PPF cost/quote help

[Pitt-Civ]

Wondering what part of Pa your friend has a shop? SW Pa here, and have been looking at local places for PPF also.

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[BuLL]

Wondering what part of Pa your friend has a shop? SW Pa here, and have been looking at local places for PPF also.

Sending you a PM. I'm just outside of the Northeast... the guy doing my PPF is actually over in NJ... but he also does Mobile detailing/remote work... so he may be able to come to you.... I'll message you and keep you posted

KD

 

[CanadaCivic]

Hey @CanadaCivic ... can you give me some recommendations on professional ceramic products that I can actually get and confidently apply on the R? I use G Technic c5 for wheels... and like it... but specifically for trim pieces & paint?

Thanks man!

For Paint/PPF:
If I were you I would just use the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Coating (lasts up to 12 months with 2 coats on a prepped car). Maintain/restore it with their companion products (3n1 Ceramic Quick Detailer and Ceramic Wet Wax). Everything is super cheap despite it's quality and can be found at places like WalMart in the USA if I am not mistaken. It's not like the Turtle Wax of the past, they have a new chemist now and it's actually an excellent product that does very well in objective testing (beats the Meguiars ceramic wax, Mothers CMX, chemical guys ceramic wax, etc. in longevity, water sheeting, and chemical resistance). It also has the same grade of UV inhibitors in it as your vehicle's paint.

It's dead simple to apply (less is more), just make sure you take the time to do a proper decontamination of the car first (good wash + iron/tar remover + clay bar). That is what I do - I find it the easiest way to not only protect my car but also deal with the upkeep. There are better products on the professional market, but they are harder to maintain, don't always last longer, and much more expensive for the average car enthusiast. Many people who get ceramic coatings do not maintain or refresh them and end up disappointed with the longevity and hydrophobicity they were promised when they bought it. The only product I don't really care for in the Hybrid Solutions lineup is the ceramic car wash, but the 2n1 ceramic polish is also a great time saving product if you ever buy a D/A polisher and get into that (don't use any polish or cutting compound on PPF by the way, you'll turn it hazy).

If you want a "professional" ceramic product that you can apply yourself, look at the Cquartz UK 3.0 Kit w/reload spray (Reload is for maintenance). This is basically a consumer version of the "professional" coatings. They claim it will last up to 2 years under ideal circumstances. Installation is more technically difficult than the above spray-on products but not too bad. I personally find it easier to maintain a vehicle with the Hybrid Solutions products, but this is fine too if you prefer. As long as you're maintaining the paint regularly with whatever product you choose, you aren't going to run into the limits of any of these products anyway. Be wary of the products claiming to last 5, 7, 10+ years, as none of them have even been around that long to be tested in real world conditions....also, people interested in coatings like that probably are the same people who don't like to do maintenance and are more likely to end up disappointed. If you detail your car every 6 months or so, you really don't need anything that lasts too much longer than that if it's getting re-done anyway. Similar to the Cquartz product would be something like this: https://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-coating-complete-kit.html

The end goal of any coating is to keep water, dirt, contaminants, bird poop, eggs, gasoline, salt, graffiti, etc. off your paint/PPF until you are able to clean it. They make maintenance washes much easier as less sticks to the paint. Bugs and tree sap come off way easier. It also adds additional UV protection against fading. Ceramic coatings themselves are usually only a couple microns in thickness, so they offer little to no physical damage protection, but are extremely chemically resistant. You can put most ceramic coatings on glass too, but if you use your wipers a lot it will wear off pretty quick at least on that surface.

Trim:
The best thing I have ever used for trim is this: https://thelastcoat.com/products/ceratrim-ceramic-powered-trim-restorer-8-oz?variant=31608018174070

It goes on easy, turns the trim a gorgeous deep black (and keeps it that way), leaving behind a true ceramic coating. This would be for things like the rougher, more porous plastic like the plastic vents in the front wheel flares, certain engine bay pieces, plastic sides of the open hatch lid, the plastic under your windshield wipers, etc. For the shinier trim pieces like the plastic on the sideview mirrors and B pillars, you would just coat those in whatever ceramic coating you use for the paint. The B pillars in particular with their "piano black" look will show swirls super easily, so you may want to just PPF those. This product will also restore old faded black trim that is turning grey/white - just make sure the trim is super clean before you use this product (clean it with an all purpose cleaner and a soft brush or microfiber first).

Interior/Plastic/Vinyl/Rubber:
For interior plastics/vinyl and other general plastics in the engine bay, etc. the go-to product for pretty much all detailers is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It's a water based silicone product with very high grade UV inhibitors in it. Buffing it off improves adhesion and it Leaves a non-greasy matte finish behind. Works great as a tire dressing and on your door seals to keep them from drying out. I even use it on the rubber on my DSLR camera grips to keep them looking new.

Interior/Fabric/Alcantara:
For fabric and Alcantara, the best thing I have used is gtechniq i1 smart fabric. It goes on 100% clear, doesn't affect the feel or color of the fabric/alcantara, and provides a strong hydrophobic barrier against sweat, moisture, stains, spills, etc. and makes it easier to clean. To clean the Alcantara, the go-to product is Sonax Alcantara and Upholstry cleaner.

Wheels:
For your rims, you can either get them completely clean (use a good acid-free, PH-neutral wheel cleaner like Sonax Wheel Cleaner with a microfiber wheel brush or similar) and then apply the same ceramic coating on them that you use on your paint, or what I like to do is use a product like CarPro Hydr02, which is a spray-on ceramic coating that is activated by high pressure water. You literally go to the car wash, coat you rims in it, then hit them with a high pressure rinse and you'll have a full layer of ceramic protection left behind. It works great on anything hard to reach or full of nooks & crannies that would be impossible (or time consuming) to apply a normal ceramic coating too. It doesn't last as long as a traditional coating, but it could not be easier to apply. Geyon Wetcoat does the same thing, but detailer feedback seems to favor the CarPro variant.

Mats:
I am not sure if you can get these in the USA (they are also sold as 'Tuxmats'), but Costco sells them as Phantom Mats for cheaper. No other mat I've ever seen even comes close to the same coverage, and these even include trim clips to hold them in place everywhere: https://www.costco.ca/phantom-custom-fit-car-floor-mats---starting-at-$199.99.product.100017140.html

They cover way more than even the most expensive laser-measured WeatherTech mats. They look pretty good in the CTR too, in my opinion. I peeled the interior delivery plastic protecting my carpet and put a set of these in immediately after.

Microfibers:
Lastly, make sure you get yourself some good quality microfibers. I'm going to copy & paste something here that I wrote in another thread about good microfibers:

Japanese cars in general, including Honda, have very soft clearcoat. The positive thing is that it's very easy to correct, the negative obviously is it's more prone to swirls/chips. The opposite is true for German cars, for example, which typically have very hard clear coat - they scratch less easily, but are more of a pain to correct with a polish/compound.

Buy quality microfiber cloths/mitts and learn how to care for them. I like stuff from The Rag Company but there are several good companies out there. The key is to only touch your paint with microfiber that is 30% polyamide. Any less and you will risk micro-scratches in your paint, especially soft Honda paint. The yellow Costco towels for example are only 20% polyamide and I would only use them on top of PPF or for interiors or wheels if you want to be picky about your paint. There are lots of cheap/crappy microfibers out there so be careful. On harder clear coat, 20% is probably fine, but for Japanese cars I would always suggest 30% polyamide content (the balance will be polyester).

Caring for microfiber towels is also a very important part of preventing swirls. Always wash new towels before using them to avoid lint. The tips of the microfibers melt around 140F, so make sure you are washing them on warm or cold, and drying them on extra low or air-dry. If the tips melt (microfibers are like tiny fingers), you can't tell visually, they will micro-mar your paint and are no longer usable, at least for paint duty. I actually used an infra-red temperature gun in my dryer before I got comfortable with the settings (yes, I am that anal), but extra low should be fine. Second, use a dedicated microfiber wash that is designed specifically to dissolve things like polishes, waxes, and other car products - I like 3D Towel Kleen the best and you can buy it cheaply in 1 gallon jugs. Throw a little white vinegar in your fabric softener port as well for an extra boost to clear out any residues (or whichever setting will dispense during the rinse cycle). Add at least one extra rinse to the cycle as well, if possible. You will be amazed how soft your towels come out (they will actually get softer over time with proper care), and how clean they will stay. Never wash the towels with anything else other than other microfibers, if you wash them with clothes or cotton, they will pick up so much stuff they will probably be ruined.

Another good practice is to keep a bucket full of water and some microfiber wash solution (or your favorite all purpose cleaner) next to your workspace, and when a towel is used up, toss it in the bucket to pre-soak them while you finish your detail and it will begin breaking down the residues so they wash easier

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Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. The above is what works well for me after dozens of hours of research, talking to other detailers, and testing products myself. Other people may have different opinions and as always, YMMV.

 

[willowcairns]

Wondering what part of Pa your friend has a shop? SW Pa here, and have been looking at local places for PPF also.

Blackout Tinting in Latrobe is fantastic, check them out.

 

[Pitt-Civ]

Blackout Tinting in Latrobe is fantastic, check them out.

I contacted them previously, their bare minimum was just over $400, and for the next step up was (I believe) almost $1200.

 

[tbobtx]

I got the XPEL Ultimate Plus installed at an actual XPEL shop. I have had to replace a couple pieces already due to small pebbles hitting them. Paint okay but PPF torn. On another occasion, I accidently bumped the headlight with the battery of my Ryobi drill and it scarred the PPF. Left it in the sun but it did not "self heal".
Honestly, get the thickest PPF available. It is harder to put on but will handle day to day crap much better. I heard the high end 3M is best but noone in my area handles it.
Please do not even think about using Suntek, its even worse. I had it on my Volvo XC60 R Design and it failed within a couple of years leaving divits in my plastic bumper and when they pulled all the pieces off my entire car due to every piece had a defect in it, I was left with a ton of adhesive on the car.

As for coverage on my Type R, I got the full bumper including all the shiny black plastic bit in front of the radiator, half hood so it would match up with front fender protection, side mirrors, headlights, fog lights, and the full top of the black spoiler and wrapped around the leading edge so it was a clean look. The issue with our cars is the bumper is very angular in areas so there are so many relief cuts needed. This leaves small areas unprotected. The cost was $1300 if memory serves me.
I have attached a picture of what the hood looks like. Notice it uses the edge of the scoop insert as the pivot point and curves up to line up with the edge of fender ppf. Excuse the dirty hood as it had just rained while I drove it last week. Unless you really looking for it, its not offensive.

 

[CanadaCivic]

I got the XPEL Ultimate Plus installed at an actual XPEL shop. I have had to replace a couple pieces already due to small pebbles hitting them. Paint okay but PPF torn. On another occasion, I accidently bumped the headlight with the battery of my Ryobi drill and it scarred the PPF. Left it in the sun but it did not "self heal".
Honestly, get the thickest PPF available. It is harder to put on but will handle day to day crap much better. I heard the high end 3M is best but noone in my area handles it.
Please do not even think about using Suntek, its even worse. I had it on my Volvo XC60 R Design and it failed within a couple of years leaving divits in my plastic bumper and when they pulled all the pieces off my entire car due to every piece had a defect in it, I was left with a ton of adhesive on the car.

If the PPF was damaged but your paint was OK, sounds like it saved the day and performed exactly as it was supposed to. Must have been a pretty nasty rock though to go through 8mil

The self healing is for light scratches, swirls, etc. If the damage is significant it isn't going to disappear with heat. I am not sure if your damage falls into that category or not, but try a blow dryer or a heat gun if the sun wasn't hot enough.

The best 3M (Scotchguard Pro) is the same thickness as Xpel Ultimate at 8mil. Xpel does have a 10mil product too I believe but it does not seem very common.

 

[tbobtx]

If the PPF was damaged but your paint was OK, sounds like it saved the day and performed exactly as it was supposed to. Must have been a pretty nasty rock though to go through 8mil

The self healing is for light scratches, swirls, etc. If the damage is significant it isn't going to disappear with heat. I am not sure if your damage falls into that category or not, but try a blow dryer or a heat gun if the sun wasn't hot enough.

The best 3M (Scotchguard Pro) is the same thickness as Xpel Ultimate at 8mil. Xpel does have a 10mil product too I believe but it does not seem very common.

You would think but no, they were just little pellets that got thrown up from when they were resurfacing the road. Once I heard the sound I backed way back from the cars in front but damage was done. Cost me $400 to get that fixed.

 

[HustedDrums]

Maybe it's just me, but I just hate how PPF looks. It'll naturally fade over time as well. I'd rather just live with the two or three rock chips and spend money on a ceramic coating and call it a day.

 

[CanadaCivic]

Maybe it's just me, but I just hate how PPF looks. It'll naturally fade over time as well. I'd rather just live with the two or three rock chips and spend money on a ceramic coating and call it a day.

Modern films are much more resistant to discoloring than films of years past. I had partial 3M on my white 2010 Civic and did that ever look terrible when it started to yellow. Modern films still discolor ever so slightly, but it's harder to notice and good films have 10 year warranties against it. You should be replacing your film before then anyway to avoid damage to your paint during removal.

Aesthetically, the worst thing you can do is half a hood - if it discolors it will be extremely obvious and when dirt builds up on the edge of the film it's also very obvious.

Ideally you wrap the entire car, then even if the film does discolor ever so slightly over time, it will be uniform so you won't notice it.

If you live somewhere like I do where they dump gravel on the road all winter, you will end up with way more than a few chips every year without PPF. That being said if I lived somewhere warmer and without gravel, I would probably accept the reality of a few rock chips and forego the PPF.

Also you probably know this already but ceramic coatings don't offer any protection against rocks or physical damage - just chemical resistance, water sheeting, and ease of cleaning.

 

[tbobtx]

Modern films are much more resistant to discoloring than films of years past. I had partial 3M on my white 2010 Civic and did that ever look terrible when it started to yellow. Modern films still discolor ever so slightly, but it's harder to notice and good films have 10 year warranties against it. You should be replacing your film before then anyway to avoid damage to your paint during removal.

Aesthetically, the worst thing you can do is half a hood - if it discolors it will be extremely obvious and when dirt builds up on the edge of the film it's also very obvious.

Ideally you wrap the entire car, then even if the film does discolor ever so slightly over time, it will be uniform so you won't notice it.

If you live somewhere like I do where they dump gravel on the road all winter, you will end up with way more than a few chips every year without PPF. That being said if I lived somewhere warmer and without gravel, I would probably accept the reality of a few rock chips and forego the PPF.

Also you probably know this already but ceramic coatings don't offer any protection against rocks or physical damage - just chemical resistance, water sheeting, and ease of cleaning.

As for discoloring, as long as its within 10 years, they will replace the film at no cost. It's only when it tears, they won't cover it.
" XPEL warrants XPEL ULTIMATE PLUS™ Series / STEALTH™ Paint Protection Film to be free of manufacturer defects for ten (10) years from the date of purchase. Covered defects include: yellowing, staining, cracking, blistering and delaminating. "
"3M warrants that applied Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Pro Series will be free of defects in materials and manufacture - including yellowing, bubbling, or cracking - for ten (10) years from date of purchase."

 

[AlphaDigital]

Maybe it's just me, but I just hate how PPF looks. It'll naturally fade over time as well. I'd rather just live with the two or three rock chips and spend money on a ceramic coating and call it a day.

as mentioned previously, ceramic coating is not a substitute for PPF, and I wouldnt worry about discoloring unless you leave it out in the blazing sun all year long and dont coat it with any sort of protectant.

 

[HustedDrums]

as mentioned previously, ceramic coating is not a substitute for PPF, and I wouldnt worry about discoloring unless you leave it out in the blazing sun all year long and dont coat it with any sort of protectant.

I am in the detailing business. I am aware of what a ceramic coating does. Did my own car with Graphene. Goes without saying that making ease of cleaning on a vehicle should be done to make your life easier.

 

[BryanCO]

The installer is the most important part of the ppf process. My installer does both SunTek and Xpel. He prefers SunTek Ultra and I’ve used it on a number of cars.

 

[AlphaDigital]

I am in the detailing business. I am aware of what a ceramic coating does. Did my own car with Graphene. Goes without saying that making ease of cleaning on a vehicle should be done to make your life easier.

As a detailer, shouldnt you prioritize maintaining the condition of the paint? If done right, most people would barely notice PPF over paint especially when done completely and you can ceramic coat right over it. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Which graphene are you using?

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