Clear Film Pellet Test: XPEL, 3M, Avery, Hexis, Suntek, and More (aka clear bra)

[techwhiz]

I have ScotchGuard Pro on my car.

[SMC23]

Hi Guys,

Got a new 340i XDrive and am planning to get the new 3M Pro Series installed. Anyone have experience with this one?

Also, what you think of my coverage? Should i consider any changes I want to keep this below $2500 CAD if possible.

- Full Front Bumper
- Full Hood
- Headlights
- Partial Fenders

[Brasko]

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

I'm going with XPEL Ultimate & Modesta for my M3.

[capo1m]

Originally Posted by Brasko

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

I'm going with XPEL Ultimate & Modesta for my M3.

Look into ceramic pro

[bueller]

I have Xpel Ultimate on my Boxster;

- Front Bumper
- Headlights
- DRL
- Entire Hood
- Entire Fenders
- Mirrors
- Rocker panels up to where they join with the body
- Bottom of rear fenders

I have not had any damage, although I have only put a few thousand (3-4) miles on the car.

The only issue I have noticed is that if you wear polarized sunglasses you can see artifacts in the film. Take off the glasses and it looks perfect.

B.

[humbertin0]

Originally Posted by classyfast

I think you should all note that this gun fires at 360 feet per second approximately (in link info)I

I own and shoot competition firearms and high powered pellet guns and can tell you that 360fps for a pellet gun is slow as hell. However I highly doubt road debris will ever reach that velocity. You also have to consider the deforming nature of pellets or whatever nature of ammo they are using. I don't think this test is realistic, definitely over exaggerated from why you would expect to see on roads.

True, I understand what you mean. 360fps is almost 250 mph.
However, I must note that this test still gives good information on how the materials compare to each other.

[MFNATIK]

I think some of you guys may be misinterpreting the results? The tests show CCL, NEXIS, and XPEL Ultimate to be the clear winners.

Green/No = good
Red/Yes = bad

And the products are alphabetized by manufacture lol

[P1]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

While a really talented installer can overcome my aesthetic opposition; the economics of these films makes me scratch my head. I feel the profitability of films are the real reason they are so popular. Personally I subscribe to the theory that I'll just repaint if I see/feel the need.

Agree. My old Dodge truck could have use a front bumper repaint, but that was after 10 years of owning it. On my BMWs, on with 60K miles and one with 19K miles, the front bumpers still look perfectly fine. And that's with zero protection, driving on Texas roads.

[bermuda6]

Has anyone found more recent comparison tests? This chart is from 2015.

[435MSport6Speed]

Road rocks have all sorts of angles and edges. PPF gets cut at normal highway speeds.

I still swear by it. It's been on all of my cars since 2001. I'm lucky to have the #1 Xpel installer in the country just a few miles away.

[x3sm]

Looking to DIY this on my Porsche. Anyone know about 'vinyl gliding spray' that is usually used? or is soapy water enough under the film and on top?

[435MSport6Speed]

Originally Posted by x3sm

Looking to DIY this on my Porsche. Anyone know about 'vinyl gliding spray' that is usually used? or is soapy water enough under the film and on top?

It's harder than it looks. It's very hard to achieve professional results. Use baby shampoo and water as your slip solution.

[x3sm]

Originally Posted by 435MSport6Speed

It's harder than it looks. It's very hard to achieve professional results. Use baby shampoo and water as your slip solution.

Even if the film is pre-cut? I worked with vinyl before on personal cars and although it took patience it wasn't too difficult.

[435MSport6Speed]

Originally Posted by x3sm

Even if the film is pre-cut? I worked with vinyl before on personal cars and although it took patience it wasn't too difficult.

Give it a shot. I would be prepared to live with imperfections or end up paying someone to redo it. Degree of difficulty depends on the contours of your car.

[x3sm]

Originally Posted by 435MSport6Speed

Give it a shot. I would be prepared to live with imperfections or end up paying someone to redo it. Degree of difficulty depends on the contours of your car.

Yeah agreed, I'll try it out and if I completely mess up I'll just have a professional re-do it. I will start with some easy spots like pillars. The car is a Porsche Macan S

[Humdizzle]

depends on what you want.

xpel is probably the best outright protection, at the cost of being thicker and possibly effecting how your paint looks.

I had llumar clear bra on my 335. it was ok. installer could have done a better job. but I did like how hot water or the sun would make micro scratches disappear. really saves on cleaning time.

after 20k miles there were holes and some tears in the film. 99% of these miles were on the highway doing 80mph though.

If you have the space i'd ditch any clear bra and just use that money to buy a beater. put ceramic coating on your fun/weekend cars and call it a day.

[Mingwan]

It’s too bad spray-on protection film never really took off. At least from my perspective, it seemed to never really gain traction.