Paint Protection Film or Coating or ?

XtremeMaC said:

Just checked the XPEL site. (been a while)
Seems they now have interior pre-cut as well:

2nd one is for the 8" screen it seems.

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Yes the interior pieces are available. I had the screen cut for mine, with XPEL RX PROTECTION FILM. No fingerprints and supposedly anti microbial. Total worth it and fits exact compared to the ones from amazon and ebay. im guessing my camera had a hard time focusing as its clear for me to see but the picture is really dark due to sunlight.

Anyone having issues with their PPF failing? I have 3 areas in the front by the "fake" bumper vents that are peeling and on the passenger side corner by the window that are peeling.
Only have 400 miles on car...

Dealer PPF or XPEL?

I believe dealer PPF? Not sure since car was purchased from another state and shipped to me.

The one that comes from the port/dealer is horrible i mean its sufficient if your going to replace it down the line in a year and don't drive much but i wouldn't keep it on thinking its going to do give you any sort of decent protection.

E4EVL said:

I had xpel PPF on the bonnet, bumper, front wings, side skirts, A pillars and front edge of the roof of my GTS and it’s fantastic, you don’t even notice it’s on there. You can’t compare it to detailing/ceramic coating, they’re completely different products but be warned... it isn’t cheap, you’re talking a little into four figures for what I had BUT it’s also self healing so if you get a scratch you just apply heat/hot water and it fixes itself. Don’t get me wrong you couldn’t run a blade down it but you know what I mean. You can go to a jet wash and not care less, it comes out mint every time so well worth the outlay for the ease of maintenance (I’m lazy!)

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Oh man, nice car!

PPF to protect the paint and coating to protect the PPF

Been getting quotes for full-exterior PPF and ceramic coating for my Nocturnal Black. Pretty much decided on Xpel Ultimate, because of the installer's reputation, location, and pricing.

Now I'm just deciding on which way to go for ceramic coating, between Xpel Fusion Plus and Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra. The price difference between the two is negligible.

Fusion Plus is 9h vs CSU is 10h. Fusion Plus has a 4-year warranty (with annual inspection) vs CSU's 9-year warranty (with no annual inspection).

However, Fusion Plus keeps it under the Xpel umbrella, and is said to work well with their PPF. The Gtechniq equivalent appears to be HALO.

Does anyone have any experience with CSL/CSU on PPF? Any issues or concerns?

kiroshino said:

Been getting quotes for full-exterior PPF and ceramic coating for my Nocturnal Black. Pretty much decided on Xpel Ultimate, because of the installer's reputation, location, and pricing.

Now I'm just deciding on which way to go for ceramic coating, between Xpel Fusion Plus and Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra. The price difference between the two is negligible.

Fusion Plus is 9h vs CSU is 10h. Fusion Plus has a 4-year warranty (with annual inspection) vs CSU's 9-year warranty (with no annual inspection).

However, Fusion Plus keeps it under the Xpel umbrella, and is said to work well with their PPF. The Gtechniq equivalent appears to be HALO.

Does anyone have any experience with CSL/CSU on PPF? Any issues or concerns?

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I personally did the coating myself. If you do, you'll save yourself a big chunk of money. Not necessarily saying to go with this product but this is essentially the process of applying most highly concentrated ceramic coatings.

Hai said:

I personally did the coating myself. If you do, you'll save yourself a big chunk of money. Not necessarily saying to go with this product but this is essentially the process of applying most highly concentrated ceramic coatings.

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Thanks. I wouldn't mind trying to do it on my own for one of my other cars, but I'd prefer to let someone with significantly more experience do this one.

kiroshino said:

Thanks. I wouldn't mind trying to do it on my own for one of my other cars, but I'd prefer to let someone with significantly more experience do this one.

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That’s understandable. Good luck

Hi Chaps,

Disclaimer: I am new to PPF and ceramic coatings, having only had simple cars of no more than $32k to date.

I had asked the dealer to install the available PPF options (bumper and hood packages for approx $900 / MSRP), but after reading the thread, I understand that the dealer PPF does not last long. From the quotes I have been getting back, there is no way I could afford the installations from the specialist detailers. Some protection sounds nice, but the risk of peeling and yellowing on my black paint job is a tad risky. Oh and I also heard that PPF cannot be installed on top of ceramic coating, is that correct?

Question. All of a sudden my dealership told me that they are now certified / trained to offer ceramic coating to the car. What gets me is they said they can do it for $700 and mentioned lifetime warranty. I questioned the price, having already spoken to other local companies for quotes (all above $1,300), all of which came up higher and only offered 2, 4 or 7 year warranties. The dealership supported the price by saying they buy in bulk and do many cars. When I was younger, buying my first new car, I was a total sucker and fell for that Permaplate wax BS and regretted it every day since. I made the dealer confirm that it was indeed ceramic coating. What are your thoughts?

My thanks!

Ceramic coatings will wear down over time, faster when it's neglected and under adverse conditions.

Keep in mind that these warranties only cover a small set of conditions and, for the most part, are easily voided and not very useful. You'll likely want to have ceramic coatings redone every few years.

DaBritish said:

Hi Chaps,

Disclaimer: I am new to PPF and ceramic coatings, having only had simple cars of no more than $32k to date.

I had asked the dealer to install the available PPF options (bumper and hood packages for approx $900 / MSRP), but after reading the thread, I understand that the dealer PPF does not last long. From the quotes I have been getting back, there is no way I could afford the installations from the specialist detailers. Some protection sounds nice, but the risk of peeling and yellowing on my black paint job is a tad risky. Oh and I also heard that PPF cannot be installed on top of ceramic coating, is that correct?

Question. All of a sudden my dealership told me that they are now certified / trained to offer ceramic coating to the car. What gets me is they said they can do it for $700 and mentioned lifetime warranty. I questioned the price, having already spoken to other local companies for quotes (all above $1,300), all of which came up higher and only offered 2, 4 or 7 year warranties. The dealership supported the price by saying they buy in bulk and do many cars. When I was younger, buying my first new car, I was a total sucker and fell for that Permaplate wax BS and regretted it every day since. I made the dealer confirm that it was indeed ceramic coating. What are your thoughts?

My thanks!

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I would agree with the sentiment that something is better than nothing. If you can only afford the dealer stuff, better to have that than a bunch of damage from everyday driving.

As far as peeling/yellowing, that's really just a gamble with all films and is going to vary a lot depending on the user. All you can hope for is a good warranty in case anything happens. Also, I wouldn't worry about yellowing as much with a black car since it won't be something as easily noticeable. I went with XPEL, one of the highest regarded film manufacturers and I can tell you that there were places that I had to pay attention to so that lifting wouldn't occur. It's just on a panel per panel basis. Some are curvier and require more stretching than others. These are more prone to peeling/lifting around the edges.

When it comes to installing PPF, it's ideal to apply it to a bare surface with no previous protection. If there's something under the film, there's a chance that it won't adhere properly and that may or may not affect the warranty. You'll have to ask the installer.

Ceramic coating is tough because I know it can cost well over $1k to get it done. I personally do it myself because it's a pretty straightforward process. I guess you can be certified to do it but I'm pretty sure I'm just as capable by watching YouTube videos and reading the installation guide. But I'm telling you now, no coating is going to last a lifetime. I've been in dealerships that offer lifetime warranties on their coatings but after speaking to the coating manufacturer, they verified that there was no such thing. This means that any claims made by the dealership will be upheld by the dealership, not the coating manufacturer. If you are going to believe this, make sure to get everything in writing. Know exactly what it will cover. This way if they try to deny a claim, you have the basis for a lawsuit. Also, ceramic is an umbrella term and covers a wide spectrum. Just because it has ceramic in the name doesn't mean it'll give the protection that you're thinking of. There are plenty of ceramic coatings that will only last a few months.

Hai said:

I would agree with the sentiment that something is better than nothing. If you can only afford the dealer stuff, better to have that than a bunch of damage from everyday driving.

As far as peeling/yellowing, that's really just a gamble with all films and is going to vary a lot depending on the user. All you can hope for is a good warranty in case anything happens. Also, I wouldn't worry about yellowing as much with a black car since it won't be something as easily noticeable. I went with XPEL, one of the highest regarded film manufacturers and I can tell you that there were places that I had to pay attention to so that lifting wouldn't occur. It's just on a panel per panel basis. Some are curvier and require more stretching than others. These are more prone to peeling/lifting around the edges.

When it comes to installing PPF, it's ideal to apply it to a bare surface with no previous protection. If there's something under the film, there's a chance that it won't adhere properly and that may or may not affect the warranty. You'll have to ask the installer.

Ceramic coating is tough because I know it can cost well over $1k to get it done. I personally do it myself because it's a pretty straightforward process. I guess you can be certified to do it but I'm pretty sure I'm just as capable by watching YouTube videos and reading the installation guide. But I'm telling you now, no coating is going to last a lifetime. I've been in dealerships that offer lifetime warranties on their coatings but after speaking to the coating manufacturer, they verified that there was no such thing. This means that any claims made by the dealership will be upheld by the dealership, not the coating manufacturer. If you are going to believe this, make sure to get everything in writing. Know exactly what it will cover. This way if they try to deny a claim, you have the basis for a lawsuit. Also, ceramic is an umbrella term and covers a wide spectrum. Just because it has ceramic in the name doesn't mean it'll give the protection that you're thinking of. There are plenty of ceramic coatings that will only last a few months.

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Hai,

First off buddy, what an awesome reply! You have my gratitude for such a detailed response; I appreciate the time.

Ok, so it is funny you mentioned the dealership. I actually went ahead and picked up a 2020 (originally ordered a 21, but had issues with the dealer being funny on the price, delivery date and running my credit running my credit too early etc,) today, having just got back with the car. At the time, the dealership did offer a lifetime warranty on their paint protection, but they called it "Glasscoat". It is some product by the company "Simoniz". As it did not have the word ceramic in the name and actually described things about being a clearcoat, I was unsure as to what it actually was. In the dealership I declined it, as I did a quick google search and learned that the application of said product only takes 20 minutes or so, when really I know from my estimates that ceramic coating takes a lot more time to do, as you have to factor in the paint correction and detailing prior etc.

Was I mistaken and should I call them back; getting this product /treatment for my car instead? I ask, as the dealer was going to offer it to me for $900, instead of their usual MSRP of $1,199. Note that the lowest quote I have been given from a somewhat local detailing company is $1,250 and with that, I have a warranty of four years (may possible be 2).

Yes, I was also of the same mind, and opted for the toyota PPF, as some protection is better than none.

This is the first car forum I have joined and I am genuinely surprised by how many awesome, helpful and intelligent people there are. I have been skeptical of forums since the advent of "trolls", but this site gives me hope!