lightsout
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I have a Black Sahara and the wrangler paint seems so be very soft and scratches so easily, especially black which shows everything. When I replaced my stock hood with a Rubicon hood I decided to do some sort of paint protection, and since I had to wait 30 days after painting the hood to allow for off gassing from the new paint I then spent 30 days researching my options prior to deciding the best paint protection for me, here are my conclusions.
Ceramic Coatings: this is applied in liquid form and hardens to a 9H hardness, while it is almost like teflon where nothing sticks to it Ceramic is definitely more resistant to scratches than your unprotected paint. However for a off-road vehicle it is not going to provide much protection for contact by brush, branches, rocks or even mud, it is still scratchable. The advantage of Ceramic coating is it makes your finish look like glass and will require less washing. Additionally the fine scratches you get from washing or toweling off you will not get so your paint will look showroom condition hopefully for several years. While ceramic has marketing that suggest 2-5 years or more protection the truth seems more like 1-2 years realistically. Cost for Ceramic ranges from $500-$1200. Ceramic coating is actually easy to apply yourself and you can buy a quality coating for around $100, however the major cost and skill set with having this done professionally is the coating is only as good as the prep work and paint condition, that is where most of the cost is, your paint needs to be perfect before applied otherwise results will be subjective. I have Teflon on my Tesla and it is a great choice for street only vehicles, and it will make you car look amazing when done right. In my opinion though it is too costly for too little protection for an off road vehicle. ( I have Ceramic on my Tesla however it is garaged and only driven about 5K miles on pavement only. I am 2 year in and it still seems to be working however not like year 1 but still very good.
I should note that I had Paint Protection Film (PPF) installed full hood, all 4 doors, 4-fenders, all 4 fender flairs (I have painted flairs), and hood cowls. I did not do the grill (maybe later) or the tail gate. So I did most of the jeep.
Pain protection films: This is what I decided to have installed, so then I had to decide which film as there are several on the market. Understand that these films are extremely tough but best of all self healing if you do get scratches, like scratches from brush/branches or someone leaning on your rig then with a a little heat from the sun, warm water or heat gun those scratches will completely disappear it is truly AMAZING.
watch this video for a detailed explanation of the self healing process...
Compare the films:
3M: this is a well known brand that we all know and frankly the leader in this space, IMO they have the best film with the best warranty (10 years including materials and labor as well if you paint get damaged from rocks up to $3500 to repaint). This is what I decided to go with. In the Seattle market 3M is the most popular product base on number of shops that install films. But frankly it is the warranty and dealer network that sold me. Also 3M has the best clarity whereas some films will show some orange peel effect, the 3M film had virtually no orange peel, you have to look really close to tell there is a film over your paint even then it is hard to tell.
Xpel: another popular quality film with a 10 year warranty, I found in my market several shops have dropped Xpel recently and moved to 3M. Do not get me wrong Xpel is a good product however I found looking at the films side by side that Xpel has a bit of orange peel look (ever so slight but on a Black vehicle like mine that was a non starter whereas other colors I would not had a issue). Their warranty does labor to re install if you have a warranty claim however now paint guaranty like 3M. Like the 3M though Xpel is also self healing and heat will remove all scratches. Look I am being picky it is a great product also.
Suntek: They are the leading window tint supplier, their film is similar to 3M, maybe even a fraction clearer, however it falls in 3rd place for shops that install it (very few, even most of the Tint shops that install these films who use Suntek for window tint most do not use it for paint protection film). I ruled Sunteck out even though it was the lowest quote at $1200, simply due to the lack of dealer network and questionable warranty support.
Cost: this was allover the board, I had My full hood, cowls, 4 doors, 4 fenders and all 4 fender flairs covered I received quotes from $1200-$4500 (it is important to note these films are popular with high end cars so some shops take advantage of those with money to burn resulting is obscene quotes). While you can buy the films pre-cut online and install your self it is a skilled installation, I would not attempt it myself. In fact some panels on my Wrangler had to be done twice by the pros (The Rubicon hood they said is one of the hardest hoods to install PPF). I chose a Tint shop that has been around for 15 years with multiple location (not fly by night) I paid $1600 which I thought was very fair. I had a couple wrinkles with 3 panels and when I pointed it out they gladly replace them and now the paint looks like a showroom vehicle all the time.
Here is a link to a company that sells the pre-cut film https://www.invisiblemask.com/imask/index.php?route=product/category&path=37717
As you can see I had it all installed for less than I can buy the pre cut material for.
The conclusion, I could not be happier, the film not only protects the paint but it also enhances it, it is very shiny like multiple clear coat were added (it really POP's. No more scratches from washing or the trails, most rocks will not hurt the film and in the rare instant I get a tear my paint will be protected and I can replace the film at that location and if the paint is damaged by a rock 3M will pay to paint that areas then install new PPF. With a 10 year warranty and protection my paint underneath will be preserved to like new condition so also preserving resale value. Now when I go off road I do not worry about scratching or paint wear and when I get back I simply hose off then wipe down that would damage any unprotected paint.
With paint protection you can also add wax, sealer or even ceramic coat, this weekend I am doing the ceramic coating myself, the only reason I would do that myself is with the new film there is no prep work required for paint correction, so for an additional $100 I will have the protection of both.
Here is a picture to show how glossy and clear the reflections is with the 3M film (my stock unprotected paint was no where near as reflective/shiny)
ht
Ceramic Coatings: this is applied in liquid form and hardens to a 9H hardness, while it is almost like teflon where nothing sticks to it Ceramic is definitely more resistant to scratches than your unprotected paint. However for a off-road vehicle it is not going to provide much protection for contact by brush, branches, rocks or even mud, it is still scratchable. The advantage of Ceramic coating is it makes your finish look like glass and will require less washing. Additionally the fine scratches you get from washing or toweling off you will not get so your paint will look showroom condition hopefully for several years. While ceramic has marketing that suggest 2-5 years or more protection the truth seems more like 1-2 years realistically. Cost for Ceramic ranges from $500-$1200. Ceramic coating is actually easy to apply yourself and you can buy a quality coating for around $100, however the major cost and skill set with having this done professionally is the coating is only as good as the prep work and paint condition, that is where most of the cost is, your paint needs to be perfect before applied otherwise results will be subjective. I have Teflon on my Tesla and it is a great choice for street only vehicles, and it will make you car look amazing when done right. In my opinion though it is too costly for too little protection for an off road vehicle. ( I have Ceramic on my Tesla however it is garaged and only driven about 5K miles on pavement only. I am 2 year in and it still seems to be working however not like year 1 but still very good.
I should note that I had Paint Protection Film (PPF) installed full hood, all 4 doors, 4-fenders, all 4 fender flairs (I have painted flairs), and hood cowls. I did not do the grill (maybe later) or the tail gate. So I did most of the jeep.
Pain protection films: This is what I decided to have installed, so then I had to decide which film as there are several on the market. Understand that these films are extremely tough but best of all self healing if you do get scratches, like scratches from brush/branches or someone leaning on your rig then with a a little heat from the sun, warm water or heat gun those scratches will completely disappear it is truly AMAZING.
watch this video for a detailed explanation of the self healing process...
Compare the films:
3M: this is a well known brand that we all know and frankly the leader in this space, IMO they have the best film with the best warranty (10 years including materials and labor as well if you paint get damaged from rocks up to $3500 to repaint). This is what I decided to go with. In the Seattle market 3M is the most popular product base on number of shops that install films. But frankly it is the warranty and dealer network that sold me. Also 3M has the best clarity whereas some films will show some orange peel effect, the 3M film had virtually no orange peel, you have to look really close to tell there is a film over your paint even then it is hard to tell.
Xpel: another popular quality film with a 10 year warranty, I found in my market several shops have dropped Xpel recently and moved to 3M. Do not get me wrong Xpel is a good product however I found looking at the films side by side that Xpel has a bit of orange peel look (ever so slight but on a Black vehicle like mine that was a non starter whereas other colors I would not had a issue). Their warranty does labor to re install if you have a warranty claim however now paint guaranty like 3M. Like the 3M though Xpel is also self healing and heat will remove all scratches. Look I am being picky it is a great product also.
Suntek: They are the leading window tint supplier, their film is similar to 3M, maybe even a fraction clearer, however it falls in 3rd place for shops that install it (very few, even most of the Tint shops that install these films who use Suntek for window tint most do not use it for paint protection film). I ruled Sunteck out even though it was the lowest quote at $1200, simply due to the lack of dealer network and questionable warranty support.
Cost: this was allover the board, I had My full hood, cowls, 4 doors, 4 fenders and all 4 fender flairs covered I received quotes from $1200-$4500 (it is important to note these films are popular with high end cars so some shops take advantage of those with money to burn resulting is obscene quotes). While you can buy the films pre-cut online and install your self it is a skilled installation, I would not attempt it myself. In fact some panels on my Wrangler had to be done twice by the pros (The Rubicon hood they said is one of the hardest hoods to install PPF). I chose a Tint shop that has been around for 15 years with multiple location (not fly by night) I paid $1600 which I thought was very fair. I had a couple wrinkles with 3 panels and when I pointed it out they gladly replace them and now the paint looks like a showroom vehicle all the time.
Here is a link to a company that sells the pre-cut film https://www.invisiblemask.com/imask/index.php?route=product/category&path=37717
As you can see I had it all installed for less than I can buy the pre cut material for.
The conclusion, I could not be happier, the film not only protects the paint but it also enhances it, it is very shiny like multiple clear coat were added (it really POP's. No more scratches from washing or the trails, most rocks will not hurt the film and in the rare instant I get a tear my paint will be protected and I can replace the film at that location and if the paint is damaged by a rock 3M will pay to paint that areas then install new PPF. With a 10 year warranty and protection my paint underneath will be preserved to like new condition so also preserving resale value. Now when I go off road I do not worry about scratching or paint wear and when I get back I simply hose off then wipe down that would damage any unprotected paint.
With paint protection you can also add wax, sealer or even ceramic coat, this weekend I am doing the ceramic coating myself, the only reason I would do that myself is with the new film there is no prep work required for paint correction, so for an additional $100 I will have the protection of both.
Here is a picture to show how glossy and clear the reflections is with the 3M film (my stock unprotected paint was no where near as reflective/shiny)
ht
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