PPF Expectations

[evlsmurf]

I live near Albany. Unfortunately, there is another XPEL installer in town, but their work is even worse...if you can imagine that. I am waiting for a response from the installer to see if they are even truly willing to replace all the pieces again. If not, I'm going to get a refund and figure something else out. Fortunately, right now the paint is protected and some parts are pretty good. The hood actually looks great. Some pieces have debris, but you can't even see them unless you get in close and really look.

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[Clark_Kent]

I live near Albany. Unfortunately, there is another XPEL installer in town, but their work is even worse...if you can imagine that. I am waiting for a response from the installer to see if they are even truly willing to replace all the pieces again. If not, I'm going to get a refund and figure something else out. Fortunately, right now the paint is protected and some parts are pretty good. The hood actually looks great. Some pieces have debris, but you can't even see them unless you get in close and really look.

See my previous post. XPEL isn't the only game in town. STEK and SunTek are viable options. I've used them both and they're just as good, if not better, than XPEL. Of course installer skill is paramount, but you have other options available to you.

 

[evlsmurf]

See my previous post. XPEL isn't the only game in town. STEK and SunTek are viable options. I've used them both and they're just as good, if not better, than XPEL. Of course installer skill is paramount, but you have other options available to you.

I will look into that as well. Unfortunately, for being a state capital, Albany area is not the best for vehicle modifications.

 

[Clark_Kent]

I will look into that as well. Unfortunately, for being a state capital, Albany area is not the best for vehicle modifications.

Fair enough. I suggest being thorough in your due diligence of the next shop, should you go in that direction. See their work in person is the first step. Pay no attention to photos on FB or IG. Those photos don't tell you how well they lay film, it only tells you the types of cars they work on which is a proxy for nothing. An owner of a Brabus G Wagon or a LaFerrari can have poor attention to detail and be ok with substandard results. Ask questions about their approach to applying film, be clear on which sections will be wrapped and which will not, do they use pre-cut patterns (if so, for which areas of the car), are they disassembling the car to hide edges, for the areas that are not wrapped what do they do to ensure the film edge is as close to the termination point as possible, are they scoring the film while it's on the car, should you expect trash under the film even if minor, etc.

I've mentioned this in a previous post, but it bears repeating: With respect to the reputation of a shop, checking reviews and seeing their work in person is one thing, but it's also good to know how they resolve disputes. I would venture to say 95% of ratings and reviews are predicated on happy path. You need to know how they react to exceptions, or when things go wrong. You can find this out by asking them directly and/or talking to their customers. It's not beneath me to hit someone up on Google reviews who left a 3-star rating and try to unpack what happened. That will tell you much more than a rack of 5 star reviews or the permutations of "I won't let anyone touch my car but these guys!" Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[evlsmurf]

Thanks for the thoughts Clark_Kent. I have not heard back from the dealer today what the plan is. If I don't by the end of the day, I am going to move on and ask for a refund.

 

[Brittania]

Oh man, thats pretty bad. I have a feeling those guys aren't going to produce much better work even in a NASA level clean environment. Maybe scout out some highly rated installers within a 4 hour drive and see what you can setup with them, then ask for a full refund from the original installers. I'm not even sure I'd want those guys removing the current PPF.

I originally posted in this thread being sympathetic to the installers, but based on those photos I can't sympathize with anyone who allowed work of that quality to go out the door.

You deserve to be very satisfied after spending 3k on your brand new car.

 

[evlsmurf]

The difficult part about going somewhere a distance away is the car needs to be left for days. It's not an overnight process. Plus, if there are issues after I get it back, I'd have to do it all over again. Maybe PPF just isn't in the cards for my car.

 

[Clark_Kent]

The difficult part about going somewhere a distance away is the car needs to be left for days. It's not an overnight process. Plus, if there are issues after I get it back, I'd have to do it all over again. Maybe PPF just isn't in the cards for my car.

It doesn't need to be left for days. That's typically what they tell you because they're managing workflow. I had my FL5 done same day and I waited for it. I had a fair amount of film applied as well. I got there early morning and left late afternoon. If you have special circumstances, the great shops will accommodate. There may be issues that pop up after, but that's the risk you run going out of area. Look the car over really well before you leave and ensure they do the same. Ah, this enthusiast life.

 

[CTR]

Another option - get a refund and have a reputable shop remove it but not reinstall it.

I opted to not PPF my car and have only found one rock chip in over a year of driving. It's not a requirement like a lot of people make it out to be. In many cases after a few years it can look worse with the film lifting and dirt getting under the edges. If you find someone who is good at painting getting your bumper resprayed after a few years of driving could be a better route to go.

 

[MooMoo]

Yeah thats not great. All you needed was pics to convince us all that you are not crazy

Oh you are in Albany. Probably "the works?". I am down in the catskills and looked into going to Albany for ppf, I guess glad I did not. You are right for a "big-ish" city Albany does not have good car related shops, its a damn shame. Id def see if they can fix it. I bet you they have someone in that shop that does good work but they probably put a rookie on it, you complained so they now are going to be making less money so they are gonna want to keep you happy instead of yet again have you come back.

 

[MooMoo]

It doesn't need to be left for days. That's typically what they tell you because they're managing workflow. I had my FL5 done same day and I waited for it. I had a fair amount of film applied as well. I got there early morning and left late afternoon. If you have special circumstances, the great shops will accommodate. There may be issues that pop up after, but that's the risk you run going out of area. Look the car over really well before you leave and ensure they do the same. Ah, this enthusiast life.

I think depends on the shop, some shots have like a couple people and tons of business in smaller cities (I think major cities they can turn cars around much quicker cuz they its easier to find ppl to work). And also yeah as you mentioned if you need to get some triming done or a finger or 2 fixed or anything, traveling for it is a huge pain in the ass.

 

[evlsmurf]

MooMoo, I did not go The Works. I've seen their work and it's even worse.

So, I dropped the car off this morning. They really want to make it right. The PPF is being redone tomorrow when there is no traffic in the shop. They owned how bad it was. They are going to redo the bumper, fenders, side skirts, and one headlight. I spoke directly with the two guys who will be doing it. They said if they see any other pieces with debris, they will do those too.

 

[FL5Frank]

Your bumper sag / gap is going to grow now from all the tugging and pulling

the gap from headlight to bumper to fender

 

[menikmati]

Your bumper sag / gap is going to grow now from all the tugging and pulling

the gap from headlight to bumper to fender

Oh, the humanity!

 

[evlsmurf]

Your bumper sag / gap is going to grow now from all the tugging and pulling

the gap from headlight to bumper to fender

You think?

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