Paint Protection Film (PPF) such as XPEL for Mach-E

jeremykraft

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Oof. That is just pricey enough to get me to think twice about it. Given that I'm doing Ford Options, I'm a little less concerned about resale. But please, talk me into it.

I did order my first bit of touch-up paint. Trunk nicked my garage door accidently so there's a tiny (1cm) scratch I want to fix up.
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Wiseblood

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Anyone do PPF on just the front end? I'm wondering how noticeable the seams would be.
 

stmache

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Anyone do PPF on just the front end? I'm wondering how noticeable the seams would be.
Having it done on Monday. Will post pics once I get it back.
 

MTNestr

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I know that PPF is more expensive but if you had your choice would you do a Full Front of PPF or Ceramic Coating on the whole car? And Why?
 

stmache

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I know that PPF is more expensive but if you had your choice would you do a Full Front of PPF or Ceramic Coating on the whole car? And Why?
PPF protects the paint from small chips. Ceramic does not. I learned this the hard way with my 2017 Grabber Blue Mustang. I got chips within the first month of ownership in the front bumper. At that time, I was not aware of PPF. I wish I had as I will need to get the front bumper repainted in the future.

I did not want to make that mistake with the Mach-E. It is getting the full front, 8 inches of the front of the hood, lights and rear view mirrors done (it is in the shop as I type this). Those are the areas I found on the 2017 Mustang to get the most hits.

I will than have the ceramic coating put on the entire car to protect the surfaces not prone to chipping mainly for protecting the paint and ease of cleaning.
 


Mach-E VLOG

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We're actually attempting to do DIY PPF and ceramic this week. It's been a lot of work so far and we just finished the last PPF application. The biggest problem right now are some bubbles under the PPF. I'm told those will start to disappear in a few days and any that don't we can pop with a needle. That worries me a lot right now, but I hope they do go away.

After work, we are going to start the ceramic process. We started prepping and it is amazing how dirty your car is. Even when it looks super clean, when you think about doing a ceramic process you notice the dust, dirt, and debris everywhere.

We'll do a longer write up (and a video, of course) once we are done. I just hope it isn't a "fail" video.
 

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I'm doing full front Expel installed by a detail shop as well as full vehicle DIY ceramic. You can save a few bucks by doing "partial front" Expel which only goes part way up the hood. That will probably protect from rock chips just fine, but it doesn't cost much more to do the "full front" which covers the entire hood. I was concerned that partial hood coverage would leave a visible seam, so that was my biggest reason for choosing the full hood option.

I practiced applying the ceramic on my other vehicle, and it turned out really well. The prep was tedious but worth it.

Wash -> decontaminate with iron remover -> clay bar -> polish all the swirls and paint defects out -> alcohol based cleaner -> ceramic coating application.

The prep work should go faster on a new vehicle that hasn't accumulated as many defects and contaminates.

I used Avalon King Armer Shield ceramic coating. It is one of the more expensive DIY ceramic coatings, but I think it was well worth it. I can't wait to see it on my Mach E.
 
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MTNestr

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My thought was to make sure that I get PPF installed correctly and then to apply a Ceramic Coating myself. I‘m sure that I’m not capable of installing PPF correctly.

I’m a big fan of the Esoteric channel on YouTube and I plan to use their Kamikaze Miyabi followed by Kamikaze ISM. Applying these 2 products appears doable if I take my time. And when I’m done I have plenty of time to let them harden before I drive again. I don’t want to drive home with a fresh Ceramic Coating and get bug splatter before the coating has completely cured.

Has anyone else used the Kamikaze Products? Or have other Ceramic Coatings that they can recommend?
 

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My car is currently in the process of getting PPF on the front bumper, full hood, side mirrors, and ceramic coating on the entire car. Will post pictures when completed, which should be end of week.
 

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Anyone do PPF on just the front end? I'm wondering how noticeable the seams would be.
Picked up Max tonight. You can see the seams when you are at a 90 degree angle easily. Once you step back and move in either direction, they disappear into the paint. I will take photos after a few days. Next up, Ceramic Pro from my detailer.
 

MTNestr

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Picked up Max tonight. You can see the seams when you are at a 90 degree angle easily. Once you step back and move in either direction, they disappear into the paint. I will take photos after a few days. Next up, Ceramic Pro from my detailer.
How much did you cover with PPF? Where are the seams that you can see?
 

stmache

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How much did you cover with PPF? Where are the seams that you can see?
I did the full front, headlights, side mirrors and 8 inches up the hood. The hood is where you can see the seams if you are looking at a 90 degree angle from either side and even with them. Otherwise, they are not noticeable. Also, with the pollen on the hood, they stood out more than they would have. Can't wash it for a couple of days but will dust it off.
 

GrumblesTheDog

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We're actually attempting to do DIY PPF and ceramic this week. It's been a lot of work so far and we just finished the last PPF application. The biggest problem right now are some bubbles under the PPF. I'm told those will start to disappear in a few days and any that don't we can pop with a needle. That worries me a lot right now, but I hope they do go away.

After work, we are going to start the ceramic process. We started prepping and it is amazing how dirty your car is. Even when it looks super clean, when you think about doing a ceramic process you notice the dust, dirt, and debris everywhere.

We'll do a longer write up (and a video, of course) once we are done. I just hope it isn't a "fail" video.
Cool! I paid for front end PPF since that seemed pretty complex, but I tried to DIY PPF for the doors since that would have been many hundred more on top of the front. It seemed like I put a decent number of fine scratches on my old car doors with my jacket, bag, etc because of how I have to inch around my car in my driveway, and I wanted to protect against it. I also figured it'd help a little with minor door dings (which happen all the time at work because I park with a bunch of monsters.)

Curious what your experience is like - I found someone selling Suntek patterns at a good price (for consistency, since my front end was also Suntek,) watched a few YouTube videos, and got to work. Even though I really mashed down with the squeegee, I too still had quite a few tiny bubbles here and there. All I can say is be patient! They really do go away. I waited two or three weeks to use a syringe on the stragglers which didn't completely resolve on their own.
 

Fabian

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Cool! I paid for front end PPF since that seemed pretty complex, but I tried to DIY PPF for the doors since that would have been many hundred more on top of the front. It seemed like I put a decent number of fine scratches on my old car doors with my jacket, bag, etc because of how I have to inch around my car in my driveway, and I wanted to protect against it. I also figured it'd help a little with minor door dings (which happen all the time at work because I park with a bunch of monsters.)

Curious what your experience is like - I found someone selling Suntek patterns at a good price (for consistency, since my front end was also Suntek,) watched a few YouTube videos, and got to work. Even though I really mashed down with the squeegee, I too still had quite a few tiny bubbles here and there. All I can say is be patient! They really do go away. I waited two or three weeks to use a syringe on the stragglers which didn't completely resolve on their own.
Where did you find the Suntek patterns? I found these from clearmask which has Suntek but doesn't mention which kind (Ultra, Ultra Defense, Reaction, etc.).

https://clearmask.com/amfinder?find=a-2021-ford-mustang-mach-e-premium---131577&sid=FAKb3X6SbW
 

Benny’66

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This is the one thing I should have done as soon as I took delivery of my 2017 Ford Mustang. The front got chipped right away. IMO, I would plan on having this done for any Mach e buyer. Today's paint is put on as thin as possible to save money.
Like the plate! I’ll have to look for it around the ‘Cuse.
My GT will wear this when it shows up.

DB6A5ABE-25C9-442F-9B04-917EAEB1DC37.jpeg
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