Is Xpel wrap worth it? After nearly 30,000 miles... probably not!

[sub]

My experience with PPF is that on day 1 it is a minor eyesore and by day 1000 is it is a major eyesore.

At no point does the vehicle with PPF look better than the one without it. Until you take it off.

On day 2000 when you remove the PPF, the vehicle will look way better than if it never had PPF. But still not enough that you would have any chance of recouping the cost when you sell.

I probably wouldn't ever do it again but the stuff does live up to its name. It really does protect your paint.

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[madgrey]

anyone do this before? Does a new wrap look different than the older section? Meaning will I end up just re-wrapping the whole thing? Glad it’s a utility vehicle and not for show!

I assume you will do the same PPF as before but In any case, I had sections re-done or added on three separate vehicles and there was no discernible difference compared to the older sections. In one case, it was 3M on the front (done by the previous owner) and I had the car finished up using XPEL.

Is PPF worth it? A full wrap isn't always worth it in my opinion. A little protection goes a long way. I have a car going on 8 years with a front wrap and the entire car looks nearly perfect. My R1T has just enough to cover the front grille/lights, which I suspect is where nearly all the potential damage is bound to occur anyway.

It does work really, really well. In one case, I had a metal object hit the front of my car at highway speeds and there was no paint damage. In another, I got a bunch of deep scratches on the hood (like someone sat on it and slid off) and I was able to "heal" the scratchs with a heat gun.

 

[R1Thor]

I ABSOLUTELY think it's worth it. I managed to get a nasty gash /rock chip the first WEEK I had my truck (insult to injury--3 days BEFORE it went in for PPF). I hear the 'rain' of rocks hitting my truck all the time highway driving. Pennsylvania and Maryland Highways are LITTERED with road debris, rocks (especially from quarry trucks), and in the winter, so much salt and cinders, it's insane.

I have my full front end, all of the major impact zones (rockers, a pillars, mirrors, front quarters) all covered. Everything else is Ceramic Coated. I'm getting the tailgate and a rim around the bed PPF'd in about 2 weeks (too many times having tree branches rub outside, and I have the bike pad, so I want to keep dust from causing issues).

Notwithstanding, I hate cleaning vehicles. But I hate having dirty vehicles more. And I am obsessive about "if I'm going to clean it, it'll be done right," so every time I wash my car it takes ~3-4 hours, and I end up inevitably 'scrubbing' the road grime off. Which would be HORRIBLE to paint and clear coat, but is fine on self-healing PPF.

My experience with PPF is that on day 1 it is a minor eyesore and by day 1000 is it is a major eyesore.

At no point does the vehicle with PPF look better than the one without it. Until you take it off.

On day 2000 when you remove the PPF, the vehicle will look way better than if it never had PPF. But still not enough that you would have any chance of recouping the cost when you sell.

I probably wouldn't ever do it again but the stuff does live up to its name. It really does protect your paint.

Your experience is horrible. PPF, when installed correctly, is invisible, and STAYS invisible. If anything, over time, it gets BETTER as it sits in the sun (self-healing); I've especially noticed the clarity getting better on my Windscreen Dyno Film.

Most PPF also has a warranty that if for any reason it yellows or starts to un-adhere for any reason that isn't it doing its job, it'll be replaced under warranty. So, there's virtually no risk, so long as you find yourself a good, competent installer. Based on your report, I'd say you found the one incompetent installer in your area.

It all comes down to risk. I've spent too many years with vehicles that had awful road rash. I will probably never NOT get PPF on any vehicle I own and care about.

 

[ozziegt]

Notwithstanding, I hate cleaning vehicles. But I hate having dirty vehicles more. And I am obsessive about "if I'm going to clean it, it'll be done right," so every time I wash my car it takes ~3-4 hours, and I end up inevitably 'scrubbing' the road grime off. Which would be HORRIBLE to paint and clear coat, but is fine on self-healing PPF.

If you are "doing it right", you aren't scrubbing and damaging your paint. Maybe learn to wash your vehicle properly? The top auto detailers in the world do a very good job of getting cars showroom clean without spending that kind of time and without scratching the paint. Getting a paint correction every couple of years would still be cheaper than PPF.

My Porsche Macan has 100k miles. It has 3-4 door dings, but only one with paint damage. I imagine the PPF probably wouldn't have protected that ding from damage either, but it's more likely the other dings (without paint damage) would have ended up marring the PPF. It has a few rock chips on the front so I fill them with touch up paint. I don't really see the value in spending $4k on PPF to protect from those minor issues. That being said, I think the vertical front of the Rivian is likely to get sandblasted over time so I have purchased PPF for the front which I am going to install myself.


If people want to spend that money on their vehicles so they can sleep at night, good on them. It's a capitalist society. But I find it hard to recommend to folks. Maybe if taking the vehicle off road, it can help protect from pinstriping due to brush on the side of the trail, but I really don't see the ROI on a street vehicle which is parked indoors.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I think I see your point. I've had a few dings - I just apply touch up paint and it's good to go. Maybe proper blend in paint job somewhere down the line, but for now I have actually "unseen" those dings.

If this were my PPF, I would probably need to reapply the PPF on each panel since it stands out a bit more.

Dings aside, I have hit a few minor trails, and I've dreaded paint scratches everytime. For those that hit the trail quite a bit, PPF is a huge plus

I went up and down a very tight, rocky trail, full of bare Alder tree branches. The entire way I had one hand on the wheel, the other holding the top of my head, wincing as a plethora of branches make their way down the sides of the T. That day was the only time that I've wanted PPF.

The clear coat held up well, but you can still tell there some hairline scratches in the finish.

 

[R1Thor]

If you are "doing it right", you aren't scrubbing and damaging your paint. Maybe learn to wash your vehicle properly? The top auto detailers in the world do a very good job of getting cars showroom clean without spending that kind of time and without scratching the paint.

My Porsche Macan has 100k miles. It has 3-4 door dings, but only one with paint damage. I imagine the PPF probably wouldn't have protected that ding from damage either, but it's more likely the other dings (without paint damage) would have ended up marring the PPF. It has a few rock chips on the front so I fill them with touch up paint. I don't really see the value in spending $4k on PPF to protect from those minor issues. That being said, I think the vertical front of the Rivian is likely to get sandblasted over time so I have purchased PPF for the front which I am going to install myself.

Maybe if taking the vehicle off road, it can help protect from pinstriping due to brush on the side of the trail, but I really don't see the ROI on a street vehicle which is parked indoors.

I'm not going to fight you on the idea that I'm not a car detailer and don't know how to wash my car perfectly (or even well for that matter). I've tried all types of 'better' branded soaps and shampoos, and chemical additives, that were supposed to prevent the necessity to do any kind of scrubbing. If I were a wealthy man, I'd splurge on having someone else detail my vehicle every other week, for SURE. I'm not arguing that it couldn't be cleaned better and more appropriately at all.

My point is simply: for a guy like me, who loses patience after spending half of my day trying to clean my car when 1- I have better things to do and 2- I'm getting frustrated I can't get it perfect, it's an extra layer of "hey, now I can't muck this up!"

If you re-read my comments, the ROI for a street vehicle is that I drive on the highway and get SPRAYED with dirt and gravel constantly. I can literally hear it pelting off of my truck as I drive. There's zero scenario where without the PPF my truck would still look this good. As I said, I got a freaking rock chip within my first week of ownership (prior to the PPF).

You're bonkers if you think that would've been a one-off.

I SUPPOSE I could take my PPF-spend and pay someone to repaint my entire truck once every 5 years or so, but I'm willing to bet a lot more money that would cost significantly more ESPECIALLY with these boutique colors they're painting vehicles with these days. Anyone want to guess what it'd probably cost to re-paint a limestone R1T? Anyone think it'd be less than $7k? $10k?

 

[ozziegt]

If you re-read my comments, the ROI for a street vehicle is that I drive on the highway and get SPRAYED with dirt and gravel constantly. I can literally hear it pelting off of my truck as I drive. There's zero scenario where without the PPF my truck would still look this good. As I said, I got a freaking rock chip within my first week of ownership (prior to the PPF).

It's not necessary to PPF the entire vehicle to protect from road debris. Just the front, the bottoms of the doors and the bottom of the rear bumper behind the tires (the R1T already comes with some PPF from the factory behind the front tires). And obviously for specific situations it makes sense, but as a general recommendation I would tell people to save their money or PPF specific areas that are likely to get hit by rocks.

 

[R1Thor]

It's not necessary to PPF the entire vehicle to protect from road debris. Just the front, the bottoms of the doors and the bottom of the rear bumper behind the tires (the R1T already comes with some PPF from the factory behind the front tires). And obviously for specific situations it makes sense, but as a general recommendation I would tell people to save their money or PPF specific areas that are likely to get hit by rocks.

I also didn't recommend full-vehicle PPF. If you re-read MY original response, I said I did the full front and the high impact areas. Anything that was at risk.
I didn't do the door sides or bed sides, or (originally) the tailgate either.

I didn't see any PPF on the sides of the truck other than the gear tunnel doors, but Rivian mucked mine up (bubbles galore), so I had my friendly neighborhood PPF installer swap those anyway.

The only reason I'd ever do the FULL truck is in a scenario where I was changing the overall aesthetic of the truck (like a lot of people doing Matte PPF, for example). But that's beyond my budget.

EDIT: I also did the door handles. I don't know that this was necessary, but I used to get a lot of scratches in my previous vehicles' door cups (not that Rivian really has door cups). But having a 9-year old and occasionally transporting other people who don't care much about vehicles, I decided that'd be a nice insurance policy so that rings, dirty hands, work gloves, and acrylic fingernails would never be a concern...

 

[Joel]

I don’t have XPel Inhave Llumar and anytime I have had ppf get a scratch or tearing it has been replaced under warranty.

 

[ozziegt]

I didn't see any PPF on the sides of the truck other than the gear tunnel doors, but Rivian mucked mine up (bubbles galore), so I had my friendly neighborhood PPF installer swap those anyway.

The only reason I'd ever do the FULL truck is in a scenario where I was changing the overall aesthetic of the truck (like a lot of people doing Matte PPF, for example). But that's beyond my budget.

So it seems like we are in some agreement. But my post wasn't just about you, it is a more general comment about PPF.

Here is a photo of the factory PPF on my R1S.

 

[R1Thor]

So it seems like we are in some agreement. But my post wasn't just about you, it is a more general comment about PPF.

Here is a photo of the factory PPF on my R1S.

HUH..

I definitely do not have that there at all.

Looks like you have a 2023 R1S. I have a 2023 R1T.

So, did they start adding that later (FWIW: Picked mine up at the very end of March)?
Did you purchase yours with the Factory PPF ($1500) option?

 

[ozziegt]

So, did they start adding that later (FWIW: Picked mine up at the very end of March)?
Did you purchase yours with the Factory PPF ($1500) option?

I didn't purchase with any PPF option. My understanding is that this has been installed on vehicles for a while. But I picked up mine in September. I guess some owners of older vehicles will have to chime in.

 

[Slatesride]

I have both the R1S and R1T. Both have full stealth wrap and windows tinted.

12-18 months later, both have had to replace windshields and therefore re-tint. Both have had minor scratches with no paint damage, but can't get scratches out of the wrap. Both have had door dings or other items that have torn the wrap and will need to be replaced.

So, for a year of protection, I don't think the wrap is actually worth it. BUT...if you are just looking for a bad-ass look to the factory color then maybe it is worth it. I guess it depends on the long-term payout of the wrap repair.

Does the expel wrap have the same properties as PPF? I was under the impression that wrap will protect the paint but not as well as a true paint protection film.

 

[eskudo12791]

Does the expel wrap have the same properties as PPF? I was under the impression that wrap will protect the paint but not as well as a true paint protection film.

xpel is ppf

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