PPFdistributing

That is product dependent. Reach out to your supplier and find out the best technique for the adhesive you are using. Since all film's adhesives vary, your supplier should have the best recommendations for your specific product that you are using. There are a variety of optional techniques that might work but it's best to get it from the horse's mouth since they should know the product best. Good luck.

PremiumShield Cut Studio has the whole car.

On 7/1/2019 at 2:48 PM, XPEL Jeff said:

 

☝️  Precisely why the scanners don't have much value...they can't.  The difficulty in creating good patterns isn't getting the parameters of the bumper as it sits on the car, it's knowing where the kit needs to stretch, rotate, seam, etc.

Jeff is correct. Even when you scan which takes quite some time even with the current technology, you still need to test fit and adjust the pattern so that it can be a more accurate fit. Scanning, regardless of the articles out there or the promotions about it for our industry, currently lack the precise accuracy needed when drawing and test fitting. So even if it gets a baseline for you, the pattern still needs to be tested and adjusted to anticipate the fact that you are putting a 2D material on a 3D surface. There are certain areas you can't cover or need relief cuts in certain spots to allow for the film to actually sit and stay. 

I'll be the one to say it. I'm sorry Guest Adam, but this isn't a DIY product. I understand that you don't want anyone else touching your car except you. I'm sure it's something you value very highly. But just like taking your car to get a tune up or fixed, you take it to a mechanic that is trusted and has experience most likely. Installing PPF on vehicles is not like installing a screen protector on your phone which is flat. It takes months and years to hone in on this craft which is why I tell everyone it isn't a DIY product. If you value your vehicle as much as it sounds, I would do your research and hire a reputable installer that will meet your expectations. Youtube University is not something that will get you the finished product you nor any of us would want for our own car. I think you got the responses on this post because it undermines all the hard work and time us professionals have invested into being good, if not great, at installing PPF. I don't think anyone is trying to insult you either, more just warn you that this is going to be an expensive experiment that will end up costing you much more money and time than we all think you want to spend on it. Good luck with the install. 

Technically in the USA, putting PPF or anything on headlamps is illegal. It comes under the scope of tinted and colored films impinging on the light along with the color potentially being misused. But that's technically. The reality is that since it's clear, unless someone comes up to it and actually inspects it, they would never know it's even on there. It's not part of the inspection process nor is a cop going to pull you over because of it. It's more of an umbrella law which covers everything that comes close to it being a problem. 

On 5/4/2019 at 10:47 PM, JoshVette said:

They may be using the "surface prep" to force it to stick in those joints.  Still not a great idea as they will lift up over time.  it's too small of a ledge to tuck and the film actually stay down.  

 

Plus if you ever have to replace it, those seems will be the first area the paint will come off.

I agree with JoshVette. I personally am not a fan of pro-bond and don't believe it should be used during an install. You are basically creating a permanent bond with the adhesive to the clear coat. And it's not if, but when the film needs to be removed as PPF is a semi-permanent product, you will remove paint, clear coat, or leave adhesive behind where you put pro-bond or adhesive promoter.  

Using IR lamps to help cure the film is one that is risky depending on how you look at it. Speeding up the cure process does help with delivery time and handing it off to the customer but if you try to speed up the natural cure process, especially when there are excess moisture spots that will disappear but haven't yet, you'll get dry spots or air bubbles in the film. It's best practice to let it naturally cure. It's like losing weight. If you lose too much weight fast, you'll have stretch marks and excess skin and it won't look good. Best practice is to gradually lose the weight. PPF is like skin when it comes to how pours the surface is. Best to treat it that way in my opinion.

A few things to cover. First, yes it's profitable when you make the investment to actually learn and practice. Going to a class is just scratching the surface and will arm you with the tools of knowledge to use in PPF, but knowing and using are 2 different animals. The amount of time it takes individuals to learn this craft can vary, but my numbers that I use are usually pretty accurate. It takes about a dozen cars to get comfortable with the film you are using. That means dialing in the solutions, knowing the stretch, figuring out the right tools, etc... It takes about 50 cars under your belt to get efficient with your installs. That means maximizing your time, minimizing your film waste without losing the quality of the product you are pumping out. Once you have about 50 cars, you'll start to learn more tips and tricks throughout your tenure that will make the installs easier or cleaner. The estimated investment to which I think is realistic is $10-15k to get started and moving forward. You are going to burn through plenty of film just trying to hone in your skills and get to the point where you can move forward. I can tell you that PPF is more profitable that Tint and Detailing. If you are a one man show, you should be able to avg. at least $200/hr. once you get through those initial 15-20 cars. 

You shouldn't need either of those. Just a little heat underneath to get the film to grab and tack should do the trick. I've done several of those without needing any type of adhesive promoter. It's not necessary. 

it is different

Take those 60" rolls and cut them into 36" x 50ft and 24" x 50ft.  Short cut would be using a band saw but ideally you would want a professional slitter so that you have a clean edge when you cut. You could also cut them in half so you have 2(30"x50ft) so you now have some different sizes. I concur with Jeff and respond that only offering 60" is very limiting for you. 

Have you looked into PremiumShield and our cutting program Cut Studio? We certainly have something great to offer and are constantly updating our database on a daily basis. PM me and I can share some more info on our product and software. 

We have dry apply electronics film which is very specific to the electronics side but could be used for similar application. You can PM me.

On 10/4/2018 at 3:42 PM, LeSnootback said:

2018 Tesla Model 3

Suntek Ultra

Plotted with TruCut

30in hfm & bumper & headlights & fogs

Opticoat ceramic coating

I would work on your alignment from hood line to fender. When you are not doing a full front end, it's one of the first things customers will notice when it doesn't match up. 

It's been done before and failed. Won't be as consistent and reliable as film is. Plus, you spend more time taping down the areas you don't want covered than you do installing. Turnaround time for film install will also be faster.

Or you could go to an advanced training course and learn in person. Sometimes other installers would be willing to spend time with you at there own shop giving you some tips to help. The amount of installers is not vast for the world of PPF. Network and link up with others so that you can have a group of professionals to lean on. How to videos are much harder to make with PPF because its a clear product so things like chicken skin or silvering are very difficult to see with video and are much better to see with the naked eye. You'd be surprised what some of the good installers out there are willing to share if you ask. But that knowledge is earned, not just given away. Just some food for thought Aden.

On 10/27/2018 at 10:55 AM, XPEL Jeff said:

Black smoothie should work just fine.  

 

As as far as install solutions, I’d switch from dawn to Johnson & Johnson’s (not generic).   It fares better with the Ultimate Plus adhesive. 

 

If if you’d like, you can send me some pics or video to jphillips@xpel.com and we’ll diagnose quickly. 

Tisk tisk Jeff. Shouldn't you be recommending your gel............. 

Jeff is right. Where in most cases bulking a full hood is much easier, there are definitely instances where hood scoops in the hood could cause someone to lean towards a pattern or modified pattern so that they are cutting less on the car. Knife scoring skills are still something that is learned, not taught. So early in your learning process, be careful when and where you are willing to make that risk to cut as it could be costly. Patterns now are fitting better and better with better coverage so relying on them can be something more consistent in present day.

Video came out well Pete. Simple and straight to the point. 

I disagree with drtint on the pattern side. I know from our design team's perspective they design the bumpers most of the time to be installed starting from the center. We also have a mapping system in place within the software to point out where to start and where to go. I would think a majority of bumper patterns would start from center and then move out but that is more so based on the drawer of the pattern itself. 

On 5/31/2018 at 11:23 PM, JoshVette said:

In that pic all I see is the corner notched out, that's not peeling, that's normal practice to notch out the corners....

 

I tell my clients give it a week before washing.  I usually wash it before I do the install so they won't feel the need to wash it for a while. 

 

 

Josh

Agreed!! That just looks like a notch in the corner used as a relief point so that when you wrap to the corner, it doesn't pinch and start lifting. So I don't think you have any lifting issues at all.

Try and use a heat gun to speed up the cure process so that the drying happens sooner. Should lend the chance to trim faster. Obviously don't melt it but use the dry heat to help with the evaporation. Then let it cool down for a few min and then you should be able to trim.

I think this is a really healthy conversation as those two points bring it back to SOP. Yes, we are all human so we can miss something so I get that. But certainly you should be able to bring it into the light inside after it's been washed so that you can utilize better lighting than looking at it outside to go over all the areas they are interested in, maybe even make some suggestions on possible additions. The above comment just doesn't hold true. That's risking speed to get the customer in and out without doing a proper inspection process. I know all of you have experienced someone who blamed something on you when it had nothing to do with you. Peeling paint, scratch/cut on the paint, paint chip, or even an imperfection in the paint but they think it's a piece of dirt when it's not. Even though they bring the car to you mud covered, that's on you for not washing the car off to give it an inspection so they can green light what you are about to do and understand what the product is and isn't. You prevent the other issues from popping up because you've done your due diligence by having a good standard operating procedure. Even having the customer look at the job before they leave with it so they can bring up any questions while they are in your presence can save your customer a trip back to your shop. They utilize the same practice in hospitals to prevent procedural complications from happening, like doing surgery on the wrong side of the body. Now i'm not criticizing you and waiving the finger you are bad. It's more so introducing the ideas of having an SOP to prevent those situations from happening or at least reducing the occurrences in the first place. We as installers are trouble shooters. Our industry is scrutinized and criticized by consumers now more than ever before which pushes us to be better all around. Better looking films, better looking installs, better/more coverage, better fitting patterns, and also better experiences to show for it. Sucks when you have to rip a piece of $1-200 piece of film for something that was in the paint or not caused by you. Heck, i know I've installed a full hood and look at it after and see a nice little glue ball/dimple right in the middle on a black car. 

Where that is true that most paint jobs have imperfections, you would typically go through an inspection process before even installing to indicate to the customer any issues before every laying a piece of film on it so that if those imperfections show up in the install, they aren't blaming you or indicating that it's dirt when you already pointed out the issues ahead of time. This comes back to SOP. With SOP, you have a way to create a positive experience without creating an opportunity for the customer to question what they just bought or the quality of the job. 

I'm sorry BlueRider, but $3500 for a full car is about as cheap as you'll find for cost. The amount of time and material that is involved with a full car install, let alone some possible customization results in an expected min charge of $5k+. And that is on the low side bud. Skillset and experience warrant higher prices because of these instances right here. Now if the installer set that expectation with the price they charged, then you got what you paid for which in my opinion is a below avg install quality. And yes, that is pretty close to bargain basement pricing in the US market. Have I seen lower, yes, but that is on the rarity. Did you price shop to see if that was a below avg price?