Xpel Stealth

[JDZ]

LOOKS AWESOME...

Looking into Xpel Stealth as well...Questions:

How did they do the door and tailgate handles areas? Some installers say they do not wrap easily with Stealth or require seams to prevent later failure from over stretched PPF. Thicker PPF does not stretch as easily as vinyl wrap

As well, the wishbone shaped body pieces to the inside that surround both headlights I was told require seams and cannot be wrapped one piece because of complex shape and contours. One highly rated shop suggested painting them satin to match wrap instead. How did they do yours?

Did they do the fender flares? some shops said they leave them as the satin finish matches wrap well, however, it seems better to wrap them as they are exposed and much easier to scratch then body paint with a thick clear coat.

Did they disassemble and remove lights, mirrors, handles, exterior moldings on truck bed and windows, rear appliqué, etc to wrap and fold edges? Most installers I have talked to say necessary to get good product on Raptor in Stealth which shows edges easily as compared to clear gloss Xpel which blends in with gloss paint. Much of this labor adds to cost. Some shops even move bed back to get to gloss paint areas on back cab areas.

Thanks for anything you learned and feedback.

 

[amREADY]

Exactly what I wanted to do with mine. Price was too steep, so said Ef It. Yours looks awesome though.

 

[BSP10]

LOOKS AWESOME...

Looking into Xpel Stealth as well...Questions:

How did they do the door and tailgate handles areas? Some installers say they do not wrap easily with Stealth or require seams to prevent later failure from over stretched PPF. Thicker PPF does not stretch as easily as vinyl wrap

As well, the wishbone shaped body pieces to the inside that surround both headlights I was told require seams and cannot be wrapped one piece because of complex shape and contours. One highly rated shop suggested painting them satin to match wrap instead. How did they do yours?

Did they do the fender flares? some shops said they leave them as the satin finish matches wrap well, however, it seems better to wrap them as they are exposed and much easier to scratch then body paint with a thick clear coat.

Did they disassemble and remove lights, mirrors, handles, exterior moldings on truck bed and windows, rear appliqué, etc to wrap and fold edges? Most installers I have talked to say necessary to get good product on Raptor in Stealth which shows edges easily as compared to clear gloss Xpel which blends in with gloss paint. Much of this labor adds to cost. Some shops even move bed back to get to gloss paint areas on back cab areas.

Thanks for anything you learned and feedback.

View attachment 160381

Door Handles -
The tailgate was a non issue. there are some seems on the handle but you can't really tell. the nice part is if you ever have failure in that are because of heavy use, you can just replace that piece and not the entire panel, which will be super cheap.

The main doors were tougher. the actual handles are easy, but the area behind the handle is tough. they were not able to get it done. When they order the material from Xpel, Xpel sends a "Raptor Kit" with all the pieces they need. it didn't come with anything for that area. I had them reach out to Xpel and ask because there are numerous Raptors I have seen that have gotten it done. Bottom line is you actually have to disassemble to handle area to get the proper coverage. I am taking my truck back next week for them to finish. I will be honest though it is something I don't even notice, but I am still taking it back. The other thing that is tricky is the antenna on the top of the roof. Make sure they get that.

Wishbone Area
No Issues at all. looks super clean. Cut right up to the head light and cannot see a seem or anything.

Fender Flares
Yes, I had them do it. your are correct that there are already satin-ish but they look great wrapped.

Disassembly
I didn't have them disassemble mine. There were some places that said they would do it and even remove the truck bed. I guess I wasn't super excited about my truck being disassembled. As far as the wrap goes, they wrapped or folded the edges over any area the could. Fenders, doors, hood, etc. there are only 2 areas they were not able to. The fenders...but the brought the fender material so close to the body you cannot see it. plus the fender is a different color which helps as well. the other are is the headlights and again it was cut perfect where it is right up to the light and you cannot see a seem.

To be honest you cannot see any "gloss paint" or edges/seems. If you get your magnifying glass out you will be able too...but that is going to be the case with any wrap. The only area is if you look down the back of the cab, but I don't know why anyone would pay to have that area wrapped. I guess at the end of the day it just depends on personal preference. Seeing how my truck turned out I wouldn't go back and pay the extra for disassembly.

 

[JDZ]

Door Handles -
The tailgate was a non issue. there are some seems on the handle but you can't really tell. the nice part is if you ever have failure in that are because of heavy use, you can just replace that piece and not the entire panel, which will be super cheap.

The main doors were tougher. the actual handles are easy, but the area behind the handle is tough. they were not able to get it done. When they order the material from Xpel, Xpel sends a "Raptor Kit" with all the pieces they need. it didn't come with anything for that area. I had them reach out to Xpel and ask because there are numerous Raptors I have seen that have gotten it done. Bottom line is you actually have to disassemble to handle area to get the proper coverage. I am taking my truck back next week for them to finish. I will be honest though it is something I don't even notice, but I am still taking it back. The other thing that is tricky is the antenna on the top of the roof. Make sure they get that.

Wishbone Area
No Issues at all. looks super clean. Cut right up to the head light and cannot see a seem or anything.

Fender Flares
Yes, I had them do it. your are correct that there are already satin-ish but they look great wrapped.

Disassembly
I didn't have them disassemble mine. There were some places that said they would do it and even remove the truck bed. I guess I wasn't super excited about my truck being disassembled. As far as the wrap goes, they wrapped or folded the edges over any area the could. Fenders, doors, hood, etc. there are only 2 areas they were not able to. The fenders...but the brought the fender material so close to the body you cannot see it. plus the fender is a different color which helps as well. the other are is the headlights and again it was cut perfect where it is right up to the light and you cannot see a seem.

To be honest you cannot see any "gloss paint" or edges/seems. If you get your magnifying glass out you will be able too...but that is going to be the case with any wrap. The only area is if you look down the back of the cab, but I don't know why anyone would pay to have that area wrapped. I guess at the end of the day it just depends on personal preference. Seeing how my truck turned out I wouldn't go back and pay the extra for disassembly.

Thanks for all the insight! Enjoy your special color truck!

 

[RaptorSRQ]

I was quoted $9500 by a local company. I like the way it looks and the protection it offers, but I could get my truck vinyl wrapped 2 times for that price, although it wouldn’t offer the same level of protection as the xpel

 

[sf2360]

Full truck $6500, and that included Ceramic coating on top of the wrap. A

 

[JDZ]

Full truck $6500, and that included Ceramic coating on top of the wrap. A

Looks awesome. What kind of ceramic? One or two coats?

Did they disassemble door and tailgate handles and Stealth wrap all parts? Did they remove hood vent or just side vents?

Any insight as to how they wrapped the headlight surround bezels that are unusual shape? Installers here keep telling me they have to cut and seam that area as the PPF cannot stretch properly.

Thanks

 

[robbys3m3]

Lookin good! My nismo has expel stealth over the white also

 

[BSP10]

Full truck $6500, and that included Ceramic coating on top of the wrap. A

View attachment 160423

View attachment 160424

looks great! I can’t believe how big the price variance is across the nation/shops quoting this is.

 

[Idaho]

Just curious, what is the motivation by those spending $4k+ to have this done? I think it looks badass, but outside of some paint protection from chips / sap / road debris, what is the motivation to dump thousands into this?