It looks SO GOOD!!!Well, I decided to go through with it. I think it turned out really good!
so I was dropping the car off at the detailed and he put two samples to show. There is a matte ppf that is flat, resembling primer coat finish.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...
