Paint Protection Film

[LBridges]

Have an appointment for the new LC on Friday to get the front end (A pillar forward to include lights and rear view mirrors) wrapped in LLumar platinum PPF.

Shop also is a Xpel installer. Told me that the Porsche crowd seems to love Xpel, but he didn't see much difference for the price and they seem to perform about the same in real world conditions.

Don't know that it matters but the LC is Brandwine Mica, a sort of maroon color until it gets direct sunlight, then the mica lights up with a high metallic look.

Anybody want to comment before I make a $1500 mistake?

 

[AL LC2013]

Terrible luck with 3M, have Xpel and do like it. Don't leave it on the car longer than about 5 years. I bought a 10 YO car with fim on it and it was a disaster to remove and pulled off paint. That price seems high for film. Ask the shop for references of work.

 

[Sandroad]

My brandywine mica came with the Toyota PPF. It covers only a relatively small area on the front of the fenders and hood. Not much there for the price and you can definitely see the edges. I have a cynical view of all the "protection" packages and aftermarket applications for vehicles, with the exception of Line-X for pickup truck beds. I consider paint/fabric/vinyl/leather protection a profit-pack for dealers and fully expect to be peeling off fading/loose PPF sometime within my ownership of the LC (a long time, BTW). However, none of that helps you, because I have no experience with LLumar and it may be outstanding and just what that beautiful paint needs! So, after the install, report back on how it goes and what it looks like.

 

[luke27617]

I have expel on my 16LC and very happy with it. I have used the product on other cars and always satisfied. LC got full front (minus grill), lights, front food and fenders, mirrors, door handles. I have paid $950 including as well tinting the front two windows. Great protection.

 

[SQRRRL]

Have an appointment for the new LC on Friday to get the front end (A pillar forward to include lights and rear view mirrors) wrapped in LLumar platinum PPF.

Shop also is a Xpel installer. Told me that the Porsche crowd seems to love Xpel, but he didn't see much difference for the price and they seem to perform about the same in real world conditions.

Don't know that it matters but the LC is Brandwine Mica, a sort of maroon color until it gets direct sunlight, then the mica lights up with a high metallic look.

Anybody want to comment before I make a $1500 mistake?

I have XPEL for almost a year. Still looks good and I took a big hit the hood and I got a very very small chip. I like it!
$1500 is expensive. I paid $1000.00 for front portion of hood. front quarter panels, headlights.,fog lights, mirrors and door edges. I thought I paid to much but it has worked very well.

 

[LBridges]

I have XPEL for almost a year. Still looks good and I took a big hit the hood and I got a very very small chip. I like it! $1500 is expensive. I paid $1000.00 for front portion of hood. front quarter panels, headlights.,fog lights, mirrors and door edges. I thought I paid to much but it has worked very well.

Terrible luck with 3M, have Xpel and do like it. Don't leave it on the car longer than about 5 years. I bought a 10 YO car with fim on it and it was a disaster to remove and pulled off paint. That price seems high for film. Ask the shop for references of work.

I agree it seems high and I did get cheaper quotes. However, the guy is the only manufacturer certified (Llumar & Xpel) PPF installer in my county, and gets great reviews from the local higher end car guys. In contrast to say a Yaris, at the price point of the LC I'm willing to spend a some extra to make sure it's done right. Well that and I'm a little scared that the Brandywine Mica paint might be right next to the Blizzard Pearl in being hard to touch up.

 

[Bighead]

Are you getting the front end completely covered? If so, that is not a bad price in my opinion. We have the Llumar PPF on our white '16 and really like it. We only had 12" of the hood leading edge and the backs of the mirrors covered. Even the shop was pretty impressed with how well it blends in with the Blizzard Pearl.

 

[Ali M]

Did my 2016 LC with Toyota PPF on mirrors, hood and fenders minus grill. Paid also close $1000 including tinting driver and passenger windows.

 

[SQRRRL]

I agree it seems high and I did get cheaper quotes. However, the guy is the only manufacturer certified (Llumar & Xpel) PPF installer in my county, and gets great reviews from the local higher end car guys. In contrast to say a Yaris, at the price point of the LC I'm willing to spend a some extra to make sure it's done right. Well that and I'm a little scared that the Brandywine Mica paint might be right next to the Blizzard Pearl in being hard to touch up.

If you

Did my 2016 LC with Toyota PPF on mirrors, hood and fenders minus grill. Paid also close $1000 including tinting driver and passenger windows.

if that's the going rate in town I guess that's what u pay. XPEL has pre cut clear bra for the LC. i think you will be happy with it. I've done 6-8 700 mile road trips this year and only one tiny chip. IM SOLD.

 

[LBridges]

Are you getting the front end completely covered? If so, that is not a bad price in my opinion. We have the Llumar PPF on our white '16 and really like it. We only had 12" of the hood leading edge and the backs of the mirrors covered. Even the shop was pretty impressed with how well it blends in with the Blizzard Pearl.

It is for the whole front end -- bumper, headlamps, hood, fenders, A-pillars and outside rear view mirrors.

I got quotes as low as $695, but only for the lower end LLumar at a shop that is not Llumar certified to PPF. And I don't like 3M products anymore.

Only one installer in the county handles the high-end Llumar (I think they call it Platinum Paint Protection film). He is also an Xpel product installer for the Porsche dealer. Llumar Platinum has a 10 year warranty (like Xpel) although many folks claim the Xpel is only good for ~5. Not sure how long the new high-end Llumar has been on the market and if will be longer lasting - but I do love their window tint (like that matters).

In contrast to the port installed option PPF we had on the FJ Cruiser, this guy claims it will be near impossible to even tell it's on there. Claims he has had people think he was ripping them off until he showed the edges at places like the underside of the hood. But I have to say the FJ's color was black and it's pretty hard to hide anything on black paint.

I'm just leery of a difference between 700 and 1500 and just how much better can a job be for twice the price. Still, 95% certain I'm going through with it, and if I do, will post some before & after shots -- if I can get similar sunshine levels so it's apples to apples, etc.

 

[TonyP]

I once bought a 2000 LS400 to fix and flip that previously had a clear bra on that front of the hood. The hood was a disaster. The clear coat was gone and only the base coat was left from the film being removed. I'm sure technology has changed but it was wild.

Ill just get a kit from Dr Colorchip and fix any chips. I just had my bmw repainted to the tune of several thousand dollars, I'm sticking with no film, just chip repair.

 

[NCMTNS]

This is from a few years ago (~2010) but I had 3M film put on the front 1/2 of hood and all of the air dam on a white pearl Infiniti M35. Kept it on for about 5 years. It did blend well and offered some good protection. I wouldn't do it again. Larger hits on front will go thru and if there was any peeling on the edge dirt would collect/stick and wouldn't come off. Peeled off pretty good except for a few places near the lower air dam. It took some of the paint with it so had to touch that up like TonyP did with Dr Colorchip. The car was garage kept so didn't sit out in the sun, which could make a difference.

For the cost of it I would rather use $ to fix door dings that some people so lovingly like to give....

 

[SQRRRL]

 

[SQRRRL]

Garage shots. I'll post outside shots if it changes how the Clear bra looks. Positive or negative.

 

[LBridges]

Well, I had film installed. LLumar Platinum over the whole front -- bumper, fenders, whole hood, headlamps, outside rear view mirrors, A-pillars. Shop owner said that after a few days the difference between paint and PPF covered metal would grow less. Pretty hard to tell now, can really only pick it out by finding an edge (much like on SQRRL's Blizzard Pearl hood above). I've attached a pic I took today - on the right side of the pic is the PS front fender (film covered) while on the left side it is the door (no film, just paint). Took it inside the garage as fluorescent lights usually do a pretty good job of showing swirls and other paint defects. I'll look tomorrow and see if sunlight shows a bigger difference. Not that anyone would offer, but no extra charge for my reflection.

 

[luke27617]

well done you will be happy

 

[LCLXman]

Have an appointment for the new LC on Friday to get the front end (A pillar forward to include lights and rear view mirrors) wrapped in LLumar platinum PPF.

Shop also is a Xpel installer. Told me that the Porsche crowd seems to love Xpel, but he didn't see much difference for the price and they seem to perform about the same in real world conditions.

Don't know that it matters but the LC is Brandwine Mica, a sort of maroon color until it gets direct sunlight, then the mica lights up with a high metallic look.

Anybody want to comment before I make a $1500 mistake?

i personally like the Toyota PPF sttyle. The coverage is not as good as some of the "aftermarkets" but it is durable and at least in my limitted experience, fits flawlessly. Don't wax it though....

 

[sailelc200]

I was just quoted 12K for a full wrap XPEL Ultimate Plus

 

[ridetime]

i personally like the Toyota PPF sttyle. The coverage is not as good as some of the "aftermarkets" but it is durable and at least in my limitted experience, fits flawlessly. Don't wax it though....

Why can't it be waxed? My installer said the opposite.

 

[LBridges]

I was just quoted 12K for a full wrap XPEL Ultimate Plus

Wow! After talking to my installer (who also does Xpel for the local Porsche dealer), I was convinced to go with the higher end of Llumar product. That was a couple of years ago. Went back the other day and told him I was picking up a new HE TLC and asked what he would want to do it again. This is a repeat customer thing, but he said $1,400.

Why can't it be waxed? My installer said the opposite.

No idea about wax. But I asked two different sealant companies, and they both said OK to put on top of film. One sealant was a synthetic, the other a ceramic (they actually said it was preferred to go on top of the film to get a more even gloss).