New to PPF and Ceramic Coatings

[DKZB]

I’m new to PPF and Ceramic Coatings. I’ve never even considered it before but want this truck to last a LONG time and LOVE the matte look.

I called around to a couple Xpel installers in northern NJ and was SHOCKED at quotes around $3000 for the front only (clear of course) and $7000 for the full truck. Add to that quotes that ranged from $500-$1500 for the ceramic and you are looking at a ton of money!

Are these prices normal?
Have you regretted your decision to install PPF?
How much does it cost to replace POF on a single panel?
Anyone have a good installer they would recommend in the NY/NJ/CT/PA/MD/DE/MA area?

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[swtaylor89]

following....considering PPF as well. When we looked into this for our Telsa M3 I remember the price being pretty steep as well, and of course a much smaller vehicle.

 

[DKZB]

following....considering PPF as well. When we looked into this for our Telsa M3 I remember the price being pretty steep as well, and of course a much smaller vehicle.

I have heard others say it should be $1800 for front end and $5000 for full wrap but wonder if those prices are regional. Heck I would travel a bit to save $2k

 

[Galoot]

There is a matte wrapped and ceramic coated truck out my way in California. It was around 8k to have it done

 

[jredondox]

6k to 7k if you do stek film you don’t need ceramic coating

 

[broncoaz]

I’ve done front PPF on previous trucks, but it was $500-600 for the front at the time. Look at the cost to repaint damaged areas and decide if it’s worthwhile. considering that most people keep vehicles 3-4 years I can’t see spending $$$$ on doing the full truck.

I had professional ceramic on my 2020 Raptor, it was awesome and kept the truck clean. I had it done over the front PPF. I’m researching DIY ceramic on my Lightning and Bronco. The steps are straightforward, but the paint correction is the daunting part. Full paint correction on a brand new vehicle appears to be optional for a daily driven work truck or my offroader, and the coating will still last for years. One should be able to do the ceramic at home on one day. Wash, iron decontamination, clay bar, and IPA wipedown, then apply the coating. I would probably wash again after clay bar. Hopefully I’ll do this in a couple weeks, but I need to choose a DIY product first.

 

[fubar79]

I did PPF on the hood and bumper only. When I traded in my '17 F150, the colour matching metal bumper looked terrible from the rock chips that had pitted and rusted. The '17 did not have PPF, so I'm hoping this prevents most of the damage.

I had 3M clear bra on my '09 Tacoma, and it held up pretty well other than it wasn't the full hood, and the product slightly discolored after 6 or 7 years, making it visible where it ended. I believe the new products are better.

Imo, as broncoaz mentioned, if you only keep the truck 3-4 years, its probably not worth it.

I paid $1000 (CDN) for full hood and bumper, but I plan on keeping the truck 5-10 years.

 

[LUXMAN]

Yikes!
Guess I will get some PPF from Amazon and DIY the front rock impact zones. And if it sucks, I will just take it off and drive it like a truck. Hopefully the paint is harder than that on my Model 3.

 

[NoCharge]

I did ceramic myself. The kit was $149 from chemical guys. The labor is the killer. About 2.5 days to do it right. Washed, taped off, clay barred, paint prep, polished/paint correction, and ceramic. I couldn’t believe the rail dust, fallout/acid rain on a new truck. Mainly on the hood and roof. Glad I did it though.

 

[GDN]

Personally I've never been able to get close to justifying the price of PPF for my vehicles. I have done a quartz coating on 3 different ones however and find that to be very well worth the money and job I did at home. Professionals would likely diss my job, but I would challenge any of them for the price to tell me where I went wrong.

Not one of the 3 (The Lightning is not included in that number yet - I'm still waiting on cooler days here in TX) had a blemish or a problem that 99.99% of the population or even members of this forum would find.

After investing in a DA (dual action) polisher none of them cost me over $150. The key is to keep them out of the car washes with brushes and keep the swirls off of them. I started with a really good wash, clay bar, then polished, then my product of choice is Gyeon Quartz - Q2 Mohs. It's amazing, geared toward professionals, but good instructions and easy enough for the DIY'er. Autogeek has some great How To videos and put the stuff on sale quite often.

Don't get me wrong - it is work, and it'll take a couple of days, but I loved spending the time getting to know my previous cars/trucks and doing it myself.

 

[Capertrj]

Anyone have experience with xzilon? It’s like a protective coating. See link. I think dealer can do exterior for like $800. Then it’s like 1295 or 1495 for that exterior coating plus interior protectant.

https://www.xzilon.com/

 

[Silenze]

Anyone have experience with xzilon? It’s like a protective coating. See link. I think dealer can do exterior for like $800. Then it’s like 1295 or 1495 for that exterior coating plus interior protectant.

https://www.xzilon.com/

Anything the dealer does is snake oil at best.

 

[GDN]

Anyone have experience with xzilon? It’s like a protective coating. See link. I think dealer can do exterior for like $800. Then it’s like 1295 or 1495 for that exterior coating plus interior protectant.

https://www.xzilon.com/

I'd never trust the dealer with something like this. Especially at that price, it likely won't have any paint correction before they put it on.

My tried and proven product of choice is Gyeon, but there are many products on the market these days.

 

[Basis0439]

So, for a PPF noob like me, what precisely should I do prior to applying Gyeon Q2 MOHS EVO Ceramic? I am thinking I'd like to do 2-3 coats... hell, maybe 4 so that I don't have to do this for a long damn time.

Any thoughts on that?

 

[GDN]

So, for a PPF noob like me, what precisely should I do prior to applying Gyeon Q2 MOHS EVO Ceramic? I am thinking I'd like to do 2-3 coats... hell, maybe 4 so that I don't have to do this for a long damn time.

Any thoughts on that?

At a minimum you want to start with Clay Bar and then a light polish depending on how old the truck is and what care you've given it.

My truck was 11 months old when I finally got my Gyeon coating on it, but it had only been washed by hand and it is in the garage most day and night. I used a very light cutting pad and polish from Gyeon. There was almost no cut to it. I don't think I truly needed to do even that, but marks that are there will get locked in with the Mohs.

I will note that the newer 2 part coatings are hard to do the whole truck at once. I learned the hard way and rushed it too much. I've got a couple of spots I had to buff out. They recommend that second coat in less than hour from the first coat. It takes longer than 2 hours to get around it twice. You might consider breaking it down in to halves or thirds.

I will say however whatever happens you won't regret the Gyeon. Just about an hour ago I literally had a guy chat at a stoplight - he said the shine and paint color was one of the best he had seen - AMB for the win.

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