Xpel Vs Ceramic Pro
11-23-2015, 04:55 PM
#46
My Suntek film on my white GT3 is already looking yellow after 6 months, and the car is garaged but does get driven. Typical?
In a few months I will be up there to perform a full custom wrap on the newest and best from Italy...the LaLa. 
But til then, I know Detailing Dynamics has a great rapport.
I want to be clear with everyone that I can only speak of the rapport of certain folks. Unless I have seen their prep work, installation methods and trimming techniques I can not speak absolutely about their quality. Please do your due diligence before committing to having someone work on your car.
Yes, I can give you quality feedback on Suntek and Xpel. But I want to place emphasis on finding the best installer. Once you have the best installer, THEN consider the film used.
I will attempt to make this as easy to digest as possible.
Suntek Pros: less texture, easier to install and less likely for adhesive distortion
Suntek Cons: only 5 year warranty, thinner film, there have been some QA issues with the topcoat, adhesive does not allow us(my staff and I) to perform our superior advanced wrap, more likely to have film lift on edges(though your warranty and installer should stand behind this no matter what).
Xpel Pros: thicker film, aggressive adhesive allows us to perform incredible wraps, 10 year warranty, excellent quality control on the film, appears more stain resistant than Suntek.
Xpel Cons: The same thing that allows for incredible wraps, the aggressive adhesive, can lead to adhesive distortion. It has more texture.
Here's the thing. The details I am giving can be somewhat seen as too much information than most need. The topic of texture is relative. If you have a great looking Xpel Ultimate installation, you will not be looking at "texture", you will be wondering where the film is. We've had a lot of clients come in for consultations and view completed Xpel Ultimate projects and they had no idea film was on the car. You can see that the texture is only relative to one another and that by itself, a quality Xpel installation looks fantastic.
The warranty lengths speak for themselves.
My personal opinion on the two films? I advise my clients let me install Xpel Ultimate.
I hope this helps.
But til then, I know Detailing Dynamics has a great rapport.I want to be clear with everyone that I can only speak of the rapport of certain folks. Unless I have seen their prep work, installation methods and trimming techniques I can not speak absolutely about their quality. Please do your due diligence before committing to having someone work on your car.
Yes, I can give you quality feedback on Suntek and Xpel. But I want to place emphasis on finding the best installer. Once you have the best installer, THEN consider the film used.
I will attempt to make this as easy to digest as possible.
Suntek Pros: less texture, easier to install and less likely for adhesive distortion
Suntek Cons: only 5 year warranty, thinner film, there have been some QA issues with the topcoat, adhesive does not allow us(my staff and I) to perform our superior advanced wrap, more likely to have film lift on edges(though your warranty and installer should stand behind this no matter what).
Xpel Pros: thicker film, aggressive adhesive allows us to perform incredible wraps, 10 year warranty, excellent quality control on the film, appears more stain resistant than Suntek.
Xpel Cons: The same thing that allows for incredible wraps, the aggressive adhesive, can lead to adhesive distortion. It has more texture.
Here's the thing. The details I am giving can be somewhat seen as too much information than most need. The topic of texture is relative. If you have a great looking Xpel Ultimate installation, you will not be looking at "texture", you will be wondering where the film is. We've had a lot of clients come in for consultations and view completed Xpel Ultimate projects and they had no idea film was on the car. You can see that the texture is only relative to one another and that by itself, a quality Xpel installation looks fantastic.
The warranty lengths speak for themselves.
My personal opinion on the two films? I advise my clients let me install Xpel Ultimate.
I hope this helps.
11-23-2015, 08:43 PM
#47
Burning Brakes
On a white car that is partially wrapped, discoloration is a flaw that is difficult to hold off. But you have a warranty and hopefully no rock chips!
11-24-2015, 02:07 AM
#48
Rennlist Member
My name is Mike and I am with Appearance Solutions in Sacramento, CA. We specialize in Clear Bra and Opti- Coat Pro Ceramic Coatings. Also, I am a fellow Porsche owner (2007 Turbo).
Like a few have already mentioned, XPEL and Ceramic Pro, or any other coating for that matter, go hand in hand. They both will protect your vehicle in different ways.
XPEL: XPEL is designed to be applied to your vehicle's most vulnerable areas. It will prevent paint damage caused by rocks, gravel, salt, and insects. It will also protect the factory finish on your vehicle from other environmental contaminants like, bird droppings, tree sap, etc.
Ceramic Pro, or equivalent coatings: Glass or Ceramic Coatings are typically applied to your vehicle's factory finish. These coatings vary in thickness, but typically are around 100 times thicker than any conventional wax or sealant. It's designed to protect your factory finish from environmental contaminants (bird droppings, tree sap, etc.).
This is great advise, as the two are complementary to one another. XPEL will protect the vehicle's factory finish from damages caused by rocks, gravel, salt, and insects. And a Coating will provide a barrier between your factory finish and environmental contaminants (bird droppings, tree sap, etc.).
If you are considering Clear Bra (XPEL Ultimate), one bit of advise I would change however, would be to NOT apply a coating or sealant to the vehicle before applying Clear Bra. Coatings are designed to be hydrophobic, and like a Teflon pan, also makes it difficult for environmental contaminants to adhere to the surface. With that said, when you apply a coating prior to the application of Clear Bra, the adhesive may not adhere properly. Clear Bra is designed to be applied to the factory finish, and not a coated finish. You may then decide to have your installer apply a coating to the top surface of your clear bra material.
It is still vital to have the vehicle prepped properly. This would consist of washing, decontamination of any surface contaminants (i.e. tree sap, rail dust from transport, etc.), multi-step polishing (some refer to this as paint correction), and re-wash, in addition to an IPA wipe down to remove any polishing oils. This will insure your vehicle's finish is the very best.
XPEL: XPEL is designed to be applied to your vehicle's most vulnerable areas. It will prevent paint damage caused by rocks, gravel, salt, and insects. It will also protect the factory finish on your vehicle from other environmental contaminants like, bird droppings, tree sap, etc.
Ceramic Pro, or equivalent coatings: Glass or Ceramic Coatings are typically applied to your vehicle's factory finish. These coatings vary in thickness, but typically are around 100 times thicker than any conventional wax or sealant. It's designed to protect your factory finish from environmental contaminants (bird droppings, tree sap, etc.).
You could concevibly do both? Apply Ceramic Pro (or any other nano paint sealant like OptiCoat or CQuartz) or your PPF, like Xpel.
Ceramic Pro and Xpel aren't really mutually exclusive of one another. The former is a paint sealant, sort of like a semi-permanent wax treatment. The latter is a condom for your car.
Many people will apply a paint sealant like Ceramic Pro on the car, then apply a clearbra (such as Xpel) for chip and road rash protection.
Whatever your brother decides, make sure picks a good installer. The installer makes all the difference (beginning with paint correction if you go with a nano coating like Ceramic Pro).
Ceramic Pro and Xpel aren't really mutually exclusive of one another. The former is a paint sealant, sort of like a semi-permanent wax treatment. The latter is a condom for your car.
Many people will apply a paint sealant like Ceramic Pro on the car, then apply a clearbra (such as Xpel) for chip and road rash protection.
Whatever your brother decides, make sure picks a good installer. The installer makes all the difference (beginning with paint correction if you go with a nano coating like Ceramic Pro).
If you are considering Clear Bra (XPEL Ultimate), one bit of advise I would change however, would be to NOT apply a coating or sealant to the vehicle before applying Clear Bra. Coatings are designed to be hydrophobic, and like a Teflon pan, also makes it difficult for environmental contaminants to adhere to the surface. With that said, when you apply a coating prior to the application of Clear Bra, the adhesive may not adhere properly. Clear Bra is designed to be applied to the factory finish, and not a coated finish. You may then decide to have your installer apply a coating to the top surface of your clear bra material.
It is still vital to have the vehicle prepped properly. This would consist of washing, decontamination of any surface contaminants (i.e. tree sap, rail dust from transport, etc.), multi-step polishing (some refer to this as paint correction), and re-wash, in addition to an IPA wipe down to remove any polishing oils. This will insure your vehicle's finish is the very best.
Last edited by asclearbra; 11-24-2015 at 10:12 PM.
11-24-2015, 04:25 AM
#50
^no you don't have to replace it every six months. It depends on your use. Tracked cars might experience higher wear. I could also see a weekend car having the film last years with less exposure to sun and less surface impacts.
That's incredible considering Opticoat isn't even one of the better looking coatings to my eye. In any case, I strongly believe it's all about the surface prep.
That's incredible considering Opticoat isn't even one of the better looking coatings to my eye. In any case, I strongly believe it's all about the surface prep.
Depending on how he has to change it every 6 months due to rock chips damage or yellowing on the film, I think it has to be replaced under warranty. If you keep the film on the car for 10 years, which you can even leave it on for 20 years since it is not bio-degradable, I believe you will end up bonding the film to the paint and removing the clearcoat upon removal. Opticoat increases the hardness of the paint surface because of silicon carbide, and if you only care about the look, then a high quality wax will serve your needs. Any clearbra in the market as of today will not make your car looks nicer even with a coat of modesta silica resin on top. i believe the coating will make the ppf surface stiffer, but ppf is supposed to be soft and elastic to take damages for saving the paint. what's the point of making the clear bra looking perfect to your eye(s)?
11-24-2015, 09:54 AM
#51
Burning Brakes
Any clearbra in the market as of today will not make your car looks nicer even with a coat of modesta silica resin on top. i believe the coating will make the ppf surface stiffer, but ppf is supposed to be soft and elastic to take damages for saving the paint. what's the point of making the clear bra looking perfect to your eye(s)?
and how does nano over clear bra affect the self healing attributes:
At a certain point, yes, a coating that is too thick loses elasticity. But the right coating over self-healing clear bra does not negatively affect the self-healing attributes. And I can speak absolutely in saying that the right coating over PPF increases the luster of the surface. We've wrapped countless full cars and coated them. Some coatings will only serve to increase hydrophobicity or hydrophilic water characteristics and some also increase the shine. This is where options are nice as they all do their own thing. Much like how many waxes are different in what they offer.
11-24-2015, 02:50 PM
#52
My 2016 is in for Xpel now. Work being done by Elite Auto Films in Fremont CA and they do it custom - not a kit. I'm doing full front (bumper, fenders, hood), rockers, A-pillars and the leading edge of the rear fenders.
11-25-2015, 01:04 AM
#53
Race Director
Looks like good work. Let us know how it turns out
11-25-2015, 04:18 AM
#54
Pro
Thread Starter
11-26-2015, 12:48 AM
#55
Unless you'd like to see some pics of the edges, I'm happy to report there isn't anything worth photographing! You just simply can't tell that it's on the car. They installed Xpel ultimate and then one coat of Ceramic Pro on top of that. I'm not familiar with Ceramic Pro so need to read up on it. Here are a couple of additional pics of the install.
11-26-2015, 07:54 PM
#57
I've had Xpel Ultimate on a couple white Porsches but just the front half to protect from chips. I'm getting a jet black metallic GT4 in the Spring and plan to get Xpel again. My question is- if I wrap the entire car, will it cut down on the paint swirls? I love the looks of the black on a GT4 but dread the upkeep of the black paint and all the special care it takes to minimize paint swirls. Thanks!
11-26-2015, 08:54 PM
#58
I've had Xpel Ultimate on a couple white Porsches but just the front half to protect from chips. I'm getting a jet black metallic GT4 in the Spring and plan to get Xpel again. My question is- if I wrap the entire car, will it cut down on the paint swirls? I love the looks of the black on a GT4 but dread the upkeep of the black paint and all the special care it takes to minimize paint swirls. Thanks!
11-26-2015, 08:57 PM
#59
Perfect- thanks Tim! Wish I was 3,000 miles closer and I'd have you do it 
11-28-2015, 01:19 PM
#60