XPEL Jeff

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.

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.

Congradulations you guys  did good!!!

Wow lots of cars !!!

Every window was inspected by an actual tinter for quality. Creases, short cuts or contamination had to be redone or it didn’t count. The quality inspectors were a mix of tinters, two IWFA people and a distributor from another film company other than Xpel. The rep from Guinness was on the floor the entire time to make sure no corners were cut.

Depends on what the customer wants first of all. Bulk installs take much longer and there is a lot more waste. If the customer will pay for the difference then I will bulk it. If not then kits are the way to go. I also have 8-10 cars I do more frequently than others so I have gone in and adjusted the kits patterns to add material (wrapped edges) and to delete badges, So when I bring up the saved files I basically get the same coverage as a bulk install but the plotter cuts it out saving me a lot of time and material. 

I’ll make some calls Monday. I did a short demo of the xpel patterns and the ones I used were great. Guess it’s time to branch out!

@PaintProtectionPro Just like social media makes people in daily life feel like their lives are somehow inferior to other from all the great stuff people post to make their lives look perfect, the same thing goes with all the install pic's and video in our industry. Although i am sure the install in this video is done well, it's a promo video for customer to be amazed. It's made to look like everything goes perfect. Doesn't show the whole story. I do everything I can to make sure our install are as good as can be.That being said we have all had installs that could have been better. Some will never admit that and say "every car they have done is perfect", but we all know that's just not true. I always wonder why do i see all these amazing install on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all the time, but never see them in the wild? I made it a point to start to see installs from different areas and states that I thought would blow me away. At the end of the day in person they were good , some even great.But nothing really that I hadn't seen before. An install can only get so good. There is no magic that can make it better. You are still putting a film on paint. 
 
I have been using Xpel exclusively about a year now. Going from Suntek I feel a lot more confident about edges not coming up.With Suntek I was getting issue with lot tech's blowing up edges with the pressure washers, and mirrors creeping back a few weeks down the road. Since i have been using Xpel I haven't had it happen once.Not saying you can push anything down and have it stay, you still need to be mindful about it. It was a learning curve to make the change to the Ultimate. But now with the Ultimate Plus the ease of install is a lot better. 

I'd say I am in the same boat as Jeff.
 
Having said that, my advice to all of these types of questions remains the same - ask manufacturers for a sample roll, try the film for yourself, and make a decision as to which you prefer. It's great to pose questions on internet forums, but at the end of the day, I'd prefer to try tings myself V's relying solely on the experiences of others.
 
Just my 2 cents....

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've tried alot of films, and i really like XPEL, the XPEL Stealth adhesive is a bit on the weaker side but the finish is ridiculous.
 
In the pic (the car is originally black) 2018 E63S AMG i am currently working on.
 
On the left (bumper area) that's vinyl and on the right side (hood) that's XPEL Stealth on top of the vinyl lol yup
 
it looks RIDICULOUSLY good, even i am drooling and i will be wrapping my C63S the same now hahahaah even one of the shop employees wants to do the same thing to his car.

How much time and headache did you save using a better pattern? Whats that worth to you monetarily ?

Going to cut from the DAP system tomorrow for the same car that was giving me issue. We will see if DAP lives up to the hype. Durango srt with hood vents. Water was pooling by these inserts. No matter how I stretched the film I would need trimming around these inserts. I'll report back

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.

SOrry for the quality. This video is before we bumped up our equipment.
 
 

Any air under the film is unacceptable.

Why would you price it any differently?  Just because a car is more expensive, doesn't mean that it is any harder.

Any air under the film is unacceptable.

You could call Llumar to see if these issues would be covered under warranty.  If so, then you could go to another dealer.  If not, you would have to go back to the same dealer unless you are willing to pay another dealer/company to redo it.

Most everything you have described can be due to the installer...not necessarily the film.  A chance of a bad roll is always possible,  but not sure in the case.  Llumar PPF is the same as Suntek PPF which is one of the widest used films on the market.

I have pulled paint on a Ferrari. It was about 10 years ago on a 460. I know others that have also. But I agree with you. I wouldn't pass up on the install. 

You'll have more headaches pleasing Corvette owners than you will with Ferrari owners. The bumper is moderately difficult, but everything else on that car is easy peasy.  Set your pricing based on the bigger harder cars and charge that much for everything. 
 
You just want to build in enough margin that you aren't afraid to spend as much time and film needed to make sure that the job looks great and still make a profit.  Every once in a while you'll have the customer with unrealistic expectations that you have to be prepared to refund, so keep that "slush fund" in mind as well.

You'll have more headaches pleasing Corvette owners than you will with Ferrari owners. The bumper is moderately difficult, but everything else on that car is easy peasy.  Set your pricing based on the bigger harder cars and charge that much for everything. 
 
You just want to build in enough margin that you aren't afraid to spend as much time and film needed to make sure that the job looks great and still make a profit.  Every once in a while you'll have the customer with unrealistic expectations that you have to be prepared to refund, so keep that "slush fund" in mind as well.

You'll have more headaches pleasing Corvette owners than you will with Ferrari owners. The bumper is moderately difficult, but everything else on that car is easy peasy.  Set your pricing based on the bigger harder cars and charge that much for everything. 
 
You just want to build in enough margin that you aren't afraid to spend as much time and film needed to make sure that the job looks great and still make a profit.  Every once in a while you'll have the customer with unrealistic expectations that you have to be prepared to refund, so keep that "slush fund" in mind as well.

Worst/hardest car would definitely be a Black AC Cobra I did for a MLB player.