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

[ClaudeMach-E]

I'm trying to make this decision. I drive similar miles to you to work. My 2016 Escape will be 5 years old in a month, 153,000 miles so far. Yes, there are chips in the front from stones, etc. without any protection, but the rest of the paint on the rest of the car has held up amazingly without ANY professional or even amateur protection applied. I don't even wash it as much as I probably should in the winter. Struggling as to whether this is a waste of money or a good investment.

In a similar vein, I applied RainX to my windows for the first time a few months ago and the effect of that was absolutely AMAZING. I cannot believe how well that product works, and how little I now use my wipers in normal rain. That WILL be applied to my new car for sure.

Just imagine how the plain "grill" could become if not protected, I'm also thinking about the summer insects.

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[Kamuelaflyer]

Oh yea - I've used RainX for years. Always surprises me when folks don't realize how amazing it is, or haven't used/heard of it. I keep a bottle of the RainX 2-in-1 cleaner/protector in my trunk (mostly because I hate dirty/spotted windows).

I'm still going back and forth on paint protection. I guess sometime soon I'll reach out to the local film shops to see what they offer and prices, along with the guy who did my last ceramic coat to see what sort of prices I'd be looking at there.

I've chatted with a few people around here that have used PPF in the past. It seems no one on the west side of the island offers it any longer. The reason is that due to the year-round high heat in Kona (it's never below 80 during the day and right now temps are 100) and strong UV, the PPF wears out at astonishing speed. While I don't actually live in Kona any longer, I'm there very regularly and really don't want the hassle of a PPF gone bad. So I've crossed that off my list when I pick the MME up on the windward side (where temps are far cooler and much cloudier).

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Oh that's bad, expensive, and unfortunate. See my west side of Hawaii island post from this morning. I was planning on PPF and ceramic over that but seems like a bad idea here. One film shop (does advertising, not ppf) told me "Run away as fast as you can from any shop that wants to put a ppf or any other warp on a horizontal surface around here."

 

[zhackwyatt]

I've chatted with a few people around here that have used PPF in the past. It seems no one on the west side of the island offers it any longer. The reason is that due to the year-round high heat in Kona (it's never below 80 during the day and right now temps are 100) and strong UV, the PPF wears out at astonishing speed. While I don't actually live in Kona any longer, I'm there very regularly and really don't want the hassle of a PPF gone bad. So I've crossed that off my list when I pick the MME up on the windward side (where temps are far cooler and much cloudier).

Interesting. During the summer, it doesn't get below 90 degrees at night here and I've never heard anything like this around here.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Interesting. During the summer, it doesn't get below 90 degrees at night here and I've never heard anything like this around here.

That seems to be consensus around here from both detailers and the rest of us.

Kona is in the tropics. UV is extremely high every single day and rarely a cloudy day. So this doesn't surprise me for Kona. If I didn't have business down there all the darn time, I'd have the PPF applied in Hilo and not worry about it. Waimea (Kamuela) is rather temperate year-round and prone to daily clouds and fog. It's also not an issue in Honolulu. Oahu is rarely as hot or intense as the Kona desert.

As for the greater Phoenix area, that question did occur to me. It's not like the car is arriving tomorrow, I have time to figure it out.

 

[stmache]

The one thing I wish I had done when I got my Mustang Ecoboost was to drive it from the dealer directly to get XPEL on the front bumper, hood and front fenders. Got paint chips the first week of driving. Will get it repainted in the future.

Planning on getting XPEL as soon as possible for the Mach-e. Will be bugging the local dealers to see if XPEL will be coming out with a Mach-e template.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

because of this thread I did some local research this morning and found three places that will all do "PPF with ceramic on top" which is apparently the order to follow... two of them will come to me to do it. But boy, does the price add up fast... quickly getting up towards $2K.

Of course I just got $1K magically back in my pocket so... ?

 

[stmache]

because of this thread I did some local research this morning and found three places that will all do "PPF with ceramic on top" which is apparently the order to follow... two of them will come to me to do it. But boy, does the price add up fast... quickly getting up towards $2K.

Of course I just got $1K magically back in my pocket so... ?

Easy come, easy go...welcome to the Mustang world!

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Easy come, easy go...welcome to the Mustang world!

oh, I had one in the past, I know all about it. ? There's even pictures on here of it in Fan Boat Mode (tm).

 

[Az MachE]

So, @GoGoGadgetMachE and @stmache, I like what I hear you saying about the XPEL. I have just started researching the product and installers in my area, but do I really need the ceramic coat as well on top of the XPEL? I really just want the front end done in order to protect the paint against rocks and chips, not so worried about the sides and back end.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

So, @GoGoGadgetMachE and @stmache, I like what I hear you saying about the XPEL. I have just started researching the product and installers in my area, but do I really need the ceramic coat as well on top of the XPEL? I really just want the front end done in order to protect the paint against rocks and chips, not so worried about the sides and back end.

I'm not sure. I'm learning all about this for my first time from this very forum. There is a reseller with what appears to be fair, honest videos here: The Truth About Paint Protection Film (PPF) | AvalonKing

that plus a few others have led me to believe that the ceramic coat on top is good because the XPEL is a bit more matte-looking, and can potentially yellow over time - adding the ceramic coat on top prevents the yellow and brings back the shine.

At least, that's how it seems to be. But again, I'm learning here too.

 

[zhackwyatt]

The one thing I wish I had done when I got my Mustang Ecoboost was to drive it from the dealer directly to get XPEL on the front bumper, hood and front fenders. Got paint chips the first week of driving. Will get it repainted in the future.

Planning on getting XPEL as soon as possible for the Mach-e. Will be bugging the local dealers to see if XPEL will be coming out with a Mach-e template.

That's my plan. Because it is arriving in winter I'm not going to worry about tint for a while and instead immediately get PPF. Then I will see what summer is like w/ all the coatings on the glass and the like and get Tint if needed.

 

[zhackwyatt]

I'm not sure. I'm learning all about this for my first time from this very forum. There is a reseller with what appears to be fair, honest videos here: The Truth About Paint Protection Film (PPF) | AvalonKing

that plus a few others have led me to believe that the ceramic coat on top is good because the XPEL is a bit more matte-looking, and can potentially yellow over time - adding the ceramic coat on top prevents the yellow and brings back the shine.

At least, that's how it seems to be. But again, I'm learning here too.

I've been trying to figure out which is "better", 3M or Xpel. Everything I find either doesn't seem impartial or they say both are the same.

From what I have gathered 3M Crystalline tint (which I have today on all glass of my C-Max including windshield) is the absolute best for heat rejection. At least with tint you can see the specifications on how much UV, IR, visible light and so forth is permitted to pass through so its easier to compare.

Because my current car looks like crap (I think a posted a picture earlier in the thread) from rocks, I'm willing to give it a shot.

 

[bruceski88]

I have had 2 cars with front end PPF, a Toyota RAV 4 and now a Honda CRV. I did this because my wife's Lexus was very dinged up on the front end, and old my Subaru Legacy GT, which was often driven from the SF Bay Area to the Sierras was also similarly dinged. Both cars were garaged, but the Lexus was outside all day in the elements every work day. I never noticed a problem with paint fading on either car over more than 12 years except for the mechanical damage. I primarily use Klasse products so these keep the finish in top condition. I learned about PPF from my son who had a very nice Audi S4. I think there are 3 brands of PPF. I can't remember the brand I got for the Toyota, but for the Honda it was 3M. I believe both were laser cut and were applied before I drove the cars more than 10 miles. They both seem to do the job, although the Toyota looked a little better and I think it may have been Xpel. I chose 3M for the recent Honda because it was less than half the price and I am happy with it. The Honda mirrors needed to be redone becasue it wasn't clear to the installer which of 2 patterns to use. The film buckled and he came over right away and replaced it with the other pattern at no cost - no problems in over a year. I will do it again with MME. This vehicle will be driven over snowy and sanded roads a lot and that front end is sure to get torn up without it.

 

[zhackwyatt]

I have had 2 cars with front end PPF, a Toyota RAV 4 and now a Honda CRV. I did this because my wife's Lexus was very dinged up on the front end, and old my Subaru Legacy GT, which was often driven from the SF Bay Area to the Sierras was also similarly dinged. Both cars were garaged, but the Lexus was outside all day in the elements every work day. I never noticed a problem with paint fading on either car over more than 12 years except for the mechanical damage. I primarily use Klasse products so these keep the finish in top condition. I learned about PPF from my son who had a very nice Audi S4. I think there are 3 brands of PPF. I can't remember the brand I got for the Toyota, but for the Honda it was 3M. I believe both were laser cut and were applied before I drove the cars more than 10 miles. They both seem to do the job, although the Toyota looked a little better and I think it may have been Xpel. I chose 3M for the recent Honda because it was less than half the price and I am happy with it. The Honda mirrors needed to be redone becasue it wasn't clear to the installer which of 2 patterns to use. The film buckled and he came over right away and replaced it with the other pattern at no cost - no problems in over a year. I will do it again with MME. This vehicle will be driven over snowy and sanded roads a lot and that front end is sure to get torn up without it.

Awesome the only person I've had the pleasure to talk to that had both XPel and 3M.

To sum up, your saying Xpel is a little better than 3M but more expensive. Both do a good job and are adequate. Did I get that right?

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