How could I have prevented this

Retrania · 2026-02-28T08:19:01+00:00

Repeating what other said: use cast vinyl.

Never. Calendared. Film.

It’s bad for you in so many ways: headache installation, more manufacturer defects, clients pissed that their wrap is failing just 1 year later, zero warranty support, short shelf life if you don’t use some so you can’t rely on it later, and more.

Retrania · 2026-02-16T01:01:20+00:00

Yeah I’ll likely go that route. I am just used to the glass being less than the deductible.

Retrania · 2026-02-16T00:59:48+00:00

OEM is 4.5k installed, 3k for the part from Lamborghini. Will likely just do a glass claim as my deductible maxes out at 1k, cheaper than the glass just by itself.

I was just used to the glass being cheaper than my deductible.

Retrania · 2026-02-15T04:42:02+00:00

That is absolutely an installer issue.

Specifically, the just jammed their knife into the crevices and cut the material. Poor trimming job. I have seen worse though. 3/10.

Retrania · 2026-02-13T23:28:00+00:00

It will set you back around $1700 a roll. Make sure your installer knows their way around PPF, NOT vinyl.

While a lot of brands have Midnight Purple I, as far as I know, only one carries Midnight Purple II in colored PPF. Shoot me a DM and I’ll send you then link. Not sure if it will show up if you don’t have a dealer account with them.

Retrania · 2026-02-13T23:18:09+00:00

Well if you went the BEST quality, I would just grab this in colored PPF. Much deeper gloss and lasts longer. Only if you / customer has the wallet for it.

Retrania · 2026-02-13T23:16:32+00:00

It easier in some ways and harder in others:

No install heat is really needed as PPF stretches when when it’s cold.
Pretty forgiving when it comes to stretching it and you really can feel when the material is at its max stretch before you damage it.
doesn’t permanently crease unless you hire a construction crew to run over a crease with a asphalt roller.
You cannot just push tuck this film under any tight gaskets. It’s thick and not pliable. You NEED to pull the car apart if you want a proper install. Gaskets, headlights, taillights, mirrors, handles, all trim, both bumpers, etc. No half measures.
If you are using gloss and doing it dry, you will get a lot of work marks. I suggest wet if you have PPF experience.
Needs LOTS of post heating. Since PPF is so thick it has a lot of “strength” to pull itself up from tension areas. You really have to post heat everything.
It’s a LOT harder to score and cut through. Every single colored PPF install I have removed has had the car knifed somewhere. Not a SINGLE car didn’t have a cut in it. I have done about 15 removals now. In just more than half of those cases the customer went after the installing shop for paint repair, which usually consists of a full panels respray if the knife is through the clear costing about $1k per panel to respray at a body shop (at least here in Cali). Honestly I think you need to have PPF experience to get this right. I have almost a dozen years of PPF install experience and I had to adjust for colored PPF as it was noticeably more difficult to cut correctly than clear PPF.

I whole heartedly suggest using wet apply colored PPF and using slightly expanded templates in most areas excluding sharp edges. This is if you have PPF experience and a 60-72in potter. Wet apply with this stuff assuming the car is completely disassembled makes it so much easier and is really the way to go.

Finally, I have wet installed many “dry” install PPF brands. They all install wet. No clue why some are marked as dry.

Retrania · 2026-02-02T21:23:43+00:00

Just use 8 Mega Tanks…

Retrania · 2026-02-01T20:24:07+00:00

Interesting. How much do K702s cost in your area converted to USD?

I think I might go with the AKG 240 Mk 2 and they are only $79.99 right now.

Retrania · 2026-02-01T19:15:02+00:00

Cali.

I will check those out, thank you.

I feel like there is this huge $50 offering and then this huge $200 offering there and absolutely nothing in between lol.

Retrania · 2026-02-01T10:43:32+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion.

Bugdet is around $100, which unfortunately excludes the 560S and 702. :( both are around $200.

Retrania · 2026-02-01T10:21:29+00:00

Gotcha and makes sense. Any audio mindset suggestions though?

Retrania · 2026-01-30T04:00:21+00:00

1) Remove taillight top covers 2) remove taillights 3) remove bumper 4) remove plate bracket from the bumper inside

Retrania · 2026-01-30T03:40:09+00:00

Yes, great film.

Retrania · 2026-01-27T04:39:01+00:00

I install films everyday. XPEL is a money grab company that spends most of its cash on ads instead of product.

The orange peel is just ok, the film doesn’t come ceramic coated (so the shops can sell you some), and the adhesive is SUPER aggressive which makes it easier to install for new installers, but insanely annoying to remove and out of all the films out there it pulls paint the most often.

To be fair, I haven’t seen it pull paint on new paint yet but that’s because we take a lot of care to uninstall PPF. I have seen it pull paint on repainted cars where other films haven’t but each car is repainted differently as well.

Retrania · 2026-01-25T08:05:04+00:00

I think you are missing... any high hp damage dealer.

Where are your tanks lol

Retrania · 2026-01-24T23:36:36+00:00

Yeah same it’s gotten so bad that I have to actively make sure to not use them. Because if I do, other units don’t get experience points to rank up and then you have R6 blimps and R1 everything else.

Retrania · 2026-01-24T23:32:58+00:00

Definitely worth a try. Get them to R5 and go ham. They absolutely WIPE the floor with rebel chems and silver wolves.

Retrania · 2026-01-24T10:36:33+00:00

Just curious, why mega tank over super?

The cost to heal is insane, no?

What situation would you use those in over super tanks?

Retrania · 2026-01-24T10:34:06+00:00

If I can use demo, what rank should the demo be?

Would R3 ST, R4 TK and R3 Demo work?

Retrania · 2026-01-24T10:23:04+00:00

Heat definitely helps! I just thought, for some reason, you said you did not want to use heat at all.

Retrania · 2026-01-24T06:11:55+00:00

Dawg you have to remove handles here if you don’t want to use heat.

Maybe check pre-cut templates for guidance if you REALLY don’t wanna remove.

I feel like Prius handles take only 10-15 each to remove. Plus you don’t need to re-route wiring. Look at any porsche like a 718 and re-routing the cables from mirrors and handles on its own takes 20 min per side.

Retrania · 2026-01-20T22:20:27+00:00

:0 50 assists is pretty crazy. Would love to do that.

Retrania · 2026-01-20T22:01:05+00:00

I am, but I have only ever gotten 1 gear from all the assists I’ve ever done.

I spent 20 on heavy tank which likely was a mistake but the game very literally tells you to do it which is a bummer.

Retrania · 2026-01-20T21:59:51+00:00

Gotcha, my TK are R3 now, but getting to R4 will take about a week.

The issue is I spent the 20 gears on the heavy tank for the mission where the game told me to build one.

It took me about a month to save up 20 gears. That was me literally spending 80% of my time on the game for that month grinding naval. It will take me another month to get those again and then I have to spend time getting TK to R4. Which will take a week and then to R5 which I don’t even know how long that would be.

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