A large enough rock may tear the film, but will then protect the paint. A rock big enough to tear the film (which is very tough) would likely cause significant paint damage (down to bare metal). Smaller rocks can marr and scratch the film, but some films (eXpel ultimate for example, have a "self healing" property which helps the scratch smooth out/go away. You are basically putting a replaceable/disposable layer between the debris and your paint which is harder and more expensive to fix.

If I lease my car I would NOT have gotten a clear bra. They won't ding you on small dings at lease end (at least BMW doesn't).

X

 

Just to clarify above, you're both correct . We polished the entire front end and mirrors lightly (after washing and decontaminating) before the Xpel PPF was applied in order to make the paint nicer and smooth for the application. After the PPF is applied, we go on to finish polishing the remaining car panels. After all the polishing is done on the clearcoat, the entire car was prepped for the coating and then coated with OptiCoat.

Because the film was brand new, we didn't want to nor did we need to polish it before the coating, but as dubpower said, we do sometimes very lightly polish used film on vehicles that want a full correction and then a coating application. This is done simply to slightly improve the condition of the film and allow for a better coating application.

As for OptiCoat, or other coatings for that matter, on top of the film, I was told at SEMA by Xpel reps that it the self healing properties would still be there as there's flex in the coatings as well (just as there is in paint, film, etc.). Other reputable detailers around the country have heard the same thing and some have experienced it in person, so I don't thin it will negative affect it whatsoever.

Lastly, we tend to stay away from Optimum's claims of 5yr to permanent claims and tell our clients realistically they can expect about 1-1.5yrs on the low end upwards of 2-3years durability. There are so many variables with these coatings and we try to be as honest as possible, whereas many "standard" detail shops simply try to sell it on the basis of "never wax your car again", which is far from the truth.

Hope that clears it up a bit!

Ivan @ AIC Detail

As x-ray said, it will only fail to protect the paint when some larger "projectiles" come at your paintwork. Aside from that, any decent quality film (we like Xpel most due to looks and quality) will prevent rock chips and keep the paint below looking pristine. Some owners get away with only a couple of paint chips over 3-5 years of ownership, whereas others have that "peppered" look on the entire front end even after only a few months. This all depends on the area you live in and the roads you drive on, but it's always a good investment in my opinion.

 

excellent......appreciate the response

whats your guys opinion on cquartz.....my brother had it applied on his gt3rs....and is pretty disappointed so far.........thinks that the detailer just mickey moused him....even though we did see them put something on the car....i dunno

i stick with a nice wax, heck im happy with nxt2.0....cheap but very good

 

Thx for that Ivan! You did a great job on the car.

I was being sarcastic with vdub about "bra correction" lol. Even to the uninformed it would be pretty obvious that the surface needs to be prepped before applying the ppf.

 

whatever....u were serious

 

Negative "its the new thing bra correction" I figured u would clearly see that was a jab at you.

I've been detailing my own cars for a long time now, I had a flex da polisher b4 they became popular, and autopia was one of the first car related forums I ever joined.

 

I figured I'd post before people started calling us up for the newest and greatest "bra correction" . Glad you liked it!

 

I use CQuartz Finest as our top of the line coating because it's the most exclusive, expensive and hard to apply (2-coats), but I use OptiCoat even more believe it or not. I'm not sure about the regular CQuartz, but I do like Finest.

What exactly was your brother disappointed with regarding the Cquartz and also what detailer installed it? Regular CQuartz is available to anyone, so it can easily be applied improperly and with bad prep, lasting only a few months.

 

lucci detail down in so-cal.....supposed to be very good....dunno what happened

 

Hmm I'm not sure then. I never really heard anything good or bad about that shop.