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

[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!

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[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.

 

[Skye]

For those with vinyl on the hood, did you end up putting PPF over that?

A few options to consider:

- Nothing. Consider the existing stripe a sacrificial layer. While not PPF, the stripe will have a protecting effect to the underlying paint. See also RokBlokz or GT500-like guards to help protect the rocker area stripes (and paint)

- A Ghost stripe. Have the PPF installed as expected, up to but not including the factory stripe. As a final step, have a dedicated piece of PPF cut and installed across the stripe

- Install PPF in one piece, across the paint and stripes; this is typically not recommended. PPF might not show well and have a long-term tendency to lift at the transition point of the paint-to-stripe

I did option one. The Mach 1 vinyl stripes, while not PPF, are pretty thick as is. Getting a ghost stripe across the factory vinyl was not worth it, considering the price of simply replacing the vinyl. I can tell I've taken rocks on the factory vinyl along the rockers, but the effects are so subtle, I can really only see it when on the ground and looking directly at them from inches away. RokBlockz or GT500 guards could be another option here.

I've yet to take a hit on the hood vinyl, maybe because the hood is soo flat, it goes straight for the windshield instead.

As you're touring shops and getting quotes, seek the installers' feedback for what they typically do. The material itself will have a warranty. Ask them about the warranty of their craftsmanship.

 

[Cirnek]

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.

This might help, Shmee PPF'ed his Dark Horse and had to choose what he would do regarding the hood stripes. Watch the video from the 6:00 Mark

 

[Cirnek]

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.

Well, my car is white, it kind of shows everything. That said you really have to look for it. Here are two pictures of my rocker panels before I wash the car.

On this image I used the flash so you can really tell where the seem is. Keep in mind the car is dirty, dirt tends to collect around the seems even if you wrap the entire car. Once I clear her up the seem line almost completely disappears.

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