Xpel really invisible?

Coiled · May 25, 2015

Picked up my car a month ago and took it in for paint protection soon after. I got Xpel on the full hood and fenders because I didn't want to see a line. Then I got Opticoat over the whole car.

Now for the dumb question. With my untrained eye, I can't tell the Xpel is there. When I pop the hood, I can see what looks like the edge of a transparent wrap around the sides, so I believe they did put it on. But how would I know without looking under the hood? And how can I convince a potential buyer that it's there, other than showing them the receipt? What would I be looking for? Is there a difference in reflection at certain angles or some other indicator, or is it really that invisible?

jerry33 · May 25, 2015

The only thing you can see are the edges, like the ones you saw under the hood.

breser · May 25, 2015

Usually you can find some edges that are visible. It's very difficult to wrap the car with absolutely no edges showing. Most wraps have edges near the top corners (closest to the windshield) of the hood. At least all the really good jobs I've seen on a Model S end up missing a wedge around that corner in order to make it lay flat. But a good wrap if you don't really look at it carefully will not be noticeable, especially if you aren't familiar with the spots that tend to have edges.

docrice · May 25, 2015

XPEL Ultimate has a slightly-noticable orange peel appearance compared to non-wrapped areas. If your entire car is wrapped, it's hard to tell since you have no before/after comparison panels.

If yours is only the front end, you can probably look at the front doors and compare them to the front fenders.

LetsGoFast · May 25, 2015

If you look at the intersection where the hood, fender and A pillar meet, you'll probably be able to spot an edge or two. Every wrap I've seen has one at the base of the A pillar because its essentially impossible to wrap around it.

Coiled · May 25, 2015

I knew the fine folks here would have the answers. I was not able to detect any orange peel texture, possibly due to the Opticoat layer on top. However, I was able to detect some minor edge-work around the sharp corners, sometimes more by feel than by sight. There is also a line running up the front inside edge of each mirror, since only the front face is covered. You really have to be looking for these things, which I assume means that Xpel, Opticoat and the installers are all awesome. As are the members of this forum.

Glitch · May 26, 2015

Why would you do an Opticoat on a Xpel wrap? Seems to be a waste of money as the Xpel is self healing.

ArtInCT · May 26, 2015

If you look really close at the corners of body panels you may be able to see the corner cutout, which is pretty minute. Also the hood and hatch wraps will have the wrap arounds under the panel. To the untrained eye, a good installation job with full panels being wrapped is pretty much invisible.

EarlyAdopter · May 26, 2015

The orange peel on my Xpel done in Jan 2015 is significantly less pronounced than the orange peel on the wrap I had done in 2013, so that "tell" may be gone.

Like Art said, check the corners of panels. Even on the hood where they wrap all the long edges, the corners need to be notched out and those spots are visible if you know to look for them.

- - - Updated - - -

Glitch said:
Why would you do an Opticoat on a Xpel wrap? Seems to be a waste of money as the Xpel is self healing.

The top layer of Xpel is like a clear coat. Still a good idea to keep a layer of wax or sealant on top to keep it slick. Helps make it easier to wash.

Glitch · May 26, 2015

EarlyAdopter said:
The orange peel on my Xpel done in Jan 2015 is significantly less pronounced than the orange peel on the wrap I had done in 2013, so that "tell" may be gone.

Like Art said, check the corners of panels. Even on the hood where they wrap all the long edges, the corners need to be notched out and those spots are visible if you know to look for them.

- - - Updated - - -

The top layer of Xpel is like a clear coat. Still a good idea to keep a layer of wax or sealant on top to keep it slick. Helps make it easier to wash.

Wax yes but opticoat not, Xpel has a self healing feature due to "soft" top however coating this top layer will but a hard layer on top of it, our detailers in The Netherlands strongly advice not to do a coating on top of the Xpel.

MoeMistry · May 26, 2015

If done properly, it's difficult to tell where the film starts or ends...so if you can't tell, then your installer did a great job.

We usually recommend doing a nano coating, CQuartz Finest is our choice, to the film to help protect it further and keep the cleaning easy. You can also use a nano spray sealant such as CarPro Reload to maintain the film.

Anthony7 · Jun 2, 2015

Where in LV did you get your car protection? I'm looking around now before car arrives in a couple wks

cassiri · Aug 6, 2015

Has anyone had Xpel Ultimate installed on a vehicle with the carbon fiber tail? On mine they said they would remove the tail to install without a seam. When I picked up they said they had to do a seam because of tension on the edge of the trunk. Seems a bit flakey to me as there are edges on the fenders too. Now I have a seam on the edge of the trunk next to the tail. Noticeable to my eye on a black car.
There are also a few spots where I can see what looks like dust under the wrap. Very minor but not sure how perfectionist I should be on this. Thoughts?

MoeMistry · Aug 6, 2015

cassiri said:
Has anyone had Xpel Ultimate installed on a vehicle with the carbon fiber tail? On mine they said they would remove the tail to install without a seam. When I picked up they said they had to do a seam because of tension on the edge of the trunk. Seems a bit flakey to me as there are edges on the fenders too. Now I have a seam on the edge of the trunk next to the tail. Noticeable to my eye on a black car.
There are also a few spots where I can see what looks like dust under the wrap. Very minor but not sure how perfectionist I should be on this. Thoughts?

Depending on installer skill, it can be done without any seams. It's a difficult stretch, but well worth the effort.

Here's a couple of examples we did:

GP Automotive Renewal Service: XPEL Complete wrap, nano, tint, carbon fiber accents

Jean-Claude · Aug 7, 2015

Here's an example of a Xpel Ultimate wrap that just left our shop a few days ago. Can you tell where the film is or is not? (It is on all panels)

cassiri · Aug 7, 2015

Do you remove the carbon fiber tail?

kevincwelch · Aug 8, 2015

Glitch said:
Wax yes but opticoat not, Xpel has a self healing feature due to "soft" top however coating this top layer will but a hard layer on top of it, our detailers in The Netherlands strongly advice not to do a coating on top of the Xpel.

That may be what your detailers in The Netherlands recommend, but the manufacturers of Xpel state something different:

"Will Opticoat or cQuartz hurt the film?"
Sealants such as Opticoat and cQuartz will not hurt the film or interfere with our Ultimate paint protection film's self healing properties.

MoeMistry · Aug 8, 2015

cassiri said:
Do you remove the carbon fiber tail?

yes

Fezzik · Aug 8, 2015

I had my car at Tesla and they didnt even know it had the xpel put on. I had it put on the door handles, the chrome door sills, and headlights. Wrapped around all the edges.

fusednova · Aug 15, 2015

I just had Xpel and Cquartz finest applied on a black 85D. I only have xpel on the front of the car (full hood, quarters, etc) and its absolutely seamless unless you get up very close and look for it. Exceeded my expectations! The car looks better than day 1.

I didn't have a lot of convenient options in the Maryland, Virginia, DC area but consider myself lucky to have gone with TLC Auto Detail (Chantilly, VA). Great communications, shuttled me to the office, and great service.

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