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

[GW Shark]

The reason for asking is I had Suntek Ultra installed on the front and hood, plus ceramic coating over everything. The installer did not have pre-cut pieces. Left some areas around the headlights uncovered. Plus at the big crease on the front.

Some parts of the film, like in the crease, has gotten loose now a few weeks after, so I've complained, and going back there in a months time.

How does your cars look like in these areas?

Hmmmm....my installer had precut pieces. The bottom corners of the "mustache" were the only problem spot in my installation (pic 1). Both the Suntek installer and the person who installed my grill commented that it was a tough area to stretch and get proper adhesion. It rained a good bit the day after Suntek installation and I had to return to get those corners "re-seated." So far, no problems with it coming up.

 

[Nugatti]

Can anyone post pictures of their PPF application around the bottom of the lights, and the moustache? So I have something to show my installer for his second attempt.

 

[GW Shark]

Can anyone post pictures of their PPF application around the bottom of the lights, and the moustache? So I have something to show my installer for his second attempt.

I will tomorrow - got to wash her up after a few days in the mountains around Asheville, NC. She was a dream on those winding roads! The grill decal is great at "bug protection" - at least I can't see them!!! ha

 

[GW Shark]

I hope these help - it's very difficult to see the PPF lines in photos or in person. I have to really look at angles to see the line on my hood (partial PPF) much less the lights, etc. I was very fortunate to have an excellent installer. The third one is half PPF and half naked (partial hood). Everything else you see is covered in PPF (except the louvers and grill decal.) The lights are covered. The bottom photo of the moustache is the area that gave him the most trouble. He said he had to stretch things a good bit. Good luck and let me know if I can take more specific photos for you.

 

[benk016]

The reason for asking is I had Suntek Ultra installed on the front and hood, plus ceramic coating over everything. The installer did not have pre-cut pieces. Left some areas around the headlights uncovered. Plus at the big crease on the front.

Some parts of the film, like in the crease, has gotten loose now a few weeks after, so I've complained, and going back there in a months time.

How does your cars look like in these areas?

My car had these similar spots on the front as well. Its just hard to get that plastic film to fold into the curves and edges in some spots unfortunately. My installer told me to expect some of this and to just bring it back in after a bit and they'd clean up any edges that didn't stick properly.

 

[benk016]

 

[Flat6]

Thanks, I at the shop now getting a full PPF, however it's taking over a week, I think the installer wants to get it perfect and taking his time. I am not rushing as the MME has so many nooks and crannies, so I understand. Will post pictures when it get it back. Cost was 5K for the entire car, not cheap, but I have major CAR OCD's and RED is a magnet for imperfections.

Hi which shop did you use if you don't mind me asking? Also based in NJ and would love to find a shop that "wants to get it perfect". Thanks!

 

[machefan]

Hi which shop did you use if you don't mind me asking? Also based in NJ and would love to find a shop that "wants to get it perfect". Thanks!

Well it's a year plus later and holding up ok but wound't recommend them. I am taking my Bronco to another place next week. If that goes well I will post the results.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I have XPEL Ultimate on a 215 Summit White Camaro (SS, RS + 1LE) -- full hood, full front bumper, headlights, both full front fenders, over both sets of gills in front of the rear tires, and on the bumper behind each rear tire. All of the XPEL is clear finish, except for the hood which is matte (the hood XPEL is on top of the black wrap that comes with the 1LE package).

Setup the wrap before I bought the car, so I took delivery and drove it to get wrapped immediately. So, the wrap has been on since purchase and will be 6 years in June.

Note:
XPEL Ultimate comes with a 10 year warranty against yellowing or peeling.

With that background, here are some observations:

* I have had a few incidents of dings and scratches on the XPEL. It works as good or better than advertised. Simply park the car in the sun for a couple of hours and it self-heals. Honestly, it is like magic. You absolutely have to see this stuff in action to believe it.

* Only 1 of the incidents left a permanent mark (small scratches) that the self-healing wasn't able to completely heal. That said, you can't really notice the spot unless you are angled correctly against the sun. On the plus side, the XPEL still absorbed the scratches, they did not make it all the way through the film.

* The film itself has not yellowed or otherwise changed colors, at least not to my eye. One word of caution here ... the stuff does seem to collect dirt better than painted metal, and darkens with grime. But, a good solid wash restores the lustre.

* I have what is probably a minor nitpick / complaint. Due to the massive coverage on my car, there are some seams. The installer used every trick to hide them, and did a FANTASTIC job, but inevitably with all the curves there are still some exposed seams. If the car is perfectly clean, the seams are invisible unless you are literally 2 feet away staring directly at them. But, the seams attract dirt like you can't imagine! I try to compensate by making sure to keep a couple coats of wax and that helps, but still grime collects in the crannies.

* This car is a garage queen and is always garaged at home or work. XPEL does gurantee their product against UV damage and I don't have any UV damage, but then again it's almost never in the direct sun so I can't say that I've honestly tested the limits of the product with regards to UV protection.

* I have not tried to remove the PPF. Honestly if I were to want / need to remove it, I would bring it back to my XPEL installer and pay to have them do it. That said, I have seen some YouTubers remove their PPF by leaving it in the sun for a few hours, then using a hair dryer to warm it up a tad more. They make it look very simple. One example is Stradman .. all his cars are wrapped with PPF and he's removed it twice that I've seen here and there.

Last -- would I recommend PPF in general, and XPEL Ultimate in particular?
I am going to say YES and NO. (you didn't think it would be that easy?)

My 'Maro cost me $$$, and at the time I purchased it, I went all in and factory-ordered what I wanted, and paid through the nose for it. This was my dream car, still is, and I did and do plan on keeping it for basically ever. For my wrap described above, which covers just about maybe 60 - 70% of the car, I paid right at $2,500 installed. Would I install XPEL again on this car if I had to do it over? Yes, and not only Yes, but I would probably go full 100% coverage as well.

Besides that car, I have two Hondas that I do not plan on keeping forever. I would never think of putting PPF on those cars.

I haven't decided yet on the Mach E. Unlike the 'Maro, I'm not convinced I'm going to keep this vehicle for a significant amount of time. It is likely I will consider the front bumper and hood only, especially due to the shape of the bumper in the front.

I hope this covers all the bases, let me know if there are specific questions I can answer more.

I plan to keep my First Edition for a long time, so getting ceramic over PPF was a good move for my Mach E. However, I went with CeramicPro (lifetime warranty) and Suntek film (10 year warranty) . Suntek wasn't nearly as dear as XPEL would have been. It was still $5K. However, the lifetime CeramicPro requires an annual "inspection" for $100.

For my Lightning I'm getting two-year ceramic and I'll repaint as needed.

 

[machefan]

For NJ, I recommend Signature Detailing, just dropped my Bronco off and was able to see other jobs in process or done. Very good shop and owner!

It's in Hillsborough NJ of 206.

 

[Jimmy2]

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?

Paul, not sure if you are still active on the boards, I'm planning on doing the Kamikaze treatment. Looks expensive, but I'm hoping its worth it. Did you ever finish it up? How long has it lasted?

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