I applied Xpel Ultimate to the front side of the rear fenders on my 2006 V8V this evening. Took about an hour to do both sides.
Very easy to work with, patience is needed to keep working it until you work enough of the slip solution from behind it. Once you work it all out, very nice looking.
These two pieces were about $90. Xpel is quick to respond, process and ship.
Feel free to PM with questions.

 

Getting ready to do my headlights and am thinking about the front end kit... did you do extensive paint correction before you applied? My paint is in very good condition but not perfect. .i plan to use a paint pen to touch up a few rock chips and then clay mitt and polish front end...i figure for under a couple hundred bucks i can redo the PPF of I want to correct the whole car...

did you mix you're own spray mix?

 

That looks incredible.

I'd like to apply Xpel to my headlights but is there a standard headlight cleaning/preparation to do before applying? Sometimes my headlights get a slight foggy appearance that wipes off...would hate for that foggy look to develop after applying Xpel.

Also, my car has a 3M bra that's starting to yellow and I have no idea when it was applied (2010 DB9, I'm the third owner). After reading stories of people trying to remove old bras and peeling off paint with it...I'm too afraid to try. Any recommendations?

 

 

Thanks Hedged and sorry to hear your experience - I'd be disappointed and frustrated if it left me with a damaged headlight + no film cover. A few others have cautioned me...I'll talk with my local AM dealers (either Tyson's Corner or Greensboro NC) and see what they say.

 

Just today, the AM dealer replaced the 3M they did last fall with self healing Xpel - looks much better (They botched the 3M install, they were so embarrassed they upgraded me for free). Really nice stuff. Warrantied as long as I own the car.

 

All right guys, I will chime in here

1. 3m PRO is comparable to Xpel Ultimate -- 3m makes or made 3 types with the other two not anywhere near as good as the PRO. It is quite possible Prefurbia got a cheaper version, or the installers botched the install. 3M makes ALL parts of the materials to the glues in house under thier quality control. I would personally go with the PRO over the Ultimate for those facts only. 10yr warranties which is the same I think as Xpel. I have been trained to install by 3M so only biased on the install part. Either though are stellar products.

2. Headlights----- I have polished and compounded many Aston headlights, Ferrari headlights and know of no coating or covering that is on them. You have to polish them to get rid of any swirls or marring. So have no clue what that dealer is talking about. Polished a set of them 2 nights ago. Polish them, then cover with PPF if desired, if not a glass (ceramic) coating works great

3. PPF has glue on the back side of it. When you see the installers spray liquid on it and the vehicle, the liquid is a couple small ml's of baby soap, and distilled water mixture. The Mixture allows the PPF to slip on the surface and the glue to not immediately stick. NONE of that would destroy any type of covering. The alcohol/water mixture allows for the PPF to stick immediately when squeegeed, or neutralizing the baby soap water mixture to help difficult areas stick quick and better. It doesn't hurt the clear coat, so shouldn't mess up a headlight. When the squeegee is done, that is pushing out the mixture so the glue can work and stick the PPF to the surface. Even when removed, there is no glue left on the surface. So again, not sure what was happening. (due to when I polish a headlight I am using a buffer, foam cutting pad, and compound, followed up by the same with a polish. Kinda baffled.

MRCW ---- Do the WHOLE front end if your doing this. Get the paint polished to remove all the swirls and scratches and marring, but as important to make the paint gloss enhance as much as possible so then the PPF is on it, the there is still a high gloss level. Highly recommended to have the Paint Correction done. If you want to do this all yourself, it is possible and I can help walk you through what you need, and how to do it. The PPF for a front end is around $500 in cost for materials, depending where you get. The hood must be one sheet and hand cut. Same for the fenders. The Half covering kits can be bought a bit cheaper, but the bumpers are a real pain to do. Practice makes perfect.


Danno--- great job, I would have had them stop right below the fender line. That way when you dry or wax the car, that edge isn't constantly rubbed on. But, regardless it appears to be a nice job.


PPF------ coatings--- Kamikazee makes a special coating just for PPF, rather than use regular Ceramic (glass) coatings on them. Its only sold in the US by Esoteric, but its a great product, used it on several cars. If a company for high end coatings, is going to make a special one just for PPF, then there is likely a reason, and for a bit of cash, its worth not taking a chance on what a coating might do 5 years from now.


Hope all this helps guys, I am working on some more PDFs under the Special Vehicle Care 101 series I have posted

 

 

The previous 3M install on my V12S was botched as they were earning a new process, and the covering in almost every panel has wide scratched surfaces. Since then, Morries Aston Martin had greatly expanded their film and paint protection operation which is very impressive, and the job they did on the Xpel was incredible. It snowed here, so I'll wait till my wheel spacers come in - in about a week before I pick it up from the annual spring service.

 

Manufacturers do indeed coat plastic headlights with a UV clear coat. Polycarbonate would turn yellow and brittle if left untreated when exposed to the sun. The coating is meant to help resist degradation from UV. This is evident when the clear starts to peel.

These kits that restore headlights all have instructions on sanding through the clear coat before applying the restoration product. Having gone through the process, I can confirm that there is a clear at least on the cars that I've restored.

I went through the same issue as @Hedged on my Lotus. Positioning the film pulled the clear, which was not applied well, off the plastic. I ended up replacing the lenses instead of refinishing because I wanted them to be perfect but it is possible to restore them back to great condition with a new layer of clear coat.

 

Hey, I understand this, but I have never seen it on any headlights. Like I said, I just polished a set the other day, and always run over the lights front and rear when doing a paint correction. It is possible the alcohol in the sprays deteriorated whatever they used. IMHO get their crap off the lights regardless. Put something yourself to protect them

 

To clarify something mentioned above, in the instructions I printed, there was no mention of mixing alcohol WITH the soap and water slip solution, it was only baby shampoo and water. There is a separate alcohol and water mix solution you can use but they caution not to let it contact any plastic like the headlights.

 

thanks for the information. regarding point #3. Does it make difference at what ratio do you use the baby soap, and a isopropyl alcohol distilled water mixture.?

 

The link to the instructions is as follows, there is more detail that may help others as well...
http://www.tintzoom.com/v/vspfiles/d...ructions_1.pdf

I will be ordering the front bumper kit which is a bit more difficult (due to size I imagine) I will post an update on that as well.
The pre cut kits are a bit pricey but since they are pre cut to fit, and the rear upper fender I did was exactly like the factory size, I feel worth the money especially to protect your paint.
They do sell rolls in different size widths and custom lengths as well, I bought a 12 inch by 13 foot roll to do the rocker panels I just had painted over winter. That roll was about $140. The front bumper cover piece is $250. Just to give you some idea of the cost.
Cheers

 

Hello sir,

If your wanting several of your cars done like this, it might be worth it to fly someone over to do it personally!!!!!! Unless they are in the States. Paint correction the same.

I am sure there are people over there that can do it right, but Paint Correction specialists are not rare but hard to find for good ones.

Yes the mixture does matter alot. Humidity a bit also with the mixture.

2ml of baby soap to a bottle of water solution. I will take some pics of a bottle tomorrow and show you the lines, I have on it. I will likely pm you. The other mixture is the alcohol water solution.

Baby soap and water allows for the slippage and NON stick of the glues, for a bit anyway, then there is a GEL that is used for bumpers and difficult areas which allows for a large amount of time to work the PPF

Alcohol and Distilled Water mixture is used to tac down the PPF in certain spots or difficult spots IMMEDIATELY. The alcohol water mixture neutralizes the baby soap water mixture and activates the glue on the spot. So it sticks fast. Yes it can be pulled up still if need be, but to hold that spot to stretch or work the piece on the alcohol mixture is used.