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I recently had a full ppf done on my jet black 991. - Suntek Ultra. Today I washed it for the first time. I thought I was doing everything right, and the sun was not even out - mostly cloudy.
I used soft microfiber mitt and meguiars gold class soap, and then I used my blower to get the majority of the water off so that I would be touching the car less. Last I used microfiber towels to get the last of the water. I used the towels to pat down any remaining water I found rather than drag the towel across or run the towel back and forth.
When I was done the car looked really nice. But then as I was putting things away the light caught a panel a certain way and I saw what looked to be a lot of water spots. I was spent after spending two hours on the wash and decided to have another look at night in the garage and maybe try to get them off.
So last night I take out my led flashlight and have a look, and that`s when I see , pretty much the entire car is covered with this. Image attached.
Under cloud cover I was pleased with how the car looked, and did not even see it for the most part, except the one panel when the light hit it a certain way. Maybe my mistake was getting out the flashlight? I thought that maybe it would not be bad once outside, but in the direct sun it is clearly visible, but only in direct sun. You can't see them under cloud cover.
i touched up a small area with soap and water to see if it would come off, and most of it did, but a few very small spots still remained, visible with the flashlight. Then I tried some bug/tar remover and that removes them, but it was a tedious. I"m hesitant to try to do the entire car with bug/tar remover.
Has anyone seen such a thing on ppf film before? Did I go wrong somewhere? Am I going to have to try to get all this stuff off soon else it becomes permanent? If it gets hot in the sun is it going to get baked in and be permanent?
Thanks
Are the spots just on the film or the rest of the car as well?
At the time my film guy was using Premier Shield and he did my Raptor with it. It spotted really bad and I could get any of the spots out with my DA and polish. It was faulty film, he warrantied it and had to take it all off. Now he uses 3M products.
Are the spots just on the film or the rest of the car as well?
At the time my film guy was using Premier Shield and he did my Raptor with it. It spotted really bad and I could get any of the spots out with my DA and polish. It was faulty film, he warrantied it and had to take it all off. Now he uses 3M products.
I found spots on the few parts that do not have film, such as the engine vent cover.
As has been said many times on the list....a black car is a full time job!
Should have used RO water. Thats what I use and zero spots.
Alas, you are right about black cars. But I looked at several black cars on the lot and did not see water spots. Swirls sometimes, but not spots. Just wondering if the ppf is super prone to them.
I don't do the patting approach, but have some nice microfiber drying towels with a deep pile that work great when used in a wiping motion. I also have SunTek Ultra. I think with the self-healing surface of that film, you are just being too careful with it and should be comfortable with using wiping motions. Any potential swirls should disappear as soon as the film sees some heat. I've seen no evidence of any swirls or water marks.
I do this as well after the blower. Spray on quick detailer/spray wax as a drying agent and gentle wipe with fresh microfiber towel. Haven’t had any issues. My car is white however and has Xpel Ultimate on front half.
OP, you didn't mention in your post, what did you put over top of the PPF? Using a PPF protectant (some waxes work too) is critical on PPFs.
There isn't anything on top of the ppf. Suntek says nothing is required on top of it. That's the word from them anyway. Also read water spots can form whether there is a ceramic coat or not.
I am going to look into applying something on top to see if that helps. What ppf protectant do you use?
Well I spent the last 2 or 3 hours working on it with meguiars quick detailer as that is the only thing I had. I was able to get a good portion of it off. The meguiars leaves behind residue, but id rather have that than the water spots.
Did whoever applied the PPF also apply a ceramic coating? Ceramic coatings seem very prone to water spotting.
I did not get a ceramic coating on top. Im still trying to figure this out, but next time for sure i'm not going to use any blower to dry, and I going to spend a lot more time drying with towels.
I may also apply quick detailer after its dry.
There isn't anything on top of the ppf. Sunk says nothing is required on top of it. That's the word from them anyway. Also read water spots can form whether there is a ceramic coat or not.
I am going to look into applying something on top to see if that helps. What ppf protectant do you use?
Well I spent the last 2 or 3 hours working on it with meguiars quick detailer as that is the only thing I had. I was able to get a good portion of it off. The meguiars leaves behind residue, but id rather have that than the water spots.
Personally I use Zymöl Carbon wax... but I only have the front done so I don't want to bother using a separate PPF protectant... if I had the whole thing done I'd skip the wax and just do a PPF protectant spray.
Everything I've heard is that PPF will yellow if you don't protect it from the sun's UV rays with some sort of wax or protectant. The guy that put mine on said they've had people do nothing on it and have it yellow like FAST as in a couple months.
I don't have PPF but I'm going to put in 2 cents anyway. You need better soap. The stuff sold in retail stores is worthless. I use Chemical Guys CWS_107 Extreme Bodywash + Wax. Griots makes good stuff too. You might really benefit from something compatible with the PPF.
09-01-2018, 12:22 PM
New PPF, First Wash, Water Spots everywhere
