Ceramic Coating on Stealth/Matte PPF

[espressoo]

Can any of the forum detailing pros recommend a brand of ceramic coating used on stealth or matte PPF? Is there a specific type of ceramic coating that should be used on stealth/matte PPF or can I apply any type of ceramic coating? Would using a non stealth/matte specific coating change the appearance/sheen of the matte PPF?

[Smonkbmw]

Watching detailers like Larry of AmmoNYC I dont THINK there is a specific product to do this. I have seen him ceramic over PPF with his in house brand coating. I believe the only reaction SHOULD be a deeper coloring if anything.

[note46]

Carpro recommends using Cquartz Skin for PPF/vinyl vs their usual stuff for paint.

[GF7PE]

I have full Xpel on mine and was told Xpel requires their ceramic coating to be applied to get the warranty on both

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by GF7PE

I have full Xpel on mine and was told Xpel requires their ceramic coating to be applied to get the warranty on both

Xpel wants to sell more product and are trying to force their shops to do this. The scare tactic of having potential issues and not being covered if you use a different brand of ceramic is nonsense. I have had Ceramic Pro’s 9H and Top Coat on my Xpel PPF for over 2 years now and the car looks amazing.

[Pheonix]

Originally Posted by GF7PE

I have full Xpel on mine and was told Xpel requires their ceramic coating to be applied to get the warranty on both

I know a lot of detailers/PPF Installers stopped offering Xpel because of this. Of course, any Coating would work on Xpel. One of my buddy told me good luck getting warranty services if something happened to the PPF (even the damages had nothing to do with coating but they will require you to prove that it was "properly maintained", i.e. approved Xpel products were use on Xpel PPF).

[H_L_]

Its so expensive though

[swiego29382]

XPEL stealth on our car, with ceramic pro on top. The shop said they would stand behind this combo.

[espressoo]

I wanted to share an update in case it help others. I was at a detailing shop waiting to get my tint installed and chatted with a PPF installer. He had 20 years experience and was working on two Ferraris so I figured he knew what he was talking about. He only does XPEL PPF but said for a DIY ceramic coating it didn’t really matter what brand ceramic coating and it didn’t have to be “matte” ceramic coating specific. He just highly recommended applying ceramic coating to matte/stealth PPF because it makes it look better and he was exactly right.

More photos HERE but here’s the end result with an application of Adam’s Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced.

[cozye]

I just discussed this with my PPF installer here, who is a local favorite, doing all the high end cars in town for over 10 years. He told me that doing ceramic on top of PPF was a waste of money, and was more trouble than it was worth. He said he does it for customers who insist and will take their money, but argued that ceramic impedes the self healing and natural properties of PPF to be hydroscopic. He said you can be a lot more care free with the PPF alone, but once coated requires more care to protect the coating, will show scratches more and interfere with self healing, etc..

i don’t know personally. I’ve never had ceramic on PPF. Just reporting what this guy said, and again, he is HIGHLY recommended and the go to guy around here.

[espressoo]

In my experience and view PPF and ceramic coating each serves separate purposes. PPF is to protect your paint from small road chips and debris. Ceramic coating makes your paint easier to maintain and keep clean. Applying ceramic coating on top of PPF is the best of both worlds. Paying someone to ceramic coat your vehicle can be expensive. Doing it yourself is the best option if you’re handy. A bottle of ceramic coating is around $100 for brand name products. The before and after visually and by touching the paint cannot be denied. It looks and feels different especially on matte PPF.

[stikya]

go Kavaca PPF, which is manufactured with ceramic coat in/on it. best of both worlds.

[Hit_Apex]

I went with GTechniq HALO as it's formulated for flexible film. Haven't researched what properties are different but it was an easy application. My goal was to improve hydrophobic quality which it does quite well. This is on Xpel Stealth, although it doesn't matter whether stealth or gloss - the surface is the same.