Paint Protection Film (PPF) and Wrap for your Emira

Blackthought_ said:

I mean you’re already spending a boat load already so what’s another few hundred lol

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Sorry, unlike possibly some, I don't have unlimited funds. Already way over my original budget with FE 2.0 pricing, trying to be more frugal where ever possible at this point, including considering going just partial PPF. Irrelevant though to my original question. Just trying to understand if other PPF installers are including the rear diffuser for the full body PPF prices we've heard on this thread or charging an extra fee. I'm still comparison shopping.

GrahamClark_60-68 said:

Sorry, unlike possibly some, I don't have unlimited funds. Already way over my original budget with FE 2.0 pricing, trying to be more frugal where ever possible at this point, including considering going just partial PPF. Irrelevant though to my original question. Just trying to understand if other PPF installers are including the rear diffuser for the full body PPF prices we've heard on this thread or charging an extra fee. I'm still comparison shopping.

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I hear ya and if frugal is the name of the game, then I wouldn’t be considering full PPF. You’re considering spending more than 7k so so at that point an extra 500 isn’t so far fetched

Blackthought_ said:

I hear ya and if frugal is the name of the game, then I wouldn’t be considering full PPF. You’re considering spending more than 7k so so at that point an extra 500 isn’t so far fetched

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Still isn’t answering my question.

Finally got the car back from PPF... was quite a journey. The shop was about 300 yards away from one of the tornadoes that went through Temple, Texas before memorial day weekend. Needless to say it was slightly delayed, but well worth the wait. The car is absolutely transformed somehow, hard to explain how different the car looks visually. The DV really morphs with the Xpel stealth wrap. I was inspired by a wrap I saw on IG, so I elected to keep all the gloss black pieces gloss. The car only has the lower black pack, so I had the shop install a black rear logo since mine from the factory was chrome.

As promised, Pics!

Picked up car a week ago (Galpin, 10/21 depositor) and towed to American Wrap Co in Thousand Oaks. Was their first Emira.

Got full PPF including diffuser (Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF $6,500), ceramic coating (Xpel Fusion Plus $800), and tint (Xpel Prime XR Plus 70% windshield/45% sides and rear $650). Total was $7,950, they do charge 2.8% if you use a CC.

Selected shop based on a happy referral and now I'm willing to do the same. Team did an amazing job that took 5 full days, and included some extras. Their Level 4 full PPF includes all painted areas, but they also protected the underside of both doors, painted portion of the door sills on top of side skirts, and the inner parts of the door well by the side vents + headlights and mirrors. They also doubled up the film on the rear panels below the side vents for extra protection, with the cuts done along the lines of the car so you can't even tell there's an extral layer of film without looking closely.

Most edges are tucked and cuts/lines that are visible only when looking really closely. Side vents do have the triangle seen on the forum, but was filled in with cut PPF. The only area that is exposed without PPF are the relief cuts on the trunk below the engine vents, on both sides of the glass. Not sure if I'll go back and ask them to see if they can fill in, although it's a small area but still seems to bug me.

Bumpers, diffuser, and rear vent are done well and overall car looks so good that I had to check by running my fingers to make sure all areas had PPF. If anyone is in SoCal, American Wrap is highly recommended. I found their videos on YouTube after dropping off my car (search American Wrap Co) and you can see owner Tyler's work first hand. He and his team are amazing, have high standards on their quality and application, and stand behind their work.

I worked primarily with Justin on the options and coordination, and rushed Galpin through the PDI to keep my PPF appointment or would have been pushed out a few weeks (have to bring car back to dealer to fix an engine light and AC isn't working properly). Happy with my decision to go full PPF and decided on ceramic and tint later on. Ceramic makes it easy to clean and tint gives UV protection and temperature reduction. Didn't have time to research a bunch of places and happy I trusted my referral. After spending so much money on a car, the added protection does give so much peace of mind. American Wrap Co did an outstanding job at a really competitive price. Can't recommend them enough.

Finally got my car back from the shop ( TECHNIC AUTO SPA ) and I am happy with the result.

Full body Stek PPF edged in
All emblems removed PPFd, reattached with 3m.
Headlights and all black part of the body PPFd
Ceramic coated wheels, break calipers, and interior.
Front and rear bumper/doors/front hood wrapped in one piece so no visible cut line. Only visible relief cut I see is on the rear side panel where most installer would to prevent it from lifting over time.
I also got stek window tinting done 35% driver and passenger side only.
I see couple small water bubbles but I guess it's perfectly normal and I'm scheduled to be back in a week to follow up and do some touch up.

I'll post closed up photos when I'm done with follow up corrections in a week.

brett_g said:

Finally got the car back from PPF... was quite a journey. The shop was about 300 yards away from one of the tornadoes that went through Temple, Texas before memorial day weekend. Needless to say it was slightly delayed, but well worth the wait. The car is absolutely transformed somehow, hard to explain how different the car looks visually. The DV really morphs with the Xpel stealth wrap. I was inspired by a wrap I saw on IG, so I elected to keep all the gloss black pieces gloss. The car only has the lower black pack, so I had the shop install a black rear logo since mine from the factory was chrome.

As promised, Pics!

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Looks great. Did you take the car to the installer right after pickup or did you get to enjoy it for a bit first?

Hell4Leather said:

Looks great. Did you take the car to the installer right after pickup or did you get to enjoy it for a bit first?

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I put about 1300 miles on it prior to taking it in. Wanted to have ample time to shake through some delivery quirks and identify any areas that needed extra love.

brett_g said:

I put about 1300 miles on it prior to taking it in. Wanted to have ample time to shake through some delivery quirks and identify any areas that needed extra love.

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Good to know. Was a bit worried that after the wait I’d have to wait again for the PPF. I too would like to shake it up a bit before getting the ceramic and PPF. If it gets a chip or some in the meantime I guess it’s my dumbass fault.

I went back and forth on whether to just drive it and save the money for detailing/paint correction or do PPF. I decided to have an enjoyable collection day and drive it home (about 100 miles) to see how I felt about it after a few hundred miles. I didn't make it but a couple of hundred miles before I noticed a decent rock chip on the hood. After seeing the chip and listening to all the rocks that Cup 2 tires throw against the wheel wells, I knew my anxiety would be much lower if I had PPF on it. Fortunately, we have a family trip planned this week so I dropped it off for full STEK PPF while we are gone. I showed the rock chip to the installer, and he said that he has a body shop close by that he uses to make touch-up paint to match and fill chips before he applies the PPF. I'm anxious to see how it turns out!

Dragoon said:

I went back and forth on whether to just drive it and save the money for detailing/paint correction or do PPF. I decided to have an enjoyable collection day and drive it home (about 100 miles) to see how I felt about it after a few hundred miles. I didn't make it but a couple of hundred miles before I noticed a decent rock chip on the hood. After seeing the chip and listening to all the rocks that Cup 2 tires throw against the wheel wells, I knew my anxiety would be much lower if I had PPF on it. Fortunately, we have a family trip planned this week so I dropped it off for full STEK PPF while we are gone. I showed the rock chip to the installer, and he said that he has a body shop close by that he uses to make touch-up paint to match and fill chips before he applies the PPF. I'm anxious to see how it turns out!

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Pics if you can would be awesome

Hell4Leather said:

Looks great. Did you take the car to the installer right after pickup or did you get to enjoy it for a bit first

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Jincook said:

Finally got my car back from the shop ( TECHNIC AUTO SPA ) and I am happy with the result.

Full body Stek PPF edged in
All emblems removed PPFd, reattached with 3m.
Headlights and all black part of the body PPFd
Ceramic coated wheels, break calipers, and interior.
Front and rear bumper/doors/front hood wrapped in one piece so no visible cut line. Only visible relief cut I see is on the rear side panel where most installer would to prevent it from lifting over time.
I also got stek window tinting done 35% driver and passenger side only.
I see couple small water bubbles but I guess it's perfectly normal and I'm scheduled to be back in a week to follow up and do some touch up.

I'll post closed up photos when I'm done with follow up corrections in a week.

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I drove it for about 300 miles while i was looking for the installer.

Hell4Leather said:

Good to know. Was a bit worried that after the wait I’d have to wait again for the PPF. I too would like to shake it up a bit before getting the ceramic and PPF. If it gets a chip or some in the meantime I guess it’s my dumbass fault.

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I bought my car used with 2500 miles and it had stone chip on the front panel before the bonnet. I ended up paying £800 to have it repaired professionally by a paint shop before full ppf.

Ended up with the full ppf (Lotus branded) for all but the roof. Roof is going to get ceramic as I hope to use a seasucker for a road bike (and at least would like the option), and they said they would also do ceramic on the center console as I requested it.

I had a price in mind for paint correction and total coverage, and apparently Lotus guarantees it for 10 years (whatever that ends up meaning). Further, they were willing to do it, along with paint correction, before delivery. Total for all the work is $6k usd, which is the same or better than independent shops.

marc1adrien said:

Ended up with the full ppf (Lotus branded) for all but the roof. Roof is going to get ceramic as I hope to use a seasucker for a road bike (and at least would like the option), and they said they would also do ceramic on the center console as I requested it.

I had a price in mind for paint correction and total coverage, and apparently Lotus guarantees it for 10 years (whatever that ends up meaning). Further, they were willing to do it, along with paint correction, before delivery. Total for all the work is $6k usd, which is the same or better than independent shops.

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What exactly is “lotus branded”? Do you mean that the PPF is being done from the dealership? Outside of a few small areas, I’m not aware of lotus branded PPF

Blackthought_ said:

What exactly is “lotus branded”? Do you mean that the PPF is being done from the dealership? Outside of a few small areas, I’m not aware of lotus branded PPF

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Certain dealers (mine included) are offering "Lotus Guard" with both a PPF option and a liquid-based option. Attached is what they provided me.

Has anybody had their PPF done at Lotus North Jersey? Trying to determine the quality of the work and if I should get it done by the dealership. They have an outside company come and do it onsite.

Has anyone had any issues using xpel? I heard from a rep that “there is something in the adhesive that can peel off the paint” and they encouraged me to only use nano fusion which is what lotus warranties. I’m thinking it’s just a marketing tactic since xpel has an excellent reputation. The installer I want to use uses xpel and I wasn’t thrilled with a job I saw from the dealer using the nano fusion. Thoughts? Thanks!

GrahamClark_60-68 said:

Still isn’t answering my question.

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My full PPF was $7125 and included rear diffuser. Xpel 10mm

Bimmernate said:

Has anyone had any issues using xpel? I heard from a rep that “there is something in the adhesive that can peel off the paint” and they encouraged me to only use nano fusion which is what lotus warranties. I’m thinking it’s just a marketing tactic since xpel has an excellent reputation. The installer I want to use uses xpel and I wasn’t thrilled with a job I saw from the dealer using the nano fusion. Thoughts? Thanks!

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I’m happy with my outcome, xpel