PPF, Opti coat pro, or nothing for a 2007?
04-27-2018, 01:13 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
PPF, Opti coat pro, or nothing for a 2007?
Just back from a paint correction. Looks pretty nice for an 11 year old car so I was pondering some kind of protection . There are multiple paint chip touch ups on the front bumper but the hood is relatively unscathed. 37k miles. What would you guys do, just leave it be?
04-27-2018, 01:27 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
I got my bassalt black car paint corrected and then treated with a Flight Shield Reactive Polymer recently.. supposed to be good for 5 years.. When clean I must say that it looks incredible, especially in sunlight. At least for half an hour 
Black is not a color, it's a hobby..
Black is not a color, it's a hobby..
04-27-2018, 03:38 AM
#3
[QUOTE=svb;14970770
Just back from a paint correction. Looks pretty nice for an 11 year old car so I was pondering some kind of protection . There are multiple paint chip touch ups on the front bumper but the hood is relatively unscathed. 37k miles. What would you guys do, just leave it be?[/QUOTE]
Car looks great! IMO, Opti-coat et al are good for cars seeing all weather daily duty and/or parked outside to keep them looking “good” without too much maintenance. For a garaged, occasionally used car that you want to look great, nothing beats a good wax or sealant. Opti-coat limits your options since it sheds any toppers. Especially with black paint, you'll pick up swirls that a wax can fill for quite a while but will eventually need to be polished. But with opti-coat you can't do any of that because it will shed the wax and if you polish you will likely remove the opti-coat too, or be left wondering if you did. I have opti on two of my cars, but for the garaged midnight blue Porsche I prefer to leave it “naked”. None of the ceramic coatings or opti-coat do much of anything to prenvent chips. For that you need a physical barrier like a clear bra.
Just back from a paint correction. Looks pretty nice for an 11 year old car so I was pondering some kind of protection . There are multiple paint chip touch ups on the front bumper but the hood is relatively unscathed. 37k miles. What would you guys do, just leave it be?[/QUOTE]
Car looks great! IMO, Opti-coat et al are good for cars seeing all weather daily duty and/or parked outside to keep them looking “good” without too much maintenance. For a garaged, occasionally used car that you want to look great, nothing beats a good wax or sealant. Opti-coat limits your options since it sheds any toppers. Especially with black paint, you'll pick up swirls that a wax can fill for quite a while but will eventually need to be polished. But with opti-coat you can't do any of that because it will shed the wax and if you polish you will likely remove the opti-coat too, or be left wondering if you did. I have opti on two of my cars, but for the garaged midnight blue Porsche I prefer to leave it “naked”. None of the ceramic coatings or opti-coat do much of anything to prenvent chips. For that you need a physical barrier like a clear bra.
04-27-2018, 05:27 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Car looks great! IMO, Opti-coat et al are good for cars seeing all weather daily duty and/or parked outside to keep them looking “good” without too much maintenance. For a garaged, occasionally used car that you want to look great, nothing beats a good wax or sealant. Opti-coat limits your options since it sheds any toppers. Especially with black paint, you'll pick up swirls that a wax can fill for quite a while but will eventually need to be polished. But with opti-coat you can't do any of that because it will shed the wax and if you polish you will likely remove the opti-coat too, or be left wondering if you did. I have opti on two of my cars, but for the garaged midnight blue Porsche I prefer to leave it “naked”. None of the ceramic coatings or opti-coat do much of anything to prenvent chips. For that you need a physical barrier like a clear bra.
If you're looking for a low-effort sealant, I've been really enjoying McKees Hydro Blue. (No affiliation!) You literally spray it on and then rinse it off, and it lasts for a few months (depending on how much weather the car sees, of course).
04-27-2018, 07:58 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Car looks great! IMO, Opti-coat et al are good for cars seeing all weather daily duty and/or parked outside to keep them looking “good” without too much maintenance. For a garaged, occasionally used car that you want to look great, nothing beats a good wax or sealant. Opti-coat limits your options since it sheds any toppers. Especially with black paint, you'll pick up swirls that a wax can fill for quite a while but will eventually need to be polished. But with opti-coat you can't do any of that because it will shed the wax and if you polish you will likely remove the opti-coat too, or be left wondering if you did. I have opti on two of my cars, but for the garaged midnight blue Porsche I prefer to leave it “naked”. None of the ceramic coatings or opti-coat do much of anything to prenvent chips. For that you need a physical barrier like a clear bra.
I had my entire front end wrapped in Xpel Ultimate after full paint correction. I then had the entire car coated with Opti-Coat Pro - including on top of the Xpel ultimate. I had it done two years ago and the paint still sheds water like crazy and cleaning is a breeze. Porsche has notoriously soft clear coat, which will inevitably get swirled up even with absolute perfect washing technique - especially on black. Adding the ceramic coating gives you vastly superior hardness and resistance to swirls compared to leaving the paint naked. Two years in and I still have NO swirls in my paint.
I agree you can't add any topper products on it, but you really don't need to anyways - one of the main points of adding the coating is that you no longer need to put a top coat on your car.
I would say that the added protection you get from using Xpel Ultimate on the front end + sealing the car with a ceramic coating far outweighs the downside of not being able to use top coat products.
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04-27-2018, 10:22 PM
#8
5th Gear
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Take a look at Ceramic Pro. It's a lifetime ceramic coating much better than anything I have seen. My friend and I both have red Corvettes and we both coated our cars. I went with Ceramic Pro and he went with Opti Coat. Night and Day difference a year later.
I used to always use Xpel Ultimate on my cars too, I was a huge fan of PPF, but I learned the downsides over the years and vehicles. - If you notice, the problems are not really with the product.
I used to always use Xpel Ultimate on my cars too, I was a huge fan of PPF, but I learned the downsides over the years and vehicles. - If you notice, the problems are not really with the product.
- -Sloppy Installer can easily leave razor blade marks in your paint, especially soft Porsche paint.
- The film does yellow over time due to the Sun. I don't care what they say, I have seen it on my cars. Looks terrible with white cars.
- You can't put it on a repainted nose. You can, but if you try and remove it if the paint was never cured correctly and the paint will come off.
04-28-2018, 12:50 PM
#9
Intermediate
Sorry to hijack, but does anyone know where I can find *just* the mirror PPF? Xpel has them in kits, but only if you get the hood/fender kits. I might do that, but the mirrors look noticeably terrible on my car. I redid the stone guards and makes a world of difference to get rid of what I imagine is 10 year old PPF.
I am debating the DIY because this doesn't look too bad
To the OP - I did Xpel Ultimate on my S4 when I bought it new. Did full bumper, hood, fender and some other parts (ran me maybe 1.2k which included hidden corners - e.g. professional installation). It works great for any part of the car you think will be exposed to rocks on the HWY. Other than the piece under my trunk, it has held up fantastically and doesn't require much maintenance, just some spray on some cheap lemon wood treatment every so often.
I am debating the DIY because this doesn't look too bad
To the OP - I did Xpel Ultimate on my S4 when I bought it new. Did full bumper, hood, fender and some other parts (ran me maybe 1.2k which included hidden corners - e.g. professional installation). It works great for any part of the car you think will be exposed to rocks on the HWY. Other than the piece under my trunk, it has held up fantastically and doesn't require much maintenance, just some spray on some cheap lemon wood treatment every so often.
05-22-2018, 09:30 AM
#11
Advanced
I've been talking with multiple PPF/ceramic installers around the DC metro, and have gotten vastly different answers about the order in which PPF/opticoat should be applied. Some are solidly in the PPF first, opticoat second camp. Others suggest that the PPF should be applied over the opticoat (with a 2nd hydrophobic gel applied on top of the PPF). I can see the reasoning behind applying the PPF on top of the opticoat, so that it can be easily replaced if it's damaged by flying debris. But I'm not as sure about the rationale behind sealing PPF under the ceramic. What have folks done here, and what were your results?
Thanks!
Thanks!
05-22-2018, 01:31 PM
#12
IMO SunTek PPF is the way to go ... https://www.suntekfilms.com/paintpro...ppf-ultra.aspx
Use a reputable installer and you won't even see the film from a few feet away. I have used Xpel and I think SunTek rivals Xpel.
Ceramic coatings are all overrated IMO. I've tried several over the years and I don't think they're worth the time and money spent.
Use a reputable installer and you won't even see the film from a few feet away. I have used Xpel and I think SunTek rivals Xpel.
Ceramic coatings are all overrated IMO. I've tried several over the years and I don't think they're worth the time and money spent.
05-22-2018, 09:56 PM
#13
Intermediate
My $0.02, so take it for all its worth.
Using a paint sealant and/or a wax on these cars takes very little time. I suggest using a sealant about every 6 months, followed by a monthly wax. May be overkill, but it really doesnt take long on a car this size, and this will offer pretty close to the same protection as a coating. I also get some satisfaction in rubbing my turbo down so I enjoy the process.
All that a coating such as cquartz, opticoat, etc will do is eliminate the need to wax. The finish doesnt usually look quite as deep as a wax, but its basically maintenance free with regards to waxing. The coatings will do little to nothing to prevent swirl marks, scratches, or chips. Improper wash methods will still ruin the swirl free paint you have now after correction.
PPF will protect the paint against scratches and chips, but you lose some of the clarity of the paint due to the film, but they really do look pretty good if applied well.
With a black car, as mentioned above, its a hobby regardless which option above you choose. To keep it looking its best, you need to be very careful with how it is washed. Google two bucket wash method. Forget about using a california duster, and make sure to use a lubricant (pretty much any quick detailer) with thick microfiber towels. Get lots of thick microfiber towels, use them once, then set them aside to be washed before using again. Dont put microfiber in the dryer as it can melt the fibers which will cause scratches. Again, black is a hobby. Google as much as you can about proper detailing methods to keep the paint looking great.
My turbo (Atlas Grey.....almost as bad as black) has PPF on the front bumper, half hood/fenders. It gets megiuars ultimate liquid wax (really a sealant) twice a year, and P21 carnauba wax every couple of weeks. Every time i wash it, it gets dried with spritzs of a spray wax as a drying aid.
My daily driver F150 has cquartz coating. This allows for minimal maintenance and quick spray and go washes. The trucks paint looks good, the turbos paint looks fantastic.
Using a paint sealant and/or a wax on these cars takes very little time. I suggest using a sealant about every 6 months, followed by a monthly wax. May be overkill, but it really doesnt take long on a car this size, and this will offer pretty close to the same protection as a coating. I also get some satisfaction in rubbing my turbo down so I enjoy the process.
All that a coating such as cquartz, opticoat, etc will do is eliminate the need to wax. The finish doesnt usually look quite as deep as a wax, but its basically maintenance free with regards to waxing. The coatings will do little to nothing to prevent swirl marks, scratches, or chips. Improper wash methods will still ruin the swirl free paint you have now after correction.
PPF will protect the paint against scratches and chips, but you lose some of the clarity of the paint due to the film, but they really do look pretty good if applied well.
With a black car, as mentioned above, its a hobby regardless which option above you choose. To keep it looking its best, you need to be very careful with how it is washed. Google two bucket wash method. Forget about using a california duster, and make sure to use a lubricant (pretty much any quick detailer) with thick microfiber towels. Get lots of thick microfiber towels, use them once, then set them aside to be washed before using again. Dont put microfiber in the dryer as it can melt the fibers which will cause scratches. Again, black is a hobby. Google as much as you can about proper detailing methods to keep the paint looking great.
My turbo (Atlas Grey.....almost as bad as black) has PPF on the front bumper, half hood/fenders. It gets megiuars ultimate liquid wax (really a sealant) twice a year, and P21 carnauba wax every couple of weeks. Every time i wash it, it gets dried with spritzs of a spray wax as a drying aid.
My daily driver F150 has cquartz coating. This allows for minimal maintenance and quick spray and go washes. The trucks paint looks good, the turbos paint looks fantastic.