[STRTWYZ]

Clear bra that is. My buddy asked if was gonna do it I should do it soon while the car is new and free of road wear/imperfections. Never really considered until he brought it up and got me thinking if any of you SS'ers have got this done.

Did some light research online and can be spendy with more panels to protect. Ie: bumper, partial hood, valance, side skirts and mirrors.

Please chime in with your experience.

 

[mchart]

Yes, it's worth doing it on any new car. I had the Xpel shield applied to my car a couple weeks ago. Doing so means I never have to worry about a rock chip again, ever. Xpel shield is also self healing and any fine scratches/swirling come out after a hour or so.

$1200 got me the entire front and half way up the hood. You can do more but it isn't worth it unless you're rich and have money to blow. In the ideal world you'd have the money to get it applied to the entire car and never worry about marring/swirling in your finish ever again.

Xpel itself has a 10 year warranty which also includes re-install fees due to install defect, etc.

As far as the different types of clear shields out there; Don't settle for anything but Xpel shield. 3M's clear shield and Venture Shield (Which they bought out) come nowhere near considering they aren't self healing.

So think of it this way - $1200 up front for no rock chips for 10 years, or $1000-$2000 for a respray of your front bumper every couple years because of rock chips.

 

[STRTWYZ]

Thanks Mchart. I've been watching some vids on YouTube and Expel looks like some serious stuff. And not cheap. At least to me.

 

[bonecrrusher]

I had my entire hood, front bumper, and the partial fenders done on my SS.

I did the partial front end on my C6 - and of course rocks bounced up off the clear bra and still knicked up the hood - so thats why I had the entire hood done on the SS.

 

[mchart]

Thanks Mchart. I've been watching some vids on YouTube and Expel looks like some serious stuff. And not cheap. At least to me.

Yeah Xpel is pretty awesome. I trust it to maintain way more then other clear shields I've had on my other cars. It's also way more stain resistant then other shields out there. You can take a sharpie and mark all over it and the sharpie will wipe right off even after sitting on the shield for days.

 

[LT5 John]

XPEL on my SS...Front end, half hood, mirrors, lower rockers, partial lower door panels, and rear lower quarter panel...I now have 8100 miles on my SS. Commute 100 miles a day...Front of car and areas with XPEL no chips at all...SS still looks like showroom condition...I highly recommend XPEL, if your going to do it...The other best thing with XPEL I barely see it, even up close...I posted the install on my SS a while ago...

 

[TOOBLUE]

Had no Idea that clear bra was that expensive$$$ Heard it was a great product - good thing i have a spray gun.. lol

 

[black magic]

I don't have one on the G8 and after washing it this past weekend, I was reminded why I SHOULD have gotten one. The front of that car looks like I drove through a war zone.

 

[GXPaycheck]

XPell will be going on mine.

 

[Drew888]

My nephew's 2006 STI looks new with Zero stone chips so heck yea it's worth it and I'm factoring that in as a required part of the purchase.
You'll be crying silently to yourself in 3-4 years when you take a closer look at the front end then wish you had installed it.

 

[STRTWYZ]

Made a couple phone calls and found an Expel shop that'll do the hood, front bumper, headlights, fogs, and mirrors for $650.

Hmmmmm....vs Rotofab CAI? I'm in trouble....

 

[pigman440]

had mine done too!

 

[mchart]

Made a couple phone calls and found an Expel shop that'll do the hood, front bumper, headlights, fogs, and mirrors for $650.

Hmmmmm....vs Rotofab CAI? I'm in trouble....

Wish mine were that cheap, but that's what I get for Hawaii. Only one Xpel installer on the entire island.

 

[STRTWYZ]

Wish mine were that cheap, but that's what I get for Hawaii. Only one Xpel installer on the entire island.

Wow! Local boy or transplant, mchart?

Local boy left a loooooong time ago now in Phoenix.

 

[dz28]

Xpel will be going on mine before I drive it. Have the 3M on my Camaro but then it sees 500 miles a year. Had 3m on my Denali and one of my GXP's. All good but my installer says Xpel on silver and my SS. $875 (repeat customer) for the front and hood; bit more if I do the rockers which I am likely to do.

 

[TOOBLUE]

Pre-cut XPEL Paint Protection Kits

 

[aburg2]

I got the XPEL installed on mine too, Full front, including all lenses, mirrors, & luggage area of rear bumper. $800 in SoCal. I did a 160 mile RT today & checked out the front afterwards, man what a difference!
AB

 

[STRTWYZ]

Big thanks for those sharing your experience with Xpel. I got it done last week and here in Phoenix - rock chips and glass chips are had way too often. Hard to see on the S.I.M. but as the shadows grow longer (early am and late day) you can tell where the end line is at certain angles.

Here's a quick shot I took messing around with off camera flash one night while smoking a cigar. I'll try to take some day time pics - time permitting. I'm too busy bending corners in this fun car.