XPEL and/or Ceramic Pro? Few questions about both?

[MFNATIK]

On my current M3 I have Xpel Ultimate installed on all front facing areas (bumper, mirrors, hood, fenders, headlights, CF scoops, A-pillars) and other areas like door cups, door pillars, rockers, rear quarter, and luggage strip covered partially.

My advice and what I will be doing for my ZCP is full car coverage of Xpel Ultimate as soon as I take it home from the dealer. Because having Xpel makes keeping the car clean much easier and nothing feels better than having the peace of mind of having protection from chips. The self healing properties of the Ultimate also hides swirls and scratches, making everything look shinny and glossy. You cannot tell it apart from the unprotected areas.

The only thing to be aware is to wash off the dead bugs sooner than later. They tend to stain the clear material and will require some elbow grease to remove. Otherwise, having Expel Ultimate is preferred over coating for me as it truly provides an extra layer of protection + makes it easier to wash/dry your car. You really do not have to worry about swirls and scratches.

[sidemoves]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

On my current M3 I have Xpel Ultimate installed on all front facing areas (bumper, mirrors, hood, fenders, headlights, CF scoops, A-pillars) and other areas like door cups, door pillars, rockers, rear quarter, and luggage strip covered partially.

My advice and what I will be doing for my ZCP is full car coverage of Xpel Ultimate as soon as I take it home from the dealer. Because having Xpel makes keeping the car clean much easier and nothing feels better than having the peace of mind of having protection from chips. The self healing properties of the Ultimate also hides swirls and scratches, making everything look shinny and glossy. You cannot tell it apart from the unprotected areas.

The only thing to be aware is to wash off the dead bugs sooner than later. They tend to stain the clear material and will require some elbow grease to remove. Otherwise, having Expel Ultimate is preferred over coating for me as it truly provides an extra layer of protection + makes it easier to wash/dry your car. You really do not have to worry about swirls and scratches.

do you guys think there's any sense in getting xpel or ceramic coating applied if i bought the car used? only has 11k miles on it and just had the front bumper completely redone to remove the stupid license plate holder the previous owner had so the bumper is pretty virgin at this point. but there are definitely some swirl marks in the hood. and i'm sure there's a lot more light swirls/scratches that i can't see since it's white and frankly haven't looked that closely yet.

[Bruce_SC]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

On my current M3 I have Xpel Ultimate installed on all front facing areas (bumper, mirrors, hood, fenders, headlights, CF scoops, A-pillars) and other areas like door cups, door pillars, rockers, rear quarter, and luggage strip covered partially.

My advice and what I will be doing for my ZCP is full car coverage of Xpel Ultimate as soon as I take it home from the dealer. Because having Xpel makes keeping the car clean much easier and nothing feels better than having the peace of mind of having protection from chips. The self healing properties of the Ultimate also hides swirls and scratches, making everything look shinny and glossy. You cannot tell it apart from the unprotected areas.

The only thing to be aware is to wash off the dead bugs sooner than later. They tend to stain the clear material and will require some elbow grease to remove. Otherwise, having Expel Ultimate is preferred over coating for me as it truly provides an extra layer of protection + makes it easier to wash/dry your car. You really do not have to worry about swirls and scratches.

This has got to be one of the best explanations by an end user that I have seen. Thank you for posting this.

Bruce

[Bruce_SC]

Originally Posted by sidemoves

do you guys think there's any sense in getting xpel or ceramic coating applied if i bought the car used? only has 11k miles on it and just had the front bumper completely redone to remove the stupid license plate holder the previous owner had so the bumper is pretty virgin at this point. but there are definitely some swirl marks in the hood. and i'm sure there's a lot more light swirls/scratches that i can't see since it's white and frankly haven't looked that closely yet.

I think any car can benefit from either. If you have had the bumper fixed for the license holes, then it would be great to wrap it with film. You can also coat over film, and it is actually recommended.

Bruce

[Stealthm4bcm]

Originally Posted by Doctor///M

Definitely go with XPEL, and ensure you do the full hood and front fenders if you plan to track the car. Also let a professional install it - not saying that DIY is impossible, but you'll need patience and extra product in case you screw up (and you will!!).

And warranty

[MFNATIK]

Originally Posted by sidemoves

do you guys think there's any sense in getting xpel or ceramic coating applied if i bought the car used? only has 11k miles on it and just had the front bumper completely redone to remove the stupid license plate holder the previous owner had so the bumper is pretty virgin at this point. but there are definitely some swirl marks in the hood. and i'm sure there's a lot more light swirls/scratches that i can't see since it's white and frankly haven't looked that closely yet.

Like Bruce said any car would benefit from XPel Ultimate. Especially now that you've repainted the bumper. In my experience, repainted bumpers tend to chip more easily than factory painted bumpers. As for the swirls, that is one of the biggest advantages with XPel, it will actually hide it. I would recommend you clay and wax to remove contaminants before having it XPel'd.

Hope that helps!

[sidemoves]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

Like Bruce said any car would benefit from XPel Ultimate. Especially now that you've repainted the bumper. In my experience, repainted bumpers tend to chip more easily than factory painted bumpers. As for the swirls, that is one of the biggest advantages with XPel, it will actually hide it. I would recommend you clay and wax to remove contaminants before having it XPel'd.

Hope that helps!

thank you!

[NOLATom]

A little feedback on both XPEL and Gyeon Quartz Mohs+ Q2 Phobic.

On my car, I had the XPEL and Gyeon Quartz Mohs+ Q2 Phobic installed with 4 miles on my car. I picked it up at the dealer and drove it straight to the detailer. After 6 months of washes, I can tell you that you can just go without the Gyeon Quartz Mohs. Did it make water bead like the car was newly waxed, yes. Did it make it easy to clean, yes. Did it last the advertised 5 years, no. After about 6 months of washes I can see streaks where it was applied when I wash it, so long story short, I don't think it really sticks to the XPEL the same way it does to paint.

Now, in contrast, I had my wife's car cleaned and also coated with the Gyeon Quartz Mohs+ Q2 Phobic, but her car does not have the XPEL. Her car still beads like it's freshly washed, it's still silky smooth to the touch, it looks like glass when cleaned and it's still super easy to wash.

So which one is better? The XPEL, period. I have had rocks hit and though it left a mark on the XPEL, there were no chips in the paint. I have let my car sit under a tree for a week and a half and when I finally got around to clean it there were plenty of sap or palm oil stains, but with a little elbow grease it came off. That little bit of elbow grease did leave some surface scratches but after sitting in the sun, they disappeared, so the XPEL was true to it's word on self-healing. On my wife's car, that same palm tree that crapped all over my car dropped a couple of branches on hers and in both instances it left surface scratches to the paint. If she had the XPEL, that would not have happened.

So the moral of the story. XPEL trumps the ceramic coating and if you get XPEL, I don't think I would spend the money on the ceramic coating because I don't think it bonds to the XPEL.

The only downfall to the XPEL is this. I saw water spots after the first wash and thought, damn this ceramic coating isn't doing it's jobs, but it turns out the hard water spots were under the XPEL coating which kills me. They are few a far between, but it drives me nuts that I can see them.

[Hobbination]

I went with https://www.liquidarmour.co as an all weekend long DIY project. 9h certified (hardest toughest ceramic coating available on the market) easy to apply. The hard part is everything you should/must do before you ceramic coat

[termigni]

I'm planning on getting xpel. My car will be sitting outside in the sun a lot. from what I've read xpel doesn't have UV protection for the car's paint. Is there anything I can do to get UV protection over the Xpel?