprised at the poor experience I received. Definitely got the impression they are very busy and didnt have time to invest in my inquiries.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

I?m shopping around currently. That price sounds right honestly for full wrap. It?s a lot of work, doors and body panels may even have to come off to get full wrap around of the panels. I?m only having front bumper, fenders, hood and roof and it?ll be a little over $2k. The more curves and edges, the more difficult the install.
I?d invest in a pressure washer and rinse it down yourself but stay a few feet away when rinsing and don?t point directly at any PPF edges or it might pull it up.

[Eric S]

At 8k, that's a custom install for your car and will likely look amazing. A kit install would be in the 5-6k range depending on where you are located. Location plays a roll as shop one might be $2per sqft vs shop 2 at $0.49per sqft.

Factors that are not considered when pricing a PPF install that need to be considered:
super cheap = kitted, not going to replace ugly looking installed film, lower quality film, no support moving forward, not going to remove trim and some parts, not going to polish prior to enhance the gloss and depth of the paint that will show through the film
expensive cost = custom wrapped, you may not even notice, but the hood may have been redone a couple times, or the bumper receives a tighter fit and finish, the doors wrap all the way around, certain things get removed for a cleaner install, the paint is polished prior to the install, the film install looks better all over, the film quality is better, custom trimmed, etc.

Depending on your budget, either will protect your car better than not having it done. Its the little things that stand out with the custom vs kit end of things. Most shops have their price for what they need to perform the given job at hand. If you go in asking for a deal, expect to receive that kind of install.

ex:
guy walks in, asks for a price, gets one for 1500
guy then asks for a $300 discount.
Owner agrees to it at 1200.
Now the hood install doesn't look so good, but the client asked for a discount to the point where the owner of the shop has no room to rip it off and redo it in the budget. Guy is stuck with the hood as is. Had the retail number been paid, there is room in the profits to remove that hood and redo the film install without the client ever knowing. Its little things like this situation that most people do not take into consideration when asking for a price.

Just like going in for window tint and asking for the best price possible. Sure there are $100 tint jobs, but you can be assured it will turn purple fast, there will be tons of dirt in the film, and the shop will not remove and replace it because "you got a deal, we lose money if we have to redo things". Now, that $350 price sounds a whole lot better doesn't it to know that you have the support of the shop to go back, remove the tint piece, and redo it before you pick it up.

[shiv.nandak]

From personal experience, i am going to say that a full wrap is not worth it. If anything, get it wrapped in high impact areas and call it a day. I paid $2700 to wrap the entire hood, bumper, front fenders, under door rocker panels and rear vent panel. I had doubts if this was worth it until i was forced to drive for 20 mins over a gravel road. Also, i have had a rock penetrate the wrap and chip the paint when a challenger decided to do a burnout in front of me at a traffic light

Also, as a side note - i never wrapped my M4 and drove it an entire winter through salty roads/ snow storms. I found just two chips on the front bumper.

[OF Hero]

Originally Posted by shiv.nandak

From personal experience, i am going to say that a full wrap is not worth it. If anything, get it wrapped in high impact areas and call it a day. I paid $2700 to wrap the entire hood, bumper, front fenders, under door rocker panels and rear vent panel. I had doubts if this was worth it until i was forced to drive for 20 mins over a gravel road. Also, i have had a rock penetrate the wrap and chip the paint when a challenger decided to do a burnout in front of me at a traffic light

Also, as a side note - i never wrapped my M4 and drove it an entire winter through salty roads/ snow storms. I found just two chips on the front bumper.

Agree with this. More cost effective to just clear bra the high impact areas. But that price for a full wrap sounds about right.

It's like going to a tattoo artist...you get what you pay for. If you're serious about wrapping the whole car I wouldn't try to save a few bucks and instead focus on the shop that is most reputable, has worked on Ms before, lots of experience, etc.

[Clark_Kent]

It's hard to say if that price is "reasonable". To Eric S' point it will depend on the shop. I've received quotes from different shops in my area and the prices were all over the place.

Anyhow, IMHO I don't think it's worth it to wrap the entire car. As mentioned by others I would wrap the high impact areas and stop there. It's certainly personal preference and you'll hear as many people for it as against it.

[Detailers Domain]

Full wraps would run between $7k and up, depends on the installer and how crazy you want to go with wrapped edges etc. remember you do get what you pay for. also make sure you feel comfortable with the installer, go visit the shop, check his installs out.

[Woodengun]

I've got 71k miles and can tell you there is no surface that can't be hit by road debris. Shark fin antenna? Ha! Scratched within first 10k miles. Carbon fiber roof immune? Nope. Chipped the leading edge.

Most of the scratches/damage would have survived with no or little observable damage if the car was wrapped in ppf. There are several spots on the front that would have been damaged regardless.

The value of complete car wrap is yours to decide. In general, the more and faster you drive, the more risk of road debris damage. The damage can occur on any surface. The front end is the most likely but no surface is immune from road debris damage.

[DrunkTyrion]

i just finished wrapping my in xpel clear with matte finish full car for 5k. he told me if i wanted to do the door jams then it would be around 6-7k in total.

[Zayzel]

Xpel "Certified" installers seem to run around the same prices - all depends on labor rates per shop. I got my full front (included CF Splitter and CF lip/hood, rocker panels, and 4 doors done for 3k. Ultimate would have run 5500/6k I believe.

[Bruce_SC]

I would actually disagree with those that say a full wrap is not worth it. I have two clients that have special color BMWs. One is an individual F80 M3 in Atlantis Blue. We wrapped it in Xpel Ultimate and he loves it. Its insurance for him.
The other is a Frozen Red M3. This customer wrapped the whole car in Xpel Stealth and then we coated the film. They have also been extremely happy with the decision to wrap the full vehicle. Again, insurance against damage.

Bruce

[snowmuch]

Wow that's crazy prices. Here in Calgary Canada is around 5K Canadian for a full car wrap (custom). I think you can save money by ship the car here get it done and ship it back and still save over 1k

[Zermatt]

I just got a quote from a shop using Llumar which Ive heard about for window tint but not for Paint Protective Film.

Anyone have any experience with it or have heard feedback on it?

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by Zermatt

I just got a quote from a shop using Llumar which Ive heard about for window tint but not for Paint Protective Film.

Anyone have any experience with it or have heard feedback on it?

Seems like everyone is selling PPF these days. I would go with what's tried and true. Suntek Ultra and Xpel Ultimate seem to be the favorites. I've heard excellent things about ClearGuard Nano as well but have no personal experience with it.

[Vectors2final]

Llumar and Suntek are owned by a company called Eastman

With that being said, Suntek lays the best on the paint as compared to expel in my opinion. Xpel has a lot of orange peel on the film.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Xpel and Suntek are tried and true. Clearguard Nano seems up on the rise.

[cryptz]

I paid 6700 for full xpel plus lip and spoiler. I have a black saphire metallic car and it looks flawless. I have only quick detailed it since October 2016. I don't drive it in the rain etc but I have never had such an easy time maintaining one of my cars. I went full car because I expected a contrast to be visible over time.

[guess2098]

4500 full clear bar in El Monte, CA. Choose the brand you want as the material is not that expensive.

[kerkiraios00]

I did my car a few months ago full Suntek Ultra 6k.. He tucked and rolled every seam, you can't tell it's wrapped.. I had my E90 M3 partially wrapped just the front and I hated it made my paint look dull.. idk maybe it was the install a different shop did it.. The F80 is crystal clear..

[shamshir]

Hey Zermatt, your inbox is full.

The answer to your Q is yes, the side mirrors are auto-dimming and heated, and they fit perfectly in my 2016 M3. And Cars245.com was great.

[jacobhorn]

Have you tried Eastside Auto Salon? In my experience, Ben @ EAS is by far the best and most reasonable PPF installer in Seattle/Bellevue area. I’ve had three cars, including my 2017 M3 Comp protected here, and am completely happy with the quality, service, cost, and warranty. Let me know if you have any questions, as Ben (the owner/installer) is now a friend, and may be able to offer you preferred pricing for your M.

Cheers,
Jacob

Originally Posted by Zermatt

Im taking delivery of my 2018 M3 in a month and would like to do a full clear protection wrap. I would love to get some input:

1. For those who have done it, how much have you paid? (thus far Ive received two quotes for $7,995 in Xpel Ultimate and Suntek which seems really high)

2. Would love to hear feedback and pictures of those who have done it - especially if someone has a pic of a full wrap on Tanzanite or tips on what to look for when deciding on an install shop.

3. My M3 will be my DD which means a lot of snowy passes, often. Seeking thoughts on going through car washes with a full wrap? (I know the best is only to hand wash but this is after all, a removable paint protection film. I can live with negligible imperfections on the PPF but I dont want it to look like crap after a few years either)


**Quote Update:
Ive received a few additional quotes from reputable Xpel authorized dealers. Lowest at $4.8k and highest was $7k. Most common price point was $~5k. Ironically the couple quotes from Seattle shops yielded surprisingly poor customer service. I called each a couple of times to ask questions and was really surprised at the poor experience I received. Definitely got the impression they are very busy and didnt have time to invest in my inquiries.

[DrivingPassion]

So, how do polish and wax the car after the ppf is applied?