like2ace

Just got a 2017 Base w AWD and was thinking of installing X-Pel Ultimate clear PPF for the whole front end.
Since ours will be mainly a highway cruiser, would like opinions of people here who have installed it.
I have been quoted ~$1600-$2000 as they use a thicker film roll for the whole front end compared to half hood, bumper and fenders.
I would like to do the whole front end but $1600 is like 3 car payments so thinking if it's worth doing it.

Please post what a reasonable price would be for doing this at X-Pel authorized Houston installers. There is also Sumter and 3-M which have a 7 yr warranty compared to X-Pel which comes with a 10 yr warranty. We will be keeping this for 10 yrs at least but feel that the film would be useless if there was a front impact (god forbid). Would it be easier/cheaper to just deal with the rock/chip impacts on the front area paint ??

Please chime in !!

ruyehara47

I can't speak to the price of installation in your area, but I've had PPF on my most recent cars.

I've done the partial hood before, but prefer the full hood option to eliminate the line across the hood that dirt can get caught in. If you are doing mostly highway driving, your hood will be pelted with tiny rocks everyday, so I would recommend the PPF. If you are willing and skilled enough to use touch up paint after each chip, then that would definitely be cheaper.

I've had insurance cover reapplication of the PPF after accidents, so that wasn't a worry for me.

jdpdata

I definitely think XPel is worth the investment if you're doing alot of highway driving. I hate seeing rock chips especially because the 2017 MDX frontend is almost vertical.
Installation price of $1600 looks about right for full front-end. I'd ask them to also do the headlights, mirrors and door cups too.
I paid about $940 for Xpel Ultimate (in SoCal) - half hood, half fender, full front bumper, headlights, mirrors, door cups, door edges, door sills, and top of rear bumper.
Find the best installer in your area. It's no good if the installer does a crappy job. Go to Xpel.com and search for qualified installers in your area. The more years of experience the better.

Silver5

Yes, I have XPEL, partial front hood, entire front end, headlights, mirrors, door cups and rear top bumper. I paid $900.

like2ace

Thanks a good point about insurance covering reapplication. I just called my car insurance and they said that PPF reapplication cost coverage would depend on the Claims agent handling my case. So its not a given that it will be covered always if you need to replace the front bumper after a wreck. More reason to drive cautiously......

jdpdata

If you have a minor fender bender you'll most likely just need to replace the bumper section. That should not cost more than a couple hundred dollars.
If you have a major accident that the hood get damaged, your car will be totaled anyways..don't worry about it.

Simi_MDX

What about ceramic coating instead of PPF?

jdpdata

That does nothing to prevent rock chips.

getakey

I have both
Ceramic may stop some minor ones, but not very many

jdpdata

After I did Xpel I put on a coat of RejeX...it's a paint sealant that will last for 6 months or more.
Xpel will protect my frontend for rock chips and the RejeX sealant will protect from common contaminants such as exhaust, bugs, oil, tree sap, bird droppings, road grime, brake dust, etc.
Works just as good as any Ceramic coating and cost me only $25 for a 16oz bottle on Amazon and an afternoon to wash and apply the sealant.
Check it out..highly recommended.

like2ace

For those who have the partial/half hood done, is the film line visible on the hood and fenders? Do you see dust collect at the line, we have a Silver MDX and think it may hide the film line better.

I am now convinced that we should do the X-Pel treatment just not sure about half or full hood. We are leaning towards the half-hood/fender install. It would have been a no-brainer to do the full hood but the cost of doing the full hood is prohibitive (> double the half-hood, half-fender price).
Thoughts??

jdpdata

Mine is WDP and yes I do see the film line if i'm up close within 2 ft. Depending the the angle I'm looking at it, sometimes I don't see it at all.
The high gloss of the Xpel Ultimate is insane! It's even better than the paint's clearcoat IMO. Hope the gloss stay after a few years.

I don't worry about dust, just a quick wipe with microfiber and detailer's spray is all that's needed once per week.
My installer also recommend applying a coat or two of spray wax on the film to protect from UV and bird droppings.
I already coated the whole car in RejeX, so I'm good and protected for 6 months at least.
Don't worry too much about tiny scratches on the film, it's self-healing in direct sunlight.

Definitely do the full hood if you can afford it. Though, the 2x cost is not justified. It should be only a couple hundred bucks more. They're not using that much more film.
Kinda wish I negotiate to do full hood. My guy gave me a pretty good deal I think, considering he spent 11 hours on my car and did lots of little pieces everywhere.

If you're still concerned about looks, just head down to your nearest installer and look at their work.
Find best installer you can! Very Important!!

getakey

I don't have a problem with the half hood line
Big Deal

like2ace

So I bit the bullet and am having X-Pel installed right now. Did the full front hood, bumper, fenders, headlights, door edges and the A-pillars. They also put Opticoat film on the X-pel to make it hydrophobic.

I think I got a good deal at $1400. They also put in my running boards for that price.

jdpdata

That's a great deal! I'd paid $2000 or more for full hood. Don't forget door cups too!

like2ace

woah $2000 or more🙀??? Wow www hope you had something to hang on when your installer quoted this. Yes we did the door handle cups as well.

Thanks everyone for all the advice here

jdpdata

​​​​​​I actually didn't paid that much 😉

mellonc

I have/had it on 3 cars. On all 3, I do the entire front end including the headlights, fog lights and emblem. Full hood, door cups and door edges. Depending on cost I may do partial fenders but not always. The cost usually runs about $1400 in los angeles.

I keep my cars for a long time and I think it's worth the cost. Example, a yellow Camero at a Chinese restaurant brushed the corner of my front end. The bumper was scratched badly (it looked like....) and left bunch of yellow lines on the bumper. I saw this happening about 200 ft away but the car took off anyway without acknowledging it. I had, then, remembered that I have the film on the car and applied lacquer thinner (or gasoline) and wiped it down. It was all gone in 10 minutes. The surface was damaged a little bit but not too noticeable. I'm sure I saved a $1000 right there.

Also I do the full hood because road debris and rocks literally roll up to the top of the hood.