highplains

I've been installing Xpel at my shop for about 3years now and this has not been my experience. When I switched to Xpel the robust scratch coat was one of the major factors I took into consideration. I switched from 3M and tested a number of other films including offerings from Eastman and Global. Global without a doubt has the best scratch coat out of any film I've tried with Xpel coming in second. Not sure what might be going on in your case but I do have to say I'm surprised, I'm heavy handed when installing and cleaning and the only time I've had problems was when my tools have needed addressing or my towel picked something abrasive up that I didn't notice until it was too late.

RnR GT4 bumper over the weekend. Original was damaged in shipping and the wholesaler had it sold before it came off the truck. These go on without too much fuss after the lower air dam is removed. 

I've been installing Xpel at my shop for about 3years now and this has not been my experience. When I switched to Xpel the robust scratch coat was one of the major factors I took into consideration. I switched from 3M and tested a number of other films including offerings from Eastman and Global. Global without a doubt has the best scratch coat out of any film I've tried with Xpel coming in second. Not sure what might be going on in your case but I do have to say I'm surprised, I'm heavy handed when installing and cleaning and the only time I've had problems was when my tools have needed addressing or my towel picked something abrasive up that I didn't notice until it was too late.

I stayed pretty high today...about 7.5' pushing hail (15ish 1/2dollars and plenty of smaller) out of the top of this van. Pushing on pannels at a 45° is pretty goofy. I'll post up some finished product pics after I get it put back together.
 
I did manage to stay on scaffold without backing up while trying to find more leverage. I'm calling that a win so far.

Also if you look at most of the major major manufacturers like Avery they tend to have a number of training seminars all over the place. The wrap institute may be worth your time to check out as well.

It's pretty nice. I think I'm the only dedicated film shop in my area that can handle the oversize vehicles, or even wants to. I do a fair number of wake boats every year because I don't have to break down the towers.
 
I also keep a two bay shop with inspection lights in an industrial complex in town for the day to day wholesale/retail stuff. I really can't complain, except when I write the checks at the first of the month...ugh... I still wouldn't have it any other way. Self employment= self determination. I'd rather sail or fail on my own accord.

I wanna work on trucks! My back hurts! 

Their PPF is made in the USA, the tint doesn't specify so I can't say 100%. I remember reading in a thread a while back that it was being manufactured for them by Garware/Global but take that with a grain of salt because it's unverified hearsay. As far as the film itself it's all black toned with no real distinct undertone (blue/green/brown/etc.) in the lines/shades I carry. It's got a great scratch coat on it that you can get pretty aggressive with and the liner peels easy. I typically get it within 2-4 days depending on how early in the day I get my order in and which warehouse it ships from. The majority comes from San Antonio so it's quick to me and I'd imagine even quicker to you given your proximity. Every once in a while a roll will come from California and those ones usually take an extra day or two compared to Texas but it's never been an issue.

So it's Klingon?

Today I learned my 14' door is really 12'

Just finished bulking a Miata in PPF. I will swear that white is the most teidieous color to lay over. My vision seems to improve to 20/10 as soon as the film goes on and I spot a speck that had alluded me during every stage of prep.

Silver's good but I certainly wouldn't park ALL your money in it. Silver, gold, copper jacketed lead, other durable goods, some crypto, spread it out so that you're not reliant on any one thing.
So far I'm staying the course largely as normal. The local dealers seem to have a little more inventory trickling in, most are still presold. While budgets are getting tighter for pretty much everybody I'm finding that people are more receptive to investing more into protecting their vehicles because they know they're going to be keeping them longer. 

Express and Suntek were the only ones I was aware of that still carried bronze, and even then it's been a while since I looked.

The first time I saw the new gmc up close I called it a ford tundra. The dodge products may all look like fishing lures but I find that preferable to the manga art that keeps creeping into the design language.

I know this is a super old, dead topic... but I just watched one of his latest videos, which is probably the first time since this post was made.. so 5 yrs.. and he is still a tool. 
 
 

 
 
That is all.....
 
 
 

Their PPF is made in the USA, the tint doesn't specify so I can't say 100%. I remember reading in a thread a while back that it was being manufactured for them by Garware/Global but take that with a grain of salt because it's unverified hearsay. As far as the film itself it's all black toned with no real distinct undertone (blue/green/brown/etc.) in the lines/shades I carry. It's got a great scratch coat on it that you can get pretty aggressive with and the liner peels easy. I typically get it within 2-4 days depending on how early in the day I get my order in and which warehouse it ships from. The majority comes from San Antonio so it's quick to me and I'd imagine even quicker to you given your proximity. Every once in a while a roll will come from California and those ones usually take an extra day or two compared to Texas but it's never been an issue.

Silver's good but I certainly wouldn't park ALL your money in it. Silver, gold, copper jacketed lead, other durable goods, some crypto, spread it out so that you're not reliant on any one thing.
So far I'm staying the course largely as normal. The local dealers seem to have a little more inventory trickling in, most are still presold. While budgets are getting tighter for pretty much everybody I'm finding that people are more receptive to investing more into protecting their vehicles because they know they're going to be keeping them longer. 

Trucks these days look dumb with the huge grills.

Tinted the fronts on a new 2022 Tundra, easy peasy. Can't say I'm a fan of the new look though
 

Ya gotta pay to play. Stocking your shop to start out is always going to be a hefty investment up front. As far as shades go your market will dictate what you need to carry but I'd seriously consider adding a 15 or 20 to your mix.  In my shop I stock 5, 20, and 35 in a color stable dyed line as well as 5, 15, 20, 35, 55, and 70 in ceramic. I primarily use a plotter to cut so all my film is stocked in 40" rolls and I always have one full roll of film in reserve alongside the open one so I never run out of a given shade.

and also inspect your blade closely if it was ran without the cutting strip and was cutting through both the film and liner. I've also back bladed my cutting strip after it's been gouged before to help level it and remove any high spots which can cause those problems with inconsistency. 

Ya gotta pay to play. Stocking your shop to start out is always going to be a hefty investment up front. As far as shades go your market will dictate what you need to carry but I'd seriously consider adding a 15 or 20 to your mix.  In my shop I stock 5, 20, and 35 in a color stable dyed line as well as 5, 15, 20, 35, 55, and 70 in ceramic. I primarily use a plotter to cut so all my film is stocked in 40" rolls and I always have one full roll of film in reserve alongside the open one so I never run out of a given shade.

You likely need to replace the cutting strip and make all cutting adjustments on the machine, not in your software. 

I haven't done a ton of vinyl work so take everything I say here with a grain of salt. It's probably as good as any to attempt on your own, that hood is pretty wide in the rear corners so not sure how that's going to figure dimensionally for you without being able to measure it myself. You're going to need to address the peeling paint one way or another before wrapping it otherwise it'll give you adhesion problems and you'll see the ugly spots ghosted in the film. As far as material goes Avery is supposed to be the most forgiving for the beginner from what I've heard and in my limited experience. I've done some work with Avery, 3M, and most recently Hexis.

I won't double layer film and I won't go darker than 50% on a windshield.