Paint Protection Film

Does water bead on PPL like it does on ceramic coated paint?

 

Absolutely it does.

 

Haven't posted here in awhile (PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A LONG POST)...

I had my 2022 Lunar Rock Pro wrapped with Xpel Stealth (matte) film. Full wrap. I'm not generally a fan of Lunar Rock (especially as compared to Cement) but with the stealth, it came out great. The stealth takes down the shine and accentuates lines without blasting out edges. I took mine to a shop in Indianapolis (where I purchased the truck) and they did a decent job but it could've been much better. I wound up taking it a highly-reputable shop when I got it back to Denver and they fixed a bunch of the issues I had.

When getting a wrap, it's important to manage expectations prior to getting the wrap.

• Not all installers are created equal. Some are badass. Some straight up blow
  • Do your due diligence when selecting a shop. The "buy nice or buy twice" rule applies here. Usually the higher the cost, the better the installer. Expect to pay $6k-$12k for a full wrap and $2k-$3k for full front-end wrap.
  • Ask to see photos. But know that some can be manipulated. However, if you look in the shop and they have Lambos, Teslas, and other high-end vehicles, then they are probably a good shop. If the dude has a single Honda Civic getting a cheap vinyl wrap in the back corner, then don't pay premium prices.
• Even on the "full" wraps, there will be exposed areas.
  • This is less of a problem if you get the "standard" clear wraps like Xpel's Ultimate film. But for the matte film, you may still have exposed areas, edges of paint. This is because the film is usually pretty thick (up to 13mils) and is generally less pliable that standard vinyl. The thickness gives you protection but is generally harder to manipulate around complex corners/edges. The clear wraps mitigate this because they mimic the shiny clear anyway.
• Some disassembly required.
  • Ask if they will disassemble parts of the vehicle or if they will be using cut patterns. The standard practice is for them to feed the film into a machine and it laser-cuts patterns for application. If you get a clear film (like the Ultimate) the cut film is normally pretty good but on mattes, the underlying clear coat can stick out like a sore thumb. This is why matte film installs may cost more.
  • For matte films, the better high-end shops will disassemble parts of the car to lay the film down. When my truck was first wrapped, the guy did a decent job but there were "issues". (see photos). On the hood, you can see large gaps near the hood vents and under the door handle pockets. The Denver shop removed they hood vents and door handles and then laid a bulk sheet down. The trim pieces are then re-installed for a more seamless look.
• 99% of a quality wrap is in the prep
  • Good shops will put in a lot of time doing paint correction and preparing the paint for film. This means increased labor costs. Any paint flaws that can be seen without film will be exaggerated x100 under a film. This is especially true for deep scratches and rock chips.
  • Waxes are usually taken down prior to film placement. After film installation, most shops will then lay a ceramic coat down over the film to help with water collection. It's my experience that ceramic is great but it's not completely necessary. You can pressure wash the crap out of the film with those nasty brushes all you want and you won't scratch on the film permanently. Worst case, park it in the sun and they will go away.
• Warranties
  • Good film will last at least 10 years and those are usually warrantied for the same amount of time but the warranty usually ONLY covers product defects (yellowing/cracking/etc). "Installation errors" are not covered. So if the shop does a bad job, the cuts are off, or it starts peeling because the shop didn't lay it down right, you will be hard pressed getting a company to cover the cost of replacement.
  • TESTIMONIAL: After my initial wrap, I began having issues in that the film started peeling in corners. Xpel was open with their communication but was resistive to replacing the film (film and install at a different shop). It wasn't until I noted that the original guy cut into my paint, that they agreed to replace the film but I was still on the hook for paying the labor at the new shop for the removal and reapplication of the film. Fortunately the new shop in Denver was awesome and they helped me out a bunch to help mitigate the costs.

The last tidbit on my soapbox is just asking if it's worth it? To that I would say, HELL YES! I live in Colorado and while the roads are generally pretty good, the highways can really suck; especially in the winter. There's crap flying all over the place. My last truck didn't have a single flaw in the paint until I moved to the mountains, then rock chips, windshields, and the other fun-time objects basically tore it up. Since putting the film on my Tundra, I have yet to get anything significant that can't be "fixed" by parking it the sun. The finish always looks consistent and it still looks badass in photos after 20k miles.

 

Excellent points! My PPF/Tint guy has upscale cars all the time, he did my Audi, and had a Porsche GT3 in his garage he had done a full wrap/tint to and was just finishing it up. (what a beautiful car - tho white isn't my favorite for that , but still)

For my '23 1794, I did ppf to front facing items, bumpers, front 20" of hood, lights, A-pillars Ceramic coating, and ceramic tint on all glass (including panoramic)