XPEL Jeff

@Jake that means a lot.  Those guys work really hard and rarely get the praise they deserve when it comes to feedback (like you mentioned, the phone only rings if something ISN'T right).

I'll make sure to share this with the designer and his manager today.  Happy installs!

As mentioned above, You can't fix that, but here's a could things thatI would do to avoid it in the future:

- Blast all of your edges with an airt compressor.

- Make sure any blades that you use (plotter/OLFA) are clean and sharp.  Sometimes the edges of the adhesive can get a little ratty when they are cut with a plotter blade that doesn't swivel easily and you can't see the after effects until the install solution dries out.

It really depends on the hood (see below).  It is best to learn how to do both well and use whichever method will be most beneficial for the situation.

Also, most folks that are new to ppf, haven't mastered their knife technique in terms of cutting the film without cutting the paint, so even in the cases where it is easier, you release yourself from a lot of liability by opting for a kit.

We design kits for a living, but still bulk a fair amount of hoods.

@tintswe, PM me your contact info and I'll have our Eurpoean office reach out with a free trial of the Design Access Program (DAP) software.  We look forward to earning your business!

@Tintpro1911, we appreciate the kind words.  You're right that sometimes the kits are a bit overboard, but we'd rather err on the side of overengineering.  If we cut back coverage, every detail shop in the world lets us know about it. 

Let us know if you ever need help in learning to dial back the coverage a little bit in your program so that you can save them just how you like them.

On 8/10/2018 at 11:20 PM, Aden said:

Every once in a while I use a kit that feels like the general right shape but is off by a half inch (obviously way more than acceptable) when you let the film relax and read the fingers. When the kit is bad, it is immediately obvious: It either needs an excessive amount of stretch (enough stretch that you will see fingering and pull back like a failing vinyl wrap if you let it sit after tacking) or is so loose that you can't get the fingers down without totally misaligning the kit. What's weird is the inconsistency of some program's kits. 70 to 80 percent of the kits will snap together so nicely but then the others are just completely off.  The other weird thing is that the kit will be off on really easy pieces that need next to no stretch. Basically my question is why is it that some kits were never actually tested by the kit maker (at least that's what I'm assuming)  and others are flipping perfect from the same software company. Thanks so much cheers! 

There are a few answers here:

1.  Some companies buy their designs from multiple sources, meaining that they are not all designed with the same theory.

2.  If you aren't trained by the company who's software program you use, you may be installing it differently than it was intended to be installed.

3. Film can grow or shrink if you roll it up and let it sit for a while (especially overnight), depending on the direction you roll it (liner side in vs liner side out)

Do you have any specific examples that we could address?

16 minutes ago, Tint Slayer said:

Is about an hour a car really that mind blowing? Not trying to be negative but can anything be a world record if you get enough people to do it all at once? It's like we're all breaking a World Record just not standing in the same garage. But i will say it's a great way to get local coverage.

1. This event was not about pounding their chest in regards to speed as it was a great form of marketing to draw attention to the industry and their shop.  They were on every news station and REALLY strenghtened their relationship with the dealership that participated (who also gained exposure). 

2. If you could only imagine the logistics of moving 170 cars in and out of a dealership in a day, that's quite a feat in itself

3. 170 cars divided by 6 hours (they ran out of cars before the time was up) = 28.3 cars per hour.  28.3 cph/20 tinters is 1.41 cars per tinter, per hour, or one car every 42 minutes.

On 6/25/2018 at 1:06 PM, tintnewb42 said:

So in case it helps anyone else (like the other guy in this subforum who had similar questions to me), I wanted to just update my tint search. I had a chance to see Wincos 60 and Black Pearl 45 in person.  Probably so you won't regret your tint choice you should try to see them in person.  The Wincos 60 was too light and basically invisible (and I thought that is what I wanted) and the Black Pearl 45 was the right shade but man is it a blue hue.  The tinter said the Wincos is even moreso blue.  So I don't think I'll end up doing Wincos and I'll go check out a few more too.  

 

CTX which I was not considering has a great color to it.  For $50 more I can do Pinnacle at a good shop here, so I think I may just end up doing that with a Stratos Windshield for about $125 more than AirBlue80.  

 

Any thoughts on XPEL Prime XR or DUB IR?  It's crazy how many good tint choices there are now.  

 

Shoot me an email at jphillips@xpel.com if you'd like a sample of the Prime XR.  We also have the Prime XR Plus now (IR Rejection of 97% in the 45 VLT that you mentioned)

8 hours ago, highplains said:

I saw at the end of the video all vehicles recieved Prime XR film. Was the black or the charcoal and at what VLT?

What you saw in the video was actually the XR Plus Black 45, which blocks a lot more IR than the XR Black (hence the bluer appearance).  On lighter VLT's  more of the IR coating must be added to achieve high IR rejection numbers (97% for the 45 VLT).  That coating is what gives films more of a blue tone.  The XR Black is much more of a true black than XR Plus.

1 hour ago, Stewy said:

438 windows 170 vehicles from 21 installers and a bunch of helpers and assistants in 8 hours. That's an average 8 to 9 vehicles per installer and/or 20 to 21 windows per installer. 

Actually, they ran out of cars after 6 hours (I think there was a lunch break in there too), but 8 hours was the agreed upon time frame to judge the effort. 

This wasnt about proving themselves to other tinters, it was about drawing attention to the tint industry and their business.  SunStoppers was all over the news in the Carolinas.

A good kit will install faster than a bulk install 9 times out of 10.    A good kit should look just as good as a bulk install 8 times out of 10 (the symmetry and even edges are nice, as are sensor cutouts).  Kits remove some of the liability as well, so it is a good place to start while you further develop your bulking techgnique (which doesn't come overnight).

Having said that, there are some panels and some cars where bulking just makes more sense.  

As an installer, you should learn to be highly skilled at both bulk and precut, that way you can offer different levels of service and value.

Congrats to the team at SunStoppers for setting this new world record!

3 hours ago, Jake said:

If the glue is delaminating from the film I would say it is a film issue. Sounds like you are making sure the film is down well, and again its not peeling up off the paint. Are you using an adhesive promoter of any kind in theses areas?

Jake is right.  I missed that part about the delaminating.  That's a warranty issue for sure.

Do you blast all of your edges with an air compressor after install?

On 7/13/2018 at 5:58 PM, fusion said:

How do I go about getting said product?  Also I checked the website.  Do you guys ever do training in other locations?  Any suggestions for California?

Just PM me your info and I'll have the California rep reach out to you.  All of our training takes place at our headquarters in Texas.  We'd love to earn your business!

We sell b-grade film at about half of the typical price.  I'd highly suggest attending a training course before wasting any more money on film though.

You can buy cut credits from XPEL directly.  The option is in the DAP software, or you can contact the head office at 210-678-3700 or support@xpel.com.

On 6/26/2018 at 8:59 PM, drtint said:

Are you bulk installing or comp cut? Makes all the difference in the world.

bulk, interior start. Comp cut, anchor outer edge first and follow the material

XPEL does not design patterns to install this way.  We intend for bumpers to be started at the centermost alignment point(s).  Often this is some combination of the tow hook, parking sensor, headlight, and radiator inlet.

I cannot speak for other pattern companies though.

I'm not going to reply, because I am obviously biased.   

Just so that we understand though, are you looking to compare the ppf film only, or the total offering from the companies (software, marketing, support, warranty, etc.)?

You shouldn't have to trim kits very much.  If you are, you're either using the wrong program or putting them on differently than they were intended to install.

On 5/31/2018 at 10:21 AM, Matteo said:

Jeff question. It's possibile that some water bubbles appear 1 hour after the installation ?

It is possible to get bubbles after the installation with gel products, as sometimes the thin layer of moisture gathers in pockets.  An hour later seems pretty excessive though.  Usually it happens within 15 minutes.

These bubbles will dissapate on their own though.  

You can also minimize this effect by applying more pressure when squeegeeing.

On 5/25/2018 at 6:35 AM, pro-tect mobile said:

DAP has some great patterns but its VERY pricy and if you aren't using Xpel Ultimate film its even more so. With the volume of installs we are doing in a month I would guess I would be spending an extra $2500-3000 easily in cutting fees.  

Just to add clarity on XPEL portion of this: 

DAP patterns are $300/month flat rate if you are using XPEL film.  The cost is variable if you are not.

I’m a bit biased, but I think you’ll find that the XPEL Design Access Program  is head and shoulders above the rest.  The only downside to the DAP is that there are so many features, that it can make it slightly more complex to learn than some of the others that are based on an existing platform (DAP was written from the ground up for ppf, due to some of the functionality limitations of other programs like Corel, etc.). 

With a great Hugh-demand product in Ultimate Plus to pair with it and keep costs flat, you can’t go wrong!

keep in mind though that much of what you need out of a film company has little to do with product.   It comes on various forms of support. 

On 5/3/2018 at 10:22 AM, Matteo said:

 

EDIT:

What do you mean for Wrinkles/kinks in the film ??

Thanks again

 

If the film is not kept relatively flat or rolled when handling or plotting, I've seen marks happen.  Usually it is if they are squeegeed over though.

Those can happen for a variety of reasons:

• Film sticking to itself
• Wrinkles/kinks in the film
• Stopping the squeegee stroke on the film
• Film defects
• Squeegeeing over wrinkles

I'd work through it step by step, starting with examining more film from the same roll to see if there are defects present before removing it from the liner.

5 hours ago, blackoutauto said:

jeffs video is a perfect example on how to eliminate stubborn fingers. It will also help if you use an adhesive promoter like ProBond  on the underside for wrapping. 

https://www.amazon.ca/Pro-Bond-Adhesive-Promoter-Can/dp/B00KQWMH2G

 

xpel also has an adhesive promoter. 

Can be found here:

http://dealers.xpel.com/Tools/PPF-Installation/XPEL-PPF-Marker