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

[Kamuelaflyer]

They do. It's part of the optional GT package.

Dude, stop making me think. It hurts.

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[physib]

Should you still apply ceramic coating after PPF?

 

[stmache]

Should you still apply ceramic coating after PPF?

Yes, you can. I believe Xpel has their own brand but any quality ceramic coating would work. Sure would make keeping the car clean an easier task.

 

[JellyBelly]

General question - do people people think of applying the PPF etc additional protective coatings when they lease? I understand completely that one would do that if the vehicle were to be purchased. But a lease means you plan to most likely not keep it after 3 or 4 years. Just wondering. I would not spend the extra $$ on a leased vehicle but curious.

 

[hybrid2bev]

General question - do people people think of applying the PPF etc additional protective coatings when they lease? I understand completely that one would do that if the vehicle were to be purchased. But a lease means you plan to most likely not keep it after 3 or 4 years. Just wondering. I would not spend the extra $$ on a leased vehicle but curious.

On a lease that I was pretty sure I was returning, no I would not pay for extra paint protection.

Scratches that can be covered up by a credit card in size are considered normal wear and are non-chargeable on a Ford RCL. If also no more than 5 scratches/dents per body panel.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

What? Return a Mach-e? Who would do such a thing!???

 

[ChasingCoral]

On a lease that I was pretty sure I was returning, no I would not pay for extra paint protection.

Scratches that can be covered up by a credit card in size are considered normal wear and are non-chargeable on a Ford RCL. If also no more than 5 scratches/dents per body panel.

That could make it worth adding PPF to the plastic parts. After 3 years we have more than 5 scratches per plastic panel on the front and rear ends of our Leaf.

 

[stmache]

That could make it worth adding PPF to the plastic parts. After 3 years we have more than 5 scratches per plastic panel on the front and rear ends of our Leaf.

Or buy a bra to protect the front end instead of PPF. Much cheaper but ugly looking.

 

[bluestarct]

Xpel has a few shops and one is Austin TX near my dealership. The dealer has agreed to only do a PDI (pre delivery inspection) for Ford. So they won't wash or even remove the white plastic. The car will immediately go over to the XPEL shop for them to cover it.

The really interesting thing is that XPEL headquarters is in San Antonio. The shop manager is trying to coordinate with the designers at XPEL to come up and help work on the layout for the Mach E since they don't have the image cuts in their system yet.

 

[Illinibird]

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.

Pretty much what I think except substitute 3M for PPF and cost (X-Pel more expensive).

 

[Illinibird]

Or buy a bra to protect the front end instead of PPF. Much cheaper but ugly looking.

Disagree completely! 3M “bras” on my two cars and you can’t see them and they’re certainly NOT ugly!

 

[Illinibird]

I'll definitely be reaching out to our local XPEL dealer to get some front-end protection when I pick up my Mach E.

I’m doing the same with my 3M local installer (in fact I already e-mailed him).

 

[stmache]

Disagree completely! 3M “bras” on my two cars and you can’t see them and they’re certainly NOT ugly!

I wasn't talking about the clear "bras". I meant the ugly black ones that fit over a car's front. Great for protection but not really good to look at.

 

[Illinibird]

I wasn't talking about the clear "bras". I meant the ugly black ones that fit over a car's front. Great for protection but not really good to look at.

Sorry I think those are ugly too (that’s why I wouldn’t put one on my 2002 Thunderbird). Merry Christmas ?

 

[JellyBelly]

Does anyone know if the Xpel installers will still install Xpel even if cutouts dont exist in their CAD system? Or do we have to wait until these installers get the cutouts

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