How would you rate this full-body PPF job?

[fakeGT4]

Hi all,

I'm not sure what to think about this PPF job, it's my first ever. The installer mentioned that he used a slightly over-sized template that they had cut with a plotter, XPEL Ultimate Fusion film. The main thing that bugs me is that there's seams all over the place, the front bumper's are even slightly mis-aligned, and same for the Lotus logo under the trunk. I'm not sure if my expectations are unrealistic, so looking for some guidance from you guys.

If you're wondering, I paid almost $9k, which in Switzerland (where it got done) is typical for "premium quality" fully-body PPF for a car of this size, at least on the French side of the country.


Any feedback appreciated!

 

[Lotustoronto]

this is NOT a good ppf job IMO.

 

[Foxy87]

Where did you get it exactly? It looks like the same template that was used on a car on my dealers lot in switzerland. When I asked, dealer stated about CHF 7k, which equals to $ 8.5k.

I was wondering the same thing and to be honest it didnt look like a very good job considering the costs. I think yours is about the same what I can say from your photos.

 

[ADC]

Not sure what is going with the mirrors, but the seams / relief cuts near the vents (and the buttresses on the rear hatch too I'd wager) are a bit of a bummer with the Xpel template. I have the same, but I haven't found them too noticeable when the car is clean. By all accounts, this is a bit of a pig of a car to wrap.

Where I think you're really going to be a bit sad longer term is around the lettering / badging... I had my installer remove them and stick new ones on top of the film so there would be no edges

 

[Nick Sticks]

Looks ok to me apart from the Lotus letters.
My PPF installer removed the letters and stuck them back on afterwards. That was his normal way of doing things.

 

[fakeGT4]

> looks like the same template that was used on a car on my dealers lot in switzerland. When I asked, dealer stated about CHF 7k

@Foxy87 That photo is in Geneva right? Looks like where I get mine serviced. I paid almost the same for mine, and 100% sure it's the same template. My installer was Car Spa Geneva.

> Where I think you're really going to be a bit sad about longer term is around the lettering / badging... I had my installer remove them and stick new ones on top of the film so there would be no edges

@ADC Yeah I think you're spot on, I wasn't too happy with all of the seams but the mis-alignment with the badging (and perhaps the gaps in the front bumper as well) is quite unacceptable in my opinion.

 

[Peterpan13]

Where did you get it exactly? It looks like the same template that was used on a car on my dealers lot in switzerland. When I asked, dealer stated about CHF 7k, which equals to $ 8.5k.

I was wondering the same thing and to be honest it didnt look like a very good job considering the costs. I think yours is about the same what I can say from your photos.

That‘s my car at Lotus West. The PPF is precut xpel.

 

[Blackthought_]

Nahhhh that is a poor PPF job. A good PPF job you should barely be able to see any edges at all. Sure their may be some relief cuts, but many of those edges are 1/2 inch from the edges. Dirt will get caught in there and look even worse unfortunately. I’d try to get it fixed by the installer by not using pre cut PPF

 

[netsinah]

First you need to compare the job done, to the original deal made. If you were told they'd use a template, plus expand its dimensions so they'd have extra material to wrap around the edges and avoid tell-tale lines, then you didn't get what was promised. On the other hand, if you were told to expect visible edges/lines, then the job isn't so bad EXCEPT the poor job with the lettering or any misalignment or any gaps (especially the front which is most at risk), are unacceptable. So regardless of the deal made, it's not a great job in those areas and they should be redone IMO.

I'm also wondering about the thickness of the PPF used. Perhaps Xpel Ultimate Fusion only comes in one thickness (?). If not, my detailer warned me that thicker PPF is harder to install and can be a problem: it's more difficult to work with, on edges and tight spaces/corners. I suspect for the price you paid, it's not the thicker variety, so that's likely not the reason for the issues shown in some areas. Good luck resolving this.

 

[cyanmauve]

Looks like you took photos of my own Xpel PPF’d osmium silver Emira!

Honestly, it looks similar to the result on my car. More seams than I would like, but it was a template so I knew that going in.

I chose to proceed with the Xpel template PPF because

(1) I did not want a detailer removing any body panels or parts to tuck and hide PPF. In my experience, once something is removed, it never fits 100% the way it did from the factory. Plus there is more risk of scratching and breaking parts during assembly.

(2) the shop that did the work had a good reputation as far as customer service

(3) Xpel has a nationwide 10 year warranty

The fit could have been better, I think, but overall the PPF flaws are not really noticeable unless you are looking for them.

 

[Nick in Sydney]

In fairness to your supplier, that looks like the standard Xpel template. If you want them to custom-cut and remove trims/parts to avoid those seams, you should expect it to cost more.

Having said that, PPF is certainly expensive in your country! In Australia for $9K I could have got a full custom job on my Emira.