2006 Aston Martin DB9

[Guest socalkid]

I'm looking at xpel's website for the front bumper on a 2006 Aston DB9. It's showing that they only have it for a no pdc bumper and my guys dont recall seeing any nor are they showing any pdc when I look on the internet. I'm going to assume that they dont have it, at least the US version. Is it going to be a concern if the car ends up having the pdc and the kit doesnt have it?

[Guest Josh @ Proform]

The DB9 and the other current Aston Martin bumper are really simple. I do believe there are a few US cars w/ PDC but they are much like BMW and other manufactures in that they sit flush with the bumper. I would not recommend leaving film over the sensor and they should not be difficult to hand cut. Just take your time and make sure your blade is always turning, this will help ensure a smooth cut.

I can check to see if our Aston dealer has any a DB9 w/PDC tomorrow and add them to the Proform Design, unfortunately I cannot make any guarantees.

Hope this helps.

[Guest socalkid]

What do you think about this?

This from a BMW reply

If it is an XPEL kit it will have the option to have or NOT to have PDC holes. He may or may not order the right thing...but anyway, a few things to note.

First off, the PDC WILL work with film over it (we've tested it...).

Second off, if the guy got the right kit and it HAS PDC holes then take a piece of scrap that is larger than the hole and stick it over the hole while the kit is still on the backing paper. Install the kit making sure you line up the PDC holes correctly. When done, pull the covers that you stuck on there. The reason you are putting the covers over the holes is so that when you stretch the film to install it, the stretch does not elongate (make egg-shape) the PDC holes.

It is a pretty straightforward kit and a 4 star (5 being the hardest, 1 being the easiest) rating. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Cheers,

Paul Costas

XPEL Team

pcostas@xpel.com

[Guest Josh @ Proform]

Paul is a very competent individual and knows his product. I cannot really comment on it, other than most PDC technologies are based on ultrasonic (sound) technology so it will likely transmit through the material with little or no issue.

The problem is there will be moisture trapped in the PDC location and the film may not stick to all of the surfaces so it might not look so good to the client.

Cosmetically, it is really a matter of personal preference. I would trim the kit if it was one of my clients.

Try the Proform design sometime (available in the DAP 6.2 software) , it is only a 2 difficulty (shameless plug).

[Guest socalkid]

Right on Josh, I'll try it your way and we'll see how it goes, it's not for another week, I was jsut doing my homework! Thanks!

[tango2]

The problem with PDC's is you never know whether they were a factory fit or a dealer fit or PDI centre fit after manufacture. Therefore you can never be certain that the locations will not vary from car to car. Where there is a moulded recess int the rear of the bumpers to help position punching the hole out you stand a better chance of the positioning being spot on.

What most guys tend to do is work with the ones that are there till they start seeing variations then they start deleting them off the pattern and go back to spinning a blade in the gap between the rubber seal and the bodywork which does not involve cutting on paint.

Hope that helps

[Guest socalkid]

will it looks like the kit is not going to have the pdc holes so I'm to cut them out if the car comes equipped with it.

[ply187]

I never cut the pdc's or signal lights (if they are recessed) simply because it makes every install that much easier and if they are recessed then they are easy to cut around once the film has dried for a few minutes

[Guest Josh @ Proform]

I never cut the pdc's or signal lights (if they are recessed) simply because it makes every install that much easier and if they are recessed then they are easy to cut around once the film has dried for a few minutes

A lot of folks, including myself on occasion, go that route. Many have been burned in the past by poor designs that never quite fit right, deleting PDC, headlight washers, and blinkers when ever possible makes installing these design easier. Fortunately I can design kits to fit correctly but on occasion I choose to hand cut PDC or blinkers on high end older exotics because the are never in the same spot.

For normal vehicles with factory PDC a quality design will ensure proper fit and reduce install times.