XPEL Jeff

I'd like to congratulate the winners of this year's XPEL Dealer Conference tint and PPF Competitions:   Paint Protection Film 1. Chris West – CCA Motorsport (Anchorage, AK) 2. Marcus Wiener – AutoShield (Stockholm, Sweden) 3. Andrew Pilon – Goldwing Autocare (Ottowa, ON)   Window Film 1. Rob Ruska – Sun Stoppers of Lake Norman (Lake Norman, NC) 2. Sylvain Parenteau – Protex - Protection Pare-Pierre Drummondville (Drummondville, QC) 3. Juan Botia – Elite Tint Auto Styling Centre (Vaughan, ON)   Congrats on the big win and staying cool under pressure!   PPF & Window Film Installation Prizes:   1st Place – $5,000 Plus $2,500 in Film Credit to your Business 2nd Place – $2,500 3rd Place – $500   #teamXPEL

I'm a smoker and I think it's unprofessional to smoke around a customer's car or in the shop at all.  

Quite a few trim levels and series available for that one. Difficulty levels are listed on the kit search at www.xpel.com, but keep in mind not all design houses approach a car the same way.

I'm pretty impressed with what you've been able to do with it so far @BigRuski!  You may literally be the first guy in the world to do a vinyl wrap full car color change with that product.

@pro-tect mobile the finish of vinyl doesnt look anywhere near as good as ppf though. I can tell its a wrap if the car is driving 5 lanes away from me. This film looks really really good. It better for 9.40/sqft
 
Alot of cars now a days come in matte finish and this looks factory painted. I am going to be tucking everything i possibly can. 
 
Like another client i have booked up of a Lamborghini Huracan Performante in matte
 
 

We've just decided to help our competitors less.  That's all.  
 
Setting up a handful of installers in a 5 million plus metro area is a little different than setting up two installers a football field apart.
 
Midtown, you are right, Los Angeles doesn't make a lot of sense for us because multiple installers represent us well there, not unlike a lot of other markets.  That wasn't the case in Houston/Atlanta/Etc.  We don't mind taking business from competitors.  In fact, taking business from competitors and giving it to loyal XPEL users is actually a big reason I get out of bed every morning.
 
Norm paid a $40 access fee with no minimum as a test subject to see if that would be a valid model.  It wasn't.  The current plan raises prices on those pushing competing brands of film and offers huge discount opportunities for those pushing XPEL.  

Hi Eric,
 
At the time you inquired, you were less than half a mile from a long time customer.  When we say "no" it's not really "no," but rather "not right now" until we develop more demand in that specific area.  If our rep didn't do a good job of conveying that, then I apologize.  The irony is that both of you are competing using SunTek half a mile from eachother now.  We prefer not to saturate an area if at all possible.  Is it perfect, no, but if you were on the other side of the equation you would've appreciated it.
 
As for how we grow the business, we've got multiple ways, whether it be leads, digital marketing, working shows together, landing dealership accounts, etc.  Let me know if you'd like to give it a whirl, as we have a different rep in the area now that would do a good job of repairing that relationship.
 
 

If I was a business owner, I'd test any and all films myself.  The problem with forums is that you don't know the conditions that were involved in any of the situations, the size of the sample set, or any agendas involved. 
 
Give every film a fair shot, install them side by side all on your own car (and family/friends/neighbors)  and see how they hold up long term, before making a purchasing decision.  Your reputation and customers deserve a thorough review.
 
I'm not discounting any of the feedback shared on the forums, but if the success of my business hinged upon something (like the long-term expectations of a primary product offering), I'd want to have full confidence gained through adequate personal experience.

Here's a recent video that we organized with Engineering Explained that was picked up by Road & Track.  The video does a pretty decent job of explaining to consumers how much work we all go through as installers to provide them with the finished result!
 
 
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a12184664/how-this-magical-self-healing-film-protects-cars-from-scratches/
 
 

PPF is generally more profitable than tint, but it is a more difficult product to learn and takes a longer time to get off the ground (most consumers don't even know it exists).  
 
PPF is a good add on to a tint business, but if you're struggling in keeping the shop full with your tint business, chances are that you'll have just as hard of a time with PPF.  
 
make sure that youve thoroughly analyzed the reasons that tint is not busier for you in the winter and that there isn't something that you can do to fix the root cause. 

You are correct that most people aren't interested in paying $2500.

When charging $2500 for a full front, you aren't trying to get all of the customers. You can afford to let more customers walk because you are committing to a niche audience that involves lower volume and higher margin. It must be backed up with an impeccable customer experience.

Installers have the ability to dictate the pricing in a marketplace if they are willing to do what it takes to justify that value and aren't afraid to let people walk out. I'm not saying that all of you should change your pricing to $2500 (not my number, just what was mentioned earlier) tomorrow, but merely making a point that any market of 1 million plus people can support a shop catering to the high end.

Saturation is a bad thing for everyone. If a market is saturated, by definition, it means that it will not bare any more film sales. If a film company sets up additional installers in that market, no additional film will be sold.

Dallas / Fort Worth has more Toyota dealerships than installers, so it is far from saturated. Installers are needed to service the almost 7 million people that live in the area.

Competition can cause price wars if you let it. It also inspires shops to step up their game to be the best in the area, work harder to treat customers right, become more efficient, etc. It's a measure of supply and demand. A top-notch install shop shouldn't count the number of other install shops in the area, it should consider the number of EXCEPTIONAL install shops in the area, relative to the size of the market. You have to ask yourself, there may be other installers in the market, but how many actually offer the level of quality that you do?

Colorado Clear Bra has reached out to me again, and we agreed to a resolution.

The days of $2.5k full fronts are hardly over.  They are only beginning.  The busiest ppf shops in most markets are the highest price ones. 
 
With a quality product, install, and customer experience in tint or ppf, you can make solid margins.  It just takes a long term commitment to solid work to build that demand and value (not unlike what the snippet from Lorenzotint said).  
 
We'd be happy to help you get set up on a ppf program, but if your tint business is not where you want it there's a way to fix it!
 

PPF is generally more profitable than tint, but it is a more difficult product to learn and takes a longer time to get off the ground (most consumers don't even know it exists).  
 
PPF is a good add on to a tint business, but if you're struggling in keeping the shop full with your tint business, chances are that you'll have just as hard of a time with PPF.  
 
make sure that youve thoroughly analyzed the reasons that tint is not busier for you in the winter and that there isn't something that you can do to fix the root cause. 

The days of $2.5k full fronts are hardly over.  They are only beginning.  The busiest ppf shops in most markets are the highest price ones. 
 
With a quality product, install, and customer experience in tint or ppf, you can make solid margins.  It just takes a long term commitment to solid work to build that demand and value (not unlike what the snippet from Lorenzotint said).  
 
We'd be happy to help you get set up on a ppf program, but if your tint business is not where you want it there's a way to fix it!
 

PPF is generally more profitable than tint, but it is a more difficult product to learn and takes a longer time to get off the ground (most consumers don't even know it exists).  
 
PPF is a good add on to a tint business, but if you're struggling in keeping the shop full with your tint business, chances are that you'll have just as hard of a time with PPF.  
 
make sure that youve thoroughly analyzed the reasons that tint is not busier for you in the winter and that there isn't something that you can do to fix the root cause. 

PPF is generally more profitable than tint, but it is a more difficult product to learn and takes a longer time to get off the ground (most consumers don't even know it exists).  
 
PPF is a good add on to a tint business, but if you're struggling in keeping the shop full with your tint business, chances are that you'll have just as hard of a time with PPF.  
 
make sure that youve thoroughly analyzed the reasons that tint is not busier for you in the winter and that there isn't something that you can do to fix the root cause. 

Who cares?  If anyone doesn't like the price of a company, then go somewhere else.  Simple.  Instead of bashing XPEL's prices, how about help the OP and post where he can buy the other PPF for cheaper.  

Are you logged in as a dealer to see wholesale price?

That's the idea, but everybody has an off day.  If you take 10 installers, 7 may get a perfect install out of a pattern and 3 may have to trim.  
 
We'd be happy to send you a free trial of the software to compare patterns.  Just hoot me an e-mail at jphillips@xpel.com if you want to give it a whirl. 

Is your primary need quality patterns or the best price?

The cost varies by region, dependent on the cost to develop a complete database for that market and the level of film sales to offset the expense.
 
In a place like Europe where the cost to develop a new database from scratch is extremely high, it is tied to film purchasing (patterning/software is essentially a money losing business in emerging markets, so it must be supported by film sales to avoid an unreasonable software cost).
 
You are not required to buy XPEL film to use DAP software in the U.S. (heck, we even let distributors of some other brands of film use it).  

Hi Zen,
 
I have to agree with Supreme that the best thing that can be done is to view a previous installation, so that each party's version of a defect can be defined.  I've seen near perfect installs picked apart by consumers, and terrible installs applauded, so the only way to truly make sure that you are on the same page is to clearly define expectations in advance.
 
The important thing to remember as a consumer is that an installer that is honest and open about what to expect in the situation and his or her efforts is a good thing.  With the consumer's ability to compare multiple sources, that honesty will help you decide on who can meet your needs.
 
As for the Opti-Coat topic, it will have an effect on the installation, likely causing the need to re-install some pieces to make the job "right."  It is not uncommon for installers to forewarn consumers that results may be different when coatings are applied before the film is installed as their cost/liability surely goes up.
 
Tango's team in the UK does fantastic work (about as good as it gets), but this thread only highlights that the varying opinions of perfection and/or defects are all totally subjective in print and must be viewed firsthand.  The only way to know is to trust your installer by understanding who they are, what they stand for, and what their standards are.
 
I am confident that if you pay a visit to Supreme that you'll be presented with exactly what you can expect and that they'll honor the quality of work they exhibit to you.
 
Let me know if we can be of any further assistance, as we want you to be so happy with your experience that you become an advocate for the ppf industry!

Hi Zen,
 
I have to agree with Supreme that the best thing that can be done is to view a previous installation, so that each party's version of a defect can be defined.  I've seen near perfect installs picked apart by consumers, and terrible installs applauded, so the only way to truly make sure that you are on the same page is to clearly define expectations in advance.
 
The important thing to remember as a consumer is that an installer that is honest and open about what to expect in the situation and his or her efforts is a good thing.  With the consumer's ability to compare multiple sources, that honesty will help you decide on who can meet your needs.
 
As for the Opti-Coat topic, it will have an effect on the installation, likely causing the need to re-install some pieces to make the job "right."  It is not uncommon for installers to forewarn consumers that results may be different when coatings are applied before the film is installed as their cost/liability surely goes up.
 
Tango's team in the UK does fantastic work (about as good as it gets), but this thread only highlights that the varying opinions of perfection and/or defects are all totally subjective in print and must be viewed firsthand.  The only way to know is to trust your installer by understanding who they are, what they stand for, and what their standards are.
 
I am confident that if you pay a visit to Supreme that you'll be presented with exactly what you can expect and that they'll honor the quality of work they exhibit to you.
 
Let me know if we can be of any further assistance, as we want you to be so happy with your experience that you become an advocate for the ppf industry!