ceramic, ppf, and hybrid protection

[ctrmofo]

i've received many pm's so just going to post here to help...for those who asked, here is my go to arsenal for ceramic work i started doing for the last year or so out of 30 yrs of detailing. have tried several ceramic products and settled on what i personally like to use - gtechniq (made in uk). this is all done after proper surface prep work i do for each of my cars.

ceramic coating can be defined as: full (2 layer approach) or light (1 layer approach).

also, many questions have been asked - can you ceramic coat ppf/xpel? yes - absolutely BUT must be done properly else you kill the self healing property of xpel ultimate and now xpel ultimate plus (latest film, crazy good...what my whole ctr is covered with). this is the answer:

a) do NOT do full ceramic coating on ppf or let any shop do it. bad news for ppf as the coating will completely harden the pff which needs to be flexible and self heal.

b) DO use ceramic light aka exo v3 below on ppf/xpel and painted surfaces not covered with ppf (see below). this is what is called "hybrid protection" and is the best of both worlds. exo v3 is being used on my entire ctr's full xpel ppf as we speak since i don't have time to do it myself so shop is doing it for me.

proper surface prep is: 1) wash accordingly and clay while suds are on car, 2) 1 or 2 or 3 step polishing (menzerna polishes are my go to) depending on amount of paint correction i need to do, and 3) remove polish oils before the real stuff goes on. for gtechniq i use these in order of steps

1) gt's panel wipe - to remove all polishing oils: https://www.detailedimage.com/GTechni…/PW-Panel-Wipe-P871/…/

2) gt's c1 crystal lacquer - base nano/ceramic coat on painted surfaces (not ppf'ed). it's newer than the legendary crystal serum and easier to work with: https://www.detailedimage.com/…/C1-Crystal-Lacque…/50-ml-S2/

3) gt's exo v3 - this goes on standalone or on top of c1 crystal laquer for even greater effect of gloss, depth, and hydrophobic. this is my #1 product now. this also goes on top of ALL ppf/xpel covered areas not just the painted areas that have been done with step 2 above.

4) gt's c2 v3 liquid crystal - this is for between washes or after washes and topping off or rejuvenating the exo v3. this is by far the best light ceramic spray or quick detailer i've used.

btw gt’s crystal serum pro is only available for certified installers. they came out with crystal serum light (csl) for prosumer line. i like c1 crystal lacquer more cuz it doesn’t flash as quickly as crystal serum and if it does cure it’s easier to polish off. cs pro or cs light is almost impossible to get off if cured and has to be wet sanded off, not just polished off...ugh! this also ties back to why you should not and cannot do full ceramic on ppf - imagine the base/main level of ceramic curing on that expensive ppf you've just had installed...consider replacing that entire film section. therefore, ceramic light works wonders on ppf.

i buy all my detailing products at detailed image, which is cheaper than on amazon, but i also have a wholesale account for personal use because i spend over $1000 per year with them for my products. enjoy and happy detailing!

ps - you may substitute gt's products above with your favorite diy products but process and rule of thumb are the same.

Sponsored

 

[bobafettm]

Well... eff it. I just did the 3M kit (front only) and put CQuartz and reload over the whole car (including the kit) $350 for all the supplies, rags, etc...

Still baking some bubbles out of the kit but everything else came out fantastic and when it gets to beat up just pull that crap off and layer on a new one.

Especially for a daily driver like many of us living in snow country with salt peppering our front ends for months.

CQuartz and reload really does repeal all the garbage thrown at it! It’s hilarious to watch the water bead up and come right off.

 

[ctrmofo]

Well... eff it. I just did the 3M kit (front only) and put CQuartz and reload over the whole car (including the kit) $350 for all the supplies, rags, etc...

Still baking some bubbles out of the kit but everything else came out fantastic and when it gets to beat up just pull that crap off and layer on a new one.

Especially for a daily driver like many of us living in snow country with salt peppering our front ends for months.

CQuartz and reload really does repeal all the garbage thrown at it! It’s hilarious to watch the water bead up and come right off.

Check in a few days but CQuartz may block the film from breathing so much that bubbles won’t go away I’m afraid. Think of harden clear coat on top of plastic.

 

[bobafettm]

Yeah I assumed that also. The coat on the paint looks great outside of where the little J shaped hooks back on the bottom. There is a bubble on either side. The parts we struggled with were the black grill. It’s a difficult part to wrap because it’s extremely curved all over the frigin place.

That maybe a piece I take up to a pro and have them custom cut it rather than a kit.

 

[ctrmofo]

My whole hood in Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF and Gtechniq EXO V3 ceramic light ;-)

 

[Htod86]

My whole hood in Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF and Gtechniq EXO V3 ceramic light ;-)

Was the ppf a pre-cut? I am looking into a local shop that uses suntek pre-cut (can't remember the name of the software/machine he mentioned). The installer states its much more accurate than hand cutting and hiding edges. I'm just not sure about seeing edges of the film.

 

[ctrmofo]

Was the ppf a pre-cut? I am looking into a local shop that uses suntek pre-cut (can't remember the name of the software/machine he mentioned). The installer states its much more accurate than hand cutting and hiding edges. I'm just not sure about seeing edges of the film.

no pre-cuts at all...my entire car is ppf'ed and done with free hand so that all edges where possible can be properly wrapped as should be. pre-cuts mostly do not allow enough film to wrap the edges and are made to be easier and quicker for the installer. to wrap edges with pre-cuts, the installer would have to stretch the film, and bad installers overstretch the film leaving stretch marks. pro or artistic installers do not use precuts which is how it should be done.

you can't go wrong with xpel ultimate plus (latest version) or suntek film.

 

[keiothic]

so wait.. The TL;DR is gtechniq evo x3 first and then XPEL Ultimate+ on top of it?

 

[ctrmofo]

so wait.. The TL;DR is gtechniq evo x3 first and then XPEL Ultimate+ on top of it?

No the opposite. Never do any kind of wax/sealant/ceramic before PPF. It won’t allow the PPF film to adhere and will bubble. PPF then EXO on top.

 

[toddrhodes]

So I'm picking up C1, C4, and ExoV4 to put on my ABM CTR. Which of those should I apply to headlights and taillights, if you don't mind? The others seem fairly obvious. Any other tips in terms of even application?

 

[toddrhodes]

He said earlier no wax or sealant before PPF because it won't seal and will bubble if a coating is on the paint before PPF application

 

[ctrmofo]

@ctrmofo, I am getting my new car PPF'd new week. Mostly the front. Can I wax beforehand or should I let it go?

Also, is Llumar Platinum a good choice?

no waxing, sealing, ceramic etc. proper paint correction or polishing before is required and most good shops will do so before they lay on the ppf. also, good shops will also use 50/50 alcohol prep wipe after paint correction or polishing to remove any type of oil or slick material that would prevent the ppf from adhering.

i'm not sure if llumar platinum is same as suntek which they acquired. if it's in fact (check) suntek, then it's a toss up between xpel ultimate plus vs. suntek...both have 10 year warranty. i'd go with either film. however, do not use suntek (owned by llumar) on white cars since suntek tends to yellow a little sooner than xpel.

 

[ctrmofo]

So I'm picking up C1, C4, and ExoV4 to put on my ABM CTR. Which of those should I apply to headlights and taillights, if you don't mind? The others seem fairly obvious. Any other tips in terms of even application?

you can apply c1 base lacquer and exo on the lights and headlights just fine, no different than on paint. make sure to use 50/50 alcohol wipe to get rid of any oils/polish/etc. before applying the c1 crystal lacquer so it cures properly.

tip: you'll notice that once the base lacquer is applied and within the first few mins it feels slick. after about 30+ mins it becomes sticky but very shiny. it just means it's curing. wait at least 3 hrs before applying 2 layers of exo on top. you need not wait between exo layers, but you must wait at least 3 hrs between base lacquer and 1st exo layer.

summary, c1 gives the base ceramic layer protection with shine, and exo gives the hyrophic protection.

 

[toddrhodes]

you can apply c1 base lacquer and exo on the lights and headlights just fine, no different than on paint. make sure to use 50/50 alcohol wipe to get rid of any oils/polish/etc. before applying the c1 crystal lacquer so it cures properly.

tip: you'll notice that once the base lacquer is applied and within the first few mins it feels slick. after about 30+ mins it becomes sticky but very shiny. it just means it's curing. wait at least 3 hrs before applying 2 layers of exo on top. you need not wait between exo layers, but you must wait at least 3 hrs between base lacquer and 1st exo layer.

summary, c1 gives the base ceramic layer protection with shine, and exo gives the hyrophic protection.

Thank you! Actually just finished with all the trim (C4 on unpainted trim, C1, wait 12 hours, 3 coats of ExoV4 on all the painted trim and headlights. Looks great, IMO. Really appreciate all your advice. Now just need to clay, polish, and C1/Exo the actual blue paint and I'll be done for awhile.

 

[ctrmofo]

some sample pics for you. i did my porsche macan s and audi s3 last couple weeks. both cars have full front end xpel ultimate ppf. here's what i did since both needed paint correction.

1) full hand wash and claying
2) full 2 step polishing/paint correction on the paint with my flex orbiter and porter cable orbiter using surbuf mf pads and meguiar's 104 heavy cut polish
3) 1 step polisher/cleaner on the xpel ppf (yes, you can do light polishing) with pink pad and menzerna one step polish
4) c1 crystal lacquer on paint and topped with 2 layers of exo v3 (still had couple bottles left before v4 came out)
5) 2 layers of exo v3 on all xpel ppf

here are results...