Pre ceramic coating

[MrNobody]

After having my 2023 at for over 2 months now there has been a couple things that have bugged me with the paint on it.
1. Where the shipping plastic was on it you can see a solid line where the edge of the plastic was. (Even after claybar and wax)
2. The factory installed clear hood ppf is just an eye sore. To me having it on there is just ugly.

So I'm planning on polishing and doing some paint correction on it and then ceramic coating it.

Here is a question. Would you remove the hood ppf or leave it on?
I've never removed ppf in the past (never kept a car long enough to worry about it), I've done a little bit of research on removing ppf but does anyone know how big of a pita it will be to remove the factory installed stuff?

I'm hoping chemical guys vss will be enough to get rid of what looks to be cutting from shipping.

The ceramic coating im putting on is chemical guys carbon force.

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[Janice]

I agree the front factory PPF sucks, but I kept mine on and ceramic over, went through a bunch of rocks on the highway and I am very happy I kept it.

 

[calmeda1]

Idk how bad the factory hood PPF is; I only have the door handle factory ppf and yes, it does suck. Unless you plan on removing it and re-installing a brand new PPF on it, I would keep it. The car is a rock magnet and you'll get all sorts of chips on it. I would keep it until you maybe decide to add a better PPF.


Also, I have VSS and it's allright for very light scratches IMO. My go to has always been Meguiars Ultimate Compound and it removes scratches like absolutely nothing (if they're not deep, obviously). Only complaint about it is that it's a hassle to remove with a Microfiber towel, but the results are worth it!

 

[MrNobody]

Idk how bad the factory hood PPF is; I only have the door handle factory ppf and yes, it does suck. Unless you plan on removing it and re-installing a brand new PPF on it, I would keep it. The car is a rock magnet and you'll get all sorts of chips on it. I would keep it until you maybe decide to add a better PPF.


Also, I have VSS and it's allright for very light scratches IMO. My go to has always been Meguiars Ultimate Compound and it removes scratches like absolutely nothing (if they're not deep, obviously). Only complaint about it is that it's a hassle to remove with a Microfiber towel, but the results are worth it!

I've used ultimate, Adam's and many others in the past. I'm just going with vss since it's what I have laying around and its a bran new car lol. The line from the plastic is superficial. I'm not a fan of ppf unless it's a full wrap. Still would ceramic coat over top a full wrap. Just hate the look of the half hood wrap is the only reason for thinking of taking it off.

 

[calmeda1]

Just hate the look of the half hood wrap is the only reason for thinking of taking it off.

Aaaah didn't know they were half hood. That would trigger me lol. I would fully ceramic coat if it's the full PPF. If not, you could do a more diluted coat like Adams Advanced Graphene Ceramic Spray. It lasts about 2 years, with good maintenance. I've had great results with it. It's cheap, easy to apply and lasts long

 

[SupraYYJ]

I only have the door handle factory ppf and yes, it does suck

There is no factory PPF on these cars. It's all port- or dealer-installed.

My car didn't come with PPF, and I got aftermarket front bumper PPF from the same place I got a ceramic coat. In retrospect, and a couple rock chips later, I should've sprung for full hood PPF.

OP, to your question, I recommend having the port- or dealer-installed PPF removed by someone who knows what they're doing then getting a quality (I did XPEL, maybe SunTek and certain 3M films are good too?) front bumper and full hood PPF installed prior to ceramic coat.

 

[MrNobody]

My monroney has 3p that says protective film? I guess that's why I said factory installed. Didn't know they added it afterwards. I learned something new.

 

[6SPDA91]

I did not leave the factory one on (dealer ordered the car with it). I had all of it removed, paint correction and the front facing surfaces and door sills wrapped. The whole car was then ceramic coated interior and exterior.

I normally don't do it, but low height sports cars tend to attract rocks so doing the best I can to prevent damage. That being said, it's a car not a museum artifact. It'll get nicks and dings but helping to avoid it and protect your investment is always a good idea.

You'll probably see the line disappear when you do your paint correction. As for the PPF, you can remove it by yourself. But as others and I have mentioned, you might want to get a full front PPF install done rather than rolling around with nothing on.

But it's your car and it depends on how much you car about things like rock chips.

 

[Jnhalstead]

Id toss the chemical guys coating in the trash and order a real coating from a detailing based company and not a marketing company. PPF, just heat and pull and will probably have to follow with some adhesive remover but the sooner you remove it the easier it will be.

 

[MrNobody]

Id toss the chemical guys coating in the trash and order a real coating from a detailing based company and not a marketing company. PPF, just heat and pull and will probably have to follow with some adhesive remover but the sooner you remove it the easier it will be.

Who would you recommend? Like I said, I've used multiple ceramic coatings in the past. The cg carbon force works just fine from my experience. When I first started using it I was concerned because I wasn't getting the rainbow effect. But seems to bead and sheet just as well as the Adam's or Ethos I've used in the past.

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