Paint correction, ceramic coating and clear bra recommendations

I did a lot of research and read a ton of reviews before choosing who to have do all the work on my 488. I went with Boden Autohaus in Costa Mesa. They do nothing but very high end custom work. Here is a time lapse of the Suntek Clear Bra they wrapped my entire car in. I know they also do the ceramic coatings. They where not the cheapest in town, but by far seemed to be the best from my research. I have been nothing but satisfied with there work. What ever you do, Do not let anyone put pre cut film on. Make sure it is hand laid to avoid any seems and edges.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBN-yklJOwc&t=1s[/ame]



If you want to see all the work they did on my car along with a brief review, you can check out this thread here.. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/458-italia-488/551230-488-spider-stage-2-build-boden-autohaus-satin-wrap-vorsteiner-novitec.html

 

I personally recommend D'elegance Detailing 619-718-0031. Their customer service and work are second to none. Been in the business for 20 years, they offer a variety of ceramic coating options as well as very high end concours type waxes. They also do suntek window tint and clear bra PPF. They also don't use pre cut kits

They also got this technologically advanced coating that self heals. It's the only one of its kind apparently. I've seen it first hand he scratched it and withsome heat the scratches disappeared. It's an actual coating not a PPF. So far he's the only one that carries it in the state. 1 other place has it but they are the distributors and my detailer is the installer. He also can travel to you and/or he has a truck and enclosed auto hauled trailer that can haul your ride in luxury so you don't have to put any miles on it.

He is also a paint correction artist and performs all correction work himself personally; it's not some hired help that doesn't have experience. He only utilizes top of the line products and the work is not cheap by any means but let be honest, quality usually doesn't go in the same sentence as cheap lol. He does service a lot of vehicles in the LA area as well.



http://www.d-elegancedetailing.com
Facebook: D'elegance Detailing
Instagram: delegancedetailing

 

Jason of Xcaliber detailing to prep the car and apply coating. For clear film, Sean at Ultimate shield

 

We have a good guy we have been using for all these services at our shop. If you are interested I can send you the contact and he can come to you.

 

I concur with this recommendation. Awesome detailer probably one of the most knowledgeable detailers in the world. And it is probably why he is one of the few authorized installers in the US for this self heal coating.

The self heal coatings are legit! They are also backing them with lifetime warranties. This brand of coatings are the ones who invented ceramic coatings and they hold the patents. All private label brands get their coatings from this brand. It just makes sense to go to the source. I can't remember the name of the brand but I recommend you giving D'elegance a call.

 

Adonis Detail, if you are in San Diego is the go to place to get all the clear bra done.
I would request for the Clear Guard Nano film with the spectra window tint if you are looking to get those done. No body panels will be removed for a clean install, many places will remove body panels to tuck in the film.

There is only two vendors that carry Clear Guard Nano in California, one is Adonis Detail and the other is Premier Protective Films.

Adonis: Southern California Protection and Detailing Specialists
Premier: Premier Protective Films International (aka Premier Mobile) clear bra, paint protection film, tint, auto tint, safety film, chip paint, kits, custom, car

 

Adonis uses Xpel from what I remember. Anyways, here is a quote from one of my installers for clear bra PPF as I myself have never heard of clear gaurd nano. Apparently according to the installer he tends to prefer suntek which is what I personally have. At any rate to each their own.

"As someone who has installed and is an authorized installer for Nano-Fusion, Xpel Ultimate, Suntek and 3m clear bra films, I will suggest you think outside of the marketing box.

While Nano-Fusion has a lifetime warranty and Xpel Ultimate has a 10 year warranty, I believe you should consider the films usable lifespan rather than what a warranty covers. Warranties do not protect you from wear and tear of the film. Over years of use the film will get damaged by rock impacts, bug marks that were not cleaned off immediately, bird droppings left on too long and/or staining from lack of cleaning or protection. A better question will be what film provides the best protection during a reasonable and usable life and looks the best while it does it?

Here is my breakdown and experience with the biggest name films in the USA.

3m/Ventureshield: stay away from it. 3m sent Venture down the toilet after they purchased it. 3m scotchguard sucks just as much if not worse. The adhesives are terrible and the exposed surface is insanely prone to marring and scratches.

Clear Gaurd Nano-Fusion: Best chemical resistance(think bug marks, bird droppings and acid rain). Installer-friendly adhesive and stretchability. The last formula I used had more texture than I would be happy offering paying customers. "Limited Lifetime Warranty" is offered.

Suntek top coated self-healing film: Looks just as good as Xpel Ultimate and in some cases better(not every roll is the same from any manufacturer). Quality is top notch with fewer manufacturer defects that I spot. Best adhesive in my experience, which equates to a better installation. The best and quickest at rectifying manufacturer problems with film(install enough from anyone and you get stuff that slipped through QA). Best pricepoint. The self-healing attributes absolutely work amazingly and just as good as Xpel Ultimate. 5-year warranty.

Xpel Ultimate: Tied with Suntek on looks. Works as advertised. Adhesive is too aggressive and can lead to working marks where Suntek or Nano would not. Customer service is not quite as good as Suntek -though that may be because my distributor handles my claims with Suntek and stuff gets done fast(overnight a 40 pound box from the northeast to me in Atlanta? No problem for them). I have been having issues with Xpel Ultimate's film being as defect free as you would expect from the most expensive film on the market.

The bottom line for me is that I believe Suntek hits the mark for most car owners. Their product is priced competitively while providing just as high quality, if not higher, as anyone else. True, they do not offer a 10-year or lifetime warranty. But if you're driving your car and the film is taking a beating, will you be happy with how it looks in 6 years? Unlikely. View the film as a wear and tear protection for the paint on your valuable car. I know someone else who tells their Xpel Ultimate clients that they should expect to replace it in 5 years regardless of what Xpel says. He understands what the products real world lifespan is and shares it with his clients. Xpel and CCL(the company that manufactures Nano-Fusion) know that playing the numbers means 95% of car owners will sell their car well before 10 years or a lifetime is up and that warranty will not need to be honored when the film is cracking and falling apart and making a nightmare for a car owner. The law of thermodynamics proves that if it gets used, it will age.

With all that said, if I were looking for the most resilient film, looks aside, I would get Nano-Fusion. Though, if I were not isolating this to just my view on clear bras alone. Suntek with a ceramic coating on top of it provides a lot of chemical resistance as well and is a fine option which would offer the best looks and stellar chem resistance.

I know Xpel Ultimate is big in the community and I am not saying that Xpel Ultimate is garbage and any of you have wasted your money. I am providing the viewpoint of a professional who actually has installed all of those films over the years. For everyone, the bottom line is if you're happy with your purchase, you made the right one."

 

Adonis uses both Xpel and Clear Guard Nano.

One thing with ppf to the op...look for the installer and then the film as the installer will make the difference of being perfect or the product being just okay at best. I have seen many installer slice through the paint. Check out Premier's website and you will see plenty examples they photographed of other people's work.

This is an example of Adonis....pretty stellar looking with the nano film.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cwhfi1LhiXY

 

+1. Love both those guys!!!!

 

what is typical cost for something like this?

and is doing the windshield worth it?

 

I would be careful about the windshield as it could void your insurance. If you were to get into an accident the insurance could say the film was a contributing factor and you could be sued for damages. You do not want to apply any film on the windshield. I would only advise ceramic coating. Also due to the fact the films are easier to scratch than paint your film would be hazy relatively soon especially with wiper blades. This distortion can be used against you in case of an accident. Imho it's not worth the risk. But to each their own. Just want to make sure everyone is safe out there. Take care and happy driving.

 

I believe he is asking about a clear film on the windshield. It's applied on the inside.

 

Federal law mandates the windshield must have at least 70% light admittance. These things pass the light admittance test brand new but what about 2 years from now? The thing with these films are they deteriorate over time and the light admittance decreases. So you are going to have to reapply every so often. I think in some states any modification to the windshield is illegal. I am not sure about here in CA. I know any tint film on the windshield is illegal, but not sure about clear film. I have never been interested in any windshield film as I prefer to be safe than sorry. It is a potential liability I rather not deal with. But in the end to each their own.

The only thing these things can offer is extra added UV protection which can be mitigated via a proper detail. I'd rather get my interior coated with UV protection.

Very Respectfully

 

Full clear bra was $7900 hand cut, not the cheaper pre cut install that leaves edges and seems all over.

I did the inside of my windshield with nano tint UV protected. No tint, but just to protect from UV light and heat. The side windows I had done in a Med tint.