BlackAce

I'm sure this has been rehashed before, so I apologize for bringing it up again if that's the case. But I didn't find anything really conclusive from search -- at least specific to the Q5 -- and I wanted to have an opportunity to ask questions related to my intended usage. So here's a new thread...

My new Q arrives next week (hooray!). On my current car, I have some spots on the hood where sap from parking under the trees in my apartment complex etched the paint. The mirrors have sustained a few rock strikes and the headlights are foggy (had them polished once already).

So now I'm about to get the Q5. Unlike all those years ago when I was parking under the trees all the time, I now have a 1,000 sq. foot garage that will shield my new baby. I will also be using this space to manage my own car detailing.

On my old car, I always regretted not doing some kind of paint protection. So when I ordered the Q5, I immediately began gathering quotes on getting the car covered. But now I've been questioning the expense to value ratio, given my new and more protected environment. Unless someone has a VERY compelling argument otherwise, I'm pretty sure we'll be getting Xpel Ultimate put on. Love that it's self-healing, and can be waxed and detailed like normal paint. The question at hand is where should I put it.

Originally, I had quoted:

Full front bumper
Headlights/Fogs
Full hood
Front fenders
Mirrors
Door cups
Rear bumper, loading lip only

One option they added to the quote ($150) are the A-pillers and little bits of the roof left around the pano roof. All the quotes came in around $1,800 - 1,900, fully wrapped edges using Xpel Ultimate.

So my question is... Is it worth it? I think the mirrors and headlights are a must, as are the door cups and rear bumper lip. And I suppose you could argue for the front bumper, but the front bumper on my current car had to be replaced a couple of years ago, so what little damage I see there now isn't really representative of the life of abuse the car has endured.

I'm not a fan of the half-hood (read: line down the middle) approach, especially when everything is wrapped edges, so for me, it's either full hood or nothing. Is the hood worth it on the Q5? What about the front fenders? A-pillers and roof?

Happy to hear your thoughts and feedback. The car will be used as our primary vehicle. Typically, this consists of 8 miles each way on the highway, and out to dinner in town a couple of nights a week. On weekends, if we're going anywhere, it will be highway.

Let me know if there are other lifestyle components I am overlooking that would have an impact. I want to save money where appropriate, but don't want to cut corners that I'll regret.

tmiele

I had the Xpel product installed on my new 3.0T last month. I've had the 3M products on my last three Audis, so I'll see how this Xpel product works out.

I had the full front area and "Car Bra" size on the hood and front fenders. He also did the mirrors and door edges. I would be a little worried about how hot the hood gets and what it’s going to do to a full hood install.

And if you stand back 10 feet, you really can't see the edge. I have the 3M product on my gray S5 and the Xpel on the silver Q5 and they both seem invisible.

I also spend a little extra time when waxing the cars by really rubbing the edge seam to remove any wax product. The edge seams sill looks invisible on my 3 year-old S5.

My installer said he didn't recommend the headlight protection.

Cost was $550 for my install.

jjandersonn

By covering full panels, you won't have any edges. I'd recommend this.

BlackAce

Yes, any panels we do will be full wraps. I'm just not sure which panels are really essential for us and what are just excessive, since the price of the Xpel is so high.

jjandersonn

Where we live, the roads are covered in gravel during the winter. So, chips all along the front/hood/mirror and anywhere the tires kickup debris are inevitable if you don't have 3M, Xpel, etc. paint protection. Windsheilds are lucky to last 2 years.

I did full panels (almost the whole car) on my VW and I like it a lot better then all the edges on my Tundra which has Xpel on the front end, half the hood, the door sills, tailgate and basically the bottom 6" of the truck all around.

Didn't bother with 3M/Xpel on the wife's Q5. Chips in the paint drive me nuts, her not so much...

I don't think the 3M/Xpel adds enough to the resale value to make it worth it. I do it on my cars because I hate having all the chips.

jjandersonn

3M on my VW was about $2,300...

There are cheaper places, but I went with a shop that I trust to do a good job and will stand behind their work.