[Rx-7ames]

This write up is overdue but hopefully it helps others here on the forum. I was disappointed, like many others, when I saw the color line-up for the new M2. Five colors, is that all? I decided that Toronto Red (or Toronto Orange, as my co-workers like to taunt me with) was the best option. Still, I wanted something more unique.

I reached out to several installation shops and talked to them about the options of matte PPF. Everything is expensive now, so I wasn’t surprised to see some of the estimates. They ranged from $4,500 to over $8k. I read reviews and talked to other people who had gotten their cars wrapped. After weighing my options, I decided to go with TCT Wraps in Hillsboro Oregon.

I decided to go with TCT Wraps for multiple reasons. First, I saw an older M2 they wrapped in Xpel Stealth, and it looked great. I couldn’t find any noticeable flaws or detractions. Second, they were committed to doing the best job possible by hand-cutting all the pieces. There are places that laser cut from prints but you are not guaranteed to get full coverage. That might be more acceptable for regular PPF, but that’s not good for stealth or a color change wrap. You have to hand cut. That takes a lot of skill (and more cost). Lastly, they told me that they do a full wash, clay bar, and remove some of the parts to get a better wrap. You can see that in the pictures I have below.

Tony was great from the beginning, from providing an estimate, to explaining what to expect. Scheduling was great. I was able to schedule 3 weeks out and it only took one week to install. That’s not bad considering the front bumper took a whole day, and the rear bumper took just as long. Apparently this is a hard car to wrap. I ended up doing stealth PPF on all of the Toronto Red parts. I did standard clear PPF on the carbon fiber roof and some of the black painted trim. They did ceramic coat on all PPF surfaces. They also removed the rear OEM spoiler and M2 decal from the trunk. They replaced the M2 badge and left the spoiler off per my request. I added all my carbon fiber parts after the PPF installation. They said to add the trim right on top of the PPF. It worked perfectly.

Coverage: 9 out of 10

I’m very impressed with how good the coverage is. I have seen wraps where people don’t even try to cover the hard corners and edges of body panels. Not true here. The bare minimum was cut out of corners to make the wrap lay right. Where possible they removed parts, such as tail lights, gas door, etc., to get full coverage. They extended the wrap to natural seams inside the door jams and on the inside of the trunk lid. They tucked under rubber moldings around the windshield. You really have to look closely to find areas without coverage. There are only a few places that were not covered and I don’t think they had a choice. They didn’t cover parking sensors. That interrupts the park distance control, so they were smart to do this. They also didn’t cover the grooved sensors on the doors that activate the comfort access entry. This was also smart. Other than that, everything is covered.

Seams: 9.5 out of 10

Considering everything was hand cut, these seems blow my mind. They are that good. You can’t expect not to have seems. PPF doesn’t work that way. But, they put the seems in places that seem logical. They followed natural body lines when possible. The seems are perfectly straight. They look laser cut. Each of the panels and bumpers were covered with a single piece of PPF. I have heard from other people that their installers could not get the bumpers with one piece. These guys did. Kudos to you. On the note of hand cutting, I did not find a single place that was damaged with a razor. All my trim, lights, and body work are free from mis-placed cuts. I have seen horror stories from other places.

Cost: 8 out of 10

The cost was expensive, but you get what you pay for. I would not have been happy with a poor job, and I’m keeping this car long term, so I decided to pay up. I’m happy I did. Even though the cost was high, it was very worth it.

Durability and Upkeep: 10 out of 10

I have not had the car long enough to comment on long term durability, but after a few months I have had zero issues. There has been no lifting or pealing of the PPF. The ceramic coating makes washing a breeze. Water just beads off. I have not had any problem washing off dirt or bugs. Nothing has needed to be scrubbed hard and I have not had to use any chemicals to remove bugs. It just washes off super easy. The stealth also hides dirt very well. The car always looks clean. I was warned by some installers that matte wrap is very high maintenance, but I disagree. This has been very simple. Note: any ceramic coating other than Xpel will void the PPF warranty, and you have to use a chemical to rejuvenate the ceramic coating every few months.

Dust: 8 out of 10

This is the worst score I am giving because I found dust under several parts of the car. To be fair, Tony told me up front that there will be a certain amount of dust. They are not working in a paint booth so it’s going to happen. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if most people never noticed the dust I found. I have a very particular eye, and while I was able to spot these imperfections, I am still happy with the quality of the work. I understand that it would be impossible to prevent 100% of the dust, and too expensive to replace a whole panel after finding some dust. There is probably 7-10 places throughout the car that I found dust, some places more prominent than others.

The bottom line

I would 100% do this again. A full wrap is not for everyone. It’s hard to justify the price. But I plan on keeping this car for 10+ years so it was a no brainer for me. This car gets a lot of attention, and it’s not just because it’s an M2. It is in large part due to the unique look of the Xpel Stealth PPF. Thank you Tony and TCT Wraps for helping bring this dream of mine into fruition. I’m not the kind to roll through expensive cars every few years. I don’t have the financial means for that. I have worked and saved for a long time to get here.

[Rx-7ames]

Reserved for installation pictures

[Rx-7ames]

Here are some of the imperfections, such as dust and poor edges. The last picture shows some of the corners, but I think you have to leave some esposure to ensure the ppf lays right. I have seen much worse corners than these. You also have to look very closely to see any of these things.

[Rx-7ames]

The final product looks great. It looks perfect from a few feet away and I accomplished exactly what I was going for.

[M2PDX]

Looks great, and will certainly help provide needed protection in our wet Oregon winter!

[MMMGuy60]

Dust is the worse enemy of ppf. I been DIY ppf on my last few cars. I can do them well except every panel have a few TINY TINY dust particles. Most people will not be able to tell. I have re-do some panels because of a few dust particles. I think you are a little generous of you scores with the amount of dust I saw.

[Maks///M2]

Love it! Looks very good.
What rear lip spoiler are you running?

[Rx-7ames]

Originally Posted by Maks///M2

Love it! Looks very good.
What rear lip spoiler are you running?

This one:
https://autoid.co/products/bmw-m2-g8...er-by-tre-2021