[19Nasty1le]

Hey there guys, I'm excited to say i just placed my order for a 19 ZL1 1LE last week and can't wait for it to arrive! Always wanted some form of a supercar being a car kid my whole life (GTR was my goal) but after seeing the 1LE and being a chevy guy my entire life (2007 build Cobalt SS/SC and 2018 Cruze Premier RS for a commuter car) I had to dive into it! With the things this car does I myself consider it a supercar.

I'll be getting full PPF on the car as well as ceramic coating and tint as soon as it arrives, my question is for anyone else that has done PPF, is there anything besides the hood that needs to be done in the "Stealth" film vs the regular XPEL Ultimate Plus? I know the front lip and side skirts etc are black but hard to tell if they're glossy and use the regular XPEL or the Stealth.Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks

[Realist]

I’m no expert on any of it but knew I had to protect my ZL1. I went XPEL on the front nose top to bottom, front of hood down to the side fenders, rear front fenders, lower rockers, lower rear of rear wheels and the front upper area of the rear quarters and topped the whole car (minus rims) with ceramic coat. $2150 cash. Car looks great and protected, I’m happy. Congrats on your choice!

[ZL1 1LE]

I did all of the black in stealth. Hood, front splitter, mirrors, side skirts and rear diffuser.

[Scottyz]

Originally Posted by 19Nasty1le

Hey there guys, I'm excited to say i just placed my order for a 19 ZL1 1LE last week and can't wait for it to arrive! Always wanted a some form of a supercar being a car kid my whole life (GTR was my goal) but after seeing the 1LE and being a chevy guy my entire life (2007 build Cobalt SS/SC and 2018 Cruze Premier RS for a commuter car) I had to dive into it! With the things this car does I myself consider it a supercar.

I'll be getting full PPF on the car as well as ceramic coating and tint as soon as it arrives, my question is for anyone else that has done PPF, is there anything besides the hood that needs to be done in the "Stealth" film vs the regular XPEL Ultimate Plus? I know the front lip and side skirts etc are black but hard to tell if they're glossy and use the regular XPEL or the Stealth.Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks

Awesome man. What colour did you get?

[19Nasty1le]

Originally Posted by Scottyz

Awesome man. What colour did you get?

Thanks! I went with Moasic Black Metallic

[19Nasty1le]

Originally Posted by ZL1 1LE

I did all of the black in stealth. Hood, front splitter, mirrors, side skirts and rear diffuser.

Yeah I’m forsure doing the hood stealth, just not sure if the rest would look better in stealth or not, the car is black so it’s black on black lol

[Scottyz]

What do you guys mean by stealth?
I want to get my car wrapped too

[Scottyz]

Never mind I just googled it.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by 19Nasty1le

Thanks! I went with Moasic Black Metallic

My suggestion: Paint correction, a top-shelf self-healing film and durable hydrophobic coating on the entire car. Ceramic+hydrophobic coatings on the wheels only, skip the ceramic on filmed areas. Have the coating installer use a good durable Hydrophobic coating (Gtechniq EXO v4, etc.) that has a multi year life and durability guarantee. Plan on re-doing the Hydrophobic every 2-3 years. Seal with a diluted paint sealant (5 parts distilled water, 1 part Carpro Reload, et. al.)

Why film? The car is black and even with the metallic will show everything and be a PITA to keep looking nice. Chevy paint is generally thin and soft.
Swirls will be a killer unless you have a self healing film.

Why not ceramic? First, the "ceramic" part of ceramic coatings do a great job of adding some surface hardness and repelling water, but they also have an affinity for and chemically bonding with to the calcium and other minerals in water. This makes them very prone to water spotting that is very hard to get off (yes I speak from experience). Second, ceramic is unnecessary spend on top of film.

[Mark R]

I would definitely get the color corrected before film, or you will be filming over the defects. I have my entire car covered in PPF and ceramic, after paint correction. I can just spray the car with water and all the dirt practically just slides off.

[Glen e]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

My suggestion: Paint correction, a top-shelf self-healing film and durable hydrophobic coating on the entire car. Ceramic+hydrophobic coatings on the wheels only, skip the ceramic on filmed areas. Have the coating installer use a good durable Hydrophobic coating (Gtechniq EXO v4, etc.) that has a multi year life and durability guarantee. Plan on re-doing the Hydrophobic every 2-3 years. Seal with a diluted paint sealant (5 parts distilled water, 1 part Carpro Reload, et. al.)

Why film? The car is black and even with the metallic will show everything and be a PITA to keep looking nice. Chevy paint is generally thin and soft.
Swirls will be a killer unless you have a self healing film.

Why not ceramic? First, the "ceramic" part of ceramic coatings do a great job of adding some surface hardness and repelling water, but they also have an affinity for and chemically bonding with to the calcium and other minerals in water. This makes them very prone to water spotting that is very hard to get off (yes I speak from experience). Second, ceramic is unnecessary spend on top of film.

read this post again a few times, esp the last sentance. selling a ceramic to go on top of PPF is a detailers dream, expensive and totally unnecessary.

detailers love guys with new cars, you are totally suspebtible to being sold a raft of shit you dont need, because “you want the best for your baby”......

[harner]

Just because you don't NEED a ceramic coating over top of PPF does not mean someone wouldn't want it. SiO2 coatings offer a lot of benefits to just about any surface. One benefit would be to make maintenance washes a breeze. It's not like dirt just falls off of vinyl. The hardness properties, who cares. Hydrophobic? Sure.

I mean, is PPF truly necessary for the money?

If you have the money and want to throw it away on an Xpel install and big dollar ceramic coating, who really cares? I travel in many detail circles and this is an extremely common practice. No one bats an eye at a $500 CAI and $300+ catch can for this platform, but mention ceramic over PPF and prepare for opinions lol.

OP- good luck having your car protected. Your installer will answer your concerns.

[rmh3]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

My suggestion: Paint correction, a top-shelf self-healing film and durable hydrophobic coating on the entire car. Ceramic+hydrophobic coatings on the wheels only, skip the ceramic on filmed areas. Have the coating installer use a good durable Hydrophobic coating (Gtechniq EXO v4, etc.) that has a multi year life and durability guarantee. Plan on re-doing the Hydrophobic every 2-3 years. Seal with a diluted paint sealant (5 parts distilled water, 1 part Carpro Reload, et. al.)

Why film? The car is black and even with the metallic will show everything and be a PITA to keep looking nice. Chevy paint is generally thin and soft.
Swirls will be a killer unless you have a self healing film.

Why not ceramic? First, the "ceramic" part of ceramic coatings do a great job of adding some surface hardness and repelling water, but they also have an affinity for and chemically bonding with to the calcium and other minerals in water. This makes them very prone to water spotting that is very hard to get off (yes I speak from experience). Second, ceramic is unnecessary spend on top of film.

I agree with @Gunkk.
No need for a ceramic coat on top of a film.
Look into the quality film or Suntek Ultra, which is hydrophobic and self-healing.
The guys who did my film even said it's unnecessary to have a ceramic coat on top of it and even deemed it, overkill.

[greaser2]

PPF and ceramic coatings are two different things. Get both if you want. I only have PPF since I like detailing my car personally