[Rx-7ames]

[QUOTE=Fastfwd;30612839]Full matte/satin might look badass or it might turn out ghetto. I'm scared I might pay $8k and hate how it looks and even worse it ends up failing prematurely due to sunlight exposure

Xpel stealth PPF. Just do it!

[Searay55555]

Originally Posted by Stinger77

For the wheels and calipers there is nothing better than car pro Deluxe its literally the gold standard and once your wheels and calipers are super clean and decontaminated is stupid easy to apply, literally apply and buff off and make sure you don't leave any areas un buffed so its all uniformly covered and there is no high spots.

Thanks! It does look pretty easy. I’m still a little unclear on what high spots are. Is this a ridge where one application overlaps the adjacent one, and the high spot is a little thicker? And if you have one, what is the fix?

[MineralGreyMetallic]

Just for reference in the LA area.

One shop quoted me $6,500 for Ceramic Pro Wrap, Coating, and tint
Another shop quoted me $7,500 for XPel Wrap, Coating, and NO tint.

I assumed the extra cost was for the XPel, because it's considered premium?

These prices seem crazy, but also seems like they aren't unusual. In 2017 I paid a shop in Orange County $4,400 to do just a track package and ceramic coating, so I guess it's not too far off.

[Squidget]

Comparing the price of most things pre and post pandemic is gonna cause sticker shock. It is what it is, unfortunately.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Originally Posted by Rx-7ames

Xpel stealth PPF. Just do it!

Is that yours... ?

[shehatezme]

My car is getting PPF now finally. I already noticed a big chip on the passenger side mirror cap when I dropped off. Car only has 150 miles!!!!

My installer doesn’t do ceramic coating. He is installing Xpel fusion on my car. The film is hydrophobic and doesn’t need ceramic coating. I will need to find a shop in the Bay Area to apply coating to the unprotected parts (rear bumper, trunk, door only).

https://www.xpel.com/ultimate-fusion...rotection-film

[Rx-7ames]

Originally Posted by Searay55555

Thanks! It does look pretty easy. I’m still a little unclear on what high spots are. Is this a ridge where one application overlaps the adjacent one, and the high spot is a little thicker? And if you have one, what is the fix?

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

Is that yours... ?

Yes

[JG13]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd

Get some version of 'Track Wrap' for the trip from the Dealer. I've seen Youtubers drive across country after picking up their cars to bring them home using this stuff. It's ugly, but it works. : https://a.co/d/b3wkScM

My car is at the port and I need to make an executive decision on this myself. I've been shopping around and going back and forth from a full PPF job with possibly XPEL Stealth or STEK Dynomatte. I've also been considering only doing it partially in PPF with STek Dynoshield and making sure I get a good paint correction and ceramic coating for the rest. I've even considered just doing it it fully in STEK Dynoshield.

I'm a little apprehensive about the clarity of XPel, but I'm not sure I want to take my car to Dallas for STEK and all the hassle if I ever need followup service.

I'm also feeling like a local might handle the paint correction and ceramic coating portion of the job better (for the money) than the other shops, but that's not based on any solid info.

My car is going to be parked under a carport unfortunately and right now I'm backing off the option of full PPF because I'm concerned whatever sun it does get might make the PPF adhesive fail prematurely and the warranty won't cover it if so.

I do want UV protection for the entire car. I'm just not certain at this point if the ceramic coating failing under the same conditions prematurely is the better gamble to take. I am planning to step up my game with a pressure washer and foam cannon to care for this car's finish and whatever protection I decide upon. Hopefully that will help prolong whatever I go with.

The STEK film is pretty amazing to see in person. I took a day trip to Dallas the weekend before last and visited three shops. Tactical (actually a Xpel shop, but it looked too cool to not check it out), Expert Film Solutions, and Apex. They're all really high end shops. They do top quality work, but these prices are higher than some of you guys in California. So, that's a problem.

I'm looking at $7500 for Dynosheild with an uncertain paint correction and ceramic coating ($8k for Dynomatte) as maybe the least expensive of those three. To be fair I was mostly interested in matte/satin at the time and I just didn't ask much about paint correction and the ceramic coating they used.

Locally, possibly my best option is a XPel CQuartz guy who does a single stage paint correction with CQuartz Professional for $1,200. That's not including the wheels and calipers. That's like another $400 I think.

He does a CQuartz Finest Reserve package with wheels off and 2 stage paint correction (which I probably don't need) for $2,100. I've actually seen this quoted even higher in Wichita, KS. I'm not sure why Finest Reserve is supposed to be so special.

His XPEL pricing is on the high end too though. I may see if I can't negotiate with some of these guys a little. See if they will back off those prices a little bit possibly.

I'm currently balking at all of these quotes. Frankly, I think they see what car it is and quote the highest price. No way these folks bringing in their minivans, etc. are paying these prices. I'm just not believing it.

I've got to bite the bullet and make a decision though. Full matte/satin might look badass or it might turn out ghetto. I'm scared I might pay $8k and hate how it looks and even worse it ends up failing prematurely due to sunlight exposure.

I've actually used that Track Wrap on my E36 before and had a really tough time getting it all applied. Ended up scrapping and trying over so much until I ran out of the track wrap.

One thing that worries me is that if it's not applied perfectly, it will start to peel off and flap around in the wind when going at high speeds which damages the paint in itself

I had better luck going the old painter's tape route with my track car after a fresh paint job as silly as it looked.

[Mr.McNutty]

For those that have gotten their PPF done already, were they able to apply the rear bumper in a single piece? My guy is saying that he has tried but can only do the G87 bumper with a seam down the middle.

[Squidget]

Originally Posted by Mr.McNutty

For those that have gotten their PPF done already, were they able to apply the rear bumper in a single piece? My guy is saying that he has tried but can only do the G87 bumper with a seam down the middle.

It's been a while since I looked, but I think the PPF on my rear bumper is a single piece.

[Fastfwd]

Originally Posted by JG13

I've actually used that Track Wrap on my E36 before and had a really tough time getting it all applied. Ended up scrapping and trying over so much until I ran out of the track wrap.

One thing that worries me is that if it's not applied perfectly, it will start to peel off and flap around in the wind when going at high speeds which damages the paint in itself

I had better luck going the old painter's tape route with my track car after a fresh paint job as silly as it looked.

Thanks for the heads up. If I do use it to take the car to Dallas I'll try to keep an eye on it.

[Knocksvil]

Originally Posted by Mr.McNutty

For those that have gotten their PPF done already, were they able to apply the rear bumper in a single piece? My guy is saying that he has tried but can only do the G87 bumper with a seam down the middle.

Looking at xpel's website, they call it a 2 piece seemed pattern.

[Geighty7]

Originally Posted by MineralGreyMetallic

Just for reference in the LA area.

One shop quoted me $6,500 for Ceramic Pro Wrap, Coating, and tint
Another shop quoted me $7,500 for XPel Wrap, Coating, and NO tint.

I assumed the extra cost was for the XPel, because it's considered premium?

These prices seem crazy, but also seems like they aren't unusual. In 2017 I paid a shop in Orange County $4,400 to do just a track package and ceramic coating, so I guess it's not too far off.

6500 for all of that and I'd be skeptical. XPEL and STEK are the way to go.

[Geighty7]

[QUOTE=Rx-7ames;30613055]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd

Full matte/satin might look badass or it might turn out ghetto. I'm scared I might pay $8k and hate how it looks and even worse it ends up failing prematurely due to sunlight exposure

Xpel stealth PPF. Just do it!

Looks great! I got this master guy in my area to come down to $7000 out the door for STEK matte on my BSM. I love the frozen look. Any seems in yours?

[Rx-7ames]

Originally Posted by Mr.McNutty

For those that have gotten their PPF done already, were they able to apply the rear bumper in a single piece? My guy is saying that he has tried but can only do the G87 bumper with a seam down the middle.

My rear bumper is a single piece but there are several seams. Like others have said, my wrap guy said this was the most complicated car he's ever done. The rear bumper took one full day. The front bumper took another full day. FYI, my shop did not use templates, everything was hand cut, and every panel is one piece.

[Rx-7ames]

Originally Posted by Geighty7

Looks great! I got this master guy in my area to come down to $7000 out the door for STEK matte on my BSM. I love the frozen look. Any seems in yours?

Lots of seems due to the harsh angles. But it was done very well, and it looks pretty good.

[Mr.McNutty]

Originally Posted by Knocksvil

Looking at xpel's website, they call it a 2 piece seemed pattern.

Originally Posted by Rx-7ames

My rear bumper is a single piece but there are several seams. Like others have said, my wrap guy said this was the most complicated car he's ever done. The rear bumper took one full day. The front bumper took another full day. FYI, my shop did not use templates, everything was hand cut, and every panel is one piece.

Thank you for the input.

Did you guys let the dealership wash the car? I'd love to pick up a clean car then drive it straight to PPF, but if the dealership is going to marr up my paint then I'll tell them not to touch it. Maybe letting them wash it will help me better inspect the paint quality too?

[NewToM]

I am dropping off my car for ppf and tint on Sunday. Should I wash the car before I drop it off, or do they take care of that when putting on the ppf?

[Mr.McNutty]

Originally Posted by NewToM

I am dropping off my car for ppf and tint on Sunday. Should I wash the car before I drop it off, or do they take care of that when putting on the ppf?

They will definitely wash it thoroughly and potentially do some prep on the paint, otherwise they would be sealing in a bunch of crap. I’m trying to decide if I even want to let the dealership wash my car.

[Searay55555]

Originally Posted by NewToM

I am dropping off my car for ppf and tint on Sunday. Should I wash the car before I drop it off, or do they take care of that when putting on the ppf?

Don’t touch it. Mine needed paint correction, so be prepared that this might be a possibility. It was about $450.

[OldButSmooth]

About to head over to Aussie Cossie in Artarmon to have the following areas of the car wrapped in PPF:
* bonnet/hood
* front bumper and air intake surrounds
* entire carbon roof
* external rear vision mirrors
* lower portion of both sides of the vehicle

I have used this Sydney based company for the past 15 years and have found their workmanship and product to be excellent. The peace of mind delivered is worth the cost.

Cheers

[Stinger77]

Originally Posted by Searay55555

Thanks! It does look pretty easy. I’m still a little unclear on what high spots are. Is this a ridge where one application overlaps the adjacent one, and the high spot is a little thicker? And if you have one, what is the fix?

High spots is where you have applied too much of the coating and the refraction of the light will cause it to look opaque, in the wheels is hard to mess it up and have high spots unlike in the paint where you can easily notice where you have applied too much, hope you have fun applying your wheel coating cuz i have a blast every time I do.