well I too am in this boat. One "Certified" Xpel installer want's over $1,000.00 to do my Audi and another wants $500.00 to do the same car with the same packages from XPEL.
We know that 3M makes Scotchgard (the material) but doesn't sell to consumers or cut templates. Xpel and
Clear Mask (among others) make the templates from the film and you can either buy directly from them and do it yourself or from a "Certified" installer and let them do it.
But I doubt someone who is "authorzied" from the manufacture and buying this stuff all the time is paying the same price listed on the websites
What's clear (pardon the pun) here is the markup in the labor costs and there is where you get the variations in pricing for the install as a result.
I'm not sure factory trained means as much as if the installer guarantee's/warranties his/her work. After all the film is meaningless if it isn't applied properly and falls off.
The guy who quoted me over a grand called me back and asked if I was still interested.
I told him I could order 3 kits from X-Pel and do it myself and I would surely get it right by the 3rd one for less than what he quoted me. And I would'nt have to leave my car there all day to do it.