Thoughts on Paint Protection - Wrap, Ceramic, Teflon,...

[Dave2013M3]

Which brand did you go with?

Brian, I don't know to be honest. I believe it was Legend Paint Protection Film. It has been on the car for 4 years now.

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[BrianJ77]

Brian, I don't know to be honest. I believe it was Legend Paint Protection Film. It has been on the car for 4 years now.

That's fair, Dave. I appreciate your input. Thanks, man!

 

[Skye]

Does anyone have experience with XPEL? Is their clear wrap really clear (not yellowish)? How good is the self-healing?

I see XPEL as the current benchmark. I have been using XPEL since 2022. Skye is the first car I've owned which has had it. From my experiences, each of my vehicles will use it in the future.

The product comes with a 10-year warranty against defects, to include cracking and yellowing. Many of the concerns expressed of these specific issues, I see them as by-products of previous generations. The material will eventually wear out. Could be 10 years and a day. Could be 13. If garaged, it will probably be longer.

The wrap is completely clear. The finish appears natural, not fake or glassy.

Immediately after install, I was advised to avoid washing the car for the first several days, with the product healing and curing over the first week to ten days. It's best to put the newly-installed product in direct sunlight, as the UV rays will help cure and dry-out the product, while assisting in any self-healing.

Two weeks after install, I returned to the detailer to have them review their work. After initial installation, several small air bubbles were present. As things dried and cured, all but a few settled and went away. For the handful that remained, the detailer worked them out in short order. Since then, I've had not one issue.

Heat and UV light can assist with the self-healing. PPF has three layers. The first layer attaches to the car, the second discourages scratches and is somewhat malleable, while the top coat is something akin to just that, a clear coat.

Heat and UV is something of a two-edged sword. While assisting in self-correcting and healing, it's best not to manhandle the surface when hot, even after curing. It's not like you'll wreck it or have to treat it with kid gloves. It's simply best to avoid pressure and swiping when hot.

For care and feeding, I use three products.

For routine maintenance wash, I use Gyeon Bath. This is a maintenance soap that can be used any time, all the time, any paint or finish.

https://gyeonusa.com/products/q2m-bathe

PPF is somewhat porous, like your skin. But using a paint decon soap would not be advised; it'd be too harsh. Gyeon makes a PPF decon soap, to cleanse those pores. The soap should be used a few times a year. It's a mild decon soap.

https://gyeonusa.com/products/q2m-ppf-wash

Paint sealers are well-used and appreciated, but again, PPF is a bit different. I use Gyeon's PPF Maintain, which is a sealer for PPF. I use this product a few times a year. XPEL also sells their own sealer, which gets good reviews.

https://gyeonusa.com/products/q2m-ppf-maintain

https://prestigefilms.com/product/xpel-ppf-sealant/

I noticed XPEL's sealer recommends using it monthly. YMMV, but I'm not sure it needs to be used that often. I use Gyeon's sealer like two or three times a year.

Regarding washing and maintaining the finish, discuss all this with the installer.

One thing I haven't done is take my car though any type of car wash. Automatic, brush-type car wash on a hot day? Er, no Thank You. I was advised, long-term, avoid physical car washes. A good point was made regarding "touchless" car washes; these sites often use alkaline-based products. If you look at the pH scale, more alkaline is more basic (see bleach). While not actually bleach, the solution is breaking down organic material as bleach does. Again, something I don't want the materials, PPF or others, exposed to.

As far as accepting strikes and repair, I've had good results. The majority of the strikes which have happened result in "flash" type marks on the surface. The surface is free of a divot, but the dirt and impact area is obvious. Came home one day with a small rock actually sticking out of the PPF. There's the tiniest of blemishes there. If I lay on my side in the Sun a certain way, tilt my head a few inches from the area, I can see it. I take several strikes a year, none of which have left any meaningful impact crater. Certainly not a hole.

Anyone keeping their car for some time, I feel it's worth considering. Thinking of paint-matching pearls or metallics, finding a good shop to make repairs and the costs of all that, I feel it's worthwhile. Where you live and the drive locations will also have an impact, no pun intended. Someone on the Southern CA coast might not need much of any, while another driver in regular freeway traffic and big city will.

 

[BrianJ77]

@Skye thank you so much! You always give great advice on these forums. Definitely going to go with XPEL and follow your advice. Can't wait to get these rock chips fixed and PPF in place. Thank you again!

 

[Dave2013M3]

That's fair, Dave. I appreciate your input. Thanks, man!

Hey Brian, I reached out to the shop that installed the PPF and it was XPEL. They now use Legend, but 4 yrs. ago it was XPEL.

 

[BrianJ77]

Hey Brian, I reached out to the shop that installed the PPF and it was XPEL. They now use Legend, but 4 yrs. ago it was XPEL.

Seems like XPEL is the way to go. Just got a quote of $6500 for the whole car. Seems a little steep, but probably worth it.

 

[Cirnek]

Seems like XPEL is the way to go. Just got a quote of $6500 for the whole car. Seems a little steep, but probably worth it.

I debated between XPEL and Kavaca from Ceramic Pro. I choose Ceramic Pro because of the lifetime warranty and because they ran a special around Christmas/new year's which gave me $1k off the price.

Here are a few pictures from after my car was wrapped (I should have taken them in the completely sun)

 

[Dave2013M3]

Seems like XPEL is the way to go. Just got a quote of $6500 for the whole car. Seems a little steep, but probably worth it.

To be honest Brian you don't need to do the whole car. I have had my Mustang for 4 years now and have only 1 chip on the front. Its the rear quarter panels in front of the wheels that take a beating. At $6500 it isn't worth it.

 

[Cirnek]

To be honest Brian you don't need to do the whole car. I have had my Mustang for 4 years now and have only 1 chip on the front. Its the rear quarter panels in front of the wheels that take a beating. At $6500 it isn't worth it.

Hey Brian, I'm with Dave on this one. It is your car and your investment, but I approached PPFing my car with the same mind set, wrap the whole car. I had already budgeted for it all etc. Speaking with the folks who PPF'd my car they reinforced what Brian is saying. I wrapped my entire front clip, A pillars, and rockers. They did such a great job you would not know the car even had PPF on it unless you are REALLY looking for it.

Not wrapping the whole car saved me about $1.5k, which I can now spend on a Borla Swithfire resonator delete (waiting on new 2024 SKU from Borla) and long-tube headers .

 

[BrianJ77]

Hey Brian, I'm with Dave on this one. It is your car and your investment, but I approached PPFing my car with the same mind set, wrap the whole car. I had already budgeted for it all etc. Speaking with the folks who PPF'd my car they reinforced what Brian is saying. I wrapped my entire front clip, A pillars, and rockers. They did such a great job you would not know the car even had PPF on it unless you are REALLY looking for it.

Not wrapping the whole car saved me about $1.5k, which I can now spend on a Borla Swithfire resonator delete (waiting on new 2024 SKU from Borla) and long-tube headers .

So you couldn't see a seam where the PPF ended? I think for me it's the OCD of having the entire car protected. I picked up my first rock chip about halfway up the driver's door so that's why I'm thinking just wrap the whole thing and be done. My luck I would wrap only the leading edges and side skirts and still get a chip where the PPF wasn't. I'm still shopping around. I really appreciate your input, though. I'm am thinking of doing a partial PPF as you suggested vs full.

 

[DukeCLR]

So you couldn't see a seam where the PPF ended? I think for me it's the OCD of having the entire car protected. I picked up my first rock chip about halfway up the driver's door so that's why I'm thinking just wrap the whole thing and be done. My luck I would wrap only the leading edges and side skirts and still get a chip where the PPF wasn't. I'm still shopping around. I really appreciate your input, though. I'm am thinking of doing a partial PPF as you suggested vs full.

I had the same thought about the PPF on the whole car, I had set aside some cash but after my puppy ate some medicine causing an expensive emergency vet visit I had to do the track pack. The only seems are on the A pillars, they said if those bother me enough they could remove them. The rockers are covered but the seem is made in such a way as it not visible. I have a 2018 S550 that I will be selling, the only chips I see are on the front of the car so if I had a track pack on that car it would have been protected.

The Xpel track pack and full Xpel ceramic cost me 3890.00.

 

[Dave2013M3]

You do see a seam on the rear quarter panel where they cut it off, but its hardly noticeable. It reminds me if you ever owned a 911 what Porsche does in front of those bowed out rear quarter panels.

 

[Darkness24]

DH will have paint correction & SB3 Alpha Ceramic coating applied. It will return once each year for annual maintenance wash-inspection & reseal to maintain warranty.

 

[bfets]

For those with vinyl on the hood, did you end up putting PPF over that?
I'm waiting on a Dark Horse with the hood vinyl and was wondering if it's going to be a problem putting PPF on the hood if I decide to go down that route.

 

[JimC]

For those with vinyl on the hood, did you end up putting PPF over that?
I'm waiting on a Dark Horse with the hood vinyl and was wondering if it's going to be a problem putting PPF on the hood if I decide to go down that route.

My vinyl stripe was laid and then they put the ppf over top of it.

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