So Cal PPF installers and customer experiences

[drjazzsk]

Consolidating the info will be great. I haven't used XPEL in a while but I would never use it again compared to STEK, which has a hydrophobic layer already built in so ceramic coating it would be a waste, IMHO. I just plan on CC my wheels and calipers. Hopefully as more Emira's get delivered we can get more info from owners out there what's being offered and and what price, and more importantly how the work looks afterwards.

 

[T6061]

Posted this in the main PPF thread but meant to post it here:

Booked Winston into PFS in Santa Ana this coming Wednesday and had a couple of questions answered by Jason that may be of interest. They remove the badges and lettering and reattach with a template and 3M adhesive on top of the film. They do wrap the sills/vents and if they have a template to follow for the black plastic surround around the shifter they will wrap that. We discussed windshield protection but in discussing my sensitivity to optical distortion (I'm a long-time amateur photographer) Jason suggested passing on it. He said the distortion is not bad but some people notice it more than others and with only a one-year warranty he didn't think it made sense for me (the PPF of course has a ten-year warranty). Likewise, the interior ceramic coating they use only offers a one-year warranty and can be applied to all surfaces except Alcantara. Once again, given the modest warranty vs. the expense we decided to pass. I may just try to find something to apply to the interior myself. Full Vehicle Wrap is $6,800 (Expel Ultimate Clear) with Fusion Plus Ceramic Coating on top of the PPF for $600 (Bronze Package) and wheels off Fusion Plus Ceramic Coat on wheels/calipers for $600 for a total of $8k plus tax. They said they will need the car for 5 days. Will keep everyone posted on the results...gratuitous shot of Winston below...

 

[Balboa]

Has anyone else besides me had their car wrapped yet? I did full wrap of Xpel 10mil at One-of-One in San Diego ($7125) Love the look and happy with the work except for the relief-cut 'triangles' they left bare behind the side air vents. Has anyone else encountered this

? I heard it's in the template and one other forum member said he had the same. If you do full wrap please LMK how your installer handled this. It's not terribly visible unless you really look for it but Im worried about uneven discoloration/oxidation 8yrs from now in SoCal sun! BTW shine is out of this world and makes lines dance - especially over Nimbus

 

[Tobiasz17azs]

That’s what I wanted to see how installers deal with back quarter panels . My installer wanted to take vents out and do seem less job but we don’t know how to take them off . Please guys share pics how yours sides looks like it

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Posted this in the main PPF thread but meant to post it here:

Booked Winston into PFS in Santa Ana this coming Wednesday and had a couple of questions answered by Jason that may be of interest. They remove the badges and lettering and reattach with a template and 3M adhesive on top of the film. They do wrap the sills/vents and if they have a template to follow for the black plastic surround around the shifter they will wrap that. We discussed windshield protection but in discussing my sensitivity to optical distortion (I'm a long-time amateur photographer) Jason suggested passing on it. He said the distortion is not bad but some people notice it more than others and with only a one-year warranty he didn't think it made sense for me (the PPF of course has a ten-year warranty). Likewise, the interior ceramic coating they use only offers a one-year warranty and can be applied to all surfaces except Alcantara. Once again, given the modest warranty vs. the expense we decided to pass. I may just try to find something to apply to the interior myself. Full Vehicle Wrap is $6,800 (Expel Ultimate Clear) with Fusion Plus Ceramic Coating on top of the PPF for $600 (Bronze Package) and wheels off Fusion Plus Ceramic Coat on wheels/calipers for $600 for a total of $8k plus tax. They said they will need the car for 5 days. Will keep everyone posted on the results...gratuitous shot of Winston below...

Thanks greatly @T6061 for all the detailed information about PFS. I'll be seriously considering them and look forward to hearing your feedback after completion. One question and I apologize if already answered: Are they working with pre-cut film which they will oversize to fully wrap the edges, or are they custom cutting the film? Also, have you discussed or did they mention this whole "relief cut" question that @Balboa has been dealing with?

 

[PsymonR]

Has anyone else besides me had their car wrapped yet? I did full wrap of Xpel 10mil at One-of-One in San Diego ($7125) Love the look and happy with the work except for the relief-cut 'triangles' they left bare behind the side air vents. Has anyone else encountered thisView attachment 43819View attachment 43820? I heard it's in the template and one other forum member said he had the same. If you do full wrap please LMK how your installer handled this. It's not terribly visible unless you really look for it but Im worried about uneven discoloration/oxidation 8yrs from now in SoCal sun! BTW shine is out of this world and makes lines dance - especially over Nimbus

There are similar relief cuts around the vents in the PPF I had installed by Topaz in the UK (who use their own templates as far as I'm aware), however they infilled the gaps with additional PPF rather than just leaving the paintwork bare in that area.

 

[Balboa]

There are similar relief cuts around the vents in the PPF I had installed by Topaz in the UK (who use their own templates as far as I'm aware), however they infilled the gaps with additional PPF rather than just leaving the paintwork bare in that area.

Could you post a pic?

 

[PsymonR]

Could you post a pic?

Having taken a close-up photo I can see that the infill isn't perfect (I definitely wouldn't have noticed otherwise), but in a way that helps show that it is indeed there!

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Thanks @PsymonR and @Balboa Can you measure the length of that cut out? Hard to determine scale in the close ups we've seen. And are you saying that at "normal magnification", say when you're standing next to the car, you can't see this? Because the close up photos are really concerning me. Like wouldn't you expect that over time, maybe even a short period of time, that edge is going to collect dirt and that V will become very visible? That would be my concern, is how visible is this now, and how visible could it become later.

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Ok, so I took a stab at compiling all the valuable information we have so far from our So Cal members on PPF into a spreadsheet, but until I figure out how to share a copy for us all to contribute to, I had to create this table (because it wouldn't let me attach a spreadsheet, and this is UGLY, the spreadsheet looks much better, promise!).

Shops Location Website Contact Films used Wrapped edges Badge/Lettering removal? Full wrap pricing Ceramic Top Coat Members using Elite Bra Huntington Beach https://eliteclearbra.com/ Craig XPEL Fusion Yes $6,995​ n/a PFS Santa Ana https://protectivefilmsolutions.com/ Jason XPEL Ultimate Yes Yes $6,800​ $600​ T6061 One-of-One San Diego https://oneofonesandiego.com/ XPEL Ultimate Yes Yes $7,125​ Balboa (10 mil)

. And for what it's worth, I just got an email this morning from Zach at Eurocar confirming that my car arrived at the port (but I already knew it arrived in Baltimore on 5/13 thanks to @Nova great tracking). He's seems more optimistic than I would be when he says they should have my car in 2 weeks. But if true, I'm now racing to make some decisions on PPF and see if I can get a shop scheduled to avoid as much of the wait as possible.

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

Just asked and heard back from Zach, Elite Bra has now completed at least one Emira and he of course said they did a great job. FWIW. But at least we know now that Elite has Emira experience.

 

[PsymonR]

Thanks @PsymonR and @Balboa Can you measure the length of that cut out? Hard to determine scale in the close ups we've seen. And are you saying that at "normal magnification", say when you're standing next to the car, you can't see this? Because the close up photos are really concerning me. Like wouldn't you expect that over time, maybe even a short period of time, that edge is going to collect dirt and that V will become very visible? That would be my concern, is how visible is this now, and how visible could it become later.

The relief cut is about 2½ inches long, you can definitely see it if you look for it but I don't find it obvious otherwise. How it will age with time I don't know, first time using PPF, but the lines of the car aren't simple so I can see why they have done it like that.

 

[Balboa]

Thanks @PsymonR and @Balboa Can you measure the length of that cut out? Hard to determine scale in the close ups we've seen. And are you saying that at "normal magnification", say when you're standing next to the car, you can't see this? Because the close up photos are really concerning me. Like wouldn't you expect that over time, maybe even a short period of time, that edge is going to collect dirt and that V will become very visible? That would be my concern, is how visible is this now, and how visible could it become later.

I want back to installer to discuss. It's definitely in the template (and Im not thrilled with it) They said if you try to do it in one piece (if it's even doable) it will probably end up lifting. Also they did my entire car in 10mil Xpel which has more impact resistance. They said maybe that panel could be done in 8mil but you give something up. I thought the 2 seams fore of the vent could have been better placed. At this point Im going to have the bare triangles ceramic'd and live with it. They're about 2-3 inches long. Also found 2 at the bottom of the back glass. These are very tough angles to work. If anyone is able to do without relief cuts I'd love to understand how. It really isn't noticeable with all these swoops and shadows unless you're really looking for it (and even then. only in direct sun at certain angles - where you can see on one side of the car but not the other- at least w Nimbus

). Not ideal. Mine was the 1st Emira they wrapped. Maybe some tricks learned down the road but I'm leaving well enuf alone. See pics - I included one where sun and angle allow you to see it

 

[seriously]

If it's any consolation it's almost impossible to see the side vent issue at any normal distance

 

[Blackthought_]

Can you guys post how the front bumper is completed with PPF? Are there similar relief lines? I would imagine so given the curves

 

[Balboa]

Can you guys post how the front bumper is completed with PPF? Are there similar relief lines? I would imagine so given the curves

Front 'pillars' have 2 seams and a hidden relief cut at the top

 

[Blackthought_]

Front 'pillars' have 2 seams and a hidden relief cut at the topView attachment 44068View attachment 44069View attachment 44070View attachment 44071

Thanks! Hard to tell but are there small sections that do not have PPF?

 

[Balboa]

Thanks! Hard to tell but are there small sections that do not have PPF?

Small thin relief-cut 'triangle' is naked. You have to bend down to see it

 

[T6061]

All I see is a good looking Emira!

Mine is going in today...it will be a daily. It's going to accumulate some wabi over time. If the PPF can blunt the little stuff I'll be ok...

 

[GrahamClark_60-68]

All I see is a good looking Emira!

Mine is going in today...it will be a daily. It's going to accumulate some wabi over time. If the PPF can blunt the little stuff I'll be ok...

I'm headed out to visit with Elite right now. Was going to swing by PFS on my way back as they are pretty close. What time do you expect to be there?