XPEL Rivian Factory PPF Q&A -- by XPEL

[AO_Pete]

Alright, just picked up the truck from Xpel Dallas.

In short - it looks f%$king amazing. As previous described by @Tim@XPEL , all the exposed edges are fully wrapped, and there little to no exposed paint anywhere (the interior of the door openings are not wrapped, as expected). Based on having paid more than $4500 to get a Model 3 wrapped, this is a great deal.

Side note, the facility in Dallas is only about 3 months old - it's an exceptional facility, all the cars are on lifts, I don't know what they're called, but there's Perspex 'wetting panels' everywhere to presumably hold and wet the PPF panels. It's a very slick setup.

There's a visible seam on each of the side mirrors, that's really the only giveaway it's wrapped, and not a matte paint from the factory - 95% of people would be fooled.

Below is a walkaround video I cobbled together (sorry about the music & watermark, used an existing template for speed), I don't want to clutter up this thread, so you can see close-up pics here.

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[Siguy90]

This is exactly what Tim from Xpel stated. Some on here seem to be spreading false information to dissuade people? Maybe they have an agenda

I don't think it's anything nefarious but rather just the individual shops providing misinformation or providing details on what they can or cannot do.

My local shop called me and highly advised me not go for the Rivial package and to instead go with their normal pricing. They specifically told me that they are not able to edit the templates, remove emblems, or wrap edges and quoted me $1900 for the front PPF which I thought was reasonable but for full stealth they said it would be around $9500 to do it properly. Again I think it's really shop dependant on what they are willing to do for $4500 but this shop is in NYC where labor rates are high and this is a pretty high end shop that I've seen work on very high end cars all the time (i.e. $1m+ LaFerrari, 918, etc...). I've had my cars tinted there before and they are honest and hard working guys and they were pretty honest and up front about the Rivian "deal"

 

[pfbz]

At least at the shop I visited, these are NOT precut pieces. There’s a CAD template for the Rivian program and the machine at the shop cuts to that template. The guy at the shop said they can make edits to the template before cutting, which is what he was going to do if I wanted them to debadge the truck first. They would just delete the cutouts around the badges in the template before they did my cut.

This is what "pre-cut" means in the business. As opposed to the old-school way of installing, which was to lay PPF significantly oversize and then trim it on the vehicle with a knife (or knife-less cutting tape laid down beforehand).

I think one of the huge value-adds that Xpel provides is their library of 'shapes' for different vehicles that allows the local shops cutting plotter to spit out the pre-cut film that will need little or no trimming after install.

And yes, the software allows the local shop to modify the cuts, like extending the edges for wraps, cutting around badges or not, etc.

 

[pfbz]

Alright, just picked up the truck from Xpel Dallas.

In short - it looks f%$king amazing ...
Side note, the facility in Dallas is only about 3 months old - it's an exceptional facility...

There's a visible seam on each of the side mirrors, that's really the only giveaway it's wrapped, and not a matte paint from the factory - 95% of people would be fooled.

Looks fantastic! Yes, if you look closely enough you can spot the difference between a $4,500 full stealth and a $8,000 full stealth. Personally, I'm good with the minor wrap difference for the significant price difference.

1. Couple of quick questions:
   Can you verify the badges were removed, wrapped underneath, and re-installed? From what I've read, this is that this IS part of the Rivian OE package.
2. Was this an Xpel dealer or an installation shop owned by Xpel corporate themselves? Reason I ask is just the signage on the door just says Xpel. Don't even know if they have 'corporate owned' installation shops, but curious.
3. Did you get pitched any extras (additional wrapping, pre-wrap paint correction, post-wrap ceramics, etc)? And did you select any?

 

[AO_Pete]

@pfbz

1. Yes. A photo I posted upthread shows the work in progress, sans badges. The original badges were used as they were still in good shape (which is a shame, I'm still looking for a set...)
2. Corporate, the invoice was from Xpel, Inc, the front desk staff have Xpel email addresses.
3. None of those, I did add a ceramic tint (Prime XR+).

 

[Lysdexic]

@pfbz

1. Yes. A photo I posted upthread shows the work in progress, sans badges. The original badges were used as they were still in good shape (which is a shame, I'm still looking for a set...)
2. Corporate, the invoice was from Xpel, Inc, the front desk staff have Xpel email addresses.
3. None of those, I did add a ceramic tint (Prime XR+).

Thanks for the pics and I agree, your truck looks awesome. I just got off the phone with a local Xpel shop - Sun Stoppers Lake Norman. He said that he has not wrapped a Rivian yet but that he was familiar with the OEM package and would participate. He did say it has it shortcomings but it is a good value. “It all depends on how picky you are” he said. I did mention that I would be interested in extras outside the package like window tinting and ceramic coating and he became much more accommodating.

Now I just need my truck!

 

[AO_Pete]

I think I'm fairly picky, at least, my wife does. I consider it normal But the Model 3 I had (custom) wrapped by another local shop (That generally has a great reputation, and has done 100's of Teslas) wasn't as good as this; the edge wraps, especially, started to lift after a couple of weeks, and the matte black wrap of the chrome around the mirrors wasn't good at all.

I think someone else said it up thread, but I suspect a good installer can do a great job of installing a pre-cut, whereas you need a great installer to do a good job of a custom cut.

 

[Sean]

Just got mine done today. Front clip in gloss. Obviously looks didn't change but seems like a good job on the install. I paid a little extra to wrap the edges where possible.

 

[ChampagneUnicorn]

Alright, just picked up the truck from Xpel Dallas.

In short - it looks f%$king amazing. As previous described by @Tim@XPEL , all the exposed edges are fully wrapped, and there little to no exposed paint anywhere (the interior of the door openings are not wrapped, as expected). Based on having paid more than $4500 to get a Model 3 wrapped, this is a great deal.

Side note, the facility in Dallas is only about 3 months old - it's an exceptional facility, all the cars are on lifts, I don't know what they're called, but there's Perspex 'wetting panels' everywhere to presumably hold and wet the PPF panels. It's a very slick setup.

There's a visible seam on each of the side mirrors, that's really the only giveaway it's wrapped, and not a matte paint from the factory - 95% of people would be fooled.

Below is a walkaround video I cobbled together (sorry about the music & watermark, used an existing template for speed), I don't want to clutter up this thread, so you can see close-up pics here.

I’m about 12 deep on viewings of your video. Can’t wait for the sequel and deeper character exploration!!

 

[Sattman69]

Alright, just picked up the truck from Xpel Dallas.

In short - it looks f%$king amazing. As previous described by @Tim@XPEL , all the exposed edges are fully wrapped, and there little to no exposed paint anywhere (the interior of the door openings are not wrapped, as expected). Based on having paid more than $4500 to get a Model 3 wrapped, this is a great deal.

Side note, the facility in Dallas is only about 3 months old - it's an exceptional facility, all the cars are on lifts, I don't know what they're called, but there's Perspex 'wetting panels' everywhere to presumably hold and wet the PPF panels. It's a very slick setup.

There's a visible seam on each of the side mirrors, that's really the only giveaway it's wrapped, and not a matte paint from the factory - 95% of people would be fooled.

Below is a walkaround video I cobbled together (sorry about the music & watermark, used an existing template for speed), I don't want to clutter up this thread, so you can see close-up pics here.

Thanks for posting the video, photos and narrative. I agree, it looks fantastic!
Are you able to still see the adaptive effects of the LS based on ambient lighting and reflections or does it appear the same all the time?
And forgive me, was this significantly more expensive than the Rivian Package?
I really love it! And congrats!

 

[AO_Pete]

This was the Rivian package. I’d not really noticed much change in the color/adaptive effects of the Limestone before it was wrapped, to me it was a fairly flat color anyway, very little flake, so the satin wrap really just compliments that.

 

[2020rob]

Alright, just picked up the truck from Xpel Dallas.

In short - it looks f%$king amazing. As previous described by @Tim@XPEL , all the exposed edges are fully wrapped, and there little to no exposed paint anywhere (the interior of the door openings are not wrapped, as expected). Based on having paid more than $4500 to get a Model 3 wrapped, this is a great deal.

Side note, the facility in Dallas is only about 3 months old - it's an exceptional facility, all the cars are on lifts, I don't know what they're called, but there's Perspex 'wetting panels' everywhere to presumably hold and wet the PPF panels. It's a very slick setup.

There's a visible seam on each of the side mirrors, that's really the only giveaway it's wrapped, and not a matte paint from the factory - 95% of people would be fooled.

Below is a walkaround video I cobbled together (sorry about the music & watermark, used an existing template for speed), I don't want to clutter up this thread, so you can see close-up pics here.

Looks freaking amazing…. I’m definitely doing this.

 

[2020rob]

Alright, just picked up the truck from Xpel Dallas.

In short - it looks f%$king amazing. As previous described by @Tim@XPEL , all the exposed edges are fully wrapped, and there little to no exposed paint anywhere (the interior of the door openings are not wrapped, as expected). Based on having paid more than $4500 to get a Model 3 wrapped, this is a great deal.

Side note, the facility in Dallas is only about 3 months old - it's an exceptional facility, all the cars are on lifts, I don't know what they're called, but there's Perspex 'wetting panels' everywhere to presumably hold and wet the PPF panels. It's a very slick setup.

There's a visible seam on each of the side mirrors, that's really the only giveaway it's wrapped, and not a matte paint from the factory - 95% of people would be fooled.

Below is a walkaround video I cobbled together (sorry about the music & watermark, used an existing template for speed), I don't want to clutter up this thread, so you can see close-up pics here.

I didn’t notice it at first but you also tinted the headlights and the charging bar. Do you recall what % you used for that. Sorry in advance if you already mentioned that but I don’t recall seeing it up thread.

 

[AO_Pete]

Those are the mediums/50% VLT from Twraps. Easy install, just needs a little patience.

 

[2020rob]

Those are the mediums/50% VLT from Twraps. Easy install, just needs a little patience.

Well you did a fantastic job

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