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xpel dealer requirements

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code_66

code_66

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On 6/26/2023 at 7:39 PM, mobiledynamics said:

As a consumer, dare I ask. 

I'm well aware Xpel does a dealer region lock or only so many dealers per X miles....

 

This is what I found slight interesting and can anyone confirm.

Is there a MAP or more like a universal -set price- Xpel dealers can charge per coverage, whether it be full front/full wrap , etc ....

 

Pricing is regional. Aka, one pricing can be totally different than a different state

What I found slightly coincidental, is the less than handful of Xpel installers I would use, their pricing seemed -all the same.    Aka, some shops where I know could charge more was charging the same as a -average- ppf installer

 

So to your point, I owned my own professional detailing studio for about eight years, and then sold it to an interested buyer, and now am a PPF installer/area manager for a large auto group. When I had my retail shop, we used only XPEL for our PPF and tint needs. Lucky, I sold the business before the "all in or nothing" business model came about. 

 

I can't speak for the USA, but in Canada, there wasn't MAP pricing... yet. I would say there was an un-written rule between cities and larger shops to try and stay within a range. Now if XPEL found out one of their buyers was undercutting the market at a stupid amount, their rep would go pay them a visit. I've heard of two situations where an install shop was charging almost 30% less then the market, and XPEL did cut them off. 

 

I like XPEL, but I would say the last couple years, they've become too corporate for my liking. When they told me I couldn't install anything BUT their brand of ceramic coating, or else they wouldn't honor my warranties, I knew it was the end of my relationship with them. 

 

At the end of the day, I would say PPF brands don't really affect the end consumer, it's more-so for the installer. I noticed a huge difference between 3M, XPEL, Suntek and STEK when it came to installing. But as long as you stick to their top tier sub-brand of films (3M Pro series, XPEL Ultimate Plus, Suntek Ultra C), you as the consumer won't really notice a difference. It always boils down to the installer. 

 

Hopefully that answered some of your questions, my apologies for my essay lol. 

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mobiledynamics

mobiledynamics

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1 hour ago, code_66 said:

brand of ceramic coating, or else they wouldn't honor my warranties, I knew it was the end of my relationship with them. 

 

 

As a consumer, and not a pro detailing shop. do you feel that selling a *coating* on PPF is value added ?

IMO, nothing last long on PPF and for the pro shops selling high solid coating jobs ontop of PPF......I think it's a dis-service since IME nothing really sticks for long...

 

On the flip side of this statement, PPF is porous and the consumer does need to maintain some sort of LSP on it...as this stuff will soak/absorb/ and stain...

 

How is the so called -warranty- amongst in network dealers on this stuff. Part of the $$ charge is supposedly the 10 year or whatever warranty with PPF. I never paid much  attention into it but when I was doing readings on this stuff, to some degree they were honoring it (one would need to go back to the original installer), etc. If the original installer was the hack job, then the consumer had to *fight* to get it rectified by an alternative dealer...etc. 

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code_66

code_66

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17 hours ago, mobiledynamics said:

 

 

As a consumer, and not a pro detailing shop. do you feel that selling a *coating* on PPF is value added ?

IMO, nothing last long on PPF and for the pro shops selling high solid coating jobs ontop of PPF......I think it's a dis-service since IME nothing really sticks for long...

 

On the flip side of this statement, PPF is porous and the consumer does need to maintain some sort of LSP on it...as this stuff will soak/absorb/ and stain...

 

How is the so called -warranty- amongst in network dealers on this stuff. Part of the $$ charge is supposedly the 10 year or whatever warranty with PPF. I never paid much  attention into it but when I was doing readings on this stuff, to some degree they were honoring it (one would need to go back to the original installer), etc. If the original installer was the hack job, then the consumer had to *fight* to get it rectified by an alternative dealer...etc. 

 

It really depends on how much you value the appearance of your vehicle. Let's use XPEL Ultimate Plus for example, from factory, it already has a hydrophobic top coat to add some beading effect when water hits it.

If you know basic detailing skills, or have a "can do" attitude, I would recommend you buying a high end retail ceramic coating, and then applying it yourself. I would personally recommend Gyeon, as their products are very user friendly, and forgiving in case of any mistakes (high spots for example). 

What I've done on my personal vehicle is the following:

- installed PPF on the entire front end and rockers right after possession (XPEL Ultimate Plus)

- did a light single stage correction 

- applied a one year coating (in this case, Gyeon Pure)

- every time I hand wash my vehicle, I spray a product called "Gyeon WetCoat", this is basically watered down ceramic coating, and you apply it to a clean, BUT, wet surface, then you rinse off and dry

- then once a month, or whenever I'm bored, I'll manually wipe down my vehicle with Gyeon Cure, which is like WetCoat, but a bit more concentrated, and takes a bit more time as you are applying by hand with a clean MF towel

 

Following this method, it has given me the results of a five year coating but at a fraction of the cost. As long as you maintain your coating with any product that contains SI02 (the main ingredient in ceramic coatings), you'll never need to re-apply your coating. 

 

YMMV, but this method and combination has worked well for my personal and families vehicles. 

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mobiledynamics

mobiledynamics

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, code_66 said:

 

It really depends on how much you value the appearance of your vehicle. Let's use XPEL Ultimate Plus for example, from factory, it already has a hydrophobic top coat to add some beading effect when water hits it.

If you know basic detailing skills, or have a "can do" attitude, I would recommend you buying a high end retail ceramic coating, and then applying it yourself. I would personally recommend Gyeon, as their products are very user friendly, and forgiving in case of any mistakes (high spots for example). 

What I've done on my personal vehicle is the following:

- installed PPF on the entire front end and rockers right after possession (XPEL Ultimate Plus)

- did a light single stage correction 

- applied a one year coating (in this case, Gyeon Pure)

- every time I hand wash my vehicle, I spray a product called "Gyeon WetCoat", this is basically watered down ceramic coating, and you apply it to a clean, BUT, wet surface, then you rinse off and dry

- then once a month, or whenever I'm bored, I'll manually wipe down my vehicle with Gyeon Cure, which is like WetCoat, but a bit more concentrated, and takes a bit more time as you are applying by hand with a clean MF towel

 

Following this method, it has given me the results of a five year coating but at a fraction of the cost. As long as you maintain your coating with any product that contains SI02 (the main ingredient in ceramic coatings), you'll never need to re-apply your coating. 

 

YMMV, but this method and combination has worked well for my personal and families vehicles. 

 

 

Your many toppers outline herein lies the problem that I was stating...

 

The average consumer cannot even wash their car....

When someone installs a $2500 front end PPF wrap or a $7500 full wrap

They expect it to be some magical forcefield

The same when someone spends $2500+ for a High Solids Coating. 

 

The High Solids Coating won't prevent Paint Chips...However, it does last on paint with minimal maintenance. The coating itself can get clogged but the product itself does stay on the -base layer-. Most people who have paid for their 1st coating - their 1st inquiry is I got a paint chip - wasn't this $$$ coating supposed to prevent that with it's ~9H~ hardness.....

 

 

With PPF

However, nothing IMO sticks for long on PPF. Whether it be high solids , mid solids or just spray sealant SI02 in a bottle.

Look at the maintenance schedule you have outlined for *your PPF*.

The reality is, every PPF owners needs to adhere to this to some degree as PPF is porous. If you don't maintain your LSP,  a stain can set in and may require the film to removed off panel/new film to fix it..

PPF does help with paint chips, scratches, marring, etc. 

It's not a one all product though because IMO nothing really sticks on it for long.

Let's take Xpel's coating for the Ultimate Plus. It's been ages since I've looked at it, but isn't the callout is that one must go back to the Xpel Installer facility to get it re-coated every year in order for the warranty to be valid.

 

With that said, when I stated if a professional detailing shop upsells a coating to a customer ontop of their already expensive PPF install, are they doing a dis-service to the customer....

But hey, I get it. Green is green. ALOT of PPF guys on the market these days cashing in...

 

 

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code_66

code_66

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5 minutes ago, mobiledynamics said:

 

 

Your many toppers outline herein lies the problem that I was stating...

 

The average consumer cannot even wash their car....

When someone installs a $2500 front end PPF wrap or a $7500 full wrap

They expect it to be some magical forcefield

The same when someone spends $2500+ for a High Solids Coating. 

 

The High Solids Coating won't prevent Paint Chips...However, it does last on paint with minimal maintenance. The coating itself can get clogged but the product itself does stay on the -base layer-. Most people who have paid for their 1st coating - their 1st inquiry is I got a paint chip - wasn't this $$$ coating supposed to prevent that with it's ~9H~ hardness.....

 

 

With PPF

However, nothing IMO sticks for long on PPF. Whether it be high solids , mid solids or just spray sealant SI02 in a bottle.

Look at the maintenance schedule you have outlined for *your PPF*.

The reality is, every PPF owners needs to adhere to this to some degree as PPF is porous. If you don't maintain your LSP,  a stain can set in and may require the film to removed off panel/new film to fix it..

PPF does help with paint chips, scratches, marring, etc. 

It's not a one all product though because IMO nothing really sticks on it for long.

Let's take Xpel's coating for the Ultimate Plus. It's been ages since I've looked at it, but isn't the callout is that one must go back to the Xpel Installer facility to get it re-coated every year in order for the warranty to be valid.

 

With that said, when I stated if a professional detailing shop upsells a coating to a customer ontop of their already expensive PPF install, are they doing a dis-service to the customer....

But hey, I get it. Green is green. ALOT of PPF guys on the market these days cashing in...

 

 

 

That was my frustration when promoting/selling ceramic coating. A lot of people were brainwashed into thinking a coating WILL stop rock chips, scuffs, scratches, whatever. It was because of all those videos they would see online of people throwing anything and everything but the kitchen sink at their vehicle, saying "Protected with ceramic coating!!!"

 

My job as a business owner and professional detailer is setting the expectations about ceramic coating. I would always ask: "Why do you want to get your vehicle coated?" Once they responded, that would give me an idea if they were a strong candidate for CC, PPF, or both. 

 

Near the end of my time as a business owner, I ended up only recommending either a one year coating, or at most, a three year coating. I would be honest and straightforward with my clients, and simply tell them "Ceramic coating is basically wax on steroids. Don't expect any protection to your paint, and if the coating does help prevent minor scratches and swirls, great! That's an added bonus." But I would never let any of my clients leave my shop with a coated vehicle thinking it's some magic blanket over their vehicle. 

 

I pride myself on being honest, and when I opened my shop, my goal was to remove the anxiety and fear people would have walking into a cosmetic store, garage or dealership. We all know that feeling of "How bad am I going to get ripped off today?" when going into a dealership. I wanted to remove that feeling, and I believe I was able to accomplish that by being honest and setting the expectations. 

 

IMHO, an annual decontamination, single stage correction, sealant and wax would yield better results and save money than a five year coating with an "annual inspection", which basically is a wipe down with a si02 based product. 

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Steve Jackson

Steve Jackson

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My quick 2 cents... My brother and I both have shops. We carried the same products and had roughly the same amount of business. We were both offered to be XPEL dealers and I didn't agree with the "all or nothing" mentality. From what I've noticed, he has had more growth since switching but the grass isn't always greener.  

 

A couple of his customers were unhappy but he did send them my way since I still use the same products he used to. He doesn't like the pricing of his products although he does have higher mark up because of the XPEL name - but he said he occasionally feels guilty that he raised his prices (and honestly he feels the product is of lower quality). 

 

So it really all depends on your end goal. We both are happy with our decisions and you can't beat the XPEL name but you can beat their quality. 

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