cy456

I recently was able to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy a 2014 c2s. Along with looking for a good tint shop in my area, I am debating whether to go with the Xpel Ultimate or use a coating like 22ple instead. This car will be a daily driver but my commute is maybe 5-10 miles total with very little highway/freeway driving. I usually put on 5-6k miles a year on my cars. I do like to detail them myself, but due to my work schedule don't usually have as much time to spend on it as I would like to. The color is silver blue.

In Hawaii there is only 1 detailer ive found that does Xpel. He can do precut or custom jobs. I haven't used him before but he seems to know his business (talked to him for like an hour today about the process). My regular detailer does the 22ple coating.

My question for those of you who have worked with this or have it and understand it better:

1. If I go with Xpel I should I go for a full coverage or just the full front and rear bumper (I read the rear tires kick a lot of debris onto the rear bumper).

2. Will Xpel discolor my paint? If I opt not to go full coverage when I do someday take it off will my hood be a different shade from my body?

3. The nicks and door dings on our dark blue car is what makes me think about doing Xpel on this car for protection, but with a ~5k quote for full coverage and ~2k for full front and rear bumper only I wonder if its better spent getting 22ple every 2 years and a good professional wash every 6 months instead.

Dino944

With a dark blue car get the full front Xpel, and behind the rear wheels, and rocker panels. My wife has an old clear bra kit from the MB dealer that was just half the hood, and the top have of the hood is pitted from stones thrown higher. Her car is dark blue and the pitting is very noticeable. Keep in mind the hood on a Pcar is lower and more sloped.

If you take the Xpel or clear bra off there should not be any color difference, as modern clear bras allow UV light to pass through. If there is any fading of the paint it should be uniform among all body panels (covered or not).

I'm still trying to find out if people like opticoat or other treatments, but I'd do it in conjuction with a clear bra. I don't think opticoat is a substitute for dealing with stone impacts against paint.

I have a dark blue metallic car on order so I still have some time to decide on opticoat or something else.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

bal

I have full front coverage with Xpel on my E550. It is good stuff and has been on for two years. I live in the Pacific Northwest so a lost of rain but a couple of weeks over the summer of heat. The car itself is a dark silver/grey and I see no yellowing or peeling. It is an expensive product, but well worth it in my opinion.

Syd B.

This is absolutely correct. Coatings do not protect against chips, although they are sometimes marketed with carefully worded ads that would make you believe they are. The clear bra isn't 100% stone proof either, but far better than nothing. As for the coatings, they provide amazing finish to your car, especially with darker colors. The nano glass technology is a fascinating step forward in car care technology. There are several products out there, but one that I have used on my Jag XK is called "Pinnacle Black Label Surface Coating. I've actually used this stuff on a few things, including my marble kitchen counters, with amazing results.

When you apply it to your car, I would clay bar it first, to remove all contaminants. Application is so easy and the results are astounding. It will provide important protection from the sun, which for you in Hawaii, is a big deal. If you want to really go to town, you can even wax it afterwards.

Good luck with whatever direction you go.

Dino944

Hi Syd,

Thanks for the info. I have heard of Pinnacle, a friend of mine has used their products and had great results. The car arrived and I had them install a custom full front Xpel clear bra on the car, and I also had them put Xpel on the rockers and behind the rear wheels. Then they put Opticoat on the car, and everything came out looking amazing!!!

Thanks again and best regards,
Dino

Syd B.

A couple of pics of the finished product is in order, that is if the sun ever comes out. Would love to see the new wheels.

AlexPorsche

i would definitely recommend the Xpel ultimate. I got it done on my car here in Los Angeles. Best investment ever! If anyone is interested in the LA Area. go look at Unique Auto Films. Those guys did an amazing job, very seamless.

Dino944

Hi Syd,

The weather has been terrible in my neighborhood so the car is hibernating. So far I really only have one very good photo of our Cayman S, which is below. The detailer sent me this photo after the Xpel was installed and opticoat applied. As mentioned previously, these guys did an amazing job. They did the entire front (hood, fenders, front bumper/spoiler etc), rocker panels and behind the rear wheels. I hope to be able to post a few more photos if the snow and salt ever disappears.

Best regards,
Dino

Syd B.

Beautiful color. I bet it looks spectacular in sunlight.

Dino944

Thanks. Now if only spring would get here already so I could start enjoying the car!

Detailed Designs

Clear bra as much as you can reasonably afford. $5,000 for covering the full car is a great value as long as they take pride in their work and it shows.

An option is to cover whatever portions with clear bra and then have the clear bra and paint coated with 22ple, CQuartz Finest or Modesta.