That's a lot of money for paint protection...10% of the MSRP of the car for PPF? Ludicrous.

If I ever get one of these, I may just PPF the clamshell hood. I don't know what that will cost, but I am assuming "not much" because its a single piece on a single panel that can open, so having the film wrap around and trimmed is a lot easier, even for a non custom cut PPF...that's the logic anyway.

Ceramic is a bit of a tossup. Some offer 8 years on it but I honestly don't know how they can accurately determine whether or not it failed to meet expectations. Where I live, most of the paint damage happens on the tailgate, hood, and roof. I don't care about the roof, so I wouldn't bother, but the hood does take a lot of damage which is why I would consider just that for PPF.

The tailgate gets really grimy in the winter, so I would probably want to protect that too. Hopefully I can find a shop that is willing to do just 2 panels for a reasonable cost. I don't feel like paying thousands on top of the price of an already expensive car. As pretty as the EV6 is, it's still a commuter vehicle, not a priceless work of art.

 

That's a lot of money for paint protection...10% of the MSRP of the car for PPF? Ludicrous.

If I ever get one of these, I may just PPF the clamshell hood. I don't know what that will cost, but I am assuming "not much" because its a single piece on a single panel that can open, so having the film wrap around and trimmed is a lot easier, even for a non custom cut PPF...that's the logic anyway.

Ceramic is a bit of a tossup. Some offer 8 years on it but I honestly don't know how they can accurately determine whether or not it failed to meet expectations. Where I live, most of the paint damage happens on the tailgate, hood, and roof. I don't care about the roof, so I wouldn't bother, but the hood does take a lot of damage which is why I would consider just that for PPF.

The tailgate gets really grimy in the winter, so I would probably want to protect that too. Hopefully I can find a shop that is willing to do just 2 panels for a reasonable cost. I don't feel like paying thousands on top of the price of an already expensive car. As pretty as the EV6 is, it's still a commuter vehicle, not a priceless work of art.

I think that's a perfectly valid stance to have. The only thing I would say is that if you are going with the matte paint option, then you really do need to consider one of these otherwise the paint will end up getting beat up pretty badly and be noticeable. You have issues like water spots forming, the acidity of bird poop etching into matte paint (much moreso than with clear/glossy paint because the surface finish is rougher, meaning more surface area for reactions to occur), inability to run matte paint cars through auto car washes (the bristles and the wax/abrasives included in the cleaning solution will damage the paint), swirling, and a host of other issues.

 

I'm dropping my EV6 first edition on Monday at Fantazy Motorsports to get Ceramic Pro Coating, Paint Correction to hide any visible scratches, and tinting the driver and passenger windows. I wanted to do PPF but it's too expensive. Ceramic Pro package I chose comes with Lifetime Warranty, but I need to get the car inspected every year for any issues with the coating to keep the warranty valid which I don't mind.

 

I've never had any paint protection on any car I've ever owned and I'm not going to start now. I just don't see the value in it.

 

Same here... worst case I do an insurance claim and pay the $500 deductible to have it fixed... much cheaper than paying 5k for PPF.

 

I am dropping my Matte Gray FE on the 23rd for Xpel PPF and Ceramic coating on top of it. Plus free car washes for life every other week! $4800. I am in the auto collision business. I know what this paint is like to take care of. This will allow me to go through car washes and no worries - plus free washes as mentioned above. I did not realize I clicked the matte finish when ordering my car, oops. People love it. I love it, but I hate taking care of it. It is nearly 10% cost of car and I hate that, but I am keeping it. I take care of my stuff and it does add value. People realize what it cost and you can usually get more for vehicle in resale. Especially in this market. But I am not selling [emoji41]

On another note, as an Ape, I hope some investments will make this car practically “free” in the future, LOL [emoji1787][emoji1787]


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I'm having mine Ceramic Coated with a 5yr application of Chemical Bros tomorrow for $900 including initial clean/detail/claybar and thanks to pre pickup, a few swirls and marks.

 

Nice! I just dropped off mine at Fantazy Motorsports for Ceramic Coating and tinting. I chose the gold package which includes the lifetime warranty along with yearly inspections to make sure coating is still in good condition. I wanted to do PPF but it was way too expensive.

 

Ceramic protects against chips? How on earth does it do that? It is just a liquid coating; it is not a physical barrier. Going to need to see some data on how it can do that.

 

It doesn't. Not in any noticeable way at least.

 

That's why he got his at MSRP, LOL.
I know, it's not an EV6, same difference.

 

Picked mine up from Supreme Wraps here in North Texas/Dallas Burbs. Full Xpel Stealth, Gloss Black Roof and spoiler, full ceramic on top of all of that. Stunning upgrade! Looks fantastic. Has a little bit of “out gassing” - 2 weeks to settle. Park in sun. Go back for clean up, then I will install badges.

Worth every penny.

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Picked mine up from Supreme Wraps here in North Texas/Dallas Burbs. Full Xpel Stealth, Gloss Black Roof and spoiler, full ceramic on top of all of that. Stunning upgrade! Looks fantastic. Has a little bit of “out gassing” - 2 weeks to settle. Park in sun. Go back for clean up, then I will install badges.

Worth every penny.

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Were they about to do the fender wells and front spoiler & back lower with PPF over all the ridges?

 

How much did the ppf set you back?

 

$5k, Xpel, roof wrap, full ceramic. Free car washes every other weekend for life - or as long as they are in business . But they have a nice operation. 3 locations - Fl, TX and AZ. Not worried


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In my area of SoCal, a full PPF is $6500. A front PPF is $1800. A ceramic pro silver 5 year is $1076. Doing nothing is zero. Parting with car to private party may be less, leaving it to my adult kids who never complain costs me nothing. That's my options.

 

Dropped my FE Matte for ceramic pro this morning. Silver package. Doubt I will own it 5 years but wanted to do a bit of protection. My guy said it will be on the car fax which is good to know! He was also doing PPF on a Tesla Plaid!

 

Would like to know how this turned out.

Had my 2019 Boxster GT Silver coated and it still looked new when I sold it last fall
AWD FE Steel Matte Gray

 

Cannot do those ridges with PPF. Ceramic only.


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I have a 9-year Gtechniq Ceramic being applied to my car today. PPF is great but it's crazy expensive, I only see it maybe being worth it on matte paint since it's almost impossible to touch up.

 

My car is Matte Paint. Only reason in did it. Love the matte paint, but would not have ordered if I was paying attention.


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I didn't order it at all but it looks nice. Got a call for the FE after it fell through with previous buyers. Matt paint is only reason I am doing Ceramic Pro.

 

Just got mine back from the detailer; 9 year Gtechniq Ceramic coating.

 

Is that a matte finish? It looks very shiny for a matte finish, but that could be the pic

 

Delete post please.

 

Speaking of ceramic, I have a question. After perusing a number of websites that focus on ceramic coatings, the prevailing wisdom seems to be: avoid commercial car washes and hand wash your car with PH-neutral concentrates. This sounds great in theory, but I live in Maine where winters are cold and often snowy and the roads are salted.

Up here, you have to wash your car weekly (at least) in winter, especially the undercarriage. Most automatic car washes have those spinning brushes that look like they're made of microfiber strips (at least they're not nylon bristles!). However, there are some touchless washes where they spray the vehicle with higher pressure (and probably stronger detergents). In any event, I'll have to pick my poison.

I've been washing my Audi for about three years at the car washes with brushes, and it's held up nicely. In the warmer months, I hand wash at home and wax it with Klasse (a German concoction that cleans the finish a bit and protects it with a long-lasting synthetic wax, works really great). To my eye, the car looks terrific after one of these cleanings... but probably a professional detailer would notice micro-scratches in the finish. I guess I'm not super-finicky about that sort of stuff.

So.. my question is: Given that I have to take my car to either a touch-free or conventional car wash during winters, would a ceramic treatment be worth it? I'd like to have a nice car like the EV6 protected, but if the commercial washing would erode it quickly, obviously ceramic would be a waste of money. Any thoughts?

 

Ceramic is very resistant to chemicals, more so than regular paint. Its also much harder. In either case touchless washes are always better if you have a choice

 

any recommendation for ceramic coating in Los Angeles or Riverside County? and the estimated cost for 5-10 years?

 

In California 9-10 year should be around $1300 give or take $200 depending on the exact area. 5 year is usually about $200-$300 less

 

Last few quotes I got for Ceramic Pro, Silver (5 yr warranty) was $1500 and Gold (lifetime warranty) was $2000

 

Always ask what is required to maintain that warranty. A Ceramic Pro installer told me you had to do an annual detail at $400 CAD to maintain the warranty.

 

For the prices you guys are paying, I will use that money for a downpayment on a newer one in a few years.

 

Florida here. Just got a quote for full body PPF, 3m 8 mil, professional installation, 10 year warranty...$5800. The shop does really nice work. Watched them wrapping a Portofino, and very sweet AMG. Funny, they had 22 Tesla's in the shop at the time I was there. They have done Two EV6s. She said they had no problem w the ridges on the bodywork.

 

Oh man, I can't imagine sinking 10%-15% of the car's price into what is essentially a commuter vehicle that will become nothing special in 2 years. I'm probably going to PPF the hood only since it is a huge piece of metal and is basically the entire front end, and I am still having a hard time justifying it.

 

I probably won't do it at all. Vehicle will likely stay in the family for 6-10 years. Purchased as a business vehicle for the next few years but will then get passed down to daily driver use. Our existing vehicles look like they've been ravaged by a parade of gravel trucks.

 

Hi there,

STEK, 3M and Certified CARPRO CQUARTZ Professional installer here, from Dallas TX. I want to comment on some of the points you mentioned.

HOWEVER, a lot of people that had done their cars much more recently (past few years) had said they ended up going with STEK in the end (they are much newer then any of the others) because they found that it looked better.

- As you mentioned, compared to XPEL, STEK's DYNO series films have more gloss, clarity, and hydrophobicity. There are differences in manufacturing technologies.

Between these big three, it also seemed that XPEL on average was more expensive, in my case it was a difference of ~5k vs ~7k (7k being for XPEL)

- There is technically no reason to pay an extra $2k for XPEL. Unlike STEK's DYNOshield or DYNOmatte, their ULTIMATE or STEALTH films are not hydrophobic, as least as of 2022. They may be charging the extra $2k for ceramic coating. STEK does not require ceramic coating, as the film's topcoat is already intrinsically hydrophobic.

It seemed to me that the big reason for the price difference with XPEL had to do with the SOFTWARE

- No it is not the software. XPEL is not the only company that offers PPF pattern software. The truth is, high-end STEK dealers' prices are (and have to be) more than an average XPEL installer. There are several reasons for this but here is one of them: Some high-end STEK installers are very capable and experienced in "colored PPF" installations (color change wrapping), because, while STEK has more than 20 colored/textured PPFs on the market, XPEL (according to my best knowledge) has only 1 colored film. If you want to change the color of your car with PPF (instead of vinyl), you cannot use computer precut patterns, it requires bulk installation, and the edges should be fully wrapped, but not like a precut PPF. XPEL installers do not have colored films to develop experience in color change wrapping. Here is the catch; if an installer has the skills to change the color of a vehicle using PPF, he/she can use the same skills to make a clear PPF fully invisible.

It seems XPEL seems to have the most comprehensive library of patterns for cars. They actually have the patterns for the EV6! GT-Line...

- Eastman's Core pattern library has also EV6 GT-Line. We recently wrapped one and used a pattern only on the front bumper, the rest of the front end is bulk installation. Here is my recommendation: ask your installer not to use a kit on the fender flares. We always bulk the fender flares, wrap the edges and make the film 99.99% invisible.

Ceramic coatings will be cheaper and will also not last as long, they also are likely to ask for you to come in for touch ups/top coating every year to keep it in ideal condition. This normally means they have warranties of about 3-5 years.

- My recommendation is to stay away from companies that sell you the service with a warranty claim. I do not give a warranty to my services, because, technically, I shouldn't be giving a warranty for a ceramic coating. Warranties are like pacifiers, we take the hard route and explain to our customers in detail what a ceramic coating is, what should be the expectations, what are the true benefits and how should they maintain the coating.

You should probably focus less on which wrap brand you want to use and more on looking for an installer that has a lot of experience and comfort with using whichever product they use. A good installer/shop is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the wrap type

I totally agree. You can find this interesting:

How to Find the Best Paint Protection Film Installer

Thanks for the detailed opening thread.

 

Indeed, both PPF vs ceramic coatings offer excellent protection, but they have different characteristics and applications. PPF is known for its physical protection against rock chips and scratches, while ceramic coatings provide chemical resistance, ease of maintenance, and enhanced gloss.
When it comes to PPF, there are several reputable brands in the market, such as 3M, Suntek, STEK, and XPEL. Each brand has its strengths and weaknesses, and customer preferences can vary based on factors like appearance, longevity, and pricing.