I am a new member and have a question..i am having xpel installed on the nose and mirrors, should i do this before or after opti pro plus is applied

 

Paint correct and apply opti first. It is meant to treat paint not wrap. I messed up. I installed Xpel first and now want to do CQuartz.

 

That is what I did also done the opti first. To make a great looking car it is all in the prep work that is done on the paint first. Robert

 

Xpel seems to disagrees with you:

Paint correct first, yes, but do not apply any type of sealant, protectant or waxes before Xpel.

 

XPEL is just covering themselves (no pun intended), and many of their most experienced installers disagree with their guidance. Obviously, it's to their benefit to have an expensive ceramic coating put on top of their film (fewer warranty claims). They say the film may not adhere, but that's only true of an inexperienced installer. A good one will have no problems, especially with edges wrapped as they should be for a great and invisible job.

I purchased my C7 used, had an extensive paint correction and polish done, and CQuartz Finest applied on the paint BEFORE wrapping. Some mistakenly do the opposite, but the purpose of the ceramic coating is to protect the paint, not the film. The film is meant to be sacrificial, and if you have to have it replace it, you're left with a pristine paint finish underneath. If you put ceramic on top of film, you've lost both film and coating if damaged, and lost a lot more money.

It's also a PIA to remove film with no protection underneath, but it sure as hell does stick . . . too much so. I like their product, but I don't like their installation guidance and view it to be self-serving.

Attached are 2 videos below from the guy who did my car and one of the most experienced installers in the country explaining why (both videos can be found under first link, 2nd video is direct linked below that):

https://www.facebook.com/Proform-Aut...2806267747363/

https://www.facebook.com/122806267747363/videos/vb.122806267747363/1522319761129333/?type=2&theater&notif_t=like&notif_id=1484843655740473

 

Thanks everyone
still confused

 

One of the prime functions of all car forums is to create paranoia about potential problems, as well as confusion as to what the real answer is. It doesn't matter what question you ask, you'll get conflicting opinions about 98% of the time.

In this case, you can put the film over or under a coating, a good installer will do a good job, and both will look great. A bad installer will not, whichever way you do it.

So, it's a simple choice of:

1) Would you rather have the paint protected underneath the film and still have the protective coating if your film is damaged and has to be replaced, or:

2) Have the coating on top of the film and replace both the coating and the film if the latter damaged.

The film will be damaged at some point. It's there to take one for "team paint." A ceramic coating on top will not prevent that.

XPEL's statement about possible adherence problems is a non-issue with a good installer who wraps the edges. That's why I posted the videos from a guy who's been doing it for 20 years. I've done several cars with ceramic coating on the paint and film over the top without a problem.

A glossier and well-prepared paint surface is going to make the film look much better. Moreover, not having any protection underneath will make the film much harder to remove.

If an installer won't do it that way, I'd find another installer.

 

I have had PPF on many cars. You CAN wax before and it IS better. Paint "sealant" i'm not sure....However, why don't you just ask the installer??? just sayin......

 

Welcome to the forum Joe. These guys will help you with any issues, but expect to get many opinions and that is a good thing.

 

You can do it either way. The installer I work with here in Michigan says to Opticoat first then XPEL. Since my car is already XPEL'd he's just putting the Opticoat over it.

Either way, you should get a nice clean finish that needs minimal waxing and always looks stunning. The main reason I'm doing the Opticoat at all is to cover all the crevices and edges my XPEL film doesn't cover to get maximum protection.

When the car is 8-10 years old I'll have the XPEL stripped, the car re-Opticoated and new XPEL put on. Hopefully the paint underneath at that time needs minimal correction.