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      07-20-2016, 01:53 PM   #1
hshot_rooke
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Xpel Entire Car to Prevent Swirls?

So I've been doing some research on how best to prevent swirls on a black car. I do understand that with black cars (in most cases), it shows the swirl marks the clearest. Especially if under the sun.

Have not taken delivery yet on my ordered M2, but just doing the research in advance.

I've known forever about the 2 bucket wash method, leaf blower drying, different wash mitts/cloths for drying and washing and all the other usual recommended best practices to prevent swirls on any paint.

At first I wanted to Xpel the entire bumper, hood, headlights, side mirrors and rockers and then Ceramic coat the rest. I just found out that the coatings can still get swirls, they just help prevent swirls by minimizing the amount of scrubbing/contact while cleaning the car.

I know swirl marks are pretty much inevitable, but theoretically could I eliminate swirl marks if Xpel'd my entire car? Seems like Xpel's self healing properties could prevent them for a long long time.

Any opinions?

EDIT: Will most likely be keeping the car 15+ years if it lasts as long as my Acura.
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      07-20-2016, 03:38 PM   #2
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In order to prevent swirls, don't swirl your sponge. Always wash in a linear motion following lines of the car from front to back, slowly making your way down.

Xpel will help for sure, but fully wrapping a car ain't cheap, and you could get years of inside and out detailing done for the same price.

One word of warning if you plan on driving it in the Canadian winter: dirt, salt and sand will get trapped in the Xpel seams and it will start to peel off over time. Even worse if salt/sand gets trapped between the clear bra and the paint due to lift off.
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      07-20-2016, 04:08 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmzanatta View Post
In order to prevent swirls, don't swirl your sponge. Always wash in a linear motion following lines of the car from front to back, slowly making your way down.

Xpel will help for sure, but fully wrapping a car ain't cheap, and you could get years of inside and out detailing done for the same price.

One word of warning if you plan on driving it in the Canadian winter: dirt, salt and sand will get trapped in the Xpel seams and it will start to peel off over time. Even worse if salt/sand gets trapped between the clear bra and the paint due to lift off.
I plan on driving it through winter in Winnipeg and we have tons of salt and sand and all kinds of crap on our roads. What do you recommend in terms of Xpel or some type of ppf? Would you just do the hood and front bumper and mirrors? and put a nanolex sealant on the rest or would you do less ppf and more regular sealant applications?
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      07-20-2016, 04:15 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by quikM2 View Post
I plan on driving it through winter in Winnipeg and we have tons of salt and sand and all kinds of crap on our roads. What do you recommend in terms of Xpel or some type of ppf? Would you just do the hood and front bumper and mirrors? and put a nanolex sealant on the rest or would you do less ppf and more regular sealant applications?
This is based on my own personal experience and preference and should by no means be taken as fact:

I would not get the film done if you're going to be driving it through the winter for the reason I stated in my previous post. I had a really bad experience like that once, and it was not covered under warranty because it's not a salt protection film - it's for chips and scratches. I ended up with rust spots in areas where salt got trapped under and it was just awful. Now, this was a few year back, so who knows, maybe the tech is better now.

I prefer putting a coating on the car, as it helps keep the snow, ice, etc. from sticking to the car, which IMHO, works out better overtime compared to film but you don't get chip protection - if a paint chip will give you a heart attack, this is not the option for you. I also spray down the car in my garage everyday that the build up is bad and minimum twice per week regardless. Use luke warm water, low pressure and gently just let it melt off the snow and ice and wash away the nasty stuff.
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      07-20-2016, 04:34 PM   #5
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that's good to know gmzanatta. thanks for the info
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      07-21-2016, 12:28 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmzanatta View Post
In order to prevent swirls, don't swirl your sponge. Always wash in a linear motion following lines of the car from front to back, slowly making your way down.
This!

I wash and wax my car this way, no swirl issues.
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      07-21-2016, 05:11 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmzanatta View Post
This is based on my own personal experience and preference and should by no means be taken as fact:

I would not get the film done if you're going to be driving it through the winter for the reason I stated in my previous post. I had a really bad experience like that once, and it was not covered under warranty because it's not a salt protection film - it's for chips and scratches. I ended up with rust spots in areas where salt got trapped under and it was just awful. Now, this was a few year back, so who knows, maybe the tech is better now.

I prefer putting a coating on the car, as it helps keep the snow, ice, etc. from sticking to the car, which IMHO, works out better overtime compared to film but you don't get chip protection - if a paint chip will give you a heart attack, this is not the option for you. I also spray down the car in my garage everyday that the build up is bad and minimum twice per week regardless. Use luke warm water, low pressure and gently just let it melt off the snow and ice and wash away the nasty stuff.
I think the tech is better now especially after reading through the detailed thread about xpel ultimate install. Plus if your shop takes out the grill and the badge and the side gills etc. and does a seamless install on the hood it should eliminate the potential for salt etc. to get stuck underneath.
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      07-22-2016, 01:10 AM   #8
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It's important to note you can swirl Xpel. It will self heal sure but it doesn't show as smooth as paint will. From all I have read one of it not the best way to prevent swirls are the new nano ceramic coats, there are several on the market. They have been proven to be effective and most are compatible with Xpel so you can coat both the paint and the Xpel. From what I understand it's a good 5k to get a full car done. Don't think it probably makes sense for a car under 6 figures. Swirls are actually pretty easy to remove but prevention is always best. Plenty of options which is great.
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      07-22-2016, 07:20 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmzanatta View Post
In order to prevent swirls, don't swirl your sponge. Always wash in a linear motion following lines of the car from front to back, slowly making your way down.

Xpel will help for sure, but fully wrapping a car ain't cheap, and you could get years of inside and out detailing done for the same price.

One word of warning if you plan on driving it in the Canadian winter: dirt, salt and sand will get trapped in the Xpel seams and it will start to peel off over time. Even worse if salt/sand gets trapped between the clear bra and the paint due to lift off.
Actually, this is the second time I've heard of salt and moisture getting trapped under a clear bra. I know that it could possibly be a install issue, but a friend of a friend had a clear bra from the dealer and moisture sat under it for a few years and rusted the front of the hood out. It wasn't Xpel, but I guess this could happen to any bra. He did get the hood replaced by the dealer though.

I'm wondering what the long term reviews of Xpel users in Canada are. Like a 5 year review of a daily driver with Xpel through Canadian winters.
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      07-31-2016, 08:55 PM   #10
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it would be expensive to wrap your complete car, I do agree in some ways that the salt and winter months will take down the film quicker than in others who have less brutal winters. however if the install is good it should stay good. yes the leading edges will take some abuse, but most installers these days are wrapping edges. stay tuned as I will be posting an article on a fully wrapped BMW M2 shortly.

and the primary reason of doing this was to of course protect from rock chips and debris but from dealing with swirls etc.
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      08-13-2016, 08:21 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmzanatta View Post
In order to prevent swirls, don't swirl your sponge. Always wash in a linear motion following lines of the car from front to back, slowly making your way down.

Xpel will help for sure, but fully wrapping a car ain't cheap, and you could get years of inside and out detailing done for the same price.

One word of warning if you plan on driving it in the Canadian winter: dirt, salt and sand will get trapped in the Xpel seams and it will start to peel off over time. Even worse if salt/sand gets trapped between the clear bra and the paint due to lift off.
I am sorry but swirls have nothing to do with the direction of the sponge. Swirls are actually an optical illusion, they are not actually circular with rare exceptions. You can wash in a linear motion all day but if you are rubbing on dirt your going to get swirls. Two bucket method, and a foam cannon are good ways to go, also opticoate or similar coatings are the best way to go. While Xpel is self healing to an extent if you don't care for it you won't be happy with the result.
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      08-20-2016, 10:05 PM   #12
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That's weird. I live in Saskatchewan, which has as bad winters as pretty much anywhere.

We have had XPel on our cars for the last couple decades, and I have NEVER had any issues whatsoever with anything getting trapped underneath the edges of the film. That includes a dozen cars. Not one issue. I was actually surprised to read that there are some people who have had issues.

Currently, my wife has an X6M that has extensive coverage, and my own M235i also has similar coverage. Never, ever had an issue with edges. That said, the installer that we use is superlative in his work - he wraps whatever edges he can.

If you really can't stand the thought of swirl marks, get the whole car covered with XPel Ultimate, but be extraordinarily careful with your wash techniques - Ultimate is amazing, and will heal, but it's not perfect. Better yet, apply Ultimate, and then top it with a ceramic coating. I have had Wolfgang Uber Ceramic on top of my XPel Ultimate for the past two years, and the surface looks perfect. (That said, I am about the most OCD person in the world with regards to my paint!)(You don't need to be as anal as I am, though).
You can top XPel with a nanocoating. They state this on the XPel web site. Also, you can lightly polish the XPel itself. I have used Menzerna Micropolish and a blue Lake Country pad, with excellent results.

I would think that those who have had problems with crap getting lodged under the edges of their clear bras have had a sub-par installation, or are perhaps using sub-optimal wash techniques (pressure washing too close to edges, maybe)?
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