Full Wrap + Ceramic Coat?

Yes, my car is wrapped in Xpel Ultimate and the installer threw in PolishAngel coating for free......and it works.

 

Do you mean PolishAngel was applied on top of the Xpel film, rather than beneath it on the paint? Interesting- never heard of anyone doing that.

I’ve got film on three cars. Paint is always corrected first before wrapping. I’ve not bothered to do anything on top


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the paint was corrected (swirls/scratches) before film install.

the ceramic coating/sealant was applied on top of the xpel film.

check out xpel faq, its the right thing

 

Film and ceramic pro is good, I’ve done it works well

 

go with Xpel, yes its pretty much maintenance free for me, i have it on my other cars. you can maintain the film using a spray wax, its just like paint. thats why the ceramic coating must be applied on top of the film. the paint i believe must be free from any chemicals/waxes for the film to adhere properly

 

I'm wrapped in Suntek and ceramic coated. It's the best thing I ever did. The car looks spectacular all the time. Washing it is a breeze as the water just runs off the car.

 

zero need to put ceramic over film

 

agree....no need to spend extra over the film, but i got mine for free

 

Anyone had any experience with matte clear wraps?


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the film will bead and repel water like crazy. it literally beads and flies off the car as you are driving

 

i habe a matte wrap on an suv - its been great for over 1 year

 

my rear diffuser is wrapped in matte film, totally indistinguishable from its original matte finish

and see how shiny my red is....... the film will not protect from dings, it will protect from scratches and paint gouges

 

This is just plain incorrect. I know you've had a million cars and I have had my share and my experience is completely the opposite.

In my experience, and I've had almost every major brand of film, the films hold grime, dirt, and yes, water much more than standard clear coat. This makes sense as they are much much softer. They are also a lot easier to scratch, so I would advise against towel drying. This is where the ceramic coating comes in. The @jumpinjohn is on the right track to ask this question. The answer is yes, at least in my experience, the ceramic coating will make cleaning the car much easier *. However, I put the *. The * is because I have also found, despite the manufacturers of these coatings claims, they do not hold up that well against the elements. So if you are going to drive your car in nice weather, and then wash it off using the ceramic coating company's maintenance products: usually wash or some kind of spray and then also what amounts to their version of speed shine, then it really will help. But if you are going to take the car to the local car wash, or even if you are going to not use the recommended products (or products that do the same things), AND/OR if you are going to drive the car in all kinds of foul weather, especially if you are not going to then clean it off regularly, these products will just wear down. As ironic as it seems, I have concluded wrapping/ ceramic is really best for cars that are toys- for daily cars (in general) I think the best thing is no coating/ wrap at all and just live with the stone chips.

I use a blow drier developed for automotive applications and I can blow the water on my car right off really fast. Without the treatment it takes me easily 2x as long, if not more. That goes for both cars with film and with or without the ceramic and without film. My conclusion for ceramic is its something that will make your life easier and can make the car look more glossy, but its not some miracle the makers try to make it seem like.

 

HA! Film has the characteristics of film. As a way to see how all this would work, a few years ago I had my daily car, a family sedan, filmed. I had my wife's car, a SUV, ceramic coated. After a winter where we went to the car wash a few times, but not a ton, both looked terrible. I decided to do a hand wash on both. My wife car felt a million times better than mine. Especially the filmed front end which felt like sand paper. I decided to clay my car. The filmed area took an entire clay bar- which is excessive. I would say the film holds about 20-100x more dirt than standard clear coat. It is just that much more grabby. My wifes car didn't really seem like it had the benefit of the ceramic on it anymore.

I've lived all this stuff.

 

Gorgeous and exactly! I had my car done the same way- the grey lower areas in matte finish film. No one could ever tell the car was filmed. The ceramic made my maintenance washing so easy. But I tend to not drive my Ferraris in really foul weather- certainly not on purpose- I've been caught out once or twice and then I'll just give the car a bath. That's going to change when my GTC4 arrives. I plan to film it and ceramic it, but I plan to give it monthly baths/ foam/ and Ive decided I don't really care if the film gets messed up a little. I also think its worth mentioning that filming is not a cure all, there is a risk you pull paint up when you go to replace the film. There are always pros and cons, its really just a question of which ones you are happy with.

 

jerry i love you but on this one we can agree the other guy is on crack.

i ceramic coated half of my range rover 2 years ago and did the other half in traditional carnuba. you cant tell which side is which from looking or from beading. i have done about 4 or 5 ceramic coats (modesta, opti whatever and the 3 other main ones) and ive concluded they are a complete waste of money and also something i dont want on any paint that i care about. the stuff doesnt last as long they say and its incredibly difficult and aggressive to get off. Putting it on film - well, the film gets replaced every 2 to 3 years or whatever so again, whats the point!

 

I think we are actually saying similar things in some regards.

I think you've just had a bee in your bonnet about these coatings. I see them as tools with a use, but like any tool, you have to decide if its use is for you.

Logically, if the ceramic does nothing, how could it be difficult to get off?

I have to say my experience with carnauba is such that it produces a nice shine for a short time but it really wears away quickly. Much more so than a ceramic. But that said, ceramic isn't a miracle and it does wear out pretty quickly if you expose it to the daily grind. I think they are really for different uses.

Film, you are crazy if you are replacing it every 2-3 years. There is a very serious risk of paint being pulled off your car with film! Usually it will be on bumpers which can be repainted, but! If you are going to repaint a bumper, which is the thing that usually takes the brunt of the stone chips, then, why not just skip all the film and just repaint the bumper every so often as you want. The total cost is probably about the same.

To come back, I agree with you, the ceramics don't last that long in real world use. They are not a substitute for the protection film gives you. However, they do have a good use, and that use is to provide you with convenience. When used properly, they will make maintaining your car's finish- or the film on top of your clear coat- much easier. However this requires work by the car owner or their detailer to engage in the proper cleaning techniques. If not, then this is all for nothing. Also the ceramics can give your finish a bit more shine/pop.

One of my biggest questions when it comes to just about anything in life is how difficult is this to get out/ reverse. I can tell you from real experience with film really pulling paint off my car that I think both are risky for any paint you care about. If they are installed or removed improperly, you can cause real damage. What's more, if you use the very best people, removing film can still result in paint coming up.

That's why my advice is simple: if its an every day car, I'd just leave it alone and no film, no ceramic, just clean it and bring it to a good detailer as often as you think necessary. If its a toy then the film is for protection and the ceramic is for your convenience in cleaning. If you aren't cleaning then it might not really matter.

 

i have the same advice for my garage queens - they see light and outdoors maybe 2% a year so no need for ceramic or film. the only garage queen i filmed is the tdf and only parts of it.

my suvs get detailed in may and freshened up in november with washes in between. the FF has film in the front and i finally got all the ceramic off so it getting carnuba annually.

If i had an f12 that i daily drove id wrap it and save the money from ceramic and have it washed weekly with the extra money.

not sure which film you have been using but the one i have repels dirt and grime nicely especially noticeable on the FF which is pozzi.

 

No film repels dirt and grime. They grab it and hold on for dear life. It embeds right into that nice, soft, welcome film. You can see, or feel for yourself. Just go feel your car. Unless the film is new, if you are driving it, you will feel how rough it feels. Its really horrible.

Of course, it protects your paint from chips and light scratches as you graze the bushes... The problem with film on a car is you are really doing it for the next guy. But I agree its probably worth it to wrap your Ferrari for market place protection.

 

Half ceramic and half carnuba from 2 yrs ago i think-can you tell which is which?
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