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Gentian blue arrives next week, so I want the brightest/glossiest PPF out there. Is there a general consensus as to what that is? Seems like most of you just do Expel?
This is Xpel Ultimate Plus Self Healing plus base coat is Gtechniq Crystal Serum and top coated with Gtechniq EXO ultra durable Hydrophobic coating. First 2 pics are 2 years after this ws done. Totally worth it! xpel after 2 years xpel after 2 years Jan 2021 jan 2021
I have a Gentian blue with Xpel PPF on the front and A-pillar. I would highly recommend ceramic coating over it for that added gloss. I attached two pictures. The first (Chicago Auto Pros signage. Also don't judge me for the handicapped spot, that is where they parked it at pickup) is without PPF after a paint correction. The second is after PPF.
I have been debating this for years with my AMG's. I had always resorted to a "full wrap" on all of my vehicles, but the wraps tend to peel off on the very edges and accumulate dirt on any leading edges, which is frustrating. Some vehicles are better than others. The G-Waggon is a nightmare for PPF. The other thing about PPF is that after a season or two, the paint underneath never really looks all that good. At the end of the day, plastic is still plastic. Try putting a "windshield protector" on your windshield and you will be ripping it off after a few days. The optical properties of PPF are usually - at the end of the day - terrible, no matter what the manufacturers claim.
My wife just recently got a new Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid. She elected to put a full X-pel Ultimate Plus on the Full Hood only - declining to do the whole vehicle. THEN - she decided to apply a Graphite Ceramic (warrantee for 5 years) around the entire vehicle, including over the wrap, on the windshields, on the acid green brakes and the entire wheels.
We even did the Graphite Blue/chalk seats in graphite ceramic....and this seems to be the best answer.
The vehicle cleans beautifully and with very little effort. Water flies off the vehicle and even the brakes rinse sparkling clean even when terribly muddy.
I think that this is the best way to do vehicle protection. No matter what PPF you get, it will eventually start looking poor and won't let the actual metallic sheen of the pain sparkle through.
The Graphite on the vehicle looks much, much better than the PPF covered surfaces after a few months. In fact, I'm going to remove all of the PPF from my G Wagon and will re-do the front with X-pel, followed by Graphite ceramic only, on the rest of the vehicle in and out.
My new 911 Turbo arrives in March, and I'm going to go with this formula on that vehicle as well.
Watch YouTube reviews on the top brands, and the difference in their performance/clarity characteristics.
After doing this, I chose to go with a reputable shop that only installs STEK. IMO from watching hundreds of videos, some twice over STEK had the best performance and clarity… not to mention their lineup offered colored PPF Films, so I can now have my entire wing in Matte Black without the additional cost of applying vinyl then PPF on top.
This will go against the common grain here, but I dont like ceramic over PPF. Ceramic scratches just like paint when its not cared for with perfection (which is not possible any way you approach it), while PPF self heals. A simple top coat product like Polish Angel a few times a year during the drying portion of your maintenance wash will add a sacrificial layer that will offer great hydrophobic properties.
If you choose to go the ceramic top coat route… do it yourself and save.
XPEL would have been my next choice. #1 thing to factor in your decision should be which installer you know will do the best job, and just let them do their thing, with their product of choice.
Suntek or Llumar (comes from the same company, may be slightly different depending on the name) looks more like real paint than xpel.
Xpel may be more durable/self heal better.
Xpel adhesives are potentially much stronger (I've heard this claim before, it seems true based on my limited experience). Is that a pro or a con? It'll be harder to get off if it is, meaning you could potentially delaminate paint or coatings off plastic like headlamps. The only time I've seen paint ever lift off was Xpel, but it was also on a bumper that was freshly painted. That said, i've also seen suntek/llumar removed off freshly painted bumpers without issue. Stronger adhesive may = less likely to lift? but I doubt that; that comes down to the installer/luck IMO. I have the odd spot lifting on my GT4 (one roof pillar and a spot on my bumper, I probably washed it too soon after it was applied IMO), but my bmw which I redid years ago doesn't have one spot lifting anywhere. It's PPF also still looks new.
IMO I'd go with the better installer or the price that is significantly less. If it's all equal I pick suntek because IMO the whole point to PPF is to keep the car's paint looking good and visually that one looks the best to me.
02-03-2023, 01:07 PM
General consensus on PPF?
STEK had the best performance and clarity… not to mention their lineup offered colored PPF Films, so I can now have my entire wing in Matte Black without the additional cost of applying vinyl then PPF on top.
