Naples Newbe

Interested to get some sense of what others are doing relative to full paint protection film wrap versus just front hood, fender and mirrors. I am undecided and as there is a 2-3x factor on cost, I am in need of more learned guidance. Also, any preference for or experience with SunTek versus Xpel would be appreciated. Regardless of product and whether full or partial, I am planning to do a ceramic coat after PPF. For the record, 992 S Cab Agate Grey due at the end of this month. Can't wait! Thanks in advance for your comments and advice.

jkautz

I plan to do a full paint correction and ceramic coat. Quality ceramic coatings can last several years.

I’m against doing a full wrap. Can’t get over an artificial film adhered to my paint. I plan on keeping mine long enough to pass down to my son. Can’t imagine what it would look like in 20 years and I’m not going to “redo” it when they have higher quality film and its time to replace it.. no thanks..

Front wrap might be good for those worried about rock chips, but I’ve never had an issue in that department. Really comes down to your driving habits #tailgating

detansinn

I did ceramic only with full paint correction. The Aventurine green has such great color depth that I didn’t want to ruin it with PPF. My detailer kept plugging PPF for the car until he saw the color in person.

I don’t mind a chip here and there. Ceramic keeps the car cleaner and when it is wash time, it’s super easy to clean.

PPF is not a perfect solution. There are plenty of hazards that will mark, damage, contaminate, or discolor it. It requires different attention than paint. Some colors are better suited to it than others. It’s important to know that going in.

If you choose just to PPF the front of your car, you will notice a difference in color over time. You can argue with the film manufacturer as to what constitutes yellowing under warranty, but if you’re a detail oriented person, you’re going to notice it. The change is far less noticeable when you PPF the whole car.

Penn4S

Just finished a redo on mine before shipping it south.
First choose installer first both for paint correction and wrap. Even bew cars beed a correction.
Second look at available films and do your homework. Ive had Xpel Ultimate, Suntek Ultra and now Xpel Ultimate Plus. Ultimate Plus is the best in my opinion for clarity, adhesive bond and protection.
How much to do is very subjective. I had full front bumper, front spoilers, front fenders, mirrors, full rear quarter from A pillar top of door roof and full rear quarter to avoid edges galf way up, under the doors, painted side skirts and under the rear fenders.
Did not do doors or rear bumper and rear spoiler area.
I then had the entire car ceramic coated with CQuartz. 5k and i was good with that being fair.

carson2

+1 on no PPF but full ceramic. Whatever you do, make sure the full ceramic includes full wheels (inside & out, calipers too)...big help with brake dust and cleaning.

Johnny Five

Mine’s a keeper. Full wrap and done. I like my Suntek on Miami Blue. Easy to wash and always looks juicy.

ant922599

Paint correction/enhancement and ceramic coat for me (Kamikaze Miyabi and Zipang), so no PPF.

Cost was definitely a big factor, as was fear of having to redo at some point if it got damaged more than just chipped (as I understand small chips would 'self-heal' under heat/hot water?).

It is a DD but I appreciate that this same factor can be used both for and against PPF depending on your point of view!

BudgetPlan1

Love the Kamikaze stuff, it's what is on our personal cars. The 'limited self healing' of Zipang is a nice plus, can help reduce some light marring but will not 'heal' a chip. From U.S. vendors website: "...and it offers semi self-healing characteristics, meaning that the appearance of small swirls or imperfections in the coating surface will reduce when exposed to heat. " ( https://www.esotericcarcare.com/kamikaze-zipang-coat/ )

PPF offers some of the same (likely a touch 'more') self-healing depending on product chosen (STEK Dynoshield is both self-healing to a degree as well as having a coating layer 'built in') but likely won't heal chips either....but will prevent some from reaching the paint.


​​​​​​​Coatings can do a lot of nice things, definitely not a silver bullet of protection by any means but IMO, short of PPF, the best form of current protection.

A coating will make maintenance easier, give you some solid protection against environmental contamination...stuff like that. Will also help keep the car cleaner with less attention. You'll still need to wash/maintain but likely far less frequently to maintain 'acceptable cleanliness'...depending on what exactly that means to you.

Won't protect from chipping, scratching, abrasions and all but the lightest swirling but short of PPF, nothing really will. That said...

First thing you should do is decide what YOU want out of a coating; things to consider:

1. Durability, longevity

2. What kind of appearance? i.e. hard, candy-like gloss or deeper, warmer wax-like glow

3. Ease of application important?

4. Climate; what might work nice in Arizona (dry) might not be so nice in New Jersey (rain/snow)

5. Do you like beading or sheeting?

6. Are self-cleaning characteristics important to you or are you gonna wash your car weekly regardless?

7. How much do you wanna spend?

8. Daily driver or hobby car?

While quartz/glass/ceramic coatings are all in the same general category with respect to LSP’s, there are subtle differences in them and you may as well go with one that is strong in your primary areas of concern.

And FWIW, claims of hardness, scratch resistance and such are, IMO, way over-marketed with coatings. While they may provide some minor resistance to light marring, it's a harsh world out there and many things (jewelry banging paint around door handles, boxes hitting trunk areas while loading, leaning on hood of vehicle with grimy sweatshirts, etc) *will* leave a mark. Problem with coatings is the only way to remedy those marks/marring is to re-polish (removing coating) and re-coating that area, generally an entire panel as many coatings don't lend themselves well to spot fixes. If you're horribly OCD-ish about having a totally defect free car for 2 years, a coating may not be the best way to go...

Longevity is likewise impossible to truly predict due to variations in climate, vehicle usage and maintenance habits. Claims listed on packages/advertisements are generally somewhat, uh...optimistic. Not always, but usually...

I live in NE Ohio so all ny findings/thoughts are based on that climate. The characteristics of a coating that matter most to me are:

1. Great Self Cleaning Abilities: Our cars see rain and often get rained on in the morning and then sit outside in the sun in the afternoon; don’t like waterspots. I like clean cars but don’t like cleaning cars.

2. Durability and resistance to environmental contamination like water spots and bird bombs. Don’t wanna have to worry about running home and immediately dealing with removing things that would otherwise etch bare paint. Like hard water spots did to our Corvette during the Zaino years. Also has to last cuz I don’t wanna be hauling out compounds and polishes every Spring, given reasonable maintenance.

3. Appearance: Well, stuff has to look good. Has to accentuate body lines, curves and hard edges. It needs to make me stop and admire it when walking towards it, walking away from it or catching a glance in the garage when I take out the garbage.

Have tried a 20-25 different coatings looking for the one that best suits my particular wants/needs, watched 'em over the course of 20k-40k miles in NE Ohio, variety of vehicle usage and maintenance patterns.

To be honest, of all the coatings I've tried, there were really no bad products but some did particular things a little better/different than others so I went with the one (s) that excelled in areas I found important.

Read, research, try a few if you can (that's what your wife's car is for, no?)

Have kept some, uh, voluminous notes on the whole coating odyssey, can find them here if interested: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/gl...amic-coatings/

As for PPF, that's gonna cost more but is currently kinda the current 'best overall' protection but still not infallible and has some possible inconveniences as well. Just finished up our first 'season' with a fully PPF'd car, can read about it here if interested: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/li...ek-dynoshield/

Perhaps *the* most important aspect to a PPF install, all other things Product choice, for instance) being equal, is the installer. Find someone you trust, listen to what they say.

abiazis

https://avalonking.com/wp-content/up...fference-2.jpg

ant922599

@BudgetPlan1 You, my friend, are legendary when it comes to matters of Ceramic coatings and PPF - thanks for your input.

And delighted to get a nod for Kamikaze. I also appreciate the quality of the prep is vital to getting the best finish in any case.

And yes, claims of magic hardness protection are well optimistic!

ant922599

And sorry, just to confirm, I meant small self-healing characteristics of the PPF rather than Zipang.

BudgetPlan1

Thanks...my wife may characterize my extensively wordy detailing obsessions as something other than 'legendary' but as long as she keeps buying shoes, I'll keep trying new stuff!

I will admit to my focus shifting a bit lately...ever since we picked up a 2016 Cayman S 3 months ago I'm *far* more interested in driving than maintaining cuz the car is just such a treat...amazingly connected vehicle.

The Kamikaze thing is kinda funny; first tried it on October 2016 and then spent the next 2.5 years buying and trying a boxload of coatings, looking for something that did better...and ended up back where I started as nothing exceeded it's performance for me. Was still a worthwhile adventure, learned a lot. The Zipang, which we as hobbyists can buy and use here in the US, is a nice step forward w/ the limited self-healing characteristics. When we got the Cayman, wasn't long before it got all the Kamikaze I could throw at it: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/so...#Cayman_Detail

The US Vendor for Kamikaze, Esoteric Detail in New Albany, OH (a Rennlist supporting vendor) was an incredible help since I started all this (the majority of what I've learned has come from their help/advice) so, given the level of work they do, it was a no-brainer on who to choose to do the full wrap w/ STEK PPF on wife's new car last Spring...was an incredible experience to be able to run a car through their shop, a definite highlight of my 'detailing adventures'. Heck, when I was considering a Cayman and knew little to nothing about Porsche's, I contacted them for guidance and it worked out better than I coulda hoped for...

Glad you found my ramblings interesting to some degree; when I first started out with all this I read all I could and really liked extensive descriptions of things as opposed to "XXX is the best-est in the world!" so I decided to keep my notes out there. At the end of the day, all that really matters is you like what you use and it makes you look at your car and smile...right before ya get in it and drive it 'cuz that's a whole 'nuther level of fun w/ Porsche's I've found. Good stuff!

911boy

Without front wrap you WILL get stone chips and your bumper and mirrors will be pitted/sandblasted over time and it has nothing to do with driving habits......I got a stone chip in my windshield from a car heading in the opposite direction recently. I fought the PPF at first but it is very difficult to detect and I'm really glad that I went with it. I did bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors, pillars and leading edge above windshield. No ceramic for me as I like to wax& polish myself. My 2 cents........

992Sam

Agree with this.... Last several cars and motorcycles I've owned have ALL gotten hit with at least one or two chips usually with in the first 1 year of owning them...no matter how careful I'm driving... As such, I'm doing PPF on the front surfaces and then Paint Correction and Ceramic on the whole car... this will come out to about $3200.... I then can sleep well knowing that my close to $200K with taxes investment will look like new for a while.

rockrdude

I have a terrible rock chip on my fender film from a truck that was at least 10 cars lengths ahead of me... I never tailgate. the paint would have been cracked without it