Mud flaps and Lotus fitted protected film

kbhoz · Nov 1, 2021

On my S3 Exige there are mud flaps on the front and protective clear film on the lower front of the rear wheel arch. That film is peppered after 80,000Km and I would hate to see the paintwork without it. What stops stone chips on the Emira in the same spot - will the lower black pack cop it all?

I have ordered a V6 Auto in HY, so not having seen a car (and won't for a while as I live in Australia) I am curious if I have to do something after market. By the way, the Emira FE costs 120,000UKP in Australia due to our crazy tax system. Delivery is due Autumn 22.

EM33RA · Nov 1, 2021

kbhoz said:
On my S3 Exige there are mud flaps on the front and protective clear film on the lower front of the rear wheel arch. That film is peppered after 80,000Km and I would hate to see the paintwork without it. What stops stone chips on the Emira in the same spot - will the lower black pack cop it all?

I have ordered a V6 Auto in HY, so not having seen a car (and won't for a while as I live in Australia) I am curious if I have to do something after market. By the way, the Emira FE costs 120,000UKP in Australia due to our crazy tax system. Delivery is due Autumn 22.

Mate the best for stone chips is paint protective film. It’s on all my cars R8, Hurracan and AMG. Never an issue just take it to a professional car wrapping place whom know their stuff. It will cost you about $2 to $2.5k for a track pack or 4 to 4.5k for full PPF wrap, which will keep the car paint brand new. I will do the same for mine the day I pick the Emira up in Sydney. Gongrats on your purchase

Balboa · Nov 4, 2021

kbhoz said:
On my S3 Exige there are mud flaps on the front and protective clear film on the lower front of the rear wheel arch. That film is peppered after 80,000Km and I would hate to see the paintwork without it. What stops stone chips on the Emira in the same spot - will the lower black pack cop it all?

I have ordered a V6 Auto in HY, so not having seen a car (and won't for a while as I live in Australia) I am curious if I have to do something after market. By the way, the Emira FE costs 120,000UKP in Australia due to our crazy tax system. Delivery is due Autumn 22.

I'll be wrapping the entire car in PPF as well. Wrapped my Jag ftype in 2014 and almost choked on the $4,K cost. Boy am i glad i did. The car has virtually no swirl marks and still looks showroom fresh. Never had it detailed so there is some cost recovery there. Cant recommend highly enuf

Mknight702 · Nov 4, 2021

Balboa said:
I'll be wrapping the entire car in PPF as well. Wrapped my Jag ftype in 2014 and almost choked on the $4,K cost. Boy am i glad i did. The car has virtually no swirl marks and still looks showroom fresh. Never had it detailed so there is some cost recovery there. Cant recommend highly enuf

I have a much cheaper way to avoid swirl marks on my cars.

I just don't clean them, they are for driving, not cleaning.

Nova · Nov 4, 2021

Mknight702 said:
I have a much cheaper way to avoid swirl marks on my cars.

I just don't clean them, they are for driving, not cleaning.

Ok but seriously... For a while now I've gone with ceramic coating the paint plus an occasional wash. The ceramic coating keeps the car cleaner for longer, and makes washing very easy - just spray some microfoam on the car, let it sit for a minute, rub-rub-rub with a microfiber towel, and rinse off. Then a quick towel dry. Takes about 30 minutes every couple of months. The longest I've held on to a car recently is 6 years and this method has resulted in no noticeable swirl marks.

Oh and I have a "do not wash" sign to put on the dash when I take it to a dealer.

I have slight OCD.

Pav · Nov 4, 2021

+1 for ceramic coating. I have Modesta on a car and it’s amazing stuff. Washing is a joy. Though am planning to PPF some surfaces of the Emira.

Balboa · Nov 5, 2021

Nova said:
Ok but seriously... For a while now I've gone with ceramic coating the paint plus an occasional wash. The ceramic coating keeps the car cleaner for longer, and makes washing very easy - just spray some microfoam on the car, let it sit for a minute, rub-rub-rub with a microfiber towel, and rinse off. Then a quick towel dry. Takes about 30 minutes every couple of months. The longest I've held on to a car recently is 6 years and this method has resulted in no noticeable swirl marks.

Oh and I have a "do not wash" sign to put on the dash when I take it to a dealer.

I have slight OCD.

Wrap is actually quite easy to keep clean. I just spray on some cleaner and wipe with a microfiber cloth. I've parked my Jag outside for 5 years (driveway too steep to get it in the garage) and almost every day (it's a therapeutic break in my day) I go out and spray and wipe (mostly dust) and it stays the cleanest car in the neighborhood. I'm sure I've saved hundreds if not thousands on car washes over the years. And no UV fading at all.

Nova · Nov 5, 2021

Balboa said:
Wrap is actually quite easy to keep clean. I just spray on some cleaner and wipe with a microfiber cloth. I've parked my Jag outside for 5 years (driveway too steep to get it in the garage) and almost every day (it's a therapeutic break in my day) I go out and spray and wipe (mostly dust) and it stays the cleanest car in the neighborhood. I'm sure I've saved hundreds if not thousands on car washes over the years. And no UV fading at all.

Yea, and it helps that many PPF has self-healing capabilities under a hot sun. What brand film do you have?

Magma · Nov 5, 2021

Nova said:
Ok but seriously... For a while now I've gone with ceramic coating the paint plus an occasional wash. The ceramic coating keeps the car cleaner for longer, and makes washing very easy - just spray some microfoam on the car, let it sit for a minute, rub-rub-rub with a microfiber towel, and rinse off. Then a quick towel dry. Takes about 30 minutes every couple of months. The longest I've held on to a car recently is 6 years and this method has resulted in no noticeable swirl marks.

Oh and I have a "do not wash" sign to put on the dash when I take it to a dealer.

I have slight OCD.

I'm biting my tongue... It's bleeding now

So many things to unpack here...
Can I ask what color your car was?

Balboa · Nov 5, 2021

Nova said:
Yea, and it helps that many PPF has self-healing capabilities under a hot sun. What brand film do you have?

I went with Xpel PPF

Balboa · Nov 5, 2021

Pav said:
+1 for ceramic coating. I have Modesta on a car and it’s amazing stuff. Washing is a joy. Though am planning to PPF some surfaces of the Emira.

If you're going PPF on some surfaces you may want to consider wrapping the entire car (I know- it's expensive) But if you don't you run the risk of a contrast in shade of the wrapped panels vs non wrapped. I recently went back to my 'wrapper' because the nose on my car has a few scuffs and road rash from 5 years of driving. Not that I'd have to do it but for a few hundred bucks I thought why not make it clean again. He told me if I just replaced one section, the new section would have a noticeable contrast with the film on the rest of the car and he persuaded me not to. I saw a Porsche Carrera GT at a car cruise a few years back with a clearbra just 1/4 up the hood and it definitely yellowed over the years with a distinct line. Xpel PPF holds up pretty well but with all panels wrapped at least it ages 'consistently'

Tailslides · Nov 6, 2021

Due to the complex shape of the Emira, I am more likely to go with a spray PPF such as Litchfield provide.

Paint Protection Spray

www.litchfieldmotors.com

We have Xpel ultimate on the Boxster and while it has saved some us from some paint damage it would possibly be tricky to install on the Lotus.

TomE · Nov 6, 2021

I've not seen the spray before, that's interesting. I guess with the preparation required it's more expensive than a film application.

My Xpel installer has done some pretty complex shapes, including an Enzo, several McLarens and lots of Lotus. He's confident he can PPF an Emira.

Tailslides · Nov 6, 2021

TomE said:
I've not seen the spray before, that's interesting. I guess with the preparation required it's more expensive than a film application.

My Xpel installer has done some pretty complex shapes, including an Enzo, several McLarens and lots of Lotus. He's confident he can PPF an Emira.

I am thinking the new profiles will take a while to plot, but then they are probably already on the ball for that. Prep is around the same, as is the cost.
The idea of no edges appeals as much as covering the complex contours, nothing against Xpel at all, ours is four years old and it still looks really good, it has protected us from the worst the roads of Europe can throw at it.

GarrethN · Nov 6, 2021

Tailslides said:
Due to the complex shape of the Emira, I am more likely to go with a spray PPF such as Litchfield provide.

Paint Protection Spray

www.litchfieldmotors.com

We have Xpel ultimate on the Boxster and while it has saved some us from some paint damage it would possibly be tricky to install on the Lotus.

That’s a cracking finish but adding another £6K to the price is hefty. What’s the approximate cost of a full PPF rather than spray?

TomE · Nov 6, 2021

Whole body PPF is about £4k

Mike-engel · Nov 6, 2021

Can I also mention that ceramic and graphene ceramic coatings can be applied over ppl for added protection and tremendous hydrophobicity. Xpel films are very high quality and there are a multitude of ceramic coatings these days you can apply yourself. There is also the option of lower concentration maintenance sprays that work really well and provide some uv protection. So I will be covering my entire car then applying a graphene ceramic coating from Adams and maintaining with their graphene ceramic spray. Daily dust removal with an lambs wool wand followed by a Wolfgang detail spray (which has great lubricity).

GarrethN · Nov 7, 2021

TomE said:
Whole body PPF is about £4k

Thanks Tom, its gonna be if not daily, at least a regular driver for me so whole body it is, wouldn’t want her lovely lines to get any imperfections

Tailslides · Nov 7, 2021

GarrethN said:
Thanks Tom, its gonna be if not daily, at least a regular driver for me so whole body it is, wouldn’t want her lovely lines to get any imperfections

It's usually £4k plus vat, I have seen the spray ppf for the same so a difficult decision.

TomE · Nov 7, 2021

£3,490 + VAT = £4,188 with my installer

Mud flaps and Lotus fitted protected film

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