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I have an incoming GTS in Carrara White Metallic. I will probably keep it ~5 years but will be kept outside (no garage). I live in NJ in a rural area (gravel roads, bird crap, tree sap, etc.) and am wondering if the investment of full PPF is worth it...?
I have a same 2023 Carrara White metallic and have gone for full body xpel ppf (except roof - because it is already more than half covered by the sunroof). I have different use case as I live in EU the parking lots and onstreet parkings are narrow and door dings are usual sight by careless drivers. Hence I have gone for full body ppf - I do park it outside and here it rains approx 250 days in a year.
Please note the dirt on the edges of ppf are more visible on whites than on darker colours unless your detailer apply the non pre cut film. The xpels are pre cut and you always have 1mm or so gap at the edge (not all edges). But the dirt on edge is acceptable for me than a swirl mark or a door dings.
Last edited by rajatparihar; 08-22-2024 at 06:59 AM.
I have an incoming GTS in Carrara White Metallic. I will probably keep it ~5 years but will be kept outside (no garage). I live in NJ in a rural area (gravel roads, bird crap, tree sap, etc.) and am wondering if the investment of full PPF is worth it...?
Full? No. PPF is for impacts. I'd do full front but do a GOOD ceramic coating on the rest to counter bird crap, tree sap, etc.
Originally Posted by u2fan1967
I too just picked up a CPO 2024 Cayenne in Montego blue. I had the dealer do the full front PPF from the same local PPF shop that is top rated in this area (north of Boston). they did a great job. Question is, should I bother to ceramic the rest of the vehicle? the local PPF shop says I should ceramic over the PPF and do the rest of the car in ceramic also. Seems overkill? thoughts?
Not really overkill. Ceramic is like "super wax". Keeps the paint slick and helps dirt build up as fast and helps it release easier when washing. This will be your best defense for washing induced marring and swirls.
Last edited by Needsdecaf; 08-22-2024 at 10:43 AM.
hi
i am expecting my cayenne to arrive within the coming 2 months ,
i had PPF on my current cayenne and my experience so far was good and bad , its for sure protect the car from serious scratch's but i feel that the day to day watching affects does appear more than any normal car ( specially dark )
one of my friend has exactly the same car with no PPF and his paint looks more shiny and no washing circles ( tiny scratch's ) is noticeable
i wounder if any one has same experience and what does nano ceramic does better in this case ?
thanks
If you are getting swirls on the dark car, it's your washing that's causing that. What is your technique? Ceramic will help to a certain extent by aiding the release of dirt during washing but you must invest in proper equipment and technique to wash (and dry!) properly if you want to avoid swirls.
I don't think it's overkill at all. PPF can easily be acid-etched by bird poop. If it etches into the surface, no amount of polishing will remove it. Ceramic will make cleaning the vehicle much easier.
You may investigate the option to do the ceramic yourself. There are some really excellent products available that are not difficult to apply. GTechniq Crystal Serum LT is one of them.
I recently did my Cayenne and it turned out great. (Wheels also.) Very easy to clean now.
Yes just did the same...did my car and about to re-do my Carrrera S and my wife's Taycan CT4 also....I used GTechniq Crystal Serum Lite on my Carrera and AmmoNYC Reflex Pro on my Taycan initially and worked very well. Was living in Hawaii at the time so weather wasn't a problem for the most part. Just did the Cayenne in AmmoNYC Reflex Pro II and it came out well. Other than 1 area with a bit of build up over a door edge that I will need to polish off and redo (a 30-45 min job) it came out great. Modern ceramics are pretty easy to apply just need a clean garage, lighting, and take your time. Washed and cleaned, AMMONYC Reflex Pro II applied Ceramic AMMONYC Preflex Pro II rear quarter completed Ceramic AMMONYC Preflex Pro II rear complete
Originally Posted by u2fan1967
that looks beautiful. good points. thanks. I'll probably just pay them to do it. I'm a bit nervous of screwing it up LOL
Pretty easy to do...if you can wax a car then you can do ceramics. Biggest thing is paint and how good is it? Get car washed and have a paint correction done if needed [which is polishing mostly] by a professional IF needed. My car was new [end of May delivery] and paint was excellent with no real areas that needed correction. Had my friend who details for a few local dealers also check and agreed. So washed with foam gun, then hand washed car all without any additional sealants and such additives to the products used. Then used Surface Prep for ceramics that comes as a spray and is applied before ceramic coating to give a good surface for the ceramic to cure to on paint and cleans off Iron, oils and all contaminants you missed. After than applied AMMONYC Reflex Pro II slowly but delibrately...do a small panel at a time and move to the next after spread and buff...takes about 5 mins per panel. Make sure you have LOTS of microfiber clothes...wear a mask/resprirator and have well lighted and good air flow. Did mine in garage with open door so I could see and air could circulate. Took about 1 hr fully to do 1 coat on the Cayenne and wheels with left over ceramic in bottle. Didn't do wheel barrels as I didn't have a lift and so was unable to take wheels off [like I have done before when fully doing one of my cars]. Then left the car inside to allow ceramic coating to cure and keep it out of the elements....most recommend not to wash it or have it exposed to the elements for at least 48hrs but I left mine in the garage for almost a week to make sure it was okay...have other cars to drive so that wasnt a problem for me. Car looks amazing now and surface is slick and water beads off. Just trying to figure out what i want to use on the glass and panoramic roof now.
So yeah give it a try if you're game. Pretty easy to do...look at a few videos as there are tons on Youtube from reputable guys..I love AMMONYC and Larry K [owner] is communicative IF you have problems or questions. Often replies to emails personally and within a day or two. Biggest issue usually with doing it yourself is confidence in your ability as you noted and logistics and timing as it can take some time to do the prep which is VERY important if you want good results but requires multiple steps then cure and time afterwards. Give it a try...you'll be surprised at how easy it can be and the amount of $$ you save.
Yes just did the same...did my car and about to re-do my Carrrera S and my wife's Taycan CT4 also....I used GTechniq Crystal Serum Lite on my Carrera and AmmoNYC Reflex Pro on my Taycan initially and worked very well. Was living in Hawaii at the time so weather wasn't a problem for the most part. Just did the Cayenne in AmmoNYC Reflex Pro II and it came out well. Other than 1 area with a bit of build up over a door edge that I will need to polish off and redo (a 30-45 min job) it came out great. Modern ceramics are pretty easy to apply just need a clean garage, lighting, and take your time.
Washed and cleaned, AMMONYC Reflex Pro II applied
Ceramic AMMONYC Preflex Pro II rear quarter completed
Ceramic AMMONYC Preflex Pro II rear complete
Pretty easy to do...if you can wax a car then you can do ceramics. Biggest thing is paint and how good is it? Get car washed and have a paint correction done if needed [which is polishing mostly] by a professional IF needed. My car was new [end of May delivery] and paint was excellent with no real areas that needed correction. Had my friend who details for a few local dealers also check and agreed. So washed with foam gun, then hand washed car all without any additional sealants and such additives to the products used. Then used Surface Prep for ceramics that comes as a spray and is applied before ceramic coating to give a good surface for the ceramic to cure to on paint and cleans off Iron, oils and all contaminants you missed. After than applied AMMONYC Reflex Pro II slowly but delibrately...do a small panel at a time and move to the next after spread and buff...takes about 5 mins per panel. Make sure you have LOTS of microfiber clothes...wear a mask/resprirator and have well lighted and good air flow. Did mine in garage with open door so I could see and air could circulate. Took about 1 hr fully to do 1 coat on the Cayenne and wheels with left over ceramic in bottle. Didn't do wheel barrels as I didn't have a lift and so was unable to take wheels off [like I have done before when fully doing one of my cars]. Then left the car inside to allow ceramic coating to cure and keep it out of the elements....most recommend not to wash it or have it exposed to the elements for at least 48hrs but I left mine in the garage for almost a week to make sure it was okay...have other cars to drive so that wasnt a problem for me. Car looks amazing now and surface is slick and water beads off. Just trying to figure out what i want to use on the glass and panoramic roof now.
So yeah give it a try if you're game. Pretty easy to do...look at a few videos as there are tons on Youtube from reputable guys..I love AMMONYC and Larry K [owner] is communicative IF you have problems or questions. Often replies to emails personally and within a day or two. Biggest issue usually with doing it yourself is confidence in your ability as you noted and logistics and timing as it can take some time to do the prep which is VERY important if you want good results but requires multiple steps then cure and time afterwards. Give it a try...you'll be surprised at how easy it can be and the amount of $$ you save.
Some good points.
+1 on the comments regarding self-protection with the products. Wear gloves. Ensure good air circulation.
thank you all ,,great input here many have asked what is my washing techniques that result in swirl , well i use high pressure water 1st then soup then wash it again with high pressure water , after reflecting , i think the big mistake i was doing is washing the car in the day time ( in the summer ) when the PPF has been under the sun for long time ( 50 C temp) which make the PPF very soft and about to melt down that is easy to be scratched no matter how gently i try to wash it or dry it ,,which is not the case on the original paint ( of Nano cer. in this case ) , it should stand more regardless of the surface temperature just a though , or Mabey i installed the wrong PPF although it cost me around 3500 USD !