PPF and coating question

octane

octane

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Hi guys,

I'll be working on silver BMW 335i Xdrive that has the full front clip done in PPF (the most expensive kind that is self healing) and the owner want's a light polish before I apply CQ UK on it, should the polish the front clip and then coat it normally?

last time I did the car, I noticed that PPF seemed soft, will a hard coating stick to the PPF if it's soft?

thanks
 
To me:
Seems a little strange that the owner
wants the self-healing PPF polished.

What's your opinion...
(You're the Professional).


And...IMO:
I don't see why a "hard coating"
wouldn't stick to a soft substrate.
However:
Avi or Corey would be more
knowledgeable in this regard.


Bob
 
he asked for a polish, didn't ask specifically for the PPF to be polished, and since it's the first PPF car I work on, I'd rather have some feedback before I start!

from what I can gather, the film is pretty new and should not require anything more than a fine clay bar, and a pass of erase before the coating
 
I am pretty sure that the polishing of the self healing PPF would void the warranty, and seriously doubt that you would have great ease in polishing on this soft/self healing PPF. Polishing on self healing paint is possible but such a PAIN!! But those 2 are different, although the same

Personally I would leave the PPF alone. As Bob indicated a hard coating on a self healing soft substrate may not work the way you want it to work and to be honest would undermine and negate the properties of the "expensive" PPF
 
octane said:
he asked for a polish, didn't ask specifically for the PPF to be polished, and since it's the first PPF car I work on, I'd rather have some feedback before I start!

from what I can gather, the film is pretty new and should not require anything more than a fine clay bar, and a pass of erase before the coating
Click to expand...


I would be very careful about using clay on a paint protection film.

The plastic used for paint protection films are soft or mailable and they scratch easy but can be hard to remove scratches out of.

We machine polish Eisenglass when we detail boats and also the clear plastic windows for automotive convertible tops but I'm not sure if paint protection films are just as easy to machine polish as thicker, vinyl windows.


:)
 
octane said:
Hi guys,

I'll be working on silver BMW 335i Xdrive that has the full front clip done in PPF (the most expensive kind that is self healing) and the owner want's a light polish before I apply CQ UK on it, should the polish the front clip and then coat it normally?

last time I did the car, I noticed that PPF seemed soft, will a hard coating stick to the PPF if it's soft?

thanks
Click to expand...

there are many people on this forum who coat film all the time. most of the film you'll see out there is Xpel, but there are others.

Xpel says it's ok to coat with CQ or Optimum coatings. and Dr. G from OPT says the coating is fine over film. i would bet those behind CQ would say the same. i am not sure which PPF your customer's car has though.

the self healing portion should do its job with heat - Xpel recommends expediting the process by using hot water over the area that needs attention. i am not sure if there are other proven methods outside of the factory recommendations. any damage past the film's self-healing coat will not heal, obv.
 
builthatch said:
there are many people on this forum who coat film all the time. most of the film you'll see out there is Xpel, but there are others.

Xpel says it's ok to coat with CQ or Optimum coatings. and Dr. G from OPT says the coating is fine over film. i would bet those behind CQ would say the same. i am not sure which PPF your customer's car has though.

the self healing portion should do its job with heat - Xpel recommends expediting the process by using hot water over the area that needs attention. i am not sure if there are other proven methods outside of the factory recommendations. any damage past the film's self-healing coat will not heal, obv.
Click to expand...

He has Xpel ultimate on it.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
I would be very careful about using clay on a paint protection film.

The plastic used for paint protection films are soft or mailable and they scratch easy but can be hard to remove scratches out of.

We machine polish Eisenglass when we detail boats and also the clear plastic windows for automotive convertible tops but I'm not sure if paint protection films are just as easy to machine polish as thicker, vinyl windows.


:)
Click to expand...

so just use ironx or trix to remove contaminates?
 
octane said:
so just use ironx or trix to remove contaminates?
Click to expand...
:wow: ...The PPF is already that contaminated?!?!

IMO:
A gentle wipe-down with a 15 percent IPA solution,
prior to the Coating application, should suffice...
Certainly if: Coating the PPF...is the route you're taking.


Bob
 
FUNX650 said:
:wow: ...The PPF is already that contaminated?!?!

IMO:
A gentle wipe-down with a 15 percent IPA solution,
prior to the Coating application, should suffice...
Certainly if: Coating the PPF...is the route you're taking.


Bob
Click to expand...

last time I detailed it, there was brake dust all over the car including the front clip, gotta love those german brake pads!
 
Dr_Pain said:
I am pretty sure that the polishing of the self healing PPF would void the warranty, and seriously doubt that you would have great ease in polishing on this soft/self healing PPF. Polishing on self healing paint is possible but such a PAIN!! But those 2 are different, although the same

Personally I would leave the PPF alone. As Bob indicated a hard coating on a self healing soft substrate may not work the way you want it to work and to be honest would undermine and negate the properties of the "expensive" PPF
Click to expand...

THIS... THIS....THIS :iagree:

Although Claude.... me thinks it'd be hard to find 2 things that are SO different, "although the same". :laughing:


FUNX650 said:
:wow: ...The PPF is already that contaminated?!?!

IMO:
A gentle wipe-down with a 15 percent IPA solution,
prior to the Coating application, should suffice...
Certainly if: Coating the PPF...is the route you're taking.
Click to expand...

Just do be careful with any IPA solution and PPF. I agree that a LIGHT solution shouldn't be a problem, although I once spilled a capful of 90% on mine and it MELTED IT!:eek::nomore:

OP..... So he (the owner) asked for the CAR to be polished, yes? Like Bob said... "You're the professional". I'd stay far, far away from polishing the PPF, especially as it's new.


OTOH, what little I still have on my car was put on in 2006, and they only recommend a lifespan of 3~5 years MAX. It's still on my headlights (need to have them replaced under a recall) as well as the front bumper and mirrors. The bumper was looking pretty tired this winter, getting hazy, but I just don't want to remove it yet as it's fairly costly to replace it. Back in late 2013 I tried DG 101 on it and it worked wonders, although it didn't look NEAR as bad then as now.

So... fast forward and I was doing a bit of Spring cleaning over the weekend. Needed to do a light polish and put a new layer of coating on. But before that I pulled out a blue 4" pad with the GG6 and DG 101 went back over it. Looks almost new again. Or at least not over 9 years old!!!!! :D
 
Ok I will give my opinion in this as I have worked with Xpel Ultimate more times than I can shake a stick at.

1. you can coat the film no problem. Coating the film in no way voids the warranty of the film.

2 I have clayed Xpel ultimate numerous times. Yes, just like paint it can and will hold on to some contamination. If you go easy, there will be no problems when claying the film. Common sense go a long way.

3. There should be no need to polish this film. It is after all self healing film. If the customer wants it polished I would politely ask why, then explain that the top coat of the film is very thin and while you can polish it ( best by hand with a cleaning polish) there should be absolutely no reason to polish the film.

4. I have installed CQUK on numerous car with Xpel Ultimate and I have always used Eraser prior to prep the film. I have never seen any issues with my installs or the function of the film.

if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

I work with one of the best installers on the east coast when it comes to Xpel and we have been at it for well over a year now. I have yet to see a car come back.
 
Evan.J said:
Ok I will give my opinion in this as I have worked with Xpel Ultimate more times than I can shake a stick at.

1. you can coat the film no problem. Coating the film in no way voids the warranty of the film.

2 I have clayed Xpel ultimate numerous times. Yes, just like paint it can and will hold on to some contamination. If you go easy, there will be no problems when claying the film. Common sense go a long way.

3. There should be no need to polish this film. It is after all self healing film. If the customer wants it polished I would politely ask why, then explain that the top coat of the film is very thin and while you can polish it ( best by hand with a cleaning polish) there should be absolutely no reason to polish the film.

4. I have installed CQUK on numerous car with Xpel Ultimate and I have always used Eraser prior to prep the film. I have never seen any issues with my installs or the function of the film.

if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

I work with one of the best installers on the east coast when it comes to Xpel and we have been at it for well over a year now. I have yet to see a car come back.
Click to expand...
Thanks Evan, I won't touch the Xpel with a polisher, and stick the an ultra fine clay if needed.
 
I just had to fix something for a customer that had his entire i8 covered. When I went to clean it up its was rough. I payed the entire car fixed and area, my buddy put a new pattern over the rear fend and I used some C2V3 for protection.

image1279.jpg
 
The best thing to do with the film is call the film manufacturer. You do not want to void the warranty for the client. I have seen the self healing film ruined by other "detailers" to the point of replacement. There should be paperwork in the car. If client insists,send him elsewhere
 
Mike lambert said:
The best thing to do with the film is call the film manufacturer. You do not want to void the warranty for the client. I have seen the self healing film ruined by other "detailers" to the point of replacement. There should be paperwork in the car. If client insists,send him elsewhere
Click to expand...
he didn't insist or anything, he just said he wanted a light polishing before the coating without specifying about the front clip.

I just want to be sure I'm not the "other detailer" :props:
 
thanks guys for all the help, job went perfectly!

a couple of weird spots on the PPF, looked like there was bird poo and it was rubbed in and left some criss cross marks, he looked at me and said, "go ahead and try to buff the spots, I take responsibility" very light pressure with Menz PF2500, and everything cleared up! he thinks it's the guys at the dealership since it was there a couple of weeks back and they parked it under a tree!
 
This thread is such a good example of what a quality detailing discussion forum is all about.

So far this morning I've replied to one e-mail with a guy asking me questions and after answer them I strongly suggested he JOIN OUR FORUM because this is where you can learn and gain knowledge by great members like those that posted help in this thread,

I just got off the phone with a very high end shop asking tons of questions about coatings and how to apply them. They want to offer high end detailing in-house.

After answering some of his questions I then STRONGLY recommended he or his detailing JOIN THIS FORUM and start asking questions.

I also strongly recommended that either he attend my next Detailing Boot Camp Class in July or he send his detailer.

We covered coatings from start to finish on the 1932 Ford Phaeton, (with a basecoat/clearcoat paint system like new cars), and also on a 2012 Chevy Traverse, with a basecoat/clearcoat paint system.

He or his detailer would already be up to speed and ready to start offering paint coatings had they attended the class.


Anyway, after being offline all through the weekend, all of Tuesday and Wednesday it was very rewarding to re-visit this thread and see all the great help provided to octane by our forum members.

So to everyone that contributed to this thread....


Nice job!


:bowdown:
 
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