Paint Protection Film - Window Tint and Ceramic Coatings.

flyinrye95

Tremor Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Messages
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Location
tampa
Current Ride
2019 F250 Platinum
I’ve been installing paint protection film, window tint, and ceramic coatings for the past 20 years. I wanted to share a little of what I did to my truck and possibly help anyone with questions for their Tremor. We also carry most brands including XPEL, Suntek, 3M and Gtechniq products.

Paint Protection Film (PPF): PPF is designed to help minimize damage from rock chips, love bugs, and road debris.
Areas of coverage – Full front, entire rockers, leading edge of roof, pillars, b-pillars, and entire flares using 8 and 10 mil films made by XPEL. We used the thicker 10 mil films on the high impact areas such as the bumper and rocker panels where the rocks are constantly hitting the paint. On a few other panels we also put our normal test films on it to see how the films hold up lol.

Window Tint: Since the truck has big windows we used a combination of Ceramic films and Ceramic with IR heat blockers in it.
Two Fronts – XPEL Prime Black 15%
Windshield – XPEL Prime Plus 55%
Sunroofs – XPEL Prime Plus 55%
Back Windows – XPEL Prime Plus 70%

Paint Correction – Ceramic Coatings: The paint correction process removes light surface scratches, swirl marks and blemishes. Once the paint has been corrected and PPF has been applied, the ceramic coating is applied to increase the gloss and shine allowing for easier cleanings. Check out the shine…

Enjoy the Pics. Please let me know if anyone has questions regarding products or need helping finding installers in their area.

Now off to Ford to get Carli Suspension and 37s. J Can’t wait.

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Looks sharp. Thank you for sharing
 
I am picking up a new truck tomorrow and have been looking into both ppf and ceramic coating. (Ppf on the high impact areas and ceramic over the entire truck. The quote I got as ~$5500 which in mind is ridiculous? Does this seem high? Seems cheaper to paint it again in 5 years. Thoughts ?
 
I am picking up a new truck tomorrow and have been looking into both ppf and ceramic coating. (Ppf on the high impact areas and ceramic over the entire truck. The quote I got as ~$5500 which in mind is ridiculous? Does this seem high? Seems cheaper to paint it again in 5 years. Thoughts ?

Way overpriced!
 
I am picking up a new truck tomorrow and have been looking into both ppf and ceramic coating. (Ppf on the high impact areas and ceramic over the entire truck. The quote I got as ~$5500 which in mind is ridiculous? Does this seem high? Seems cheaper to paint it again in 5 years. Thoughts ?
this is the exact quote I just got for PPF and coating 5600.00 for entire truck... feel a bit lost on what to do but I know I want to protect my truck (especially because I did black on black).
 
I’m just going to wasH and wax it.
I think I’m in the same boat, I’ll keep it in my garage and hand wash it and wax it every 6 months. My Raptor after detail looks perfect and I didn’t paint protect anything.
 
Are those factory running boards and how did you black out the chrome strip?
 
XPEL is the best p/p in my experience, we have had several cars and trucks covered with it. It’s all about the installer and how experienced he is. XPEL.com - you can check out the price of precut p/p.
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full hood-
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H/L
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full fenders-
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I think I’m in the same boat, I’ll keep it in my garage and hand wash it and wax it every 6 months. My Raptor after detail looks perfect and I didn’t paint protect anything.
Trust me on the Ceramic coat. My kid does coatings, I have everything even my motorcycles coated. I never go to a car wash, Just a fast 20 min home wash and it looks like it was just detailed. But you need a good honest ceramic coating company to do the work. Color correction is easer on a brand new vehicle but still required. The films are the real deal too.

the ceramic coating is a real time saver and it makes your clear coat up to 9x times harder, so it resists chips and scratches much better. I love how the bugs just slide off the front end with just garden hose pressure.
 
Nice Color Choice. :).

I swapped out the running boards to the AMP research ones. Really nice. For some reason mine didn't come with the automatic platinum running boards.

I truly believe all of the products are well worth the money. If you are the type of person who likes to keep the truck looking nice and have OCD issues like myself then protect with peace of mind. Majority of our business are high end vehicles which makes obvious sense to protect. For a truck that is possibly left out side every day products don't last as long especially in FL. So have to weigh your options. Chips bug me, so no brainer for me.

Prices really depend on the area you are located and the skill level of the installer. We are probably on the higher price side, but our quality is perfect, except for my truck, I slapped it on. hahahah.

Prices we charge:
PPF - Full Hood, Full Fenders, Flares, Bumper, Lights - $2200 using 8-10 mil
Roof and Pillars - $200
B- Pillars - $100
Full Rockers with full flare - $700 10 mil.

I didn't cover my entire truck, I don't keep them very long. My cars I do cover entire. Typical entire vehicle costs are $6-9k.

Window Tint: (Way to hot in FL, so this is a must have). Using ceramic with IR - Windshield - $250, Sides and back - $600. Roof - $300.

Paint correction with Crystal Serum Ultra with EXO as a 2nd layer - $2200. Takes 2-3 days to complete correction and coating process.
The coatings are awesome, allows you to wash your truck very quickly and no waxing is needed. The shine is crazy. Please note, If you are the person that has the dealership wash, or goes through car washes, DON'T do it, you are wasting your money. :) The coatings won't last long. If you spend the money on it get the correct soap and take care of it yourself or find someone that can. Not hard. On a properly maintained truck, the coatings will last 4-5 years.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions.

Thanks

Todays cars at the shop.
 

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did you just PPF the front end or the entire truck?

Front end, complete fenders and flares, rockers, w/s pillars, mirror caps. I installed 10 mil p/p on all four door thresholds. Also had the corners and rockers of our Travel Trailer done in 10 mil. XPEL is excellent p/p.

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Front end, complete fenders and flares, rockers, w/s pillars, mirror caps. I installed 10 mil p/p on all four door thresholds. Also had the corners and rockers of our Travel Trailer done in 10 mil. XPEL is excellent p/p.

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Okay total professional opinion from you (if I lived anywhere close to your shop I would just come and pay to have all of this done but I live in OR). But I found a place with “Huper Optik Roadguard” in a matte black or gloss full truck wrap for 5600.00. Told it self heals from minor scratches. Was leaning towards matte finish if I did it. But is it worth the price in your opinion? Would you do something different?
 
Okay total professional opinion from you (if I lived anywhere close to your shop I would just come and pay to have all of this done but I live in OR). But I found a place with “Huper Optik Roadguard” in a matte black or gloss full truck wrap for 5600.00. Told it self heals from minor scratches. Was leaning towards matte finish if I did it. But is it worth the price in your opinion? Would you do something different?

I wish I could answer your question, but I am not familiar with Optic Roadguard. XPEL is all I have had installed. XPEL comes in a matte finished referred to as “Stealth” and looks great on the right paint/vehicle. Maybe someone else will chime in on Roadguard.
 
Okay total professional opinion from you (if I lived anywhere close to your shop I would just come and pay to have all of this done but I live in OR). But I found a place with “Huper Optik Roadguard” in a matte black or gloss full truck wrap for 5600.00. Told it self heals from minor scratches. Was leaning towards matte finish if I did it. But is it worth the price in your opinion? Would you do something different?

What color is your truck?

Huper Optik is well known for really nice window film and has been around for years. The ppf film is probably relabeled but not 100% sure on that. I don't know of anyone using it. Not saying it isn't good, I just haven't heard anyone using it. The tint yes.

As a business owner/installer I've been burned by film companies in the past. They promise the latest and greatest film and it may be, but on countless times when the film possibly goes bad, the warranty isn't good as the distributor has switched films or no longer in business. I only stick with the popular companies. XPEL, Suntek and 3M. They all have tons of dealers and they all have great warranties to protect you and the installer.

If your installer has been around for years and produces good clean work, then you should be fine.

Stealth film is a lot more work, as every edge has to be wrapped and tucked so no gloss is showing. Just for comparison, we would be around 8500 and would take 3-4 days to complete. Gloss probably 1k cheaper. XPEL is going to cost more though, patterns and film costs are higher.

Hope this helps.
 
What color is your truck?

Huper Optik is well known for really nice window film and has been around for years. The ppf film is probably relabeled but not 100% sure on that. I don't know of anyone using it. Not saying it isn't good, I just haven't heard anyone using it. The tint yes.

As a business owner/installer I've been burned by film companies in the past. They promise the latest and greatest film and it may be, but on countless times when the film possibly goes bad, the warranty isn't good as the distributor has switched films or no longer in business. I only stick with the popular companies. XPEL, Suntek and 3M. They all have tons of dealers and they all have great warranties to protect you and the installer.

If your installer has been around for years and produces good clean work, then you should be fine.

Stealth film is a lot more work, as every edge has to be wrapped and tucked so no gloss is showing. Just for comparison, we would be around 8500 and would take 3-4 days to complete. Gloss probably 1k cheaper. XPEL is going to cost more though, patterns and film costs are higher.

Hope this helps.
Thank you. This is very helpful. So would you recommend wrapping the whole truck for protection. Or is this over kill?
 
Kept in the garage. Won’t be a daily driver. And it is black.

My only sage advice, if your going to get p/p naturally get it done before you get any paint chips or dings. Any highly experienced installer worth using will never cover paint chips.
Flyinrye95 sounds like a top notch experienced installer.
The installer I use is also excellent. It’s all about the install.
 
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