[Joe M 2012 2SS]

I'm curious about your detailer. I understand that some scratches are too deep to remove, but their appearance can be greatly diminished by rounding the edges of the scratches with a light pass of 2000 grit wetsand, followed by a compound to remove haze.

I bought my 2012 used and have one spot on the front of the hood that had a bad spot like this. Though it isn't completely gone, you can't see it in the shade at all, and only from certain angles in direct sun. It took me all of 20 minutes to "fix" this area.

Did he even use a gauge to measure the paint in the affected area?
Dirt should be completely removed from the surface before applying XPEL. Did he clean and clay the area, then wipe it down with IPA before covering? He couldn't have or no dirt would be visible.

My car is a DD as well, so I realize I cant keep it 100% perfect. I polish it once a year and it's 95% defect free.

$1200 for just coating is very high.

If you drive the car on the highway, the XPEL on the front is a good idea.

You can protect the rockers, doors, and rear quarters by putting some rock guards behind your front tires. Very easy to do. 2 torx screws, 3M 2 sided tape, and some IPA to clean before the 3M tape.

You could get a polisher (Griots Garage 6"), a 3/12" backing plate for 4" pads, all the pads you need, and all the products you need to compound (if needed), polish, coat, seal, microfibers, pressure washer, foam cannon, clay alternative product and lube, iron and tar decontaminate, 3 buckets with grit guards, rinseless for when the car isn't very dirty, for about 1/2 to 3/4 of what he wants just to coat it.

I'd put the Xpel on after the paint is corrected, but based on seeing dirt in the spot he put some on, I'd find someone else to do that.