pro-tect mobile

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 2:19 AM, DennisJR said:

You really should know how many cars you guys screwed up in mainland China market. Your private labeling brand UPPF now is dead !!! because 70% your product was failure after 3 month......... Over 1000 cars !!!

Are you saying you did 1000 cars in three months?

Good post Jeff. That's what I have always believed and lived by. I wont offer anything unless I have tested it first and at a minimum of 6 months on my own vehicle... which will get harsh testing. Too many films in the past looked great for 3-6 months then went to crap. I want to install film once... and only once. If I am installing a subpar product if it comes back even under warranty its a hassle consumers dont want to deal with.

Brass only.

I use Xpel's DAP as a backup only seeing how the cost is so high. But I primarily install Suntek film. You might look at Premium Shield as you pay a one time fee for their database and that's it. Not sure why they can do that and Xpel cant. As from other experiences in the past Xpel is all about the bottom line and there is no loyalty there to the installer. That's the biggest reason why I have a hard time doing business with them.

On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 4:51 AM, lorenzotint said:

Its easy to forget how much time is spent selling and giving the tech to a first time walk in. Plus add the 20 minutes customer service returning the job, even more if you get into after care of film. This can total to an extra hour in many cases.

Little different for me. We are a mobile service and have been in the market here for 7 years... before that California. The majority of calls now know about PPF and have done some research. So I might have five minutes of phone time giving pricing and setting up an install time. There is only one guy in Dallas charging $2500+ for full front ends and he has been in this market 17 years. his shop is nicer than most dealerships, and he has the exotic car market locked in. it is what it is. If I stuck to $2500 for full front pricing I would have been out of business long ago because people simply are not going not pay it. My advice is that if your coming in new do some research and find the average price in the are your in, undercut that a little, then as your skills get better raise your rates. If you think you are going to get $2500 per full front end then I would tell you don't waste your money on training because you will be out of business pretty quick in most markets. And on that note I get a lot of business from people who got that high quote, had done some research, and went with me. By coming in that high there is a level of arrogance people are not going to like because a lot of people have an idea of what the material cost is. That's not hard to research and most people don't like arrogant installers.

I really want to get into this topic more in depth. I agree with what Jeff said to a point... but without getting into the numbers I cant really go more into this. Lets just say we all know what the profit margin is in here. You can still do VERY WELL charging say $1500 on a full front and still produce the same level of work and customer service. I think people get a little carried away with pricing. Not many jobs out there that this kind of money can be made... and its not that physically demanding or anything. I am just as happy working on a Honda as I am a Lambo.

19 hours ago, XPEL Jeff said:

That's not typical work for Colorado Clear Bra.  I'm sure they'd want to make right on this, as it that work doesn't serve as a good advertisement for them.  Call Kirby, he'll take care of you.

Amazing to me they charge those prices in the first place... and then do that bad of work. That's a simple car to do and obviously they aren't too good at hand cutting... looking at the lines tells me that. I would be worried the paint under the edge of the film is cut. Any shop shouldn't let that out their door especially knowing the car is going out of state.

On a side note you cant go off of Yelp and Google reviews. We have an idiot here in the Dallas area making fake facebook profiles and he now has 247 5 star reviews in under a year. There is a serious lack of integrity on display but some people fall for those false reviews... then get burned. I would at a minimum recommend going and leaving that shop a 1 star review with your experience. Let bad work out your door and pay the consequences.

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 7:06 AM, XPEL Jeff said:

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!

 

All depends on what market you are in Jeff. $2.5k for a full front end is steep for most people in the Dallas area. Sure there are some exotic car owners that will spend anything on their cars but most people are not like that. 75% of the people I work for wouldn't even consider 2.5k for a full front end. Plus the more people you guys train the more competition there is... the lower the price drops. That's what happens when markets become saturated.

Well the OP was asking for Xpel, 3M, or Suntek. I tend to give him enough credit in that I am sure he knows he can buy kits directly from the company. There are other avenues to buy precut kits... I sell them all of the time as I specialize in PPF and have all the cutting equipment. I wasn't bashing Xpel on their prices... just stating the facts. They are expensive especially if you are not a dealer...which he obviously wasn't. I am sure some of the other PPF guys in here sell kits on occasion. So I just think there are better alternatives then coming in and posting the obvious. You don't see me over in the tint forums making posts... I leave that to the tint experts.

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 9:29 AM, DynamicAppearance said:

 

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.  

The OP cares... obviously you didn't by suggesting he go to the most expensive site out there in the first place. I PM'ed the OP instead of posting it in the open... so thanks for your lack of concern.

Just curious, do you even install PPF? I just went to your website and when you click on the paint protection film link all you have on there is window tint. Might want to get that fixed. Ahhh, I see the gimmick you are using to get people from Dynamic Appearance website to your main Atlanta Tint site... again do you guys even do PPF?

On ‎7‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 11:10 PM, XPEL Jeff said:

 

 

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

 

Jeff the person making the inquiry is not a dealer. This is for a self install which was made clear in the first post. So if he was a dealer I am sure he wouldn't have come in here asking where to buy kits. He would already be set up. Even the dealer prices are high considering you guys are using your own patterns and cutting your own film.  

7 hours ago, XPEL Jeff said:

 

Folks that don't buy regularly may not be aware, but we have revamped our wholesale kit pricing.  Last I checked it is on par or cheaper with Suntek and 3M pricing, if not cheaper.

For this particular request its double what it can bought from Suntek. At least that's what your website says.

Interesting concept. I would like to get a sample of this... I am about to wrap my Audi so this might be something to consider. What widths are you guys making this in?

On ‎7‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 5:16 PM, DynamicAppearance said:

http://www.xpel.com/paint-protection-kits/XPEL_North_America/Passenger_Cars_and_Light_Trucks

Why in the world would anyone recommend buying directly from Xpel??? It doesn't get any more expensive than that.

I always do the film over the stripes. Vinyl can get EASILY damaged. Easily. If you go over the PPF you will not get it off without having to replace all of it. Plus the PPF protects the stripes and gives it a more "painted/cleared" look.

Very interesting that Jeff has commented on this. Its been going for weeks now and they haven't chimed in once... but they made sure to let us know about the dealer conference coming up.

Certified don't mean nothing.....Experience is everything...

 

We just got our 3M Crystalline Certified after installing it for almost 7rs....They just started this class

We got our 3M PPF certified by Steven Burn like 6 yrs ago....

We got our Xpel Certified last yrs....

 

Just sub out the tint....that what I would recommend.  Having 3 location....I am not able to do installation all the time but I alway oversee the work....Junk don't leave out of my shop..

I totally disagree. For one being certified does mean "SOMETHING". It means you went through the factory training... and its also a quick way to shorten the learning curve a bit. Just winging it and learning through trial and error and cost a lot more time and money which could kill the business pretty quick. I'm assuming he isn't starting out with a lot of capital so why not do it right from the get go and get certified???? Any training you can get will help eliminate bad installs.... and it only takes one to negate 100 good ones. The pissed off customers are usually the one who leave reviews... not the happy ones.

Jeff listed out a lot of good points. BUT one of the first things you need to do is get training whether it be tint or PPF. One thing I have learned in this business over the last 13+ years is you can have 20 great installs but one bad one will kill your business. Sounds like you haven't really had any formal training and you will need it. If you aren't great at tint don't offer it until you are. Tint is being done everywhere and if you are doing poor tint work then it will kill your PPF business. Much better money to be made in PPF although tint can be a good filler. Just don't offer it unless you are great at doing it. Next you need to ping some mobile installers and find out what tips and told they can recommend for you. Mobile installing is much different than working in a shop. I think you have plenty on your plate with Jeff's post... quality work is a must though so get training. And I hate to be the one to point this out... work on your communication skills. having a lot of typos and misspelling/grammar errors will make you look unprofessional and you will loose some customers that way. Just being honest after reading your post.

 

 

 

 

This my be my first post on here as I try to steer clear of forums for just this reason, but how can you put up photos of someone's work to emphasize you're point or 'out' someone when you base your argument on 'possible' flaws from a photograph. I'm afraid you render your entire post pointless. Factless conjecture is what is wrong with forums these days. You may well be very educated in this field but I'm afraid you are not showing it.

My point of posting the photo was to show a possible defect and see if there was any possible explanation given to what it is since it does not look to be paint related. Nobody is going to his shop to watch the work for a week to point anything out, so a photo is all we got. Since I stated it is very hard to find a flaw on photos, an explanation of those marks should be easy to explain since it is so blatant. There was no explanation given just a defense which proves my point to me. Flawless don't happen period, not 100% of everyday. I won't post anymore responses since I am satisfied and there no point arguing with someone that claims flawless installs.

Still struggling Eh? Blatant lol there is nothing there save your febrile imaginings you want there to be something so you are determined to see something that doesn't exist from a low res photo off a phone

Heh if that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy knock yourself out

I have a question, if all of your installs are perfect then why aren't you taking better photos that are much more close up than the ones you have? I went through your website and do not see any photos that are close enough to make anything out. If I were on here claiming I do PERFECT installs every single time I better have a LOT of pictures taken up close to prove it. You might also take some pics of the install process as I have seen first hand installers taking pics of the car pre install and saying those were the finished results. I for one do not believe in perfection. I think there is always going to be a defect somewhere. Hell I can walk around ANY CAR MADE and find a defect in the paint somewhere. Painting is done in a clean room environment is very controlled conditions and they do not even get perfection. Find it hard to believe that not only do you get it but every single time. Throw some pics of an install in progress with some high res pics of the finished install up close and at different angles and I wont think you are completely full of yourself. I am sure as hell not flying all the way over there to look at installs... and you will find no one else will either. So lets get those pics coming so you can prove us all wrong.

Jeez just can't let it go can you?

Firstly that image was not on the official company site

Second the member of staff concerned put it on Instagram and ran it through filters to achieve her desired look

There are plenty of hi red images out there if people wanted to see them and a number of zoomed ones.

Seems that several on here refuse to accept my point that anyone can deliver to these standards

Something I have said repeatedly

For the record let me restate we never talk a clients expectations down

Other than that I am repeating myself so exiting this thread

Cheers

 

You completely missed my point. I did not mention the one pic everyone is talking about. I am talking about taking close up pics during and after the install process. All of the pics your company has is of cars at a distance. If the install is perfect you would be taking close up pics so people can actually see your work. We don't need a full shot of the car... we aren't car shopping. We are looking at your work to see what a PERFECT install looks like. way to avoid the point and run.

 

 

This my be my first post on here as I try to steer clear of forums for just this reason, but how can you put up photos of someone's work to emphasize you're point or 'out' someone when you base your argument on 'possible' flaws from a photograph. I'm afraid you render your entire post pointless. Factless conjecture is what is wrong with forums these days. You may well be very educated in this field but I'm afraid you are not showing it.

My point of posting the photo was to show a possible defect and see if there was any possible explanation given to what it is since it does not look to be paint related. Nobody is going to his shop to watch the work for a week to point anything out, so a photo is all we got. Since I stated it is very hard to find a flaw on photos, an explanation of those marks should be easy to explain since it is so blatant. There was no explanation given just a defense which proves my point to me. Flawless don't happen period, not 100% of everyday. I won't post anymore responses since I am satisfied and there no point arguing with someone that claims flawless installs.

Still struggling Eh? Blatant lol there is nothing there save your febrile imaginings you want there to be something so you are determined to see something that doesn't exist from a low res photo off a phone

Heh if that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy knock yourself out

 

I have a question, if all of your installs are perfect then why aren't you taking better photos that are much more close up than the ones you have? I went through your website and do not see any photos that are close enough to make anything out. If I were on here claiming I do PERFECT installs every single time I better have a LOT of pictures taken up close to prove it. You might also take some pics of the install process as I have seen first hand installers taking pics of the car pre install and saying those were the finished results. I for one do not believe in perfection. I think there is always going to be a defect somewhere. Hell I can walk around ANY CAR MADE and find a defect in the paint somewhere. Painting is done in a clean room environment is very controlled conditions and they do not even get perfection. Find it hard to believe that not only do you get it but every single time. Throw some pics of an install in progress with some high res pics of the finished install up close and at different angles and I wont think you are completely full of yourself. I am sure as hell not flying all the way over there to look at installs... and you will find no one else will either. So lets get those pics coming so you can prove us all wrong.

 I saw pro series for the first time last week in my shop .I've been installing PPF for 9 years now. First install of the demo day, mazda cx5. ( I do allot of these units at our dealership) I wasn't very happy with the end result. to many glue impressions from finger pressure( using xpel gel for install) and stretch marks. Second attempt was on a vw tiguan black. This hood requires a ridiculous amount of stretch to lay down properly. I have a slightly modified version in my DAP files now that installs easier but requires trimming after the install. Anyway, that install with pro series went much, much better than the first car, very gentle with the film on the install But! one big huge stretch line from the tack point along the ridge lines of that hood. The mirrors, I got allot of silvering on the corners of the mirror where I pull and hold with my palm. Haven't seen silvering in my installs for 3 years with ultimate film, just saying.  

 

Overall my impression.

 

Cons

1) glue impression from finger pressure will not come out of this film even when you lift it back up and spray some fluid underneath and massage it. Ultimate film will release that issue when you re-lift the film.

2) stretch marks, god I was really disappointed to see that.

3) the glue is still super sensitive!!

4) It's more than ultimate film in cost

 

 

Pros

1) This film has more stretch than ultimate for sure, but the glue is suffering for it I think.

2) The film does not rip as easy which is a plus. Ulimates big weakness you can take it and tear it like paper almost. Pro series takes allot more effort to tear.

3) It allows you to chase dirt or lint with out leaving glue lines later into the install process. I find with ultimate that you have to go after it almost right away

 or else you mess up the film.

4) finger compression with this film is really nice. no glue distortion if you happen to be working a stubborn finger for a while.

 

Do I need more time with this film to figure it out? most likely. Do I want to spend the time trying to figure it out and waste material, when I already have a film that allows for very nice installs in a very quick time frame? No. especially when the films are so dam close to each other! For now it's still Xpel as the film to beat in the PPF game. JMHO

I couldn't have said it better. I got a sample roll to try and had all of the issues you described. The adhesive is just too sensitive and it distorts easily if there is any stretching involved. I do like the flexibility better than Xpel Ultimate though and it doesn't tear like Ultimate does. However it is not as good as Suntek IMHO and I have only had it for about two months. I do not install film unless I have tested it for a while. I have seen too many films over the years that looked great initially then came back for warranty issues within a year. To date I have yet to have a  single warranty claim with Suntek and it is the easiest film to install out there. Makes training much quicker than with any other film out there.

That's funny. I so a lot of work for a BMW dealership and they only have a couple of places in the country where the paint can be redone. This is coming from the dealership itself. So if its that easy why cant just anyone do it?????? Why is it a $15,000 paint job if its that easy to do?

Anyway Norm I know where you are coming from. matte film is VERY sensitive and if it has to be removed it could damage the paint. But really its their only option if they want to drive the car and keep it looking good.

LOL, its way more than I needed to hear. I will continue to avoid it like the plague.

Well I have to say I like my plotter better but thats because I know it better. Your is nice and had I got it from the go I would be happy with it. I have a Roland GX-400 and it works like a champ. Never had an issue with it.... knock on wood. I do like both software programs... I ma more familiar with Enpros... and its free. The Suntek software is really good but I havent figured out how to rotate the pieces once they are nested. I will have to get you to show me that Norm when I come by next time. I will say that between the two programs I have every patten I need.... and dont have to pay $300 a month to use them.... which really doesnt make sense if you bulk most of your cars.

I run the Enpro and Suntek programs at a whopping $50 a month. Between the two you are well covered. As far as plotter width I only cut up to 30" rolls. Everything else I bulk... which is easier anyway.