I Drove To SEMA In My 200,000-Mile Jeep Wrangler To Learn How To Install XPEL Paint Protection Film. Here’s What I Learned – The Autopian

Late last year, XPEL kindly invited me to attend SEMA, the big auto show in Las Vegas full of classic cars and dealers and parties and frenzy – You know, SEMA. To get there, of course I had to take a 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ that had just received a full XPEL Paint Protection Film program at the hands of some true professionals. Here’s what a trip to Vegas, a crappy car show, and my time with XPEL was all about. The trip started like David Tracy: I had to quickly fix my car to make a Mercedes event in Las Vegas, and the whole Jeep was rough and shaking on the highway.

The car must have done 300 miles, but it wasn’t pretty, and I couldn’t risk it. I realized that the vibration was universally bad, so I quickly installed a small Jeep shaft.

The engine stuttering was, in my opinion, probably due to a clogged oil filter, so – because I was running out of time – I asked my friend Taylor for help while working with the old U-joints:

After they left, the trip to Sin City was a miserable one. The car ran and drove very well – it wasn’t a problem, and that I had given myself plenty of time before the Toyota event I wanted to attend. The problem was the cheap soft tip I had just installed and was trying for the first time.

The door was swinging back and forth as the brick shape of the Jeep drove down the highway, the door was swinging so hard that anyone would go crazy. But worse than that was the zipper:

Just look at that metal zipper sitting on top of the other, rolling like a loud drum, and it makes me very nervous.
The good news is that I just made it to the Toyota briefing, which means I got to see the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner Concept and the FJ Bruiser in person:
Also, I got to chat with legendary auto journalist Andrew Collins:
Then the next day I met Jay Leno:
And throughout the exhibition I saw the construction in depth: But above all, my arrival meant to visit my friends at XPEL, whose Paint Protection Film (PPF) is something I believe in, especially as an off-roader who likes to drive his nice Jeep Wrangler wherever I like:
Here’s a look at what XPEL showed me at SEMA: XPEL showed me its booth for the first time, where I learned that the company also makes a ton of things that have nothing to do with cars. For example, they apparently make a Solar Window Film that you can put on your windows to reduce the heat from the sun (and no, it’s not really a black film like window film):
But enough about that. I was there for the automotive stuff – for example, I was excited to try my hand at using Paint Protection Film, as I had seen Johnny from 405 Motoring do it on my Jeep, and he was amazed at how it looked. XPEL set me up with Travis, the company’s PPF head coach (instructor), which means he’s not only the best, but he also has to teach others how to install the film, so I heard. relieved to know that I might not be the worst he’s ever seen. Maybe. The car I was going to learn my first lesson on? BAC (Briggs Automotive Company) Mono; that’s Britain’s British law enforcement car: Travis took me through the various waters that his team uses to install the invisible urethane PPF. There is water and baby soap, which is the “sliding method” that allows the film to float on top of the car panel, there is alcohol, which is used to give the film a nice solid “tack” that adheres to the panel, and then. There is a gel, which is used for tight corners and other areas where it is difficult for the PPF to stick.
Travis started by spraying the BAC hood with a stealth method, then “putting back” some film on top:
Backing up involves removing the film from the backing paper and pushing it onto a dry part of the car so that the adhesive will hold in place. This made it easy for Travis to remove all the backing paper, and put the film in exactly the way it was meant to be. I say “mostly,” because it was still squishy and out of place, which is why Travis raised the PPF and sprayed some extra formula under it to make it float better.
From there, he introduced the alcohol method so that the PPF sticks tightly to the right corner, where he began to squeeze:
Travis put the PPF in front of the BAC Mono like an absolute boss, because that’s what Travis is. Here he is adjusting his performance before rolling the front of the PPF under the hood of the car – a very hard turn to make:
I tried the same thing, using gel to touch the top corner, and although I did better than I expected thanks to Travis’s advice, I wouldn’t want to do it on a customer’s car, because I will be very disappointed with my work:
It’s a difficult task that involves tying one point, then running out from there, and avoiding foam traps, trying to fold the PPF under the lips, making sure things don’t move too far from where they should be, to save. things slippery enough so that the squeegee doesn’t get stuck – that’s true art.
Also at SEMA, XPEL showcased its Design Access Program, or DAP. This is a program that allows sellers to select a car from a large list, then automatically print any group they need PPF (or if they are installing window tint, they print the correct size of windows for a given car):
You can see the screenshots of the XPEL window for the Tesla Model 3 above (note that DAP also provides installation instructions/references). Below is an example of what the PPF would look like on a Porsche 911. Models are available to break the PPF into sections to help provide installation instructions on how to best use the film:
Also at SEMA, I came across a self-healing PPF. Check this out: Most importantly, I have to attend the XPEL party for vendors and their guests. You can see Travis, the PPF installation king, in the picture below:
Here’s a short video I shot: The party was legit, and a reminder of how many people believe in it.
Following the party, I went home from Vegas looking at my beautiful 1991 Jeep Wrangler, thinking about all the brushes I’ll be driving, and testing XPEL’s self-healing PPF product. Luxury Jeep: Get ready for the ultimate adventure:

Author: OpenAI