Looking for a reputable shop for ppf, ceramic, tint, etc.. in CT

[lumper]

I have never had any ppf done or ceramic coatings, etc..
I'm looking for information as to what is the best strategy to get the cars paint looking its best then protect it and if anyone has used any good shops in my area they can refer me too.
I don't know enough about it to choose a good shop, or know what to avoid, what works best, what is cost effective, and I had hoped maybe some others with more experience could give me some tips or a little guidance.

I'm not concerned with completely protecting the entire car with pff, just the front end and maybe rockers, but I do want the paint made to look proper, so a really good detail?
I was thinking the front bumper and hood, rockers and mirror caps for ppf, and then just detail and ceramic coat everything else?

I've never used it but I hear about ceramic coating to make it super easy to clean the car after and to also add a small level of chip protection, is that true? does it actually help?
I know the car will get some road wear, and I plan to drive it as my daily, its not a show car, so I just want it to look great and have some level of protection on the most likely areas to deal with rocks and debris from the road.

What is recommended to help protect the paint but also to bring out the flake, make sure there are no swirl marks or other stuff going on with the clear coat.
Is ceramic coating something I can apply myself?
Is it even worth it?

Thanks for any information.

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[Azkyrie6]

I have never had any ppf done or ceramic coatings, etc..
I'm looking for information as to what is the best strategy to get the cars paint looking its best then protect it and if anyone has used any good shops in my area they can refer me too.
I don't know enough about it to choose a good shop, or know what to avoid, what works best, what is cost effective, and I had hoped maybe some others with more experience could give me some tips or a little guidance.

I'm not concerned with completely protecting the entire car with pff, just the front end and maybe rockers, but I do want the paint made to look proper, so a really good detail?
I was thinking the front bumper and hood, rockers and mirror caps for ppf, and then just detail and ceramic coat everything else?

I've never used it but I hear about ceramic coating to make it super easy to clean the car after and to also add a small level of chip protection, is that true? does it actually help?
I know the car will get some road wear, and I plan to drive it as my daily, its not a show car, so I just want it to look great and have some level of protection on the most likely areas to deal with rocks and debris from the road.

What is recommended to help protect the paint but also to bring out the flake, make sure there are no swirl marks or other stuff going on with the clear coat.
Is ceramic coating something I can apply myself?
Is it even worth it?

Thanks for any information.

Hard to know which shops to recommend when we don’t know which area you’re referring to.

Based on what I’ve learned recently, PPF and/or ceramic coat will not make your car bulletproof from damage or remain in pristine condition.

PPF: this will provide you the best protection against rock chips, abrasion and paint protection. It will keep your car looking nice but the ppf will only be as good as the care you put into maintaining it. Over time there will be dirt collecting on edges and some lifting as well as swirls. Also over time, there will be some discoloring/yellowing. If you own a white car or bright colored car, it’s best to go full body, all or nothing. Wear and tear shows up the worst on white and bright colored cars. The other thing is you wouldn’t want the paint to wear or fade at different rates than the areas without PPF

Ceramic coating: this will give your car the best shine, ease of maintenance and UV protection. You’ll get a thin crystalline layer that’s hydrophobic and most debris will wash right off. That said, it won’t give you rock chip protection. You’ll still need to wash regularly to maintain the ceramic (though much faster and easier). The claim is ceramic coating lasts 5 years, but in reality it’s more like two years. It’s best to learn how to apply it yourself, not difficult just takes time in preparation the first time.

If you can accept your front end getting rock chips then get just ceramic coating. If you want both, STek dynoshield and Hexis bodyguard offers PPF with a ceramic top layer.

Either way you go with or without any of this, you’ll have to maintain your car, these items just helps less time spent cleaning and keeps your car in pristine factory condition

 

[lumper]

Hard to know which shops to recommend when we don’t know which area you’re referring to.

Based on what I’ve learned recently, PPF and/or ceramic coat will not make your car bulletproof from damage or remain in pristine condition.

PPF: this will provide you the best protection against rock chips, abrasion and paint protection. It will keep your car looking nice but the ppf will only be as good as the care you put into maintaining it. Over time there will be dirt collecting on edges and some lifting as well as swirls. Also over time, there will be some discoloring/yellowing. If you own a white car or bright colored car, it’s best to go full body, all or nothing. Wear and tear shows up the worst on white and bright colored cars. The other thing is you wouldn’t want the paint to wear or fade at different rates than the areas without PPF

Ceramic coating: this will give your car the best shine, ease of maintenance and UV protection. You’ll get a thin crystalline layer that’s hydrophobic and most debris will wash right off. That said, it won’t give you rock chip protection. You’ll still need to wash regularly to maintain the ceramic (though much faster and easier). The claim is ceramic coating lasts 5 years, but in reality it’s more like two years. It’s best to learn how to apply it yourself, not difficult just takes time in preparation the first time.

If you can accept your front end getting rock chips then get just ceramic coating. If you want both, STek dynoshield and Hexis bodyguard offers PPF with a ceramic top layer.

Either way you go with or without any of this, you’ll have to maintain your car, these items just helps less time spent cleaning and keeps your car in pristine factory condition

Thank you, a lot of good information.
I've never had anyone detail, clean or do any other of this type of work on my cars so its all new to me.
I didn't think about fading and wear.
I'm in central Ct, Hartford County but Ct is pretty small so I will go anywhere in Ct if it is some place others have used and have good things to say.




Id love to do the ceramic coating myself it seems like anyone can do it.

 

[Azkyrie6]

Thank you, a lot of good information.
I've never had anyone detail, clean or do any other of this type of work on my cars so its all new to me.
I didn't think about fading and wear.
I'm in central Ct, Hartford County but Ct is pretty small so I will go anywhere in Ct if it is some place others have used and have good things to say.




Id love to do the ceramic coating myself it seems like anyone can do it.

I’m in Colorado so I won’t be able to make any recommendations for you out in Connecticut. Obviously these days ppf is quite expensive. If you plan to keep the ITS for a very long time and cherish it, then it’s worth getting.

Also understand without it there will be wear and tear mostly on your front end. Good ppf application requires experience and attention to detail. Shop around, read reviews and see how willing they are to work with you. If it’s necessary then drive to a nearby state.

Ceramic coat learn how to decontamination, remove iron, claybar, detailing, paint correction and learn the process of applying ceramic. I suggesting learning as its costly to have others do it and you’ll likely be using your skills on all your cars for the rest of your life.

If that is not appealing then get the ppf brands with ceramic embedded within it. Good luck!

 

[optronix]

Yeah it can get pretty philosophical talking about PPF and/or ceramic coating. I’ve weighed in numerous times in other threads and don’t really feel like arguing with anyone again but I’ll hit some high level concepts.

- PPF is very expensive. Expect to pay between ~$2000-2500 for front only. Full car is going to run ~$6000+.

- Coating you can definitely DIY (PPF not so much). It’s basically just fancy liquid wax, I don't care what anyone tries to say. Some "hard formulas" or whatever that "last for 5 years" require "professional installation" so pay attention to what you buy, but you don't need that crap unless you don't want to touch your car for 5 years. Personally I feel like shops/dealers charging anything over $500 for ceramic on new cars are ripping you off. Treat it like we used to treat wax; personally I try to get a new coat on every spring and fall but once a year would be fine, or even longer. Don't expect a miracle if you do pay someone $1600 for coating; and demand to know what their process is. Some dealers will charge you that and not perform all of the steps that would be required to justify that crazy price point.

- Choice of installer is important. Go with one that is reputable in your area and try to see their work before giving them your business. A bad PPF job can be worse than rock chips.

- On a new car, it is not 100% required to do all of the steps some people take to "decontaminate" and otherwise prepare the paint for coating application. On a car with 30k miles on it, sure it would need that. Some new cars maybe even need it too. On my car it didn't even need clayed, and it looks epic.

- Definitely do research if detailing is interesting to you. It can be an enjoyable hobby that elevates your car enthusiasm to new levels. My personal favorite source of truth is Larry Kosilla of AMMONYC; he's semi-close to you up there in the Northeast too (but keep in mind Larry would be expensive). Check out his YouTube, he has TONS of informative how-tos and just general fun videos on there. This one goes into one option you have for coating and tells you how to install it:



- I wouldn’t expect any sort of coating to protect against rock chips at all. It will make it easier to clean and keep clean longer, and protects the paint and clearcoat from the elements and UV.

- PPF will protect against small rock chips. The kind that makes your front end look like it was sandblasted if you do a lot of highway driving.

-Don’t feel obligated to get PPF. The Integra is a nice car but it’s not a Ferrari. It’s a ton of money you’ll never get back. It offers peace of mind, so in that sense can actively contribute to the enjoyment of owning the car, but it is literally clear plastic. Lots of folks who own these cars, or even Porsches and Maseratis, do not elect to get PPF on their cars, and somehow they survive.

 

[RUNN1N]

The process of installing ceramic from prep through the actual coating is surprisingly enjoyable--I suspect most shops are going to charge you $800+, whereas most decently patient/observant people will be able to DIY a similar coating for ~$200 and 5 hours of work.

I recommend CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0, but I imagine most products are similar.

 

[lumper]

I’m in Colorado so I won’t be able to make any recommendations for you out in Connecticut. Obviously these days ppf is quite expensive. If you plan to keep the ITS for a very long time and cherish it, then it’s worth getting.

Also understand without it there will be wear and tear mostly on your front end. Good ppf application requires experience and attention to detail. Shop around, read reviews and see how willing they are to work with you. If it’s necessary then drive to a nearby state.

Ceramic coat learn how to decontamination, remove iron, claybar, detailing, paint correction and learn the process of applying ceramic. I suggesting learning as its costly to have others do it and you’ll likely be using your skills on all your cars for the rest of your life.

If that is not appealing then get the ppf brands with ceramic embedded within it. Good luck!

Thannks.
I do want to detail the car myself, clay bar, etc.. I see today they use emolsifiers? like a cleaning agent that brings out the iron deposits ?
I need to learn what products are common today to do a great exterior detail before ceramic, then do it myself.
that is the plan.
the PPF, if I am going to do it at all, I would do the front bumper.
It's too expensive to do more in my opinion and looking at my existing and prior cars, the only damage I have seen is strictly front bumper stuff from stones, tar etc..

I do plan to keep the car for a long time, my current daily is a 2000 chevy Silverado I bought new in 1999 and an "07 350z I bought in 2014.

I keep my cars, the ITS is no exception.

Thanks again

 

[Azkyrie6]

Thannks.
I do want to detail the car myself, clay bar, etc.. I see today they use emolsifiers? like a cleaning agent that brings out the iron deposits ?
I need to learn what products are common today to do a great exterior detail before ceramic, then do it myself.
that is the plan.
the PPF, if I am going to do it at all, I would do the front bumper.
It's too expensive to do more in my opinion and looking at my existing and prior cars, the only damage I have seen is strictly front bumper stuff from stones, tar etc..

I do plan to keep the car for a long time, my current daily is a 2000 chevy Silverado I bought new in 1999 and an "07 350z I bought in 2014.

I keep my cars, the ITS is no exception.

Thanks again

You’re exactly right. There are different methods but a dedicated iron remover is best. Iron will embed itself and corrode the surface over time and causes it to feel rough. If left unchecked, it will be very difficult to remove later. Removing iron is always the first step, it’s worst on wheels which is why I went through the process to ceramic coat those first.

Then you can claybar, paint correct and detail. The idea is once all that’s done and you’ve applied ceramic coating, you’ll only need to maintain ceramic coating which is much easier than doing all of the above multiple times.

Throughout the life of your car you’d be re-applying ceramic coating 3-4 times total; more if you don’t maintain it. If you paid someone to do it, could cost you anywhere between $6k-12k that many times, far too much. Whereas learning and buying materials would cost $500-$1k at most doing the ceramic coat 4 times.

The other option is to not do anything other than wash, but you’ll accumulate lots of swirls, clear coat will deteriorate, and paint will fade horribly. Believe it or not, keeping your vehicle fresh and pristine will make you appreciate it for a very long time and looking brand new. The bonus is when you put in the work yourself, it’s very rewarding.

 

[lumper]

You’re exactly right. There are different methods but a dedicated iron remover is best. Iron will embed itself and corrode the surface over time and causes it to feel rough. If left unchecked, it will be very difficult to remove later. Removing iron is always the first step, it’s worst on wheels which is why I went through the process to ceramic coat those first.

Then you can claybar, paint correct and detail. The idea is once all that’s done and you’ve applied ceramic coating, you’ll only need to maintain ceramic coating which is much easier than doing all of the above multiple times.

Throughout the life of your car you’d be re-applying ceramic coating 3-4 times total; more if you don’t maintain it. If you paid someone to do it, could cost you anywhere between $6k-12k that many times, far too much. Whereas learning and buying materials would cost $500-$1k at most doing the ceramic coat 4 times.

The other option is to not do anything other than wash, but you’ll accumulate lots of swirls, clear coat will deteriorate, and paint will fade horribly. Believe it or not, keeping your vehicle fresh and pristine will make you appreciate it for a very long time and looking brand new. The bonus is when you put in the work yourself, it’s very rewarding.

Thanks, I appreciate the info.
I plan to do exactly that, detail and clean it then ceramic coat it, I just need to do some reading, and learn a few things that have changed over the years.
But I agree with you fully, it is cheaper to do it myself and obviously over the life of the car, I will need to do it a handful of times if not more, which I don't mind, especially with a new car that I am excited about.
Cleaning your car is a great way to check up on it and find anything and everything going on with it, on the outside anyway.

 

[Evolving_e63]

Hey I'm actually in Ct. I had Josh at rxdetailingstudio do everything that your pretty much looking. I had the front ppf'd , mirrors , the fenders all the way to the rear bumper. They recommended that because our fenders on the type S flare out. Rocks getting kicked up can chip that area.

For the ceramic they offer different levels of protection. I got the 10 yr of system X ceramic. Every yr I have to bring the car for a maintenance wash. They inspect the ceramic coat and if there's any imperfections or the coat is failing , it's covered under warranty.

The tints I got the xpel prime plus. There expensive. They are $800 to do your side windows and trunk

Everything total came out to over $6k. You don't have to get the top of the line stuff like I did. So you could prolly save half if you dont want top tier. I had it all done on my mercedes e63s , two yrs ago. And it's just well worth it. If you meticulously clean your cars, you'll never have to wax it or dry it again. A simple low power leaf blower or something from chemical guys will blow all the water clear off.

 

[lumper]

Hey I'm actually in Ct. I had Josh at rxdetailingstudio do everything that your pretty much looking. I had the front ppf'd , mirrors , the fenders all the way to the rear bumper. They recommended that because our fenders on the type S flare out. Rocks getting kicked up can chip that area.

For the ceramic they offer different levels of protection. I got the 10 yr of system X ceramic. Every yr I have to bring the car for a maintenance wash. They inspect the ceramic coat and if there's any imperfections or the coat is failing , it's covered under warranty.

The tints I got the xpel prime plus. There expensive. They are $800 to do your side windows and trunk

Everything total came out to over $6k. You don't have to get the top of the line stuff like I did. So you could prolly save half if you dont want top tier. I had it all done on my mercedes e63s , two yrs ago. And it's just well worth it. If you meticulously clean your cars, you'll never have to wax it or dry it again. A simple low power leaf blower or something from chemical guys will blow all the water clear off.

Very nice.

I am in Bristol, what part of Ct are you in?

I decided NOT to do the ppf, it is my daily and it is just too expensive for me.
I have too many other things to get too and can't really afford to drop 3k on the ppf, so I am just keeping the car clean, making use of my splash guards and door visors and so far, so good.
I did spend around 2500 on everything I did as it was, so to go another 3k just wasn't in the cars.

I had mine done in March when I took delivery, had paint correction, decontamination, polish, then tint, I did the ceramic coats, car looks amazing.

I did the mid-grade on tint, so the more expensive was I think 650 for the windows and another 300 for the windshield, I went a step down, so 460 for the windows and250 for the windshield.
It blocks 70% of Infra-red and 100% UV, unlike the more expensive tint that blocked 90% of Infra-red and 100% UV.
I'm happy withhow it came out, how it looks and what it cost.

 

[Evolving_e63]

Love it! But you should've atleast ppf the front bumper , hood and your mirrors. If it's your daily driver getting chips in the paint is going to be inevitable. Especially when you spent all that money on ceramic and paint correction. I would've prolly went the opposite and spent the money on ppf and then just bought a ceramic kit and done it myself if money is a concern.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I recently did a lot of reading on what ppf is best today since the last one I did was 6 years ago for my wife's q7. That was xpel and it held up great, but 70k miles for factory xpel was about it.

As of the last few months, it appears ceramicpro is the number one since they use less adhesive to maintain a clearer ppf, have self healing properties, a 12 year warranty, and ceramic built in which you can also ceramic on top of. This is really Kavaca brand stuff, built for ceramic pro.

Xpel ultimate fusion plus is a close second (not to be confused with xpel ultimate plus), but uses more adhesive and has more orange peel effect. The suntek ceramic film is also a close third.

Largely all the films are made out of two companies in India and I believe Korea. There's a Chinese company as well that produces the cheapest films, and they're just bad. They all rebrand the film for whom they're making it and use varying amount and quality of adhesive and adhesive is really where the magic is since that's what tends to add orange peel, change color, yellow, or eventually cause lift.

Ceramic is all about how much SiO2 (silicon dioxide) exists in the formula for its durability and longevity. This is the same thing that makes Teflon slippy, but also the same thing that Teflon releases into your food once it gets too hot. It's one of a few reasons I don't eat off Teflon, but I digress... Make sure if you apply it yourself you're in a well ventilated area, wearing gloves, and potentially a mask unless you have active air flow to blow the fumes away.

I've used ceramic hundreds of times across many vehicles, from the OG spray on optiseal to modern uv tracked highly sensitive stuff like Adam's graphene advanced. The key is always in prep and getting the clear coat as perfect as possible first since ceramic doesn't really fill voids and will make scratches more apparent. Even a brand new car from a dealer lot will be covered in scratches, etching, holograms, and possibly marring. My car had a tremendous amount of contamination to the point your finger would stick if you tried to run it along the paint... Worse than that I had at least 20+ spots of bird poop etching and holograms. Some areas I could tell some salesman quickly wiped it off with a dry towel and left swirl marks and other areas I can tell they tried to poorly detail it once and cause a bit of burn in. These are all things I fixed, but it's disappointing on a new car. I highly recommend learning how to polish so you can do this work yourself, because there was about 15 hrs of total paint correction I had to do. That's about 2500$ of actual paint correction labor on a brand new car that I would swallow otherwise if I didn't enjoy the polish work.

I'll also note, I found tons of areas of poor paint application from the factory, including pinhole, splotching, and a huge amount of orange peel. This is no German paint... It's soft, thick, and has mountains of orange peel. Orange peel you can see from 12ft away. I might wet sand it just because of how bad the orange peel on the doors and fenders is.

Like everyone else said, ppf is for rock chips, ceramic is to prevent etching or water spots, but if you have very hard water it will still etch. Ceramic needs yearly top off and can be maintained indefinitely with it. Spray on ceramics can be just as good as wipe on, but less streaky. The cleaner and smoother the surface the better ceramic will adhere.

Look for reviews for installers and ask questions about their process and what products they use. They're all dealers of products so they will all have biases, but that's why you get 3 or 4 quotes and have them all give you their sales pitch. Don't be afraid to take those quotes and talk to each of them about what they are and what you've been told in the salespitches. That's always the best way to get a fair price and cut through the BS.

Hope it helps!

I just got done with my polishing efforts and car is 98% perfect now (it will never be 100). No swirls, scratches, etching, or holograms visible from 1ft+. Factory orange peel is better, but still bad.

 

[lumper]

Love it! But you should've atleast ppf the front bumper , hood and your mirrors. If it's your daily driver getting chips in the paint is going to be inevitable. Especially when you spent all that money on ceramic and paint correction. I would've prolly went the opposite and spent the money on ppf and then just bought a ceramic kit and done it myself if money is a concern.

Again, to do that was 2500 to 3000$ more and it just wasn't in the cards.

If money weren't an issue I would have done the whole car.

 

[Evolving_e63]

Again, to do that was 2500 to 3000$ more and it just wasn't in the cards.

If money weren't an issue I would have done the whole car.

I get what your saying. But your previous post said you spent about 2500 on the ceramic coat and some other services. What I'm trying to say is , since your car is a DD, it mightve been better to not have gotten that 2500 service and spend it towards ppf'ing your hood and front bumper instead for that price. The ceramic coat isn't going to protect your car from the inevitable rock chips and such from DD. Then you could've gotten a ceramic coat kit from like armor shield which is like $70 and done it yourself, so you can still have both the ppf and ceramic for about the price you paid initially.

Your car looks great. I'm just so OCD that as time goes on I'm gona notice all the rock chips that are going to be inevitable in a DD and it would drive me mad.

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