First big Upgrade!
**PPF Update**
I want to share my experience deciding on paint protection options and I hope it might be helpful to others.
Even before my 392 was built I started to research how to protect it. This is by far the most expensive vehicle I have ever owned and I want to keep it looking good for a long time. I knew nothing about paint protection but two words kept coming up: Paint Protection Film (PPF) and Ceramic Coating. I wondered is PPF worth it or is it just a gimmick? And what is the difference between PPF and Ceramic Coating? Here is what I found out:
Basically PPF is a film that provides long-term physical preservation, it can be removed and replaced with the paint underneath kept in ‘new’ condition. PPF is not a gimmick. It was originally developed by 3M for the military for use on helicopter rotor blades. It forms a sacrificial layer that increased their service life. Here is a great video showing the difference PPF can make in very extreme conditions:
Ceramic coating on the other hand is a polymer designed to provide a slick, smooth, hydrophobic (water repelling) surface that stays clean and is easy to keep clean.
But here is the best part, I learned you don’t have to choose PPF or Ceramic,
you can do both! You apply
PPF first then Ceramic Coating over top. You get the best of both and maximize keeping your 392 looking newer for longer. That is the direction I chose to go.
With the PPF I had to make three big decisions:
- Protect the front facing area or do the whole vehicle?
- Which detail shop to go with?
- Which PPF brand? (XPEL, STEK, 3M, Llumar, SunTek, Avrey)
1. Protect the front facing area, or do the whole vehicle?
I asked in
this post for advice. Front facing area was $3014 total including, prep, PPF, ceramic, and tax. Wrapping the whole vehicle was $6327 total for prep, PPF, ceramic, and tax and included wrapping my extra set 4 half doors. From my take, applying PPF to the complete vehicle gives the maximum protection and a new car gloss on all areas. In addition as the paint fades in the elements, with all parts covered in PPF the impact would be uniform. Ultimately it came down to cost. The only reason I came up with to not PPF the whole vehicle was the cost. And it is expensive, this PPF job cost more than my current car is worth. But my 392 is not just another car, and I felt the extra benefits justified the additional cost.
2. Which detail shop to go with?
This is probably the most important decision I made. The only way I found to figure this out was to actually go and visit several PPF shops. I ended up going with a small shop (
B Precise Auto Detaing) that would work
with me to get the result I wanted. I chose to remove
all the external parts myself so that there would be no need for seams or outlines around door handles, emblems, etc. The shop actually ended up giving me a discount for doing all the disassembly prep myself! I would have done it anyway because I want the film to be invisible. And I learned a lot about my new Jeep by taking it apart and putting it back together.
Then the shop spent a full week with my Jeep. Cleaning, DA prep polishing and fixing paint defects, then full body PPF, finally ceramic coating. Brian the owner walked me through modifying templates and deleting seams, he wrapped every edge when possible, and bulk wrapping most of the main panels (Bulk wrap is when you wrap an area with film then cut it to fit on the vehicle as opposed to using a pre-cut template piece.) Here is the process, it is a ton of work and well worth the cost.
View attachment 4033
View attachment 4034
View attachment 4035
View attachment 4036
View attachment 4037
3. Which PPF brand?
I ended up going with
STEK DYNOshield. It worked out that the installer I chose was an authorized STEK installer and it carries a 10-year manufacture warranty. What I like about DYNOshield is the clarity and the hydrophobic outer layer. I watched lots of videos but this one helps show some of the differences between the film brands in a side by side comparison.
In the end even though the film brand is important, I think
it’s the installer that makes the biggest difference.
View attachment 4040
I'm glad we did this while the vehicle was brand new (under 100mi). Now that it is all done I am amazed by how easy it is to keep clean, it’s like Teflon armor for my 392.
Here is a video the shop made:
(best. song. ever.)
Big thanks to
@Mrtintsd for helping me figuring this all out, thanks buddy!