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      04-17-2016, 03:29 PM   #1
TheNeonTiger
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Coating vs Film?

After a ton of googling and forum research, I still don't really understand all of the film and coating options and benefits.

So these seem to be the top coatings:
Opticoat Pro+
CQuartz Finest
Gyeon Quartz

And there seems to really only be one top film:
XPEL Ultimate

If someone wants the maximum shine and maximum protection from gravel chips, etc., which is your best option? Also if you have any photos/experience with these products, it would be great to see the results all in one place!
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      04-17-2016, 04:32 PM   #2
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The Xpel is "self-healing" and good to protect against chips and such if you are keeping the car long term or otherwise tend to get lots of paint chips and dents. I don't keep my cars longer than 3 years so the coatings are enough for me. The coatings keep a great shine and make it super easy to clean the car. Nothing sticks to the OptiCoat I have on my car.
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      04-17-2016, 04:54 PM   #3
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Best option is film at the most exposed places and than coating on top of that (on the whole car).
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      04-17-2016, 05:35 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by metrickid
Best option is film at the most exposed places and than coating on top of that (on the whole car).
Can you put a coating over a film? Wouldn't it build up at the seams or leave lines when the films were taken off or reapplied?
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      04-17-2016, 05:37 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNeonTiger View Post
So these seem to be the top coatings:
Opticoat Pro+
CQuartz Finest
Gyeon Quartz
There was some discussion in another thread about Nanolex Si3D. I'd love it if a detailer would comment on these.
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      04-17-2016, 11:55 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNeonTiger
After a ton of googling and forum research, I still don't really understand all of the film and coating options and benefits.

So these seem to be the top coatings:
Opticoat Pro+
CQuartz Finest
Gyeon Quartz

And there seems to really only be one top film:
XPEL Ultimate

If someone wants the maximum shine and maximum protection from gravel chips, etc., which is your best option? Also if you have any photos/experience with these products, it would be great to see the results all in one place!
Be wary of the coatings. Most are overpriced and won't last as advertised. 6 months should be the max. Maybe a year if its sitting around. The hard "glass" coatings are interesting. They don't flex with the paint which concerns me. The coatings are also extremely hard to buff. They acquire scratches all the same. If you really want a coating save some money and do it yourself. $100, but prep is the name of the game.

If you want real impact resistance and scratch resistance, go with the expel. I've decided to ditch both and go with sealers and waxes. I enjoy the process. Clay, M power-lock sealant and collinite 845.
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      04-18-2016, 02:05 AM   #7
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I had Opticoat on my 1 series and even after 3 years it appeared to do it's job as well as it did on day 1.

Would like to try Xpel Ultimate on the M2 however it appears there are no installers any closer than 2700 kms away!! so i'll be sticking to Opticoat again.
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      04-19-2016, 05:28 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prodigy.
I had Opticoat on my 1 series and even after 3 years it appeared to do it's job as well as it did on day 1.

Would like to try Xpel Ultimate on the M2 however it appears there are no installers any closer than 2700 kms away!! so i'll be sticking to Opticoat again.
I've had the same experience with Opticoat. Same shine almost 3 years later.
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      04-19-2016, 05:40 AM   #9
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Go bare. Sealant and wax.

I'd definitely wrap the front end, though.
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      04-19-2016, 06:49 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prodigy. View Post
I had Opticoat on my 1 series and even after 3 years it appeared to do it's job as well as it did on day 1.

Would like to try Xpel Ultimate on the M2 however it appears there are no installers any closer than 2700 kms away!! so i'll be sticking to Opticoat again.
Xpel is good, but its not the only PPF on the market. I've had the 3M Pro film on my current car for 4 years now, and it's great. I'm sure there must be an installer near you that offers a competitive product?
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      04-19-2016, 07:14 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ex-MINI View Post
Xpel is good, but its not the only PPF on the market. I've had the 3M Pro film on my current car for 4 years now, and it's great. I'm sure there must be an installer near you that offers a competitive product?
I have had 3M ventureshield on a previous car that was installed locally, that was a few years ago, although good i wasn't overly impressed with the quality & look of the film. Does the 3M Pro Film self heal etc?


Edit - just researched it, appears the Pro Film is a big step up from the Ventureshield, will see if anyone locally can install, thanks for the tip.
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      04-19-2016, 09:12 AM   #12
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I had 3M on my last car...the film turned opaque and when I took it off it ripped some of the paint off.

..the more I read about it ceramic coating seems the way to go!
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      04-19-2016, 11:49 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNeonTiger View Post
After a ton of googling and forum research, I still don't really understand all of the film and coating options and benefits.

So these seem to be the top coatings:
Opticoat Pro+
CQuartz Finest
Gyeon Quartz

And there seems to really only be one top film:
XPEL Ultimate

If someone wants the maximum shine and maximum protection from gravel chips, etc., which is your best option? Also if you have any photos/experience with these products, it would be great to see the results all in one place!
Your best option, IMO, is to wrap the front end and selected other areas of the car in film and coat the remainder. I recommend a full-coverage film kit on the front bumper, hood and fenders, plus film on the side mirrors, A-pillars and rocker panels (The huge rear fenders will also be a vulnerable area on this car, but that area comes with a fairly large piece of film from the factory). This will protect the most vulnerable areas from rock chips, and the rest of the car will have a durable, easy-to-maintain, high-gloss finish. My partner and I have performed many film/coating installs and we generally consider coating over the film to be unnecessary. The film is a sacrificial layer - let it do its job, and replace sections if they get damaged - especially in the case of XPEL, due to the fact that it is very glossy and has self-healing properties.

I consider most of the coatings we have used to be comparable in terms of results (but have not used the Gyeon yet), with one exception. My current favorite is Kamikaze - the finish is phenomenal (noticeably glossier and wetter-looking than Opticoat or 22PLE, for example), and it should cure to a greater thickness and is expected to last longer. That being said, we coated my mother's RR Sport with Opticoat over a year ago and, with a simple hand wash, it still looks as good as the day we coated it. Regardless of which product you choose, the coating will make your life much easier in terms of maintaining the car's finish.
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      04-19-2016, 03:08 PM   #14
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I had Modesta PD coating on my E46. It was pretty phenomenal.

My M2 is getting a full Xpel Ultimate front cap with Modesta BC-05 over it, and BC-06 on the wheels.

Xpel doesn't have UV protection, so I consider both to be required.
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      04-19-2016, 06:58 PM   #15
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I agree - Modesta is outstanding ... Really impressive stuff, but it is a significantly more costly product than most other coatings.
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      04-20-2016, 08:03 AM   #16
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Anyone have experience using Suntek? The guy s who was recommended to me uses that brand. Any words of advice would be appreciated!!
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      04-28-2016, 03:20 PM   #17
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I'm currently in phase 1 of my protection plan. I have just put on the opti-coat. After this completed, i will need to find someone that will do the XPEL wrap for me on the front.

In my opinion, I would seal and wrap.
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      04-28-2016, 06:03 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dammitcubs View Post
I'm currently in phase 1 of my protection plan. I have just put on the opti-coat. After this completed, i will need to find someone that will do the XPEL wrap for me on the front.

In my opinion, I would seal and wrap.
Many recommend if you're doing the bare minimum initially, do the film wrap on the front end. The rationale being any 'coating' won't do you favors when it comes to rock chips and real paint protection. If you get a film first on the front end+rockers, at least you've covered the highest risk areas for debris impact.

Since there are precuts available for the whole car, you can xpel the whole car in stages ( stage 1 front+rockers, stage 2 doors/rear fenders, stage 3 roof and rear). Although many argue that the roof should be part of stage 1 since our cars are low and the front half of the roof is a front-facing impact zone. I haven't quite heard of putting film over a coat, I usually hear the other way around with film then coat.

I have xpel ultimate applied to the whole car with the precuts, and ceramic pro over it. Additionally ceramic pro on the wheels, calipers, and ceramic pro rain on the windshield. Lmk if you got any q's about my experience thus far (it hasn't been long haha)
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      04-28-2016, 06:38 PM   #19
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I'm probably getting a black gloss roof wrap soon. As for the front - im being quoted at 2200. for the full front. So i'll have to see if i want to do that later.

I would agree than an XPEL would help with the debris. The opti-coat or ceramic pro was just my initial new car prep. I'm still researching good XPEL guys in my area.
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      04-29-2016, 07:58 PM   #20
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I'm very curious how many people get partial front wrap vs full front wrap.

I'm getting two quotes:

Partial front would be whole bumper, partial front fenders and partial front hood.

other is Full fendors, full hood, full bumper.

difference is about a 1 Grand
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      04-30-2016, 12:01 PM   #21
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I'm going to wrap the full front and then coat the entire car.

BUT...May copy the stealth wrap LBB car. $4500 ouch !!!
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      05-02-2016, 08:04 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clubsport View Post
I'm going to wrap the full front and then coat the entire car.

BUT...May copy the stealth wrap LBB car. $4500 ouch !!!
Full Front wrap is going cost me 2000. It hurts because if i want stealth, i have spent an addition 6K in the future.
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