My car came new with an Xpel film treatment ( now 4yrs old) on the front, hood and rear bumper. It's parked indoors which helps im sure but I was wondering how long it lasts before it may actually does any damage to the paint?
So far it has protected the paint greatly from so many of the rock chips I got on my previous Porsche..good stuff but I just don't want paint issues from the adhesive that binds it to the paint or discolouration. So, what's the concensus on when it should be replaced?
Mine was dealer installed, it's 12. It's crystal clear. I am planning on asking my body guys this very question this summer when I'm at their shop in NY. Since it looks new I'm inclined to let it ride.
When I bought the 987 I now own it was 10 years old and had some PPF on the front that had been applied when it was new. Because it only covered the lower half of the hood I had it removed without any issues and installed new Xpel.
Thx, I had some xpel on another vehicle a while back. It yellowed and the backing glue etched into the paint. I'd rather redo it earlier than possibly need to repaint because I left it on too long. The guy said it was good for 10yrs but I'd like to hear that from someone who knows..
On my '11 Cayenne - just all of a sudden a few weeks ago - parts of the fender PPF panels started showing cracks in it where the sheet metal folds inward. I'm blaming it on the free carwash Porsche gave me when it was in for the latest recall.. and I'm planning on removing it in the spring, and may not bother replacing it.
I'm planning on using:
it's basically a plasticizer - and not awfully toxic, it's primary ingredient is dimethyl-adipate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyl_adipate
Delivered from Amazon - the stuff is $30 + $12 shipping, but if it works as well as the reviews say it does, it will be worth every penny.
I've done a couple of cars with Xpel and other brands over the last 10 years. Generally the film will age faster with the chemicals used (wash and waxes/polishes), sun and heat.
In tropical weather they seem to last about 5-6 years. Any more and they generally become really hard to remove and if you wait until it shows cracks they are really hard to remove.
Some tips for removal:
need a proper heat gun (not a hair dryer)
if they start to break into smaller pieces, get the chemicals ready and you may need to soak
Yikes, doesn't sound like fun.
How much would it cost me to fly you over from Malaysia?
It's not a job I'm looking forward to.. New Jersey only had tropical heat in the summer in the past few centuries, but this past winter - well this entire week is top-down weather predicted.. 50-60F. I had a delightful drive with it today - around 43-46F.
I'm planning on not even trying removal before giving it the chemical treatment. There is another one I found also with excellent reviews (and a bit cheaper) but it had some nasty carcinogenic (and I've had enough of THAT..) chemicals listed in the Material Safety Data Sheet*
* Want to have an idea of what's in magic car solutions - typically googling the name of the product followed by MSDS will turn up the safety sheet listing the nasties lurking in the concoctions. I've got to do that on the Rain-X 630178 Cerami-X Glass Cleaner + Water Repellent - which is absolute CRAPPOLA. After over a month of trying to get this crap off my windshield, it persists no matter what I've tried to remove it. It leaves smears and end-lines where the wipers reverse direction.
Haha...Hi Don, I wish it was just a drive over.... unfortunately, I am not the expert but have watched the guys who have worked on my cars before.
it takes a lot of patience and the right technique. in some cases petrol is used to soften the films and to remove the adhesives. YMMV. take care!
