So there are many paint protection coating options out there. I am gettin so confused now. The dealership said they will do the entire interior and exterior of Zurich Shield for about $600 with a 7 year warranty. How does this compare to all the other coating I have listed? I know Opti Coat is more of a permenant thing, but still has its limited warranty. Ceramic Pro Gold was quoted at $1700, but I need to go yearly for a touch up which is $250 to maintain its lifetime warranty. The Silver Ceramic Pro is 5 years, but to have the five years have to maintain it each year as well.

I just want something that will protect the paint that gives gloss for minimum 5 years without having to taking it in to maintain it, I can do that my self for a reasonable price. Some of the quotes I am getting are just crazy.

I will also add xpel at the front and sides.

I have a brand new 2017 GS in Torch Red.

Zurich Shield
Opti Coat Ultimate
Ceramic Pro (Bronze, Silver Gold)
CQuartz

 

Won't get into the differences between types of coatings, but xpel first and then coat over top of that, should you choose to do so.

 

One detailer said do the coating first then the xpel then add the coating on top as well, so this is not correct?

 

My BMW has Opticoat pro for almost 4 years and it has worked pretty well to keep the car looking clean with just a handwash. However Opti Pro did lack for gloss (which is where CQuartz Finest shines, despite it having a 2 year warranty). At the time the warranty was 5 years for Pro.

My Yellow Grand Sport will be getting Opti Pro Plus - which has all the benefits of Opti Pro with a 7 year warranty and no required yearly maintenance visits. It also remedies the gloss problem and looks very slick/glossy unlike Opti Pro.

 

No, I looked into this extensively. You definitely need to do the coating on top of the XPEL for best results (XPEL also says the best adhesion is when there is nothing between the XPEL and the surface you are covering). You can do it the other way around but think about it, why cover up the water beading and gloss properties of the coating with XPEL on top.

 

I also looked into this extensively.

There are a lot of arguments about ceramic coatings under or over film. There's even disagreement between long-time pro installers and their film suppliers. My guy (20 year vet installer and one of the film pioneers who trained just about everyone in this area) is adamant about doing a major paint correction followed by coating, followed by film. The film itself is very hydrophobic, and since it isn't as susceptible to swirl marks, you can use an over the counter product yourself every so often to further protect the film.

He laughs about putting a coating on top of the film, which he thinks is just wasting money. He says the key to making the car look brilliant with film is the underlying paint. The film also protects the coating and it lasts longer. If you have to replace the film, you'll still have "perfect" paint underneath.

The counter-argument is that some film companies claim coating first can cause adherence problems with the film. My guy laughs at that too, claiming if it's done right, there is no adherence problem. I did what he said, have no bubbles, no stretch marks, everything is wrapped around around panel edges so no visible film lines, and have zero adherence problems

Since I bought a used black Z51, I first had the major paint correction done, had the entire car coated with CQuartz Finest, and then had the entire nose, hood, front fenders, rockers, mirrors, and panels behind rear wheels covered with XPEL Ultimate. The entire package (correction, coating, and film) was about $3200, which I was happy to spend since I got the car so cheap. He had the car for a week, and it looks better than any new car on a dealer showroom.

 

I buy doing a paint correction before doing film, that gives you the best starting point. I can see absolutely zero reason to apply any sort of semi-permanent ceramic type coating and then covering it with film. It would completely defeat the purpose of the coating.

My entire car is wrapped, bumper to bumper. It has then been coated in Opti-pro. This was done from a maintenance perspective to make washing the car significantly easier. Anyone who has used an open end hose after washing the car to get all the beads off, will recognize how much easier it is to clean a coated car.

To each their own though, it is your money.

 

I talked to a lot of the so-called pros. They were all over the map. I just followed the advice of the most experienced one I could find who was the most highly recommended in this area.

It doesn't defeat the purpose of the coating if the film needs to come off and be replaced. In that case, you just lost your coating. The coating protects the paint. and moreover, the film preserves the coating.

The coating is completely unnecessary on the film, which, in the case of XPEL Ultimate is designed to last for 10 years on it's own, far longer than the claims of any ceramic coating. It's also easy to use a hydrophobic detailer spray like Meguiar's Ultimate to boost up the protection on the film. The film alone also makes cleaning a breeze.

As you said though, to each their own, it is your money.

 

I'd suggest doing the Paint Correction --> XPEL --> Coating if you have the option.

If not, if you've already done the coating on your car, then go ahead with XPEL, it won't not adhere, just that the benefit of the coating will not be as clear as it would have been over the XPEL'd parts.

 

I suggest otherwise, as do many of the film professionals. As I said there is absolutely no consensus here, but the science of coating on paint makes the most sense to me. :-)

 

I will agree to disagree, especially based on XPEL themselves saying to put the coating on top of XPEL. Of course coating on top of it might indeed be overkill when something cheaper than Opti or Ceramic Pro would suffice.

I do agree with this point of yours though

 

My guy said XPEL says that to avoid problems w/ inexperienced installers.

 

This seems very logical to me.

 

XPEL =

 

Would be better if over Naugahyde.

 

Regardless of what you use under or over it, the Xpel quality is highly dependent on the installer. Not just the guy doing it, but the shop he works in as well. Clean, clean, clean. Whatever is on the car when the plastic goes on or gets on the car while the plastic is going on stays there. And looks bad. Real bad.

The installer's experience with the product is critical, too. The sharp lines on the C7 fenders and hood are not the easiest to lay the film across without stretching. Those blemishes do not go away either.

I just had the stuff removed from my fully wrapped fenders and hood after five months because I was increasingly upset with the way it looked and genuinely embarrassed for people to see it. The car looks so much better now. I am in no way bad mouthing Xpel but I will never use it again.

My suggestion is before you get Xpel or any film applied, find some of the guys whose car is flawless with it on there, look at it yourself in real life and not pictures, then decide if you can see it on there. If you like it, use the same shop to get it.

Fortunately, the gentleman who installed and removed most of the Xpel for me recognized the flaws and gave me a fair refund. Xpel warranty does not provide for a refund, only replacement, but this guy runs a reputable shop and does excellent work in his other areas of expertise. He admittedly doesn't have lengthy experience with Xpel.

Me, I am back to what has worked well on my cars for going on 50 years: Carnuba wax. It remains the best in the business as far as I am concerned. The Xpel is still on the major impact zones, but it won't be there long if it starts to look bad.

 

This is the best advise posted so far for selecting an XPEL installer. Same goes for polishes, waxes, and coatings. Before you make a decision based on someone's posted photos, go take a look at their actual car... Usually pics make things look way better than they do in person. If you're happy with what you see, then go for it, but don't trust photos...

 

I know this has been asked about a million times...

But this new shop wants to us 3M and doesnt want to use xpel because of some lawsuit going on now.

He said to use 3M Scotchguard Standard and not the pro. The standard is not as clear as the pro but is stronger.

How does this compare to xpel ultimate? Is it differance just clairty and warranty? Everything I was reading was in favor of xpel.

Also, he was reccomending gtechniq crystal over ceramic pro since it was easier to install. He also has opti pro. So which one should I get. I am leaning towards the ceramic pro gold with the lifetime warranty.