X-Pel Whole Car Pattern & Powder Coat Wheels on a 2014 M6 GC

[chask]

I have a 2014 M6 Gran Coupe I want to cover the car with X-Pel; the full coverage mostly to do the Stealth finish. I have seen some online but it was in a different color car and I just wasn't sure how it would look on mine. This afternoon I saw a small piece the installer put on a grey 5 series in his shop that was not far off the color of mine - a bit lighter but the effect was unmistakable. My impression was immediate and obvious, before he even finished squeegeeing it down and drying it -
Then he told me all these things where the matte finish of the Stealth would not cover without some compromises. I mean, he pointed out areas around the door handles, front grille reliefs for the air ductwork, mirrors . . . several places where there would have to be a fold, the material would have to be cut and some line would show or there would not be absolutely complete coverage. With the Ultimate you can live with that as it really does not show that much. But the Stealth is changing the car color and where it does not cover will really show.
In spite of all that I just could not get the idea of having that Stealth look on my car out of my mind. It was unbelievable!! You guys must remember that one girlfriend (hopefully it was just one) who was really bad for you and in spite of all her little faults and that she didn't quite care for you and you were head over heels for her? You knew this was not good and you shouldn't stay in the relationship but there was just no way you were going to end it. Well, Stealth has done that to me. I do prefer excellent work and am upset *though don't show it) when people don't care) but I think this guy will really try hard, and the results will probably be as good as it gets. I also am not sure how bad the little places will be - will they be noticeable only if you get up there with a microscope or is it something you'll notice ever time you walk up to the car. I am not sure I would want ot live with the latter but probably could if they did not just hit you in the face or something like that.
I do think the installer is really good. He does a lot of work on Lambos, Ferraris, Porsches etc. My dealer recommends him (they are very particular people) and the work I saw at his shop looked just great - he had a clear bra on a Suburban that I could hardly see the line on. Plus that sample piece he just "threw on" the BMW in this shop was a quick and dirty cut for sure, but still pretty darn good. All the other work I saw in progress was meticulous and even this haphazard cut he did looked really good. I even know a couple of his customers and though I did not ask them about him, I have seen their cars and they all look great.
I have a feeling that the main reason he said all that stuff is he is pretty picky, and perhaps mixed in with a bit of the fear of me (we had never seen each other before, let alone done business) perhaps being one of those horrible customers everyone in business gets every now and then - ones who are so fanatically nutso picky that they will just never be happy, even if you gave them double their money back, the as well as product and any service/labor you've got in it. The point of all this is he said he would do it freehand but he would definitely feel a lot better about doing the whole car if he had a template or pattern or whatever you want to call it. He said X-Pel did not and was not inclined to do one. He told me that in response to his previous inquiries they had said they did not think there would be that much call for it and did not want to undertake the expense of doing it.
One other thing about this shop, they are not on the X-Pel website as a dealer. And there is another shop within a block or two of this place that is. Strange?!?!? My immediate thinking might be who came first and they are literally a stone's throw apart. Does that make any difference on the kind of warranty or any guaranty I will get with the installation from the X-Pel people?
I also want to do something to help with maintaining and cleaning the wheels. Because of health issues I cannot always get the wheels like they need to be. Unfortunately the condition is permanent and this is not going to change - the wheels will probably be neglected a little from time to time. IN fact, this is part of the reason for the whole car X-Pel. Anyway, I want to do something that will make it effortless as possible (hopefully just a spray wand at one of those quick car washes (on low power of course) to remove any built up junk on the wheels. Powder coating was suggested by the dealership but I wanted to confirm this with you all (the pros and experts) and see if there is another and perhaps better way to get the results I am after.

[chask]

Hasn't anybody done the whole car in X-Pel?

[jwblack750]

Originally Posted by chask

Hasn't anybody done the whole car in X-Pel?

It's hard to imagine someone here would X-pel their whole car. I assume that because we all have fairly new 6-series, so the thought of having guys pull it apart and put film on the entire car is a bit daunting. Personally, I looked it up, and I think I'd really like the matte look on my Alpine White '14 Gran Coupe. But, having them pull my bumper, etc., and have a razor blade so close to my paint makes me shudder!

As for the wheels, I highly recommend powder coating. Mine are the OEM 373M 20" and I have them powder coated in gloss black. Very durable. Very easy to clean. Not too expensive (maybe $500, depending on the shop). Here's what they look like...

[bravo261]

the whole pull-the-doors-and-everything-off is what's stopping me from even trying a wrap and all that. i had an audio installer leave a few hanging parts that were visible, so who knows what's going on underneath. now to have some guy pull the door handles and mirrors off?

[m34SPD]

The only authorized installer in your state is Frost Auto

http://www.frostautoaccessories.com/

[chask]

Originally Posted by jwblack750

It's hard to imagine someone here would X-pel their whole car. I assume that because we all have fairly new 6-series, so the thought of having guys pull it apart and put film on the entire car is a bit daunting. Personally, I looked it up, and I think I'd really like the matte look on my Alpine White '14 Gran Coupe. But, having them pull my bumper, etc., and have a razor blade so close to my paint makes me shudder!

As for the wheels, I highly recommend powder coating. Mine are the OEM 373M 20" and I have them powder coated in gloss black. Very durable. Very easy to clean. Not too expensive (maybe $500, depending on the shop). Here's what they look like...

The Stealth or matte look is incredible! Very much like the Frozen paint colors.

Thanks for the info on the powder coat. I am trying to remove the high gloss / shiny look from the car. I am not sure i want a completely matte finish though. A true matte looks pretty dull - learned this from a painter when i remodeled my house. I am hoping they have some something that is the painter called a satin finish - still looks rich and lustrous but without all the shine.

As for the razor blade so close to the paint, that's the reason for finding a template for it. From what I understand with one of those they do all the cutting on what looks a lot like a large plotter. All they do is get all the pre-cut parts really wet, position them on the car and then squeegee it. That is more what I am hoping for.

BTW - Love the look of your car. I am not sure I would do the black wheels on mine (Singapore Grey) but on a white car they look outstanding. I used to work at a place that did performance upgrades on Bimmers and a few other makes. I saw a bunch of them, in all sorts of colors with all sorts of color combinations of wheels, spoilers and other trim/accent pieces. Before that I'd always thought a black car was the way to go, but after seeing so many colors I soon came to love the white and silver BMWs too. In case you are wondering, I'm in the SG because they gave it to me to try and the color sort of grew on me. Guess that's a 4th one I like.

Originally Posted by bravo261

the whole pull-the-doors-and-everything-off is what's stopping me from even trying a wrap and all that. i had an audio installer leave a few hanging parts that were visible, so who knows what's going on underneath. now to have some guy pull the door handles and mirrors off?

I am not so sure they were planning to take too much off. The installer mentioned some trim pieces (side reflectors and markers, trunk emblem, grilles - all pretty easy to get on and off. The door handles are the only pieces he specifically mentioned that bothered me a bit. But those are parts a dealer could correct if not put back together quite right by the film installer. Plus, this film installer company is the one the dealer uses to do this rather than doing it in house. They are about as anal about things being done well as anyone i have seen. Hard to think they would send me there when they know they'll have to fix anything wrong.

Originally Posted by MMG640

The only authorized installer in your state is Frost Auto

http://www.frostautoaccessories.com/

Yeah, I found them too on the X-Pel site. Strange but the place the dealer sent me to is literally a stone's throw from there. I still do not understand why the dealer is using this other company instead of the factory recognized one. Perhaps they have some history with the ones they recommended and this company just picked up the product. I plan to check Frost out though before I go any further. Still, does having the other company do the work (as the dealer wants me to - part of the contract on the car) affect any X-Pel warranty? Guess I need to contact X-Pel on this.

Thanks guys for all the input. I know the results I want to get and I have an idea what to do to get there, but knowing which products actually work and which don't is only something you get from experience. I really appreciate you sharing yours. These can be very expensive lessons I'd rather not learn that way.

[m34SPD]

The dealership might have a deal with the local shop, and just use Xpel. You can get a warranty via the dealership if you ever have issues with it in the long run, but I can't say anything about their work.

[jwblack750]

Originally Posted by chask

The Stealth or matte look is incredible! Very much like the Frozen paint colors.

Thanks for the info on the powder coat. I am trying to remove the high gloss / shiny look from the car. I am not sure i want a completely matte finish though. A true matte looks pretty dull - learned this from a painter when i remodeled my house. I am hoping they have some something that is the painter called a satin finish - still looks rich and lustrous but without all the shine.

As for the razor blade so close to the paint, that's the reason for finding a template for it. From what I understand with one of those they do all the cutting on what looks a lot like a large plotter. All they do is get all the pre-cut parts really wet, position them on the car and then squeegee it. That is more what I am hoping for.

BTW - Love the look of your car. I am not sure I would do the black wheels on mine (Singapore Grey) but on a white car they look outstanding. I used to work at a place that did performance upgrades on Bimmers and a few other makes. I saw a bunch of them, in all sorts of colors with all sorts of color combinations of wheels, spoilers and other trim/accent pieces. Before that I'd always thought a black car was the way to go, but after seeing so many colors I soon came to love the white and silver BMWs too. In case you are wondering, I'm in the SG because they gave it to me to try and the color sort of grew on me. Guess that's a 4th one I like.

First of all, your car is my dream car. Not only do I want an M6 GC, but I LOVE Singapore Grey!! I'm so jealous.

I went with the glossy wheels, since the window trim is more gloss than matte. I think the look you're going for would be amazing...between matte and glossy. I went with the matte look on my last car, which was an F10 (pics included). I liked it on the F10, but I don't think I'd like the matte look on my F06.

Do you have any pics of your M6??