3M wrap vs Xpel? Feedback appreciated

acuRAS82

acuRAS82

New member
I’m trying to help a friend who knows I like cars and asked what I know nothing about. She just got a red Tesla and found a detailer who will apply either 3M or Xpel. She’s also wondering if it’s worth it to coat whatever wrap she chooses.

anyone who can provide me generic information about
- pros and cons of wraps,
- 3M vs Xpel, feedback on either or both
- why people top wraps with coatings

would be very appreciated by this person.

thank you!
 
Hello, Friend !
Hope you and yours are all good up there and managing the heat wave..

I have personal experience with a brand that was I believe, was bought by 3M, and it was Venture Shield. It is still going strong on my 09` Grand Cherokee after 10 years with no issues..

I had the best 3M product installed on my "07 TL Type-S a couple years ago, and it is a really, really, nice product.. It is stronger, thinner, and able to handle UV better than ever..
It is so nice that it is hard to pick out the edge halfway up the hood.. I really like it..

Have paint corrected a few new Red Tesla`s that got a nice, full front end 3M wrap and then Optimum Pro Coating and they always look fantastic..

I for one love that both my vehicles that are full front wrapped are never going to have paint chips, etc., on them, and if one wanted to remove the wrap, it is possible, but the glue that sticks to the paint is a little hard to get all off.. I have used 91% isopropyl alcohol to help get those little glue balls off and it will get it all off but you have to be patient and very detailed..

As far as putting a Coating over it, why would putting a coating over a much better, stronger, Wrap be a good idea... Especially when the existing Wrap will not even keep that new coating on very long anyway..

I think that if you are going to use say, something like Optimum Opti-Clear Spray, etc., after a good Reset wash, that would be way easier to do, less expensive, than applying a Coating over a Wrap, and one still has to prepare that wrap carefully if you want that Coating to last any great amount of time on the wrap..

The less you have to polish out a wrap, the better it will always be..

In my 10-year test with that original Venture Shield coating on my Jeep, the Venture Shield did not look as great with all manner of gunk stuck to it, until I washed it a few times with CarPro Reset, and then it looked much better and water came off of it faster...

And of course, the Coating on the rest of the Jeep also responded very well to Reset washes, which is all I ever use on it now... It just keeps the products clean like it is intended to do..

Good luck with your research !
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
I had the best 3M product installed on my "07 TL Type-S a couple years ago, and it is a really, really, nice product.. It is stronger, thinner, and able to handle UV better than ever..
It is so nice that it is hard to pick out the edge halfway up the hood.. I really like it..

Have paint corrected a few new Red Tesla`s that got a nice, full front end 3M wrap and then Optimum Pro Coating and they always look fantastic...


As far as putting a Coating over it, why would putting a coating over a much better, stronger, Wrap be a good idea... Especially when the existing Wrap will not even keep that new coating on very long anyway..
Click to expand...
You mentioned detailing red Tesla’s, wrapping and putting Optimum Coating on top, but you don’t see much point in it overall. I assume the biggest reason is that you don’t think the coating will last long on it? I think I’ve seem special wrap coatings sold.

Does the wrap allow swirls? If so, would a person compound and polish to correct, similar to paint?
 
acuRAS82 said:
You mentioned detailing red Tesla’s, wrapping and putting Optimum Coating on top, but you don’t see much point in it overall. I assume the biggest reason is that you don’t think the coating will last long on it? I think I’ve seem special wrap coatings sold.

Does the wrap allow swirls? If so, would a person compound and polish to correct, similar to paint?
Click to expand...

acuRAS82 --

All Clear Bra, etc., wraps I have ever seen have all been scratched, some worse than others..
Sometimes, if one is very careful, some scratches can be toned down, but I have never seen them totally removed, and I would never want to find out what happens if too much product and heat is applied to any plastic..

In my experiences with a lot of these, they are able to take a huge amount of abuse from everything hitting them, etc., and that is the whole reason why I use them on all personal vehicles today..

Yes, when selling a Coating, everyone wants everything coated, so that is what is done..

I just have seen from my own vehicles that putting anything on top of plastic is not going to last very long, so why waste your hard earned money on it long term ?

I have heard of products that are supposed to "protect", etc., clear-bra, wraps, etc., but I have never seen any long-term-verifiable test results that prove they really do what they say..

If these products were actually needed for the clear-bra, wraps, etc., to last a long time, why have not the manufacturers of said products, (3M, etc.,) come out with the best product ever, themselves?
Surely, their huge labs, etc., which make the plastics in the first place, and make them last so long with UV, etc., protection as it is, would see the need if it was needed, and be first to sell it, no ?
Dan F
 
acuRAS82 --

One more thing I forgot to add regarding maintenance of all clear-bra/wrap material ---

When cleaning it or doing - anything - to it that involves applying any material/s to it -- Always work from -Behind the Edge- toward the Edge, so that whatever is being applied to it will come from the back and top of all edges so there is no risk of pushing something from the opposite side - Into/Under that Edge....

Have seen enough of these things with a line of white car wax, etc., shoved into the entire edge - especially across the hood, and it is a real tedious process to clean all that gunk out of the entire edge line, so that the ppf edge will hopefully, again disappear across the hood...

Dan F
 
Dan F., your experiences and feedback are very helpful. I had no clue about wraps. I appreciate you going out of your way to come back with this new information. Thank you!!
 
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