Anybody using Expel Clear Film?

Also posted this in the 997 forum and...crickets. 2 weeks ago, a lady backed into my front bumper. Just a few very small scratches (no dents or dings) but the car is going in for a freshly painted front bumper. I have a clear protective film on the bumper as well as the full hood (and stone guards). Since the replacement film for the bumper is not guaranteed to match what is currently on the hood, I am having the body shop replace the hood film with the same type that I choose for the bumper. I've read a lot about the Expel product. Does anyone have any feedback or other suggestions for me? Thanks in advance!

You'll be better off on this forum with that question http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/

If you're talking about Xpel, it is very good stuff. It is tough, clear and supposedly self-healing for tiny issues. You can use non abrasive detailing products on it. I have it on my hood and bumper and had it applied after a front-end respray.

+1 on the Xpel I have tried all of them as I put film on all my cars: Autobahnd, Venture Shield, Xpel, some 3M stuff, and I forget what the other brand was. Anyway, Xpel was the clear (pun intended) choice. It's slightly more expensive but it's the best. Do a search on it and you'll see demos as to why.

I have Xpel on my bumper, headlights, partial hood, fenders, and mirrors. Very good product, no discoloration or pealing, but not self healing.

I had Xpel put on this summer, took a 6,500 mi trip, and no problems. There are a couple different Xpels, my installer used the most expensive/best one. My only complaint is when looking through polarized lenses, especially when the sun is low ie dusk/dawn, I can see some imperfections/discoloring. If you don't have polarized glasses, you will never notice.

I have it on my headlights. It's like a second skin. If I had to repaint my car I would place it over the paint too. But at this point my car just wears its scars proudly.

Depending on your environment and color of your car, you may get premature discoloration. I also can't stand the eventual line that forms after some dirt has gotten on it. That's just me personally. I'd rather just repaint if it ever comes to that personally. Cars are meant to be used and it's natural they'll develop their own patina over time. Kinda the same logic as the Italians that put plastic over their furniture IMO.

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+1

See pics, cant tell anything is there...still cant either

Great product; while only three years, no discoloring and seems to hold up well.

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Most of the recent versions will last 3 years easily. The magic moment seems to be between 5-7 years depending on environment. Also black cars don't count as you can hide anything with that color. Try doing it on a white car and report back.

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My name is Mike and I am with Appearance Solutions in Sacramento, CA. We specialize in paint protection film (Clear Bra) and have since 2005. Our clients demand the very best and place a significant amount of trust in our industry knowledge and expertise. With that said, we have thoroughly tested all "comparable" films on the market, and the clarity, durability, quality, warranty and consistency of XPEL is unmatched. Every car that leaves our shop is a rolling advertisement/testament for the quality of work we do, and we cannot afford to have any films issues (yellowing, hazing, fogging, lifting, scratching or staining).That is why we only trust the very best and offer one brand of film, XPEL (Ultimate or Stealth). XPEL Ultimate, XPEL Ultimate, XPEL Ultimate! Trust me when I say, you will not regret it; especially on a repainted bumper. We have exclusively been using XPEL Ultimate since it first came out and I have never had to warranty/replace XPEL Ultimate for any yellowing, hazing, lifting, or staining. We see a majority of cars we work on at least every six months for maintenance services, and it's always nice to see how great the film looks year after year. Just some friendly advise: Ask the body shop if they can bake the bumper a second time. This helps the solvents release a lot quicker. It is still recommended to wait 30-45 days before applying any film to the freshly painted area. The rainbow effect you are seeing with polarized lenses are not imperfections or discoloration of the film. Polarized glasses have a chemical filter that is designed to absorb horizontal light waves, while still allowing vertical waves to pass through. This eliminates glare because light only travels in one direction when you are wearing polarized glasses. This happens with any brand of film, and is not XPEL specific. Not all cars will have the same appearance with polarized glasses because the physical characteristic of the film has to stretch and contour to the various body panels. The polarized glasses simply change the way the light reflects off of the film and hit's your eyes, which in turn causes that effect. This is not visible with the naked eye or any other non-polarized glasses. This also occurs with some window tint films.

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film has yellowed as will all cheap or old type films, but your wife is HOT!

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This sounds like a big commercial and you are not a paid sponsor so....

I've got a 3M clear on my C4S. It's fine but I've got the self healing Xpel on my CLA45. It works great! You can't see it at all -- especially since it's all laser cut. As an aside, if you're thinking about covering your hood then cover your whole hood. Don't cover half of it unless you want it to look like you covered half of it. A friend of mine covered his whole car in the stuff. He drives it through car washes, dries it with a California blade whenever it gets wet and never thinks twice about it. Any minor swirlies or anything in the cover all heal when the sun comes out. I love it. -Eric

Late to the thread, I have EXPEL Ultimate custom installed and couldn't be happier even 4 years later. The custom installation involves tucking the edge of the film around all edges of the metal panels such as shown in post #10 so there is no visible hint of the film when completed.

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I am sorry you perceived my post that way. This is far from a "big commercial!" I was simply establishing credibility, as I own a highly reputable clear bra shop in Sacramento. I am also a SVR-PCA member and own a 997.1 turbo. I just so happen to be a big proponent of XPEL Ultimate because I have had nothing but great success with it. I am not paid by XPEL to boast for them and I am free to use any film on the market. However, with all my years of experience (10 years) with almost every major brand of paint protection film, I've had nothing but great success with it. I was simply sharing my opinion and you are certainly free to take that for whatever it may be worth.

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Fair enough. Thanks for sharing your vast experiences. So bottom line is if anyone is considering a clear bra, the XPEL seems to be the best route to go.

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Just had Xpel applied to my Cayenne (white) and 96 Targa (midnight blue). On the targa, waited three months for the new paint to cure and darn it caught a rock chip on the hood before the xpel😂 Had that repaired and then Xpel applied. $1200 full hood, wheel wells, bumper cover, lights, side mirrors, half fender. Stock mud guards on rear quarters. An awesome product with solid warranty. My installer Joe DeRoache out of Richmond VA