XPEL, 3M, Other PPF, NO PPF, CQuartz???

[Side_Pce]

What will you do about the stripes on the roof and trunk though? So the hood will be glossy, stripes on the roof and trunk will be matte. I'm not sure it'll be terribly noticeable, but I can't decide this.

I guess I could request he puts a strip of PPF down the centre of the roof so it matches the hood...


R

Xpel Stealth on the stripes, Ultimate everywhere else.

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[Mspeedster]

I ended up covering the stripes because of preexisting surface scratches on the stripes from transport. Been about two months with the Xpel Xtreme applied to the whole front of the car. In the end I wish I just replaced the stripes with Matte black stripes and applied a Quartz coating on the whole car.

Any blemish in the vinyl can bee seen when you're close to the car. Been back to the installer about 3 times too many to fix bubbles and corners raising. In the end it's just a hassle. It's far from perfect, and I was limited in choosing an installer in my area. Learning experience. I will keep it on for a couple years if it holds up, if it doesn't, I will remove it and take the stripes off the car. I'm happy the car is protected, but for the money, I don't feel it's worth it. High high end installers are few and far between IMO and are the exemption to the rule.

Yeah, it all comes down to the PPF installer; reputation and Yelp reviews are one thing, but one never really knows the outcome until it's done. I'm very picky and worried that no installation can be 100% perfect. So the thought of just going with a ceramic coating and no PPF is also an option I'm considering as well. I've talked to several PPF shops by phone, but will probably make a decision after visiting with them.

 

[machsmith]

Rob,
The only factory stripes that are matte are the black, so no worries. You can use the ultimate right over everything.

 

[Mspeedster]

Im covering mine in one sheet too. Those that dont cover the stripes, expect a scratched up stripe in no time...if they arent right when you get them.

The stripes are the most worrisome thing about this for me. Damned if you do, dammed if you don't. All of the installers I spoke with could not guarantee that the stripes wouldn't come off at the time of the PPF removal. One even suggested just taking them off, getting the PPF done and then reapplying the stripes over the PPF. It would give the cleanest look, but those stripes are still exposed.

My stripes are perfect from the factory. I added a coat of Rejex to protect them a little and have had no issues with them picking up scratches. I think a good ceramic coating on them will help prevent micro scratches. But if left exposed without PPF, the stripes on the front fascia in particular seem likely to take a few inevitable hits from stones.

I've been thinking that PPF is kind of like paying for insurance. Going without it, you could be just fine or not, it just depends. But chances are one will pick up at least a few stone chips over the life of the car ownership. I could live with a few chips over the course of time, but getting a lot would gut me. OTOH, if one ever gets into an accident, the PPF was all for not in any case. Or if you get a chip on a non-PPF covered part of the vehicle, it would suck as well.

But since this car is my weekend toy, it's not entirely up to chance. I can pick and choose when, where and how I drive this car to minimize the likelihood of stone chips. Having said that, I didn't buy the car to be a garage queen, I do want to drive it and drive it hard, hence the dilemma.

 

[CanadianHorseMan]

Rob,
The only factory stripes that are matte are the black, so no worries. You can use the ultimate right over everything.

Oh really. That's great. I saw a regular GT350 with white stripes (black pinstripe), but I thought that may have been because it wasn't an R.

 

[Shift]

The stripes are the most worrisome thing about this for me. Damned if you do, dammed if you don't. All of the installers I spoke with could not guarantee that the stripes wouldn't come off at the time of the PPF removal. One even suggested just taking them off, getting the PPF done and then reapplying the stripes over the PPF. It would give the cleanest look, but those stripes are still exposed.

My stripes are perfect from the factory. I added a coat of Rejex to protect them a little and have had no issues with them picking up scratches. I think a good ceramic coating on them will help prevent micro scratches. But if left exposed without PPF, the stripes on the front fascia in particular seem likely to take a few inevitable hits from stones.

I've been thinking that PPF is kind of like paying for insurance. Going without it, you could be just fine or not, it just depends. But chances are one will pick up at least a few stone chips over the life of the car ownership. I could live with a few chips over the course of time, but getting a lot would gut me. OTOH, if one ever gets into an accident, the PPF was all for not in any case. Or if you get a chip on a non-PPF covered part of the vehicle, it would suck as well.

But since this car is my weekend toy, it's not entirely up to chance. I can pick and choose when, where and how I drive this car to minimize the likelihood of stone chips. Having said that, I didn't buy the car to be a garage queen, I do want to drive it and drive it hard, hence the dilemma.

In the same shoes as well. Appt to get front end wrapped is next Monday. A lot of back and forth with having Xpel or not. I think it sealed the deal for me a few days ago when I decided to take my beater instead of the Shelby up to a job site. On my way back, there was unavoidable debris of rocks or rubber bouncing across all 3 lanes of the freeway, of which a bunch hit the front end of the car. I breathed a sigh of relief that I didnt bring the Shelby or else my front end would have been screwed.

I'm paranoid about the car, and driving a safe distance. I figure I'll just have to pay to have a piece of mind.

 

[lemers]

This is a cool video of a shop removing the stripes and applying the film protection on an R

 

[Mspeedster]

This is a cool video of a shop removing the stripes and applying the film protection on an R

Thanks for posting that. Ugh, it was painful for me watching them take the stripes off.

 

[Helmet]

This is a cool video of a shop removing the stripes and applying the film protection on an R

Thanks for posting that. Ugh, it was painful for me watching them take the stripes off.

Didn't like seeing them using a razor knife on the car or the torch.

 

[Praehotec]

Rob,
The only factory stripes that are matte are the black, so no worries. You can use the ultimate right over everything.

Would it be bad to cover the matte black stripes on the R?

Aside from protection from rock chips, does a PPF make it easier to maintain the appearance of the car?

 

[Praehotec]

When i got mine done i looked at the matte film over the stripes, and to me there would have been too many seams. The only other option i considered was pulling the stripes and going over the whole area with ppf then putting down new stripes. Pricing for that got a little expensive though.

What did you end up doing, if I may ask, and how did it turn out?

 

[lemers]

Would it be bad to cover the matte black stripes on the R?

Aside from protection from rock chips, does a PPF make it easier to maintain the appearance of the car?

Doesn't covering the matte stripes make them "look" glossy?

 

[Mspeedster]

Didn't like seeing them using a razor knife on the car or the torch.

Yeah, the razor made me nervous. After seeing that, I'm even more worried that using heat, as they all do with PPF removal, will take the stripes off with it. But I really thought it was just a sad waste to trash the original stripes on a new car.

 

[Ven0r]

What did you end up doing, if I may ask, and how did it turn out?

Turned out great,

Take a look here

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1459481&postcount=14

 

[GTP]

Would it be bad to cover the matte black stripes on the R?

Aside from protection from rock chips, does a PPF make it easier to maintain the appearance of the car?

ABSOLUTELY.

It is why I changed from partial hood, partial roof, and no trunk, to full coverage all 3 panels.

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