[Corinne]

I just visited the local Xpel guy in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the full wrapping of my car with Xpel Ultimate when I finally get my car. I was a little dismayed to see that it is one guy, of Romanian origin, who works out of an underground parking garage belonging to a Japanese car distributor. When I visited he didn't have any Xpel samples to show me as he said he kept these in his car and today he'd brought in a client's car for a colour wrap.

Does this kind of set-up sound normal to you guys ? I got his details off the official worldwide Xpel site and he's the only one who's local. He apparently spends half his time in Moscow, and, if he has several cars to do, he flies in some assistants from there..... He claims to have been trained by Xpel in England.

Anyway, he told me that I have to make sure that BMW don't put any polish on the car when I take delivery because he's not equipped to remove it (de-polishing) and can only wash the car. He says polish before Xpel will mean the Xpel won't stick properly. Does anyone know if this is true and whether BMW puts polish on and if it has to be removed ?

Whenever I get something done I always end up being faced with unclear situations, and possible problem areas. I wonder if this is because I always tend to investigate things fully beforehand rather than just getting it done blindly....

[Karmic Man]

Look for a Suntek installer in that case.

I have it on my car and you really can't tell it has been installed. The result is better than xpel in my opinion.

Hope they have more Suntek installers around your area as I wouldn't trust a one man band freelance installer. If something goes wrong you may not be able to find him again.

If he doesn't have the tools and/or willing to invest time to remove polish then stay away from him.

[swoosh_SE]

Is the Pope catholic, does Pamela Anderson sleep on her back, is there a serious detailer/PPF garage in Geneva of all places?

Judging by the cars rolling around in Geneva, I'm sure you'll be able to find someone who can help you in a more premium fashion.


(For those of you who haven't been there, I would say that the car scene is crazier in Geneva an average day than it is in Monte Carlo. At least on par.)

.

[Semi-Poor]

Run away

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by swoosh_SE

Is the Pope catholic, does Pamela Anderson sleep on her back, is there a serious detailer/PPF garage in Geneva of all places?

Judging by the cars rolling around in Geneva, I'm sure you'll be able to find someone who can help you in a more premium fashion.


(For those of you who haven't been there, I would say that the car scene is crazier in Geneva an average day than it is in Monte Carlo. At least on par.)

.

He's the only one in a 100 mile radius of Geneva ! I agree it doesn't make sense but he IS on the Expel locator list. His Facebook page "r-design geneve" shows quite a few exotica that he's wrapped.

[Semi-Poor]

Having PPF installed in a parking garage seems suboptimal, I would worry about dust and debris. Would want the work environment to reflect my expected end result. Just my two cents, best of luck.

[Detailers Domain]

is there a way you can take a look at his work?

[ryem3]

Doesn't sound crazy to me. This is a tough business and many operate without a store because many wraps can be done at dealerships (which give the most business). Why bother having a store if you'll do 90% of you jobs at dealers?
Such a guy will still have pics of his installs and should have references.

[akkando]

Is there some sort of yelp type review where you live or way for you to check out customer reviews? Sounds sketchy but if he is well reviewed then it's probably fine.

Also I would advice against if he does custom cut for the m2 bumper. Wherever you get it done have them use an xpel pattern.

[rouxeny]

Sounds very sketchy. Ask for references.

[devo]

Originally Posted by Corinne

I just visited the local Xpel guy in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the full wrapping of my car with Xpel Ultimate when I finally get my car. I was a little dismayed to see that it is one guy, of Romanian origin, who works out of an underground parking garage belonging to a Japanese car distributor. When I visited he didn't have any Xpel samples to show me as he said he kept these in his car and today he'd brought in a client's car for a colour wrap.

Does this kind of set-up sound normal to you guys ? I got his details off the official worldwide Xpel site and he's the only one who's local. He apparently spends half his time in Moscow, and, if he has several cars to do, he flies in some assistants from there..... He claims to have been trained by Xpel in England.

Anyway, he told me that I have to make sure that BMW don't put any polish on the car when I take delivery because he's not equipped to remove it (de-polishing) and can only wash the car. He says polish before Xpel will mean the Xpel won't stick properly. Does anyone know if this is true and whether BMW puts polish on and if it has to be removed ?

Whenever I get something done I always end up being faced with unclear situations, and possible problem areas. I wonder if this is because I always tend to investigate things fully beforehand rather than just getting it done blindly....

Having had a few cars wrapped correctly, I can offer my advice.

Yes, what he said about polishing is accurate. BMW does not polish the paint. Your dealer may have. Waxes, polishes, etc. need to be removed.

Xpel pattern pre-cuts are excellent. That said, a good installer can trim pieces when needed for a better fit. Some of the better jobs (and more expensive) wrap as much film as possible revealing minimal or zero edges.

Personally, I would not choose to have the film installed in the in the "field". However, if conditions are right (dust contained, proper fluorescent lighting etc.) it could be okay. I would only choose this option if I had no other. Xpel trains installers for a reason.

Xpel, Suntek and other new products have their pro/cons. I prefer Xpel. My research indicated white and some lighter colored cars prefer Xpel. There are some new products recently released with great results as well.

The choice of installer is everything.

Hope this helps....

[Corinne]

Thanks everyone for your advice. He just visited me at my office in Geneva, exactly on time, with a colour-wrapped bright yellow Porsche Cayenne which he'd done himself and it seemed perfect. He brought a sample of Xpel Ultimate which he stuck on my 330d for me. I questioned him about the locale and he explained that garages were extremely expensive to rent in Geneva and that he took the greatest care. He also explained at length about prepping the vehicle prior to wrapping. I found him a lot more on the ball than yesterday. I think the problem yesterday was that he took me for some rich guy's airhead blonde and therefore wasn't very forthcoming. Today he realised I was a real car enthusiast so we chatted and I asked him about doing a carbon fibre wrap on the external mirrors. He said it wouldn't look very realistic and advised me against it. So, I feel more confident now ! He's done several Maclarens so he must be ok. Just to be sure I've sent a message to Xpel asking them if there's any customer feedback about him. Interestingly he mentioned that demand for Xpel Ultimate was nowhere near as strong in Europe as it is in America because here it's very rare to be hit by a stone - which is my experience exactly.

[ryem3]

I'm also going to venture to guess this will cost you a fortune and isn't worth it on a car like an M2.

[CommitConfirm]

Originally Posted by ryem3

I'm also going to venture to guess this will cost you a fortune and isn't worth it on a car like an M2.

Lol

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by ryem3

I'm also going to venture to guess this will cost you a fortune and isn't worth it on a car like an M2.

€ 5000 for total coverage. I'm going to keep the car forever so I think it's worth it.

[JustChris]

Hmm doesn't sound so good. Must admit have you other options to look at or past vehicle photos from the underground chap you went to see?

[CosmosMpower]

That is nuts I paid 900 for the entire front

[Ian ///M]

So this is what Master Splinter got into after the Turtles grew up. Sounds sketchy af

[omasou]

An excellent vinyl wrapper does not necessarily translate to an excellent PPF installer.

I'd personally feel more comfortable...if he was of Japanese origin, who works out of an underground parking garage belonging to a Romanian car distributor

[ryem3]

Originally Posted by Corinne

€ 5000 for total coverage. I'm going to keep the car forever so I think it's worth it.

Total coverage or a full car wrap? Haha, nothing is forever...
Not worth it unless you are changing look or color. These days they have clear coated vinyl that looks amazing. And stealth of course... Just watch my space

[akkando]

Originally Posted by ryem3

Total coverage or a full car wrap? Haha, nothing is forever...
Not worth it unless you are changing look or color. These days they have clear coated vinyl that looks amazing. And stealth of course... Just watch my space

I think in the US full xpel ultimate would be 5-9k US.

[m34m]

Does anyone have thoughts on paint prep before film installation? My car will be about one month old when I get film. The installer is the best there in this area and he says a simple wash of the front end will do. Research I've done shows some people doing a full paint correction and polish in advance. I don't know how to proceed.