[stevehecht]

Originally Posted by Steve33

It will inhibit the self healing process. The film will heal, but scratches on the opticoat will not

OK, so now this is getting more interesting. You're saying that the Opticoat will allow the film to repair itself but that Opticoat scratches will remain. How is that different than how the Opticoat behaves anywhere else on the car? I would think the same scratch can be buffed out whether or not XPel is underneath. AFAIK the self-healing property of XPel was never claimed to extend to the Opticoat or anything else applied on top of it.

[DrifterX]

Originally Posted by Ichiro

LOL, no they don't.
I read your thread earlier but didn't get a chance to respond. I don't own an F30 but I'll chime in from my recent experience in protecting my E89 - it's paint protection after all and does the same job no matter which vehicle you put it on.

I was dead set on going with the 3M Venture Shield product as this had been applied to my fathers X1 two years ago. The product has held up very well over time and has done its job and continues to do so everyday - I would still recommend it.

For my E89 however, I ended up with Xpel Ultimate. I researched this product recently and seems like its superior when compared to 3M...if their marketing claims hold true:
10yr warranty for XPel vs 5yr for 3M.
Xpel guarantee their product wont yellow over time (this is very important to me as mine is AW)
Expel is "self healing" - minor swirls on the film repair themselves
Expel has less orange peel effect when compared to 3M

I've had my front end covered along with side mirrors, door cups, door edges and headlights too. No complaints so far but its only been 2 weeks.

I did the prep myself before the film was being applied and it involved a full decontamination with clay & TRIX, followed by a single stage paint correction with Menzerna 85RD.

Once the Expel Ultimate was applied and left to dry, I went over the car with a minor paint prep and finished it off with Optimum Opti-Seal on the body (polymer paint protection). It's the first time I've used the product and I'm curious to see how long this "coating" lasts. Same goes for the wheels - coated with DP Wheel Coating.

Kinda bringing this thread back from the dead... I'm looking at Xpel Ultimate for my new car which will have Alpine White then top it of with Opti-coat Pro. Any feedback on your experience with it so far?