[Harrius33]

Hi All,

Just curious to see if anyone had their Tucson (or any other vehicle) ceramic coated or PPFed and what your experience has been like. If this is a duplicate post, please redirect! I live in the northeast region and got quoted between $6k-$7k for a full body PPF on a 2022 Tucson Limited Hybrid in Phantom Black (either XPEL Ultimate Plus or XPEL Stealth [all matte finish]). Trying to justify the cost to value ratio here if I were to keep this car for at least 10 years. Thanks!

Edit:
The alternative for me would be to pay $50/month for a scrubadub subscription pass for the ultra unlimited package which would amount to $6k over the course of 10 years.

 

[Stealthboost]

So how is an unlimited carwash equivalent to PPPF? Does it protect against chips, scratches, and swirl marks?

Or you could just have it repainted in 5 years….

 

[Harrius33]

Good and valid point, just trying to see if anyone has had any recent PPF and ceramic coating experience on new Tucson models.

 

[EVDan]

So how is an unlimited carwash equivalent to PPPF? Does it protect against chips, scratches, and swirl marks?

Or you could just have it repainted in 5 years….

I like the repaint in 5 yrs. That way, if you get tired of the current color you can always update it without buying a new car.

 

[Alkim]

I had the front clip. Grill, partial hood, mirrors, and door edges done in PPF for around $1100. I am still considering ceramic coating for $799 -$1400 through different outfits. They ceramic coat the installed PPF as well.

 

[Tampa8]

I had the front clip. Grill, partial hood, mirrors, and door edges done in PPF for around $1100......

Next time warm me to sit down!

Two places here similar coverage to what you got, they call it partial and also includes where the roof slopes over the windshield - $799. And I felt that was too much....

 

[dafish]

I would PPF the front bumper, hood and mirrors. I've yet to own a car that didn't take most of its abuse there.

You can ceramic your own for $100 and some time and get good results. I paid a guy $200 to do a Pacifica plus I bought the ceramic treatment for $100. I'll have him detail the van yearly, probably won't need another treatment for two years.

I use CQuarts UK 3.0

Ceramic Coating, Wax, Sealant Longevity Test - 34 WAY UPDATE 16 - 2.5 YEARS - FINAL UPDATE WHO WINS? - YouTube

Ceramic Coating Wax Sealant Longevity Test - 42 WAY - UPDATE 19 - 2 YEARS FINAL UPDATE - WHO WINS? - YouTube

38 WAY CERAMIC COATINGS Longevity Test - $9 to $1500 coatings & sealants - UPDATE 16 - 1 YEAR 2 MO - YouTube

 

[Boston Dan]

I met with a well known local auto detailer yesterday to talk with him about a detail with ceramic coating. He quoted me $550 if I pay cash, so I have an appointment for May 12. I have to drop my Tucson off in the morning and pick it up the following day. I’ll post before and after pictures.

Regarding PPF, I have mixed feelings as I had it installed on two of my previous new cars ( Black Lexus GS300 and White Infiniti MX35 ). No doubt it offered protection to the areas it covered, but after a couple of years, the film became very obvious. On my Lexus, the dealer had to remove and replace it after a couple of years. PPF seems to be less or more noticeable depending on the color of the vehicle and because I have no idea how it ‘looks’ on ‘Red’, I’ll meet with a local PPF installer next week.

 

[Grfxguy]

I had a clear bra installed on my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 right after I bought it and have NO rock chips on the front surfaces after 15 years driving in Arizona, where our front surfaces get demolished. Only problem I had was that the headlight covering eventually started to yellow a bit around the edges after 10 years or so. Given that experience, I'm taking my new HEV SEL in next Thursday for partial clear bra. Yes, it's about $1K, but a small price to pay to protect my $40K investment.

 

[igknight]

I used AvlonKing to Ceramic Coat my car. 3 Viles is enough to do the outside, trims, windows, and rims with 2 coats. I really like it, but you need to know this will NOT protect your car from chips/scratches. Small micro-scratches yes, but not from stones.

Ceramic Coating is more to keep your car looking like it always has a fresh coat of wax, and give it a 'wet' look. It's also very hydrophobic so rain beads up really well and runs off. Due to this, dirt won't stick as much too helping make it easier to wash.

The downside of ceramic coating is that you have to hand wash your car (should anyway), should do it every other week, and you need special products to do it. Washing it every other week will keep the hydrophobic properties working, and the products are not any more costly than normal products, you just have to use ones for ceramic coated cars. Like a shampoo that has no wax in it (will degrade the hydrophobic properties). High acidic will degrade the coating faster, but it's the same with just your clear coat too, so bug guts, water spots, auto car washes, and some special car products can degrade it if not used correctly.

 

[Tampa8]

Next time warm me to sit down!

Two places here similar coverage to what you got, they call it partial and also includes where the roof slopes over the windshield - $799. And I felt that was too much....

Update - I learned not to let websites looks alone decide where to go for business.... I got it done for less than the $799 others wanted. One of the businesses appears online for a long-time shop here who does PPV and Ceramic coating, tinting etc as being expensive. Wrong.
Terrific customer service, what you want is what they will do. I got the PPF XPEL Ulra for the "Bra" front, front fenders, sloping roofline, mirrors, front pillars. I also got tinting for the upper part of the windshield 1/2 way to the As1 line. $545 final cost.
They can do it while you wait! They have about 6 to 8 people working on cars with a quality control person (the owner) checking each job. I have zero regrets on getting it after seeing the results.

If someone in the Tampa area wants the name let me know.

 

[somekindaguy]

Just a quick question for you folks in the know.....

I heard ( a few years ago) that the experts said to wait a certain amount of time before coating/claying/applying sealants/etc to a new car finish.
Has this changed recently, or was this misleading to begin with?

I sure wouldn't want to apply something to a new car exterior that would damage it in any way, just to get something on there before it is ok to do so.

 

[igknight]

Don't wait. When it's new is the best time. You still have to buff the car even right off the lot, but not nearly as much as you would if you wait

 

[Tampa8]

I would advise anyone to have a good clay done, wax, and important seal the wax and do it very soon. I decided to put the PPF on right away too something I may not have done so soon or maybe at all in the past. The difference is with less lead in the paint it does not stand up as well as we all can see on newer cars. Chips on the hood happen all too often so why wait for that to happen when you can help prevent it.