Raidin

Update: 8 pictures added to show film edges for a closer look at the install.

Two pictures for now. I took a general picture of the car so you can see that it looks exactly the same unless you look for edges of the film. The other picture shows the edges so you can see that the film is invisible. I took a few more pictures but they didn't come out well thanks to shadows. I will try again next time and post more.

Here's the warning: the installer told me that the hood crease, as well the fender creases, tend to make it difficult to get the film installed properly (i.e. without coming off). Half of the RS3s they've done did this. While my car's fenders didn't give them trouble, the hood took 8 tries before they called me in to inspect it. I'm satisfied with the results (they are perfectionists and I can barely tell there's even a problem) so I'm keeping it as is, since removing the film that many times might rip the paint off.

A cool little note about ripping paint off. They did tell me that they've never seen an Audi lose its paint, but they have seen it on Ferraris and certain other high-end brands (not Porsche though).

rynrynryn

Great to know! I was considering this.

Raidin

Unfortunately, one small part of the film didn't adhere properly, and came loose. I need to take it back to fix that, so I'm holding off on pics for now. The car looks like nothing was done to it, which is what I love.

I got a chance to talk to a pro detailer today about various things. His shop sells Suntek film, so I asked him about cost and the difference. He told me it would cost about the same, but Suntek uses a milder adhesive because apparently, much of the "texture" of the film (that orange peel effect) comes from the adhesive that you're seeing underneath the film. Suntek wanted to minimize this by going with a less aggressive adhesive. Suntek apparently is a better option for those looking for the best-looking paint job. The downside is that it takes a while for the film to grab and so the installers have to do way more work and sometimes end up with a piece of dust or dirt trapped underneath the film. Xpel's film will grab almost instantly, which allows installers to essentially put it down in one pass, and also allows for better fitment of the film over Suntek. You can get much closer to the edges of a panel than Suntek, he admitted. He also mentioned that Xpel has better-cut patterns, and usually carry more patterns, especially complete car sets, because most of Xpel's clients are high-end exotics that come from the dealer for full protection. For Suntek, he'd have to do custom film cuts for any panels they don't make patterns for.

Bottom line: Xpel if you want the best coverage with minimum evidence you have film on and really only care about protection, while Suntek is best for those that want to show off the paint job or polished finish they may have underneath over protection and fitment.

I also forgot to mention the cost. A full car film job like mine costs $6,900, and their best tint film was $1,300 for the whole car (tint percentage doesn't affect pricing).

tigerhonaker

Raidin,

Thanks for all your above posting on the film procedures ^^^.
It is as you noted very expensive for sure but if done right by a Certified-Installer it's worth the expense.
I'll be looking forward to seeing your pictures once you have the time to post them.

Thanks for sharing,
Terry

Raidin

Update: two pics up on my original post at the top. There are a few issues with the install so I will have the car brought back and will take more pics next week probably.

Hockenheim

You bought a red car and wrapped it red?

Like for paint protection or something?

Raidin

No, the film is transparent. I just meant I had the whole car covered in it. Yes, just to protect from chips and scratches.

markN1689

perfect color combo. red with the BO is sooooo sweeeeeet. even the tint looks good and I'm usually not a fan of that.

Perfect this ride by adding some euro headlights. Then call it a day. Perfection achieved.

Raidin

Thank you! I obviously completely agree! The tint is pretty much required in Texas due to the extreme heat. 35% up front (legal limit) and 20% everywhere else.

The film, for those that don't know, has a clear coat top layer, and also self heals from minor scratches, like from bad hand car washes.

So what exactly are euro headlights?

markN1689

European spec headlights. The headlights the European cars get without the orange bike reflector. They will cost a pretty penny.
https://europrice.us/headlights-a3-s3-post-facelift-led