Brief post-PPF+Service Update

[copper]

I got my car back from PPF at OCDetailing and some delivery fixes last week. Quick update for anyone interested:

OCDetailing

• I went with Stek Dyno + Ceramic, leaving everything glossy (no matte)
• Service was great. The PPF is so well done it is practically invisible.
• Joe & Alex are bit more expensive but the quality of work really speaks for itself. Highly recommended.

Service Fixes

1. Doors: The front driver and rear passenger doors were both slightly off. The fixes were practically perfect (there's some actual dimensional differences between the front and rear doors, but <1mm). I had noticed a bit more wind noise from my door than expected when I first received the car and the alignment eliminated it. The car is so quiet inside now.
2. Rear trunk: The trunk panels protrude slightly from the rear fender bodywork. This still needs fixing as it requires a very specialized tool they had to order from the factory and they'll fix it later this week.
3. Front turn signals: These had some intermittent issues before they both failed out. They only needed re-seating which is a super fast fix, but I chose to wait until after PPF to address. If this comes up post delivery I believe service can take care of you in only 10-15min.
4. Stereo: This one is a bit more involved as there's (a) a software issue which causes the bass to cut out which is fixed with a reboot, and (b) some funkiness with the DSP and how it handles bass. There is no "issue" left per se, but I'm doing some involved testing to see if the DSP is unintentionally EQ'ing down the lower octaves. The service team actually spent time running test tones with a measurement mic of their own to compare it to other cars, and even asked to see the response graphs I had. This is way above and beyond imho.

Overall

• With the car back I've gotten a lot more family time in it. We've put on 230mi in the last three days.
• My kid loves the car and jumps at the chance to go on drives with me while drawing on a notebook in the back.
• My wife also has gotten more time and has remarked several times about how smooth and relaxing it is. She almost fell asleep this morning on the way back home which was a huge thing (she never sleeps in the car).
• I still seek out excuses to go drive 2-3 times a day. The joy has not diminished a whit and the acceleration, handling and overall experience continues to excel.

 

[gmglass]

@copper Nice write up. I have 4.5 year old twins (Riley and Roman)...they don't want to ride in any of our other cars. Ever time we get in it Roman says, "Do a Lightening McQueen Dad!" That's Cars Movie talk for FLOOR IT!

 

[Slam08]

@copper Nice write up. I have 4.5 year old twins (Riley and Roman)...they don't want to ride in any of our other cars. Ever time we get in it Roman says, "Do a Lightening McQueen Dad!" That's Cars Movie talk for FLOOR IT!

My son says “TURBO!” From the my old V8 twin turbo. I told him that EVs don’t have turbos and he got so sad.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

• My wife also has gotten more time and has remarked several times about how smooth and relaxing it is. She almost fell asleep this morning on the way back home which was a huge thing (she never sleeps in the car).
• I still seek out excuses to go drive 2-3 times a day. The joy has not diminished a whit and the acceleration, handling and overall experience continues to excel.

Yeah, my wife cannot normally ride in the back seat of any car because she gets motion sickness really easy. This time she rode in the back seat for 3 hours on the way home and had zero complaints of nausea and she fell asleep.

And yeah I’ve put 1400 miles on my car and have had it one month, and one week of that month it was out for service. I was doing 1000 miles a month in the Mercedes.

 

[Slam08]

Yeah, my wife cannot normally ride in the back seat of any car because she gets motion sickness really easy. This time she rode in the back seat for 3 hours on the way home and had zero complaints of nausea and she fell asleep.

And yeah I’ve put 1400 miles on my car and have had it one month, and one week of that month it was out for service. I was doing 1000 miles a month in the Mercedes.

Just wondering. Because I’ve seen motion sickness discussed in many other vehicles.

Did your previous vehicles have an air suspension? It’s seem to me that an air suspension adds to the “floaty” feeling that makes people motion sick.

One possible benefit to not having a air suspension.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I got my car back from PPF at OCDetailing and some delivery fixes last week. Quick update for anyone interested:

OCDetailing

• I went with Stek Dyno + Ceramic, leaving everything glossy (no matte)

Great to hear. I’m getting the Stek tomorrow on the front/hood/fenders/mirrors. I put Adam’s Graphene Ceramic spray coating on everything else already myself. I screwed a few spots up but the Adam’s people are super cool and gave me some pointers so I should be able to fix the high spots I accidentally made.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Just wondering. Because I’ve seen motion sickness discussed in many other vehicles.

Did your previous vehicles have an air suspension? It’s seem to me that an air suspension adds to the “floaty” feeling that makes people motion sick.

One possible benefit to not having a air suspension.

No, the Merc was AMG coil/spring adaptive dampers lowered 8mm and her Subaru is regular springs, I don’t like air suspension because of the floaty aspect and the hefty expense if it fails. Literally anything makes her throw up. We went to Japan in 2019 and it took her 3 days to get over motion sickness from the flight. The Lucid is the only car she’s been in the back of for any extended period of time and not had a problem.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

1. Stereo: This one is a bit more involved as there's (a) a software issue which causes the bass to cut out which is fixed with a reboot, and (b) some funkiness with the DSP and how it handles bass. There is no "issue" left per se, but I'm doing some involved testing to see if the DSP is unintentionally EQ'ing down the lower octaves. The service team actually spent time running test tones with a measurement mic of their own to compare it to other cars, and even asked to see the response graphs I had. This is way above and beyond imho.

Wow that’s so cool they were checking frequency response curves! Like what car company has a service team who goes to your PPF shop to check out the bass roll off??? Mind blown.

 

[EVCar]

Great to hear. I’m getting the Stek tomorrow on the front/hood/fenders/mirrors. I put Adam’s Graphene Ceramic spray coating on everything else already myself. I screwed a few spots up but the Adam’s people are super cool and gave me some pointers so I should be able to fix the high spots I accidentally made.

I did a trial run with Adam's Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating on our minivan. And of course, I kind of messed up a little.
If not too complicated, can you share the advice from Adam's people?
Thanks, bunny.

​

 

[Sam6062]

Great to hear. I’m getting the Stek tomorrow on the front/hood/fenders/mirrors. I put Adam’s Graphene Ceramic spray coating on everything else already myself. I screwed a few spots up but the Adam’s people are super cool and gave me some pointers so I should be able to fix the high spots I accidentally made.

That is the route I am going to go on the film. Probably have to pay for the ceramic coating. I have no such skills. How much is the film cost for just those areas?

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I did a trial run with Adam's Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating on our minivan. And of course, I kind of messed up a little.
If not too complicated, can you share the advice from Adam's people?
Thanks, bunny.

​

Sure! I watched the YouTube video from them on applying it but it’s vague about when to wipe it off. Their support guy told me to wait a good 15 minutes if the temperatures are in the 70s-low 80s. I was wiping it off way too soon, like 3-4 minutes once the rainbow started to fade. For high spots (it will look like a smudge) just reapply the coat with 1-2 sprays, and let sit for 10-15 min before wiping off and wipe off in a straight line firmly, not a swirl pattern. I’m gonna reapply it when I get the car back from PPF because that’s the cleanest it will ever be. Be extra careful when applying it to the trim, as it’s kind of oily and will seep down onto the door without you noticing and cause these lines that make the high spots worse. Basically you need good lighting to see it and the sun was going down when I applied it and then my kid got an allergic reaction to something in the yard so I had to run to the store and get Benadryl because we didn’t have childrens Benadryl. Came back and checked the car 3 hours later and it looked fine but it was dark and the lighting in my garage sucks. Then when I looked at it in sunlight the next day it looked bad in several spots.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

That is the route I am going to go on the film. Probably have to pay for the ceramic coating. I have no such skills. How much is the film cost for just those areas?

PPF for front/hood/fenders/mirror is about $2500-$3K. Full PPF I haven’t heard less than $7K, usually more. Ceramic anywhere from $1100-$2K depending on what you choose.

 

[copper]

Wow that’s so cool they were checking frequency response curves! Like what car company has a service team who goes to your PPF shop to check out the bass roll off??? Mind blown.

To clarify, they did they service after PPF was done, but still mindblowingly good service.

 

[EVCar]

Sure! I watched the YouTube video from them on applying it but it’s vague about when to wipe it off. Their support guy told me to wait a good 15 minutes if the temperatures are in the 70s-low 80s. I was wiping it off way too soon, like 3-4 minutes once the rainbow started to fade. For high spots (it will look like a smudge) just reapply the coat with 1-2 sprays, and let sit for 10-15 min before wiping off and wipe off in a straight line firmly, not a swirl pattern. I’m gonna reapply it when I get the car back from PPF because that’s the cleanest it will ever be. Be extra careful when applying it to the trim, as it’s kind of oily and will seep down onto the door without you noticing and cause these lines that make the high spots worse. Basically you need good lighting to see it and the sun was going down when I applied it and then my kid got an allergic reaction to something in the yard so I had to run to the store and get Benadryl because we didn’t have childrens Benadryl. Came back and checked the car 3 hours later and it looked fine but it was dark and the lighting in my garage sucks. Then when I looked at it in sunlight the next day it looked bad in several spots.

Thanks.
I was outdoor, 7 am in AZ time, and the sun was up, but I actually couldn't see the rainbow very well. I just wiped it off after 3-4 minutes.
For the smudge. I happened to have the 303 Graphene Spray, so I just sprayed, and wiped off after the haze was formed.
Despite my amateurish efforts, the minivan looked better than before.
Next time, I'll wait a full 15minutes then.
Incidentally, last week, I saw 20% discount on Adam's website. Amazon's price was higher, but free Prime shipping (also sold by Adam's).

 

[LRSIII]

1. Stereo: This one is a bit more involved as there's (a) a software issue which causes the bass to cut out which is fixed with a reboot, and (b) some funkiness with the DSP and how it handles bass. There is no "issue" left per se, but I'm doing some involved testing to see if the DSP is unintentionally EQ'ing down the lower octaves. The service team actually spent time running test tones with a measurement mic of their own to compare it to other cars, and even asked to see the response graphs I had. This is way above and beyond imho.

Now that you've tested the audio system's frequency response in your own car, did you try to boost the bass with the car's tone controls to see if you could flatten the bass response? I was wondering if a certain level of adjustment worked well or were the turnover frequencies in the wrong place to do a decent job of making the car's frequency response more accurate. Thanks.

 

[Sam6062]

Sure! I watched the YouTube video from them on applying it but it’s vague about when to wipe it off. Their support guy told me to wait a good 15 minutes if the temperatures are in the 70s-low 80s. I was wiping it off way too soon, like 3-4 minutes once the rainbow started to fade. For high spots (it will look like a smudge) just reapply the coat with 1-2 sprays, and let sit for 10-15 min before wiping off and wipe off in a straight line firmly, not a swirl pattern. I’m gonna reapply it when I get the car back from PPF because that’s the cleanest it will ever be. Be extra careful when applying it to the trim, as it’s kind of oily and will seep down onto the door without you noticing and cause these lines that make the high spots worse. Basically you need good lighting to see it and the sun was going down when I applied it and then my kid got an allergic reaction to something in the yard so I had to run to the store and get Benadryl because we didn’t have childrens Benadryl. Came back and checked the car 3 hours later and it looked fine but it was dark and the lighting in my garage sucks. Then when I looked at it in sunlight the next day it looked bad in several spots.

Is this the product you used and how much was needed for the car. Looks like if one kit is enough then why pay 1K for labor

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Graphene-Ceramic-Coating-Kit/dp/B08CNMR72K?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

[EVCar]

Is this the product you used and how much was needed for the car. Looks like if one kit is enough then why pay 1K for labor

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Graphene-Ceramic-Coating-Kit/dp/B08CNMR72K?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

Yes, that's what I used. I'd say you can do 3 cars with that little bottle.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Is this the product you used and how much was needed for the car. Looks like if one kit is enough then why pay 1K for labor

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Graphene-Ceramic-Coating-Kit/dp/B08CNMR72K?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

I used the Graphene ceramic spray bottle, not the concentrated little one. They said it’s good for about 6 months but I’ve seen several online comparisons showing it holds up for about a year. I figured if I missed it up bad or it sucked then I was only out $30 and could have a pro fix it, whereas if I messed up something that lasts 7 years it might be harder/more expensive to undo. You’ll also need to make sure surface is prepped well and as clean and dry as you can possibly get it, and you’ll need good lighting to see it well.

 

[Sam6062]

Yes, that's what I used. I'd say you can do 3 cars with that little bottle.

Oh wow, I might try it first on my old Lexus LS430. That poor car can use some love. Has anyone tried their Leather products or other stuff and have a recommendation. Is the stuff lime iron oxide remover worth it?

 

[Sam6062]

I used the Graphene ceramic spray bottle, not the concentrated little one. They said it’s good for about 6 months but I’ve seen several online comparisons showing it holds up for about a year. I figured if I missed it up bad or it sucked then I was only out $30 and could have a pro fix it, whereas if I messed up something that lasts 7 years it might be harder/more expensive to undo. You’ll also need to make sure surface is prepped well and as clean and dry as you can possibly get it, and you’ll need good lighting to see it well.

Good Point because Adam’s website and some pros warranty it for 7 years. What is the difference? I also saw something on Amazon that said Advanced Ceramic in Gold Label vs Silver on this one.

Light is not a problem in Texas but clean sure is due to the swirling wind and dust everywhere all year round.