[dyllanc]

does anyone know who did the xpel install at bimmerfest 2002? i'm thinking about getting it done... to ease off the rock chips on my lower front bumper/ body kit. need contact info. please email me at [email protected] thanks.

by the way, how do you guys like the xpel? is it worth it? is it very noticable?

 

[Nat Brown]

does anyone know who did the xpel install at bimmerfest 2002? i'm thinking about getting it done... to ease off the rock chips on my lower front bumper/ body kit. need contact info. please email me at [email protected] thanks.

by the way, how do you guys like the xpel? is it worth it? is it very noticable?

That was Chris Padilla (Agent 99). He can be found on the bimmer.org E39 board.

--gary

 

[Jon Shafer]

Re: Re: Need Contact Info For Xpel at Bimmerfest!

That was Chris Padilla (Agent 99). He can be found on the bimmer.org E39 board.

--gary

Gary is correct...

I believe that Chris' email is [email protected]

 

[lip277]

X-Pel info

As far as how X-Pel works..... :thumb:
I have it on my new (OK- 20 month old) Yukon up here in Seattle. After growing up in Monterey and going to school in SLO, moving up here 14 years back was a real eye opener for road rash - as they say.
I bought my Fathers Explorer a while back (pre- Yukon) that had 22 months and 84k on the clock (again from Monterey area). It was in PERFECT shape when I got it. Six months after I had it up here it was as if I lost a battle with a sand blaster. They don't sand the roads here in the winter. They pebble them.
Well, now 20 months and 33k into my Yukon, you would he hard pressed to find a single mark on the it. ANY new car I get will have this installed regardless of where I live. Fairly often, I hear the impact of 'crud' as I'm driving but.... nothing on the paint. I'm getting due for a windshield, but the front of the truck is fine.:yikes:

It's not cheap- But it's an insurance policy on your paint.

As they say- YMMV-
Kevin

 

[SONET]

Sorry to state the obvious, but here's the website for xpel...
http://www.xpel.com/

I had never heard of xpel prior to this thread. From the site it appears to be a plastic shell covering of sorts. The site doesn't list the 3-series though. Anyone have pics with it installed?

--SONET

 

[Nat Brown]

Pics

Anyone have pics with it installed?

You can't see it. It's invisible.

You can find kits for BMW's, dependent on the year, model, whether it has sports package, a front license plate holder, etc. Choose Paint Protection or Headlight Protection and then choose "BMW" from the list of makes.

I've had my car for a month and put Xpel on after losing a fog light on day 2 of US ownership. There are light kits, bumper kits and hood kits. I went with lights and bumper, but not the hood kit, since I don't care for the obvious lines on the hood, especially when dirty. I wish I had though, because after only a month, the rock chips on the hood are starting.

--gary

 

[Ågent99]

Contact Made!

Hi Guys,

I am the workaholic at B-fest that installed the Xpel on the M5. I don't work for Xpel in any shape or form but I can get you going in the right direction.

Website's been posted...read it well and learn. They do make full protection kits for most all BMWs...at least the newer models for sure...3ers are included.

I've had Xpel on my '01 530i for just over a year now and so far, so good. No peeling (my car was my first install so I am proud of that!) and although my car is somewhat dark (Topaz Blue), no discernable yellowing has happend. A Titanium Silver 530i which has also had Xpel for just over a year looks great (I installed this one as well) although I have to admit that some pieces on the lower bumper have started to peel! Not sure what happend but the owner claimed he just noticed it in the last month. He is coming over this weekend so I can take a closer look at it.

Is it noticeable? Well, since you know it is on your car, you will most likely see the line on the hood that it creates. I doubt that others will notice it right away. The lighter the car color, the more noticeable it is. The dirtier your car regardless of color, the easier it is to see.

"Xpel" is a brand name much like "BMW" is. What I mean is that both Xpel and BMW provide this clear bra material. The clear bra material is made by 3M...both Xpel and BMW use the same exact material. The difference is the scoring or cut of the pattern onto the material. I don't know if BMW provides the clear bra for 3ers but they do for 5ers and it is much cheaper than Xpel. Why? The 3M material is available in various widths much like wallpaper. BMW uses some 12" width material to cut out the hood piece on which results in the hood piece being made up from 3 pieces. Xpel cuts out the hood piece on something more like 24" wide material and can therefore get the hood piece in 1 piece. Personally, I've found Xpel's cut to be superior to BMW's cut and would recommend spending the extra dough to buy from Xpel.

Further, Xpel can also provide custom kits for the various aftermarket body kits that some install. I think the makers of these body kits should get together with Xpel and provide kits for their custom panels.

Full protections from Xpel comes in the guise of 3 kits: hood, bumper, and head/fogs. For an E39 BMW, it will cost you ~$340 for the full kit. Installation could run you anywhere from $250-$500 unless you are lucky and patient enough to get into one of my clinics and then you'll get it installed for free!

Feel free to email me for more info: [email protected]

Chris

 

[SONET]

Thanks for the great info Chris! I had pictured it as being a little different than you described.

A couple questions came to mind after reading your write-up...

How is the gloss on it compared to the rest of the car? And when you wax the rest of the car, do you apply the wax to the Xpel surfaces as well?

TIA

--SONET

 

[Ågent99]

Gloss is not an issue...it is essentially "see-thru" and so I seriously doubt one could notice the Xpel from a decent distance, like 5 or 10 feet away assuming the car is clean.

I would go ahead and wax your car as usual but be careful about using any power tools on or near it--especially the edges. Someone recanted a story about his detail guy tearing up an edge of the Xpel. Once an edge is up, it ain't going back down.

One real PITA with waxing is build-up along the edges of the Xpel. A Q-Tip (perhaps moistened) is the best way I've found and do it quickly...perhaps before the wax has had time to dry much. Once dry, a fingernail might be the only course. Wax build-up also enhances visibility of the edges of the Xpel and therefore the Xpel itself.

Another concern you might have is fading. Will the Xpel prevent fading or even worsen it? Or, if I remove the Xpel, will there be a color difference between covered and uncovered paint? Supposedly, there are no UV protectants in the Xpel and your paint should fade evenly. Xpel is differentially permeable or gas permeable...i.e. water trapped underneath will evaporate out over time. This fact is extremely important for installation since even an experienced installer (like myself) will have a few bubbles or pockets here and there during the install. These will come out over the course of a couple of days. The Xpel install ALWAYS looks better after 2-3 days.

Chris