Paint correction, PPF, Ceramic

[FLOW TIE]

Finally after 3 yrs of ownership and many other things that got in front of it, had all this done this past week.

Took it to Pro-Tect Mobile in Addison, they did a fantastic job!!
Had PPF put on nose, front fenders, hood, side skirts, mirrors, rear “gill” area and fender flairs. Ceramic coating on all surfaces and glass.

Tires are next as the Trofeos are getting long in the tooth.
Will be going with Conti Extremes or Michelin pilot sport 4S.

Had a blast driving her this morning!

[Clarkstar]

That is shiny. Looks awesome��

[Palutz]

That looks amazing ... definitely on my list of things to do to my Z. How much did you pay for all of the work?

[0stones0]

Beautiful! Needs the halos, if that’s an option.....just my opinion, of course.

[MrRaZ28]

Gorgeous!

Go with the Conti's. The wife's Z has the Michelins and OMG I hate them. Road noise is god awful, ride is almost as bad as the Bridgestones, and there is no give. As soon as we can afford it, I'm tossing these POS's and getting her Conti's.

[hammdo]

Damn Chuck, that looks new! Oh wait, how much do you drive it? ;o)

Is it past the 1500 mile break-in yet ;o)

All kidding aside, she looks great!

-Don

[fhrex]

now that, my friends, is one beautiful Camaro!

[Deputy347k9]

I have the Ashen Gray but I must say that is the shiniest one I have seen. Fantastic!

[pzero]

Looks great flow! Looks like brand new show room car.

Can you educate me on PPF vs ceramic. I’m sure the others would like it as well.
I want to hear it from a member and a owner, not from some salesman. Thanks.

I’m thinking about doing this to my Z soon.

[X77-69z28]

Me too!

[j o n]

Real nice. I think ppf and ceramic coating is some of the best money put towards these cars. So much frontal area and impact areas and just the over appearance the ceramic coating provides. Ease of maintenance is the MAIN bargain. The protection of both products allows for quick and simple cleanings, when needed

[rcandiloro]

Originally Posted by pzero

Looks great flow! Looks like brand new show room car.

Can you educate me on PPF vs ceramic. I’m sure the others would like it as well.
I want to hear it from a member and a owner, not from some salesman. Thanks.

I’m thinking about doing this to my Z soon.

I'm gonna jump in here because I just had my car wrapped AND had Ceramic Pro coating put on top of the wrap and I'm here to tell you that it's freakin amazing......

Paint Protection Film (PPF) is a physical clear "wrap" that is put on the car. Totally transparent and literally is a barrier preventing road debris from chipping the paint. Can be on the car for years.

Ceramic Pro Coating is a spray/wipe on chemical that "bonds" to the paint or to a wrap that prevents dirt/bugs from attaching to the car and makes washing it a breeze. It also protects it from the sun to minimize the potential for any oxidation. I had a two year or five year option (I'm assuming the five year means they just put more on the car). The two year option cost me $500 for the whole car (every single surface and the front and side windows), the five year cost $1000.

I wish I would have done this earlier. I was a skeptic about ceramic pro but now I'll never have a car without it. You have to see it to believe it the first time you wash your car. I had to wait two weeks before I could wash the car because the ceramic coating has to "cure".....after that just wash with normal car wash soap. I live in an area where there are a LOT of bugs. The first time I was able to wash it I turned the hose on and sprayed the front end and ALL of the bugs literally fell off, I mean they FELL OFF the car with NO bug guts to speak of attached. I sprayed the rest of the car down and all the water did was bead up and slide off the car and whatever dust was on the car went with it, I stood there dumbfounded. I have always been a waterless wash guy, but now I just wash it with car soap (nothing special just use a regular car wash soap) and use a micro fiber cloth. All I'm doing is wiping the dirt off with the water because nothing attaches to the car, it's really weird you just have to see it for yourself. The area in the back of the car, the lower rear end where I've always had a lot of road grime and when I would waterless wash it the micro fiber cloth would be black, now there's just a small bit of black road grime when I wipe it down. Just spraying the car off gets most everything off. Then all I do is take a dry micro fiber cloth and start wiping off the water, when the cloth gets full of water I squeeze it all out and keep going. You can use one cloth and do the entire car, though I usually will bring out another about halfway through.

Like I said, this has totally changed how I wash the car and it's been a life saver in terms of just the ease of cleaning my car, especially with bugs. I went to Monterey on Friday for the Mecum auction. Drove 2.5 hrs to get there, car got dusted to and from and had a ton of bugs when I got back. I literally sprayed the car off, EVERY single bug and ALL the guts just fell off the car, it was awesome! Hope this helps.

[FLOW TIE]

Thx for the kind words y'all!
Yes, I could NOT believe the shine on the car when I went to look at it, Crazy!!

rcandiloro hit the nail on the head. That's the process and it's pretty time consuming. They took a couple of days to finish the car.
Funny, I've had several buddy's say the same, "Wait till you wash it...."
They described it EXACTLY as you did. Totally different experience and EASY to clean!!

I think there are 3 different PPFs out there.
XPEL, 3M, and SunTek. (someone correct me if I'm wrong)
The Shop I went to uses Suntek Ultra. It's got a 10yr warranty.
The ceramic coating has a 5yr warranty.
They wash/detail the car thoroughly, paint correct it (remove swirl marks) before they apply the film, then the ceramic coating last.

My car was in pretty decent shape, paint correction was $300, the ceramic coating was GTechniq Crystal Serum $695, and the glass coating was $100.
The PPF in the areas I originally described was $1550. Compared to other shops I looked at, they were WELL below the others.

Hammdo (Don), I will drive it more now that it's protected!!

At the end of the day, it wasn't cheap, but I'm REALLY happy with the way it came out and have the piece of mind knowing it's got protection on it for spirited driving!!

[j o n]

XPEL Ultimate Plus PPF installed, $2,400, 10 yr warranty:
front splitter
full front bumper
full hood
full front fender flares
black portion of rocker panels
impact area on rear quarters
full rear fender flares
black portion of rear bumper

Corrected and ceramic coated, life time warranty, $1,800:
-compounded/polished all painted surfaces
-CQUARTZ Finest Reserve on the body
-CQUARTZ DLUX on wheels and calipers
-Gtechniq on all the glass

Money and products mean nothing if the people preparing the surface are lazy or inconsiderate. Talking to a few shops and their clients experiences mean a lot. Too many people taking advantage of uneducated consumers in the automotive industry, let alone for 'detailing' work.