Thoughts on Xpel Stealth PPF?

[gryphongod]

I've never gotten PPF on a car before, but am definitely planning to when I receive my SGP FL5. It will just be deciding between Xpel Stealth or Ultimate. I really like satin finishes, and am going to do a 35% tint all around as well. The option for Stealth would be to do it on all the SGP panels, and Xpel Ultimate on all the glossy black bits.

I'm just wondering what you all think and if there are reasons not to do it I should be aware of. Thanks!

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[Clark_Kent]

If satin finishes are your thing, XPEL Stealth makes sense. A few items to consider:

• Assuming you're not installing this yourself, perform enhanced due diligence on the installer. These films are only as good as the person installing them.
• You'll also want to ascertain what type of install you're after and what is being offered. Is the detailer primarily using precut patterns with little to no modification or is it a custom install where they'll take the car apart and spare no expense in search of perfection. This makes a difference on how it looks and cost.
• SGP is a fine color and finish and takes on different shades/hues depending on lighting conditions and/or angle. You're covering up on the best features of the car.
• One of the downsides of wrapping an entire car in film is the cost. Depending on where you're having this work done you're looking at ~$4,750 - ~$9,000. Is that money well spent? That's only a question you can answer.

 

[gryphongod]

Thanks for the notes. It's being installed by a very reputable detailer so it's not going to be a cheap job. The cost is not so much an issue as long as it ends up looking good and not have issues down the line.

 

[TypeRD]

Have the detailer let you see their work. I’ve seen even very highly rated detailers do sub-par work, including multi-thousand dollar wrap jobs on very high-end vehicles. The good news is that Xpel has a good warranty and their network of shops should be able to take care of you if a problem should arise.

 

[madbikes]

I've never gotten PPF on a car before, but am definitely planning to when I receive my SGP FL5. It will just be deciding between Xpel Stealth or Ultimate. I really like satin finishes, and am going to do a 35% tint all around as well. The option for Stealth would be to do it on all the SGP panels, and Xpel Ultimate on all the glossy black bits.

I'm just wondering what you all think and if there are reasons not to do it I should be aware of. Thanks!

It is uncommon to see cars with satin finish PPF for a couple reasons. It only looks good with certain colors and usually make sense to have the entire car in satin finish.

To better help you decide, have the detailer of your choice cut a reasonably large piece of scrap PPF in satin finish and quickly tack on a car. Black and certain dark colors generally work best with satin finish PPF.

 

[gryphongod]

Yup I've visited the detailer and saw a bunch of their work. It is very good. They did walk me through a bunch of things and offered to hold a piece of stealth on the car to let us see how it would look when we bring it in. They thought it would look good on the SGP as well.

Part of the reason I'm asking here is because I haven't really seen stealth talked about at all and was wondering if there's something obvious I'm missing.

 

[Clark_Kent]

Yup I've visited the detailer and saw a bunch of their work. It is very good. They did walk me through a bunch of things and offered to hold a piece of stealth on the car to let us see how it would look when we bring it in. They thought it would look good on the SGP as well.

Part of the reason I'm asking here is because I haven't really seen stealth talked about at all and was wondering if there's something obvious I'm missing.

I understand. Leveraging the intellectual capital and experiences of members of this forum to inform decision making is what makes these car communities great. The reason you haven't seen much discussion is because satin or matte ppf consumers are a subgroup of a population that largely does not exist on this forum. There's a direct relationship between vehicle cost and full ppf conversation rate. FL5 owners aren't exactly lining up to have full ppf applied to their cars, which makes sense. Spending upwards of 20% of the MSRP on elastomeric polyurethane isn't a compelling value proposition for most.

 

[Phil Devtec]

I’ve done XPEL stealth before. Though it looks cool at first, it just looks dirty after a while. I got tired of the look but I was stuck with an $8k ‘wrap’. Lol!

 

[TimeRacer]

After getting my car getting Xpel PPFed I found out the only way to maintain the warranty is if you only use Xpel coatings... This kind of thing turned me off for recommending the company if there's other options available. Item #13

https://www.xpel.com/warranty-information

 

[optronix]

I had my wife's Macan GTS done in Xpel Stealth. We bought the car in black for this express purpose. My wife has always loved the "murdered out" look, and she has never been happier with a car. I really should take more pictures of it, this is kind of all I have..

I've had it on since November, and I'll point out a couple things that are important for anyone considering doing this.

It's not only expensive to install, it could be expensive to maintain. I think my installer did a great job, and the one panel that started bubbling (the roof) was completely redone at no cost. But I did get a rock punch a hole in the film, and that is not covered by the warranty... so you have to replace the film on the entire panel. On this car, the hood is a clamshell that basically covers the entire front half of the car, the hole is where the fender would be on any other car so that would have been nearly half the cost of the whole job to replace that panel... so it will stay there lol. On a civic it wouldn't be as big a deal but just keep in mind that any "damage" is not covered by the warranty so for example someone slams their door into yours in a parking lot, what would have been a ~$200 dent pull and polish gets another few hundred added to it if you want to put film back on.

The "self-healing" isn't really that great to my experience. My cousin dragged her long stupid nails across the door next to the handle and it is definitely still there, and looks to be there forever. I may try to take a heat gun directly to it to see if that helps but... so much for "self-healing".

But at least the small scratches and imperfections that are noticeable up close disappear after literally two steps back. This satin finish looks so good from even standing right next to the car... as my wife says "this thing punks other Macans". Also another thing many people comment on is that the finish is somehow still shiny in a way... it's not like it absorbs all light. It's a really cool effect that's hard to describe and rarely comes across effectively in pictures (although the ones I've shared do kind of showcase this a little bit...).

It isn't nearly as easy to keep clean as I'd hoped. I have to stay on top of it, I'd say just as much as I'd have to do if I'd left it black. Sure it's got ceramic coating over it but it still shows dirt very easily, and looks so good when it's clean that it compels me to get out and clean it pretty much every week. Sometimes more than that as we've had some ridiculously high volume of rain recently... I hate when this thing gets dirty.

And don't even think about running it through a car wash. I still use the same procedure I do on all my cars, which does take about 45 minutes for just the exterior. It's a pain but kind of what you sign up for as an enthusiast.

Overall, if the matte finish is something that "invokes emotion", and you can spare the incredible expense (I got a deal at $8k, but that included tint and coating), then I'd say go for it. Also I don't think it really matters the color... a Stealth SGP Civic I think would look really dope. There are quite a few cars around here in the DC Metro region that have Stealth done, and they range the spectrum. I haven't seen one turn out bad yet...

I actually really love the Performance Red Pearl on my not-yet-week-old Integra Type S... but man would it look good in Stealth.......

edit- also, a word of advice... for a job like this try to stay as local as possible. Just in case. As I mentioned, I had to have a panel replaced, and my wife and I had to drive over an hour through literally some of the nation's worst traffic to drop the car off for a day to have it repaired. And I'll have to continue to do this for any other issues I may have... I got a great deal with a great installer so I'll keep on happily doing it but it would be nice if the place was down the street...

 

[TypeRD]

Note that wrap film (used to change the look of the car) is not nearly as thick, durable, or tough as clear ppf. They’re almost 2 entirely different products.

 

[optronix]

Note that wrap film (used to change the look of the car) is not nearly as thick, durable, or tough as clear ppf. They’re almost 2 entirely different products.

Not Xpel Stealth. Xpel Stealth is virtually the same product as clear PPF, it's just translucent.

https://www.xpel.com/products/paint-protection-film/stealth

 

[TypeRD]

Not Xpel Stealth. Xpel Stealth is virtually the same product as clear PPF, it's just translucent.

https://www.xpel.com/products/paint-protection-film/stealth

Ah. OK. I follow you. Instead of completely clear film, it has a satin finish. So the underlying color shows thru, but would have a satin appearance when the film is applied.

 

[Harryhole308]

I was considering ppf for my CW FL5 and spent a long time agonising whether to have it as I’m really fussy about cleaning my car and keeping it as tidy as possible. In the end I decided against it for the problems already mentioned plus there are issues of potential much higher insurance premiums due to the added cost of repairing wrapped panels.
There are also potential problems getting the stuff off with some stories of paint coming off or adhesive residue needing machine polishing off etc.
I didn’t want edges to go dirty and I didn’t want installers removing bits of trim to hide edges either.
I do have some small stone chips subsequently but it doesn’t make any significant difference to the overall appearance. It’s a bit of expected patina!
I even resisted ceramic coating as I’ve seen some below par jobs and if that’s not done right it needs machine polishing off so that’s more top coat lost.
I’ve gone fusso 12 month wax and built up layers. Looks great. Beads well. And washes so easily.
I know it protects from some chips but it’s just too expensive IMO.

I

 

[optronix]

Ah. OK. I follow you. Instead of completely clear film, it has a satin finish. So the underlying color shows thru, but would have a satin appearance when the film is applied.

That is correct. But you are not wrong about vinyl wraps. But with the wrap, you can completely change the color of the car. Xpel Stealth is just going to change the look of the paint that's underneath to matte/satin.

As for ceramic coating, there are plenty of great products out there that do not require professional installation nor machine polishing to remove if it cures incorrectly. My personal favorite is Larry Kosilla's brand AMMO NYC, a product called Reflex Pro. It's on its second evolution, but even the original was fantastic. I've used it on several cars and my most notable anecdote is on my son's 2012 Civic Si. It had ~140k miles on it when I machine polished that car around this time last year, and applied Reflex Pro. The paint was in pretty good shape; the car was clearly garage kept and the previous (and only) owner did at least attempt to keep it clean and protect the paint... but it was old paint. The polish really helped... fast forward to now, and my son has NOT kept up with the paint... but it somehow hasn't mattered that much. He has not washed it in over a year and it still shines and beads water amazingly well.

On other cars I have kept up with it still lasts way longer than it has any right to, even after months of near-weekly washing.

Goes on as easy as wax can go on paint OR PPF.

https://ammonyc.com/products/ammo-reflex-pro-ii-enamel-coat

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