Anyone wrap their LC200 with EXPEL STEALTH PPF? (1 Viewer)

[7000ft]

I'm seriously considering having my 2020 LC200 HE wrapped week with EXPEL STEALTH PPF soon . I had the entire front end wrapped with the EXPEL clear film five years ago and it has held up extremely well. I'll haver the same shop do the work. They are definitely not the cheapest shop in the Phoenix metro area, but they've done this LC200, a Porsche 993 C4S and a couple of other Toyotas. Why do this to a HE? Well, getting tired of the shiny black look and how difficult it is to keep it whirl and scratch free. It's never seen a brush car wash. I use the Griot's Garage Boss system the majority of the time. Glossy HE is mine. The Stealth wrapped HE are photos I hi-jacked on the Web. If the owner is here on MUD, I apologize for grabbing your photos.
Anyone here done it? If so, comments and photos would be appreciated of MUDDERs who have had it done.

 

[kong24680]

I’ve had full xpel stealth PPF installed on 2 of my vehicles and love it. Keeps the car super clean and protected. I’ve had it on one of my vehicles for 6 years and 90k miles and it’s held up incredibly well. There are a couple of tiny areas where larger pebbles/debris broke through the film, but it’s not bad. I’d definitely recommend it if you can stomach the cost. My local installer in the CA Bay Area quoted me about $6k to wrap my completely armored 2021 LX.

 

[thecapedcapper]

I can see where this would be really nice but I just couldn't get over the astronomical cost. It's just as expensive as getting a full color-change wrap so if I were to go that route might as well have a green or other non standard color.

 

[spazzyfry123]

I don't have any experience, but I'm not a hater.

Is there any additional protection found with the "stealth" offering specifically to entice over just a clear PPF or different color entirely?

 

[kong24680]

I can see where this would be really nice but I just couldn't get over the astronomical cost. It's just as expensive as getting a full color-change wrap so if I were to go that route might as well have a green or other non standard color.

PPF is way thicker, more resilient, and will last a lot longer than color change vinyl wrap. Vinyl wrapped cars need to be kept indoors and kept fairly clean otherwise the film wears out and cracks. Properly installed PPF should last 8-10 years.

Cost is definitely hard to stomach for most people, but can be worthwhile if you plan to drive your vehicle really hard and want to keep the paint/bumpers pristine. I’ve had it done mostly on sports cars since they are low and vulnerable to rock/road debris. Also helps if you track the vehicle.

I think a full body PPF could help prevent pin-stripping if you off road frequently. Even getting a front bumper properly repainted from rock chips or road debris could easily cost $2k+.

 

[kong24680]

I don't have any experience, but I'm not a hater.

Is there any additional protection found with the "stealth" offering specifically to entice over just a clear PPF or different color entirely?

There’s no difference other than the look. Install and coat is pretty close. It does hide paint imperfections a bit better than clear PPF

 

[7000ft]

I don't have any experience, but I'm not a hater.

Is there any additional protection found with the "stealth" offering specifically to entice over just a clear PPF or different color entirely?

It's a clear satin finish. Same properties as their premium clear 10 year PPF. Currently I have the entire front end and small bits of Expel clear PPF on this LC. It looks as new as it did 5 years ago. I wrapped my silver 97 993 C4S , 7-8 years ago and film is as clear as the day they installed it.

 

[goodnightnyc]

I used to own a ‘22 Sequoia TRD Pro which I had fully wrapped in Xpel Stealth. I also had a ceramic coating done on top of the film. It was installed by one of the supposedly top Xpel installers in NJ, and I paid a pretty penny for it.

I would not do it again with any of my vehicles.

The matte appearance looked cool and unique, but I basically traded one set of problems (potential paint damage) for another set of problems.

For instance, I had some minor damage on the rear door which broke through the Xpel film. Without the film, it would have been a simple job for a body shop to repair and blend the paint. Instead they had to remove the film from the door, try to blend the paint, then I had to take it back to the Xpel guy to reinstall the film on that one door.

Ultimately it never looked right. I would have had to remove several sections of film for the paint to be blended properly. Anyway, I wound up trading in the truck for more than what I paid, since it was when the used car market was going nuts.

My advice - save your money and just take care of the paint the best you can. It’s not a museum piece, it’s meant to be driven. You’ll drive yourself nuts trying to maintain a showroom perfect paint job.