Has anyone used the XPEL plastic film for protecting your hood, bumper and mirrors available from Toyota Parts Now? I've looked into a mask for my Prius, but I don't like the problems associated with masks. The XPEL looks like it would solve the problem of rocks and sand hitting the front of the car. It's guaranteed against yellowing for four years, but I have to wonder if the paint would be damaged trying to remove it later. What does everyone think?<br>Jack

I have XPEL on my Electric Green Prius; mo_mpg (aka Peter) has it on his SuperWhite. I'm happy with it, although it is one of those things where you can not tell whether it has helped you or not.<br><br>There is a slightly-noticable line on the hood where the plastic stops. When the car is dirty, it is most noticable, I think because the dust/dirt/salt tends to collect along the edge. The surface of the XPel itself looks just fine.<br><br>Of course I don't know about removing it, but I believe they say it can be removed. I have no interest in trying it.<br><br>BTW, I've taken it through a brush car wash once, a no-touch wash several times, and a do-it-yourself (high pressure wand) a few times. Never a problem.<br><br>Burns

Burns,<br>Thanks for replying! Did you cover the hood, lights, mirrors, and bumper? I noticed that it's available for all of them. Here in Illinois, salt is used heavily and there are many gravel roads. I have a Camry that is all pitted in the front from rocks. One of the things I'm most concerned about is the edges curling on the plastic. Did you apply the XPEL yourself? Were there any special preparations involved? How was it on the curved surfaces like the mirrors? Thanks again for the info.<br>Jack

I got the whole enchilada. I think that the mirror comes with the bumper.<br><br>I did not do it myself; I took it to a specialty shop that I found on the X-Pel web site. The guy was very helpful, and let me sit around watching him. I had no special prep, but he carefully washed the area he was going to apply to, and then wet it down with what smelled like an iso-propyl alcohol mixture. Then the plastic went on. He spread it out with a couple of different squeegee-like tools. At one point he was not satisfied and he removed the plastic and started over again (re-using the plastic). At one point there was a bubble which he was unable to squeegee out, so he cut a tiny hold and pushed it out that way. The stuff appears to be very forgiving. The plastic is somewhat porous (sp?) so many bubbles will leave after a few days anyway, but he was very careful not to leave any.<br><br>The mirror seemed to be very easy. That piece does not curve around the mirror very far. It is a piece maybe 3 or 4 inches in diameter over the part of the mirror that is most nearly perpendicular to the travel direction. The hardest part seemed to be the bumper, mostly because of it being applied nearly vertically and being so long and with a hole (for the air intake) in the middle.<br><br>The edges have not pulled up from the surface at all so far.<br><br>Burns

Oh, sorry. I forgot to say that I did NOT cover the lights. He said it is a good investment if you have those god-awful blue things that cost an arm and leg to replace, but I felt that with just normal lights, it was not worth the extra.<br><br>Burns

Burns,<br>Thanks for the info. I'll check the XPEL site for a local installer. If you see the guy again who installed your XPEL, would you ask him if he's seen many problems with it? Thanks again.<br>Jack

I don't expect to see him again; I had to travel a bit to find him. However, he said at the time that he had installed hundreds of them (though mine was his first Prius) without any problems.<br><br>Burns

I installed the XPEL film on "Snoopy's" headlights, hood and mirrors. <br><br>The trick to installing the film correctly is to use a hair dryer, the supplied squeegies, and lots of water/rubbing alcohol (spray bottle). It takes some patience and care to catch the air bubbles and work them out as you go. However, I managed to overheat the film in a few places and consequently caused a few blisters in the film. DOH!! But at least I can say I did it myself and that this product certainly helps keep the number of chips to a minimum. YMMV.

Does the film cover the same area as the front end mask or is it much shorter?<br><br>I read a message here a long time ago which mentioned about the fact that it did not cover the entire hood but did not say how far across or how far up the hood. <br><br>thanks

I bought the hood and mirror kit, which just barely covers the mirrors and does a good job covering the lower part of the hood (up to about 12 "). I would say that it has dramatically reduced the chipping away of the paint in the areas that are covered with the XPEL product.<br>I went with the plastic film vs. a front end mask because of the hassle of removing the mask in order to wash the car. I know some people never remove the mask, but I would be concerned with what damage could occur to the paint under the masked area over time.