PPF, Ceramic Coating, and Window Tint

[kilobravo]

Skwibbs: I've had the front half of my '14 500 filmed for six years or nearly that long and while there's a mark or two that won't come out, that film is still six years old. That technology has been changing almost quarterly so the new stuff is probably way better.

My point is, people don't even notice the film and even I can't tell from say three feet away without REALLY looking for places I "know." So don't worry about that, just make SURE your shop includes competent paint correction before film application.

Then, as Jaime said, have the film ceramic coated, you'll be most glad you did the first (and many) time you wash it. Plus, it will also protect the film.

But Jaime is absolutely correct...if you want the best all around protection to avoid issues with debris, go full film and ceramic.

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[Tomster]

Honestly that's less than I was expecting to pay. Nothing but the best for our babies, yeah? I'm all ears.

I have seen ceramic work wonders before too, and I don't plan on driving her around a ton, track or no track. I wonder what the highest quality, thickest, longest lasting ceramic is. You know, as an option to think about.

PM me for his info. Hes the best, but again, not cheap. I'm surprised that you think $6700 isn't cheap. That price was for a CFTP, so yours may be a little cheaper.

 

[Tomster]

Thanks KB and Jmeo, just the advice I was looking for. Now to just find a fantastic trustworthy shop.

One of my concerns with only doing the film on parts of the car is noticing the difference between the filmed panels and the uncovered ones. I'm quite OCD and my eyes are too good for my own sanity.

Yes, those are valid concerns. The doors and rear quarter panels are $2K themselves. People trying to bring the price down opt for full car minus the doors and rear quarter panels

If you have the means, I'd do the whole car

 

[SuperSnake427]

Has anyone put PPF on non-CF painted rims?

 

[kilobravo]

Drew: That would be VERY difficult and would not do much at all. Plus, you could tell immediately when looking at the wheel.

I've seen "wrapped" wheels and they looked awful.

 

[Skwibbs]

Then, as Jaime said, have the film ceramic coated, you'll be most glad you did the first (and many) time you wash it. Plus, it will also protect the film.

But Jaime is absolutely correct...if you want the best all around protection to avoid issues with debris, go full film and ceramic.

While I enjoy washing a ceramic car, doesn't that defeat the purpose of the self healing aspect of the film? Wondering how much that'll be on top of what I'm paying for the film, if I even go the ceramic route.

While the guy I'm using (at Tom's recommendation) doesn't do direct paint correction, he said any small imperfections won't be noticable anymore after application. Thoughts? I suppose worst case scenario I could take it to a correction shop before mid August when my film will be going on at least partially.

I've only noticed a few very very minor scratches, which way be in the wax the dealer applied, and 2ish also incredibly minor paint defects, which one of those could also just be wax, and that's coming off right before the film application so the car should be 99.9% perfect underneath the film. He said if I didn't daily the car, the film should last 8 years.

 

[kilobravo]

Skwibbs: I wasn't sure what your implication was when you said,

While I enjoy washing a ceramic car, doesn't that defeat the purpose of the self healing aspect of the film?

I will assume that you were theorizing that a ceramic coating might decrease the self-healing qualities of film beneath it. I'm no professional installer but my guess is that it won't affect the film at all. It's only a very tiny fraction of the thickness of the film. VERY tiny.

As for your friend's recommendation, I'll say this. If you are happy with the way the paint looks before you take it to the filmer, go for it.

That said, my OCD would MAKE me fix those issues before film because once film is on, fuhgeddaboudit. It is MUCH more difficult to remove film than it is to apply. So, whatever is under the film, it is there for the duration. And that's especially true for vehicles with vinyl stripes. They could easily start to come up a few years down the road if you try to remove the PPF.

And those scratches you noticed are almost certainly in the clear coat, not in the wax, and will require compound and a polisher to remove. Do yourself a favor and at least get those buffed out before film. Otherwise, you'll see them ALL the time. :-)

Eight years for film life is certainly possible as long as...

- The vehicle does not spend a great deal of time in the sun

- Regular waxing as in quarterly if not more frequently.

I hope at least some of that rambling is helpful.

 

[Skwibbs]

Skwibbs: I wasn't sure what your implication was when you said,



I will assume that you were theorizing that a ceramic coating might decrease the self-healing qualities of film beneath it. I'm no professional installer but my guess is that it won't affect the film at all. It's only a very tiny fraction of the thickness of the film. VERY tiny.

As for your friend's recommendation, I'll say this. If you are happy with the way the paint looks before you take it to the filmer, go for it.

That said, my OCD would MAKE me fix those issues before film because once film is on, fuhgeddaboudit. It is MUCH more difficult to remove film than it is to apply. So, whatever is under the film, it is there for the duration. And that's especially true for vehicles with vinyl stripes. They could easily start to come up a few years down the road if you try to remove the PPF.

And those scratches you noticed are almost certainly in the clear coat, not in the wax, and will require compound and a polisher to remove. Do yourself a favor and at least get those buffed out before film. Otherwise, you'll see them ALL the time. :-)

Eight years for film life is certainly possible as long as...

- The vehicle does not spend a great deal of time in the sun

- Regular waxing as in quarterly if not more frequently.

I hope at least some of that rambling is helpful.

Definitely any advice is helpful for sure. As far as the self healing goes I was referring to the heat you can put in the film, which the ceramic might block? I'll talk to him about it when I'm there. Some of those little scratches are in the paint I think, like the black spoiler, but one or two otherwise I'm thinking I accidentally put in myself, need to get all new microfibers. If that's the case they're in the wax for sure.

Know a rough price estimate for long lasting ceramic on a whole car? I only had it done once to my camaro but it wasn't the top notch stuff. Our macan was done (poorly I might add, I didn't pick the guy, but it has protected the paint so far from some major things) for around 800. I'm no professional detailer, I don't trust myself to wax the car regularly so the ceramic might be the way to go. Also my water is pretty hard here, so any beading effect is helpful although I do have a spotless water filtration system I bought just for this car I need to unbox soon.

 

[Skwibbs]

Small update.

Went down to my PPF guy's shop to meet him and put sample squares over certain lightly scratched areas of my paintwork to see what was clearcoat damage, what was just in the wax the dealer put on, and if I would need to do paint correction before he applies the film.

Short answer is on heavier scratches/imperfections, the film reduced their visibility by around 85-90%, so we concluded that on the rest of the car's very light straight line scratches that are only detectable with a keen eye in bright direct sunlight, the film would hide them completely, or fill them in so they're basically invisible. With all that in mind, I don't think I'm going to go the paint correction route as he didn't think it was necessary, and just put the PPF on. After that we will decide from there if ceramic should be applied as well.

He had a 2020 GT350 Handling with like 5 miles on it in the shop, Ford performance blue. Beautiful color but glad I went with Kona. Also a GT2RS and Huracan, so that was neat.

 

[kilobravo]

Skwibbs: I sure hope you aren't kicking yourself in the behind down the road a piece by not going with paint correction.

I'm here to tell you that were you to have it done by a solid outfit, you would hardly recognize the car it would look SO much better than when it was delivered. SO much better.

Put film and then ceramic on and you'll have the deepest shine you can imagine.

By doing it the way you've described however, you will miss out on all kinds of luster and depth that's in there, it just has to be polished out.

And, the fact that your guy doesn't think it needs it with obvious imperfections, tells me a great deal and that is not the place where I would choose to have it done.

All that said, it is after all, your car. I just hope you're happy with whichever route you take.

 

[Skwibbs]

Skwibbs: I sure hope you aren't kicking yourself in the behind down the road a piece by not going with paint correction.

I'm here to tell you that were you to have it done by a solid outfit, you would hardly recognize the car it would look SO much better than when it was delivered. SO much better.

Put film and then ceramic on and you'll have the deepest shine you can imagine.

By doing it the way you've described however, you will miss out on all kinds of luster and depth that's in there, it just has to be polished out.

And, the fact that your guy doesn't think it needs it with obvious imperfections, tells me a great deal and that is not the place where I would choose to have it done.

All that said, it is after all, your car. I just hope you're happy with whichever route you take.

Yeah... I'm worried about that too. I suppose in the grand scheme of things a little paint correction is a drop in the bucket. I'm going to look around and maybe get a consultation. The PPF guy is definitely good at what he does, but that is only PPF. I thought I had my mind made up but even before your post I wasn't 100% sure.

 

[kilobravo]

You're thinking is moving in the correct direction. :-)

 

[Tomster]

If the paint is not that bad, Xpel will cover up the minor imperfections and you will not notice it. As I said, Dave Duncan is the best in the area. You ought to take his advice. If the paint has major imperfections, you should be pursuing warranty work to make it right. My body shop in my area does good work. They are an extension of my Ford dealership.

Be up front with Dave and ask. If the imperfections are visible after the PPF is applied, will he redo the section of the car if the defect is still visible.

IMHO, If I was going to want paint correction done, there would have to be a very good reason for it. Paint that has been out in the elements for a very long time with buildups of hard water, sap, or other contaminants would require that something be done with the paint. You've got a brand new car with a typical Ford paint job. I've taken those cars and dropped them off at Dave's and the little stuff just disappears.

 

[SuperSnake427]

Should the “gt500” letters on the front bumper go on first so they are covered? The front spoiler ones wouldn’t be covered, unfortunately.

 

[Skwibbs]

Should the “gt500” letters on the front bumper go on first so they are covered? The front spoiler ones wouldn’t be covered, unfortunately.

I'd say so, but they better be on there perfectly beforehand. I'd be nervous about pressure washing them off by accident otherwise if they were on the outside.

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