Anyone who has not done PPF/ceramic coating?

[borski]

As with Brad, after 9000 miles, I found 4 chips. I've decided now is the time to PPF. I received this comment from Empire in Orlando; they use SunTek. Any comments?
"The SunTek and STEK Paint Protection Films we deploy speak volumes over most standard vinyl and PPF supplied by dealers or other installers. These quality 8mm thick protection films are added to front-end or whole vehicle bodies by our professional installers with over 30 years of installing experience. This is done with seamless integration over both OEM and custom body parts* leaving no visible lines alongside a typical 12-year Warranty. It protects your paint against rock chips/minor damage at a time when paint expense has become more and more costly and the proper measuring of ingredients to match doesn't happen! Best of all, it also has ceramic coating embedded into the materials so that cleanliness is done with ease and scratches disappear with natural heat outside and from the vehicles engine -

First: Suntek and STEK are not the same. STEK DynoShield is premium PPF, but ignore the ceramic coating embedded. As has been explained countless times here by @TotalDetailingPA , those do not last long and a real ceramic coating is far superior.

I have STEK on my car. It’s great. But far more important than which film you use is the installer’s experience and level of skill.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

May I ask where you had your PPF done? I'm in St Augustine but willing to drive. Tx.... Chip

Deep Reflections in Los Gatos. Alejandro has done two of my previous Porsches, my Lucid, and my wife's brand new GV60. Unfortunately a long drive from St. Augustine.

 

[pman]

I had ceramic coating and the front ppf (high impact panels) done from the same place in Los Gatos. I find it gives me peace of mind.

 

[3rdMotor]

I’ve had Suntek Reaction and Stek Dynoshield. Both have hydrophobic properties.

I like the Suntek better. It has a nicer gloss to it. Stek’s warranty doesn’t cover lifting.

 

[Quilui]

I did not PPF mine. Had it done on my Tesla and regretted it because it still chipped and those can’t be fixed, although it was supposed to be”self healing”

 

[TotalDetailingPA]

I did not PPF mine. Had it done on my Tesla and regretted it because it still chipped and those can’t be fixed, although it was supposed to be”self healing”

It's not self healing from chips.

PPF will still get knicked. That's the film doing its job. If a rock does pierce the film, the velocity at which that rock had, would have almost certainly punched through the panel. Better to touch up and reinstall PPF vs replace the entire panel and have it not match.

 

[Bocabob]

May I ask where you had your PPF done? I'm in St Augustine but willing to drive. Tx.... Chip

Check out Mario at ironclad in Riviera Beach.... Great guys good team Fair

 

[Dr Chill]

Mario at Ironclad did PPF on front clip with Llumar Valor which is same as Suntek Reaction (hydrophobic coating and 12 year warranty). He did it before I took delivery. If you put significant highway mileage on your car and want it to stay like new, PPF on the front is highly recommended. It has saved my front end from flying debris from a 18 wheeler tire explosion directly in front of me in my 911 and from a flying flattened aluminum can in my Taycan. Definitely won't go without it on my daily driver of >100 highway miles a day. Mario did a great job and is a fantastic resource for Lucid as his place is less than a mile from the Lucid service center in Riviera Beach.

I highly recommend doing your own ceramic coating when the car is new and needs no paint correction. It takes me about 30 minutes for each coat. Extremely easy. I use a cheap ($25) Chinese product called Foretoo from Amazon.

 

[chipcaldwell]

Thanks for the tip re Foretoo.

 

[TotalDetailingPA]

Mario at Ironclad did PPF on front clip with Llumar Valor which is same as Suntek Reaction (hydrophobic coating and 12 year warranty). He did it before I took delivery. If you put significant highway mileage on your car and want it to stay like new, PPF on the front is highly recommended. It has saved my front end from flying debris from a 18 wheeler tire explosion directly in front of me in my 911 and from a flying flattened aluminum can in my Taycan. Definitely won't go without it on my daily driver of >100 highway miles a day. Mario did a great job and is a fantastic resource for Lucid as his place is less than a mile from the Lucid service center in Riviera Beach.

I highly recommend doing your own ceramic coating when the car is new and needs no paint correction. It takes me about 30 minutes for each coat. Extremely easy. I use a cheap ($25) Chinese product called Foretoo from Amazon.

A common misconception is that new vehicles don';t need paint correction. I've personally seen almost every Tesla and 90% of the brand new Lucid's come through our shops with unfinished wet sanding, haziness, holograms and more in the paint. If I were to put a paint inspection light on your vehicle, I am willing to bet we find things that shouldn't be there - that said if you're happy with it that's all that matters. I'm just speaking on the technical point.

Also be careful of applying non-manufacturer-approved coatings. For example - if you get XPEL PPF and then apply a third-party ceramic coating - your warranty is void. Any non-XPEL products applied or used on the vehicle will void the warranty.

Those Chinese coatings will go on easy but they contain a TON of solvent to make for a long working time and ease of application. Professional coating products do not behave that way because their solid content is much higher. The downside to lots of solvent for added working time for consumers is that the extended time that its on the PPF can degrade the topcoat. IF you ever need to make a claim, I highly recommend you NOT mention that you installed that ceramic coating on top of the film. As you can see - these are a bit wordy and very carefully crafted.

That said, Mario is a good guy, and I know him outside of these forums. He runs a great operation and cares about his clients.