Great price for all that work. +1 on the cQuartz not needing wax. They recommend a spry polish (very little needed).

 

nice! I will be looking forward to seeing the pics of the finished product.

 

My hood is done in one pce with XPEL and goes around the edges. When I asked the owner about the process he said that they cut all their patterns in house using car specific patterns and that their software allows them to modify any pre-done pattern....for ex. they could add 1/2" all the way around or whatever else they want to change. No stretching required.


Dave

 

Don't know if you have Lemon Fresh Pledge in the US, but it's available as a household general purpose household polish that seems to work very well!


Wish I could get Plexus Plastic cleaner and Polish in the UK at a reasonable price ;-(

 

My installer mentioned that the largest roll of Xpel is 1-2 inches narrower than needed to cover the hood without stretching. That was last year. Maybe it has changed.

 

....I didn't check that; but my Xpel wraps the hood and they said they used a template without stretching.... They had two CNC type machines with the material on a roll; one looked to be about 48" wide, the other appeared to be much wider....maybe 7' - 8' ? I'll check and dig into it more when I go back there to see if they can wrap the P7 surround.


Cheers,
Dave

 

At 7-8', it sounds like they came out with a wider roll.

 

Yeah, either that or;

a) I'm full of crap 'cause I wasn't paying complete attention

b) the rolls weren't XPel (though they said they were).

.....so I'll double check when I'm there. I'm getting too old to be considered a reliable source! LOL.

Cheers,
Dave

 

No worries. If the option exists not to stretch, that would indeed be preferable.Let us know.

 

X-Pel full F-Type in Toronto 5K, took 2 weeks job to be done.

 

Will do. I gotta get off my butt: have to go to the wrappers for a chat, weigh my car for the weight thread and get started on the grill swap.....

Cheers,
Dave

 

I had my coupe wrapped with xpel ultimate. Cost around 5k ... Every single edge is wrapped without seams. This has been more than worth it. Can drive the car without worry and the xpel actually makes it easier to keep clean. You don't have to worry about swirls.

 

1. As far as Xpel vs Suntek, I had originally had my V6S coupe wrapped with Xpel Ultimate in the front: bumper, complete hood, A-pillars, rocker panels, rear view mirrors. Within a year, I had a scratch from someone in a parking lot. This made me wrap the rest of the car. I went to a different detailer the second time who does both Xpel and Suntek. Attached is a picture (not my car) comparing Suntek (top panel) and Xpel (bottom panel). Up close the Xpel is a bit grainier and less smooth. From a few feet away, I can't really tell the difference. I did wrap the rest of the car: D pillars, doors, rear benders, rear bumper in Suntek.

2. The hood should be one piece without seams.

3. You should ask for edge wrapping in all places possible to avoid seeing seams/lines.

4. Make sure the detailer does a thorough paint correction removing all swirl marks before the wrap. Otherwise any paint defects are always going to show up.

5. If you add a hydrophobic coating, such as Opticoat, Cquartz, or Modesta, it should go over the clear bra (xpel or suntek). I did Modesta over the Xpel the first time. Second time, I did Cquartz over the Suntek. The water sheeting is great. Cquartz and Modesta really add a nice glossy finish to the whole thing.

Hope this helps.

 

My car is to be finished today. Will see if I can get a few photos depending on pick up time.

 

Would you please elaborate about what "edge wrapping" is? How is it different from what they normally do?

 

It means the wrap extends around the edges and to the underside of all panels, wheel wells, etc. Many installers stop the wrap flush with edges without wrapping around them. It's a much easier installation.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I will ask about that.

 

Well, picked my car today and looks great except for the hood. Detailers first f type and he admittedly struggled with it. There are air bubbles under the film he said will dissapate after a few weeks in the sun. He said he would replace it if I wasn't satisfied, but was not confident of outcome for full hood and suggested a free redo with partial. I didn't really want partial. He said to hold balance of payment (50%) until it smoothes out. Did any of you have issues with full hood? It also does not extend to far corners where it meets A pillars. A small triangle is not covered. Cquart and xpel looks great on rest of car. Not sure what to do other than wait. There is only one other certified xpel installer in my area.

 

Unfortunately inexperienced installers will struggle with this hood. I would call the other shop in your area and ask how many F Types they have done.

Unfortunately if you take the improperly applied film off the hood, he still owes you CQuartz coating on that panel after whoever does the replacement.

 

The bubbles will disappear over time. It will take about a month. Do not attempt puncture or push on them with your finger. The bubbles are from excess installation fluid and are normal unless really large. This will happen frequently along the bend lines in the hood.