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I'm creating this thread to be a discussion point for paint protection films. If you have questions - whether how it holds up, what it looks like, different brands you're considering, or whatever - please post. When I was looking at options it was difficult to find much in one place. I had to venture to the Tesla forums, Vette forums, BMW forums, Ferrari forums, Porsche forums (you get the picture) to read about different films and experiences.
Anyway, I bought my 507 in March 2017 with only 4,600 miles on it. As soon as it arrived, I had it completely wrapped (all painted surfaces, including headlights, mirrors, and roof pieces) in SunTek Ultra PPF. It is a pretty new film that takes SunTek's already great film and adds more stain resistance, hydrophobicity, and a 10 year warranty on film and labor. It goes head to head with Xpel Ultimate (most agree that 3m/Scotchgard's films are second rate). My installer (Shane at Xero Graphics in Honolulu - if you need any wrap work, he is the man in Hawaii) uses both films and highly recommended both. However, he thinks the SunTek is a little better with clarity and less orange peel. Guys on the Corvette forum seem to agree, along with it adhering better to compound curves. Judging by the work he has been doing on exotics, it seems owners are still split between the films, but more and more are going SunTek.
Both SunTek and Xpel have gloss and matte film finishes.
Both films take to other coatings like CQuartz, etc. very well. I plan on coating mine in the near future.
When wrapping, some places use precut kits. Be careful with that as they often don't cover as much as you'd like and the accuracy of the kit varies by manufacturer. If you don't do precut, you can get away with fewer seams, but there is a risk of scoring the paint when they cut. A huge reason to go with the best installer you can find. I did not do a precut kit. I watched parts of my car being done and I don't regret it. Because of the single sheets being used, chances of scoring were minimal (and he was a surgeon with the knife).
The process is not cheap regardless of whether you do a full front wrap or the entire car. A typical full front wrap is $1,500-1,600 USD. There aren't discounts for doing more panels because it just adds to labor and film costs. My paint was in excellent condition and only required very minor correction before applying.
Word of caution... Always pick the very best installer you can find. Look at cars they are wrapping while you are at the shop and have completed. Some places are cheaper, but their wrapping skills are horrible. My installer has to rewrap a fair amount of cars (even exotics) because they didn't do their homework and the cars get butchered or the film yellows.
Attached are some pictures of my car about a month after wrapping it. They are just some quick cellphone shots in my parking garage (you can also see my ISF in the background of the first picture lol). You can get a feel for the gloss by the reflection. If we have good weather, I'll try to get more pictures possibly this weekend with a real camera after it is detailed.
Last edited by BadCompany; 06-14-2017 at 04:17 PM.
Man that looks terrific. If I remember correctly you wrapped the whole car right? What did your installer do regarding the badges on the fenders? Did he remove them?
The ultra looks like the bees knees, thank you for posting this! I'll be sure to post up some pics after wrapping then post coat application.
Yep. The whole car is wrapped. So all painted surfaces, headlights, DRLs, side mirrors, non-glass portions of the roof, etc. All badging came off the car as well as the vents and parts like that. The car was done in as many single sheets per panel as possible to eliminate seams. On the sides, the film comes down to the 507 graphic, then picks back up on the other side. All edges were wrapped. Without feeling the car or me telling you, you'd never know it was wrapped. I will update the post after coating too.
Yep. The whole car is wrapped. So all painted surfaces, headlights, DRLs, side mirrors, non-glass portions of the roof, etc. All badging came off the car as well as the vents and parts like that. The car was done in as many single sheets per panel as possible to eliminate seams. On the sides, the film comes down to the 507 graphic, then picks back up on the other side. All edges were wrapped. Without feeling the car or me telling you, you'd never know it was wrapped. I will update the post after coating too.
Cant wait to see your BS. What color is your car?
Iridium Silver!
Here is a pic I took after applying two coats of Nano Resin. It has a full front clear bra on it, but not sure of brand and its about due for replacement. Figured I'd just redo it entirely and start with a clean canvas.
More pics to follow later next month after its all done.
i worked with suntek and xpel and i prefer suntek for easier installs. xpel is really thick and bit harderd to get on corners but i am ameratur. I do recommend xpel since its thicker for front end and its much smoother.
Here is a pic I took after applying two coats of Nano Resin. It has a full front clear bra on it, but not sure of brand and its about due for replacement. Figured I'd just redo it entirely and start with a clean canvas.
More pics to follow later next month after its all done.
Beautiful. A little jealous... haha Looking forward to hearing what you think on a light color after the wrap and coating.
Originally Posted by tpliquid
i worked with suntek and xpel and i prefer suntek for easier installs. xpel is really thick and bit harderd to get on corners but i am ameratur. I do recommend xpel since its thicker for front end and its much smoother.
Are you just talking about Xpel and SunTek or Xpel Ultimate and SunTek Ultra? The film's top coats are different... I can't say I agree about smoothness when you're talking about Ultimate and Ultra (I've felt both and they are pretty similar). Much of decision comes down to what your installer really likes (and why you should be very picky about who is installing). If your installer really likes Xpel and does great installs with it, go that route. If they like SunTek, go that route. The films are both super high quality.
So I got my car back last Friday with the whole front end redone (hood, fenders, a pillars, front portion of roof, mirrors, side skirts, and headlights) in Suntek Ultra. I am very pleased with the new film. I couldn't believe how much my old film had yellowed. My installer had to use a steamer to remove some of the film off the hood. I previously had the rear fender rockers, rear bumper area behind wheels, door edges & cups, and the black window trim covered in PPF a couple months prior. Pretty much any impact area is covered.
Regarding the Ultra film, it is great and I am glad I paid the small difference in upgrading to it from the original PPF-C Suntek offers. There is a very minuscule amount of grain in it compared to the original PPF-C offered by Suntek, but you wouldn't notice it unless they were side by side. For the small price difference and added benefits of the new Ultra film, it was a no brainer to go with it. The film is glossy with great clarity. After I topped it off with Dr Beasley's Nano Resin it looked even better!
Here are some before and after pictures. The old clear bra was in bad shape. I assume it applied when the car was brand new. I'm still glad it was on there to preserve the paint.
If anyone needs PPF in the Dallas area feel free to PM for my installer's info. Best PPF install you will get here hands down.
I love it. You rarely see a red car.
If you don't mind what is the expectation on the retention of the gloss? I saw 10 yr. Did your research turn up anyone with doubts
Is it easy to remove?
Would it go over black well?
Ive wanted to do mine for a while but some parts would need a respray first, my wrap guy said he wouldnt wrap anything thats had paint for at least 3-4 months which I aint leaving the car not getting driven for!
I love it. You rarely see a red car.
If you don't mind what is the expectation on the retention of the gloss? I saw 10 yr. Did your research turn up anyone with doubts
Is it easy to remove?
Would it go over black we'll ?
Thanks! Mars Red wasn't the first choice, but after finding the car, I couldn't resist. The more I see the car in this color, the more I like it.
None of my research showed anyone concerned with the top coat losing its gloss. The general consensus has been that it all holds up very well - especially when you care for it. My installer and the forums I looked at all seemed to trust the warranty. The installers do get paid for warranty work - not that they like doing it. They prefer no issues. Bad experiences and warranty work aren't really good for business. Most of the concern is yellowing though (especially with light color cars).
The adhessive holds really well... I mean, it's made to hold
tight for at least 10 years. With that said, my understanding is that it comes off fairly easily and will not hurt the paint at all (assuming there were no issues with the paint when applied). I've seen some directions where you basically pull
an edge and pull at an angle and it releases. Sometimes a little heat is used like SuckaGDog described. But his car is a great example. Old was removed and new was applied without issue.
There should be zero issue laying it over a black car. Lighter cars tend to be harder because it is easier to see yellowing, etc. Just make sure to do proper paint correction so the paint is perfect before covering it. Once the PPF is there, there is no fixing any swirl marks, etc. My installer does a fair amount of Ferarris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, etc. Many have dark paint... they come out awesome.
I think the key here is finding an installer with good experience. Living in a small'ish town (Richmond, VA), this can be the limiting factor. Would love to consider this treatment, but finding a trustworthy installer might be difficult if not impossible.
Looks great. Your installer did a WAY better job than whoever did the first install. Glad it came out so well.
Thank you for your help speaking with your installer, much appreciated!
Originally Posted by Alex.currie44
I love it. You rarely see a red car.
If you don't mind what is the expectation on the retention of the gloss? I saw 10 yr. Did your research turn up anyone with doubts
Is it easy to remove?
Would it go over black well?
You won't have any gloss reduction. As long as you take care of the film as if it were paint you'll be fine. Coating is by fair the easiest vs waxing. Only downside is the initial time spent applying the coating. The PPF nowadays are so much better than the ones in the early 2000s. It will go over black without issue and the good thing about dark colors is if there is any air bubbles they will be easy to spot and remove.
During the install process the installer will use a combination of water/soap, etc as lubricant. Sometimes a large amount will remain behind and the moisture will evaporate through the film leaving behind an air bubble. This is easily fixed by the installer using a needle syringe to remove. Lighter colors it can be more difficult to spot air bubbles.
Originally Posted by Phil_T
Ive wanted to do mine for a while but some parts would need a respray first, my wrap guy said he wouldnt wrap anything thats had paint for at least 3-4 months which I aint leaving the car not getting driven for!
Yes, don't apply film over paint that has a lot of rock chips already. It won't look good as those chips will act as craters for air pockets to sit in. Then the film will look all bumpy/spotty. Usually a month after a respray is generally enough time for the paint to cure and gasses to be released. 3-4 months is kind of a stretch.
06-13-2017, 08:16 PM
