Want opinions on Genuine Toyota Paint Protection Film

it comes in two seperate parts.. the whole front bumper and small sections of the fender... and a little front half of the hood... it's not the whole hood.

if you want more coverage, you're going to have to get something else.

 

davide, you're on the right track. Toyota's patterns are short & expensive. Find a 3M or VentureShield installer in your area & get a recommendation & quote.

Cover the full bumper, full hood, headlights, forward fenders, rocker panels, door handle cups, top of rear bumper, mirror housings.

The film makes bug clean up SO much easier and has prevented quite a number of chips & scratches.

Where to buy VentureShield

 

Just as rule I figure: if something is not standard, ie: it's not factory installed on every car, you need to be cautious. (That said, I got the block heater without a second thought, don't regret it.) But "protective film", I don't know. There is a little bit of "stock" film on a regular 3rd gen prius, just a couple of small strips at the rear door wells. But that's it.

What happens if you're in a fender bender, need paint work? Or the stuff get's abraded/scuffed?

 

well.. you can definitely tell if it's Genuine Toyota film.. there's a Toyota logo on the film itself on one of the corners of each piece..

i would probably prefer to have it port installed.. than have it end up in the hands of some tech at a dealership that might not know how to put it on properly.

 

I have had this film installed on my Tacoma and my wifes Accord. I would recommend only a professional installer do the work. My C came with the rear bumper protector, door edge guards, door handles and door handle cups.

This week I am having the paint protection added to the front bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors. I may ask to have the entire hood done since it drops so low.

Edit; I have never had an issue ever with clear paint protection yellowing or peeling. The key to having this material installed is finding an installer that knows this material and has a lot of experience installing. Check who your local Porche, Benz, or Lexus dealers use. You can trust they use the best installer in town.

For what it's worth....

 

I had it done by a professional installer that I have used on my othe car and truck. I paid $550.00 here in NC. That was my offer to have it done. Any higher price than this I probably would have passed. The first place I called wanted 750???? I told them its not happening. I did not have the entire hood done, that would have cost considerably more. The precut kit seems quite adequate in its coverage. Lights, parking lights, mirrors, entire bumper, fenders, hood, and I had the windshield pillars done also. Have it done by a pro, very important. Good luck!

 

Davide, I can honestly say that I have not had any issues with bird dung on clear paint protection. As we park all three cars in our garage. I would say if bird dung lays on any surface long enough it will probably stain or etch (due to the crossive chemicals in bird waste) regardless of what the material is.

If you are that concerned keep a decent cleaner such as glass plus handy in your car. Lay a papertowel over the dry dung and soak the towel and dung until it is saturated. Wait about a minute and carefully remove so the you don!'t damage the clearcoat. There is usually grit in bird dung, so don't scrub the area. Another option;
I am sure you can buy a car cover fairly cheap for the C. The healing of scratches?? You may want to email XPEL and ask. I do know that I would not own a new car with paint applied as thin as it is without XPEL paint protection. The longer you drive a new car the less time you have to apply the paint protection. Applying this material over paint chipped hood or bumper areas looks like well....I think you get the picture.

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

Indy installers get certified by a vehicle manufacturer to install film on their new cars. They drive their truck to the dealer. Park in a service bay. The guy wears a dealer or manufacturer shirt so he looks like any of the other employees and installs the film at his contracted price. Customer is happy he has a good installation. Dealer is happy he made some money. Installer is happy he made money.

 

Find a professional XPEL installer that has a permanent location. I am not sure I would go with a "drive by" installer.
Get your warranty in writing otherwise the install never happened. Just an observation...

 

I received a call from my dealer yesterday saying my car is on the ship and he read off the port install options that are going on the car. I told him I wanted the paint protection and he's marking that off to be installed also. I figure if its done at port I won't have the chance of nicking it up prior to getting it somewhere else for installation. It's only a couple hundred dollars. I requested a quote for Clearguard installation from the only nearby installer that does any type of paint protection in the area and he was giving me the price of 899.00 for the hood, fenders and mirror, Yikes, and another 100 if I wanted to get the headlights done. He also said its special order so I would have to order weeks in advance. He said, "Oh just bring the car in when you get it and I'll tell you what we could do to it." They specialize in alarm systems and window tint and I'm sure they do a great job and all, but at that price I felt like telling him exactly what he can go do with it, if you get my drift.

 

I absolutely agree. I paid $550.00 for XPEL paint protection to be installed on all the areas that you mentioned plus front bumper and windshield pillars. I would not pay 899.00 as you are kreeping up on and slowly approaching the cost margin of having your car repainted. Go to the XPEL website and get a price on the kit. My installer told me the total kit costs around $300.00, so I paid him 250.00 to install it. He originally quoted 750.00, I told him that I was not interested and he then said his best price would be 550.00. This included the head lights.

Having had all my present vehicles covered with either 3m or the newer material XPEL, I feel that $250.00 for an install was reasonable. Some of these installers get waaaay to lofty on their quotes in my observation. When their quote begins approaching the cost to repaint the front end of a car, I look elsewhere or find a reasonable quote. 900.00 I would not pay. Hope this helps.

 

Is this really worth hundreds of dollars? After 8+ years spending every weekday outside in Dallas the paint on mine looks fine. Eventually I may simply replace the hood, which indeed is getting dinged up from highway debris (but which of course does not rust as it is aluminum).

 

How much to replace your hood, painted to match? My best guess, $450-500 on the low side. Now add bumpers, fenders, mirrors and I believe you will be in it for an easy $1200-1500.00
I have two other vehicles that have paint protection applied. One a 2004 Accord w/175k on the odo and the other a 2010 Tacoma 4x4 double cab w/30k on the odo. Both vehicles still have perfect paint, no dings or chips and I won't be replacing hoods or repainting any of the painted surfaces. The paint protection has not faded, discolored and looks as good and clear as the day installed. For what it's worth....

So for me, yes, it's been worth it especially if you keep a vehicle long term.

Certainly not for everyone

 

Ok Davide this is what I can tell you, long.....

The headlights are the most difficult part of the install according to the installer that did the XPEL application on my car. That being said he only charged me an additional $50.00 to do the headlights. This brought the price up to $550.00. Well worth it IMHO. A repaint of the front end at a Toyota recommended body shop will be considerably more. So that's my rational for what it's worth.

I have had the same basic material (3m) applied on the front of my Tacoma and in 32k have had no chips or paint dings. The same for the headlights, it looks as good as the day it was applied. Clear, clean and protected from the sand blasting effects of the 70 mph superslab. I plan on keeping the vehicles I have this stuff applied to for a long time? Just another consideration.

Another thought, if your going to have it done be sure and have it installed sooner than later or before you get any paint dings/chips. Most professional installers won't apply XPEL over paint chips on the front bumper, hood etc. If your installer says its ok to install XPEL over paint that is chipped I would find another installer. Also make sure you ask the installer how many vehicles (Prius's) he has actually installed XPEL on. Or better yet does he apply this for the local Benz, and Lexus dealerships? Ask. This may seem silly, but your getting ready to hand over your new car and a chunk of $$$ with the expectation it's going to be perfect and it should be when he is done. As mentioned the headlights are difficult because the installer has to work the material over and around the little plastic knob on each headlight in order to fit the kit properly. This takes time and most importantly someone who really knows how to apply this material.

As previously mentioned, I had my installer do the windshield pillars as well. He had two xtra pieces which he cut to fit the entire length of the pillar.

$50.00 for the headlights protected, well worth the money IMHO over the long haul.
I would have the complete kit installed. For what it's worth.

Good luck, I hope this helps.