XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both?

LuigiF1

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Hello took delivery today (actually early, orig. estimate was 6/11... lock 3/15, build 4/12-19, Emden 4/20, Goodwood 4/24, Houston 5/13, TPMS recall at port 10 days to 5/23, arrived dealer 5/27).

Before the paper signing I got the sales pitch on all the car coating and wheel insurance items ($2900 for Mission E wheel chips, bent rim insurance).

I was considering the XPEL $1900 or Ceramic coating $2900. Do People here have specific reasoning or preferences on these? Before I got delivery today I was going to do Ceramic but dealer seemed to talk me out of it saying in Minnesota winter climate (Nov-Mar) that I would lose the ceramic coating much quicker than the 5 year coating plan. It is carrera white I only drive about 8k miles yr mostly on 45-50mph 4 lane county highways and some interstates 60-70mph. Does Xpel or Ceramic do anything with how the color looks/tints? One or other must have or both? Thank you.
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Torv

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I've been researching the shit out of this in anticipation of doing one or the other for my Taycan when it arrives in a few weeks and from what I've learned thus far it's this: if you're concerned about truly protecting the paint from rock chips, etc. then XPEL (or other similar paint protection film products) is the way to go. The ceramic coating is great for making it dead easy to wash the car and will protect the paint from the elements and will make your paint really shine, but it will not “armor” your paint against someone keying you or door dings or a random rock thrown against the front of the car like the PPF. Finally, I've read that a lot of people do both, first the PPF and then the ceramic coating, but that starts to get costly.

Personally, I've elected to do a full front to back PPF on my car. It costs about $6K, but I'm going to keep this car for a long time and I want it to really look like new. Other PPF products to consider are 3M, Suntek and Ceramic Shield Kavaca. But the most important consideration is the installer, regardless of the brand of the product they're using. Interview a bunch and find someone who’s a real pro.

Final point: the prices you mention are high. Your dealer is really gilding the lily. Grind the hell out of him. A full ceramic coat shouldn't cost you more than $1200 and a front PPF application shouldn't cost more than $2K. If your dealer won't negotiate those absurd prices, shop around. There's no way Minnesota costs more than California.
 
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SaratogaLefty

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I just sold my Chalk 2018 Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and received high Kelly Blue Book private party pricing.. Immediately after taking delivery in April, 2018, I drove it directly to my installer. He initially washed, clay barred, and polished the entire car. Full paint restoration treatment. Then he applied Xpel Ultimate protectant film to the entire front of the car back to the A pillars and included the mirrors and door edges. Then he applied the Ceramic Pro Gold treatment (4 coatings plus a final 9H treatment) to the entire car, including removing the wheels and applying Ceramic Pro Strong to each wheel inside and out. Lastly he treated the leather interior and applied a glass treatment to all the windows. Total cost in April, 2018 was $3400. I take the car back in to him once each year for a Ceramic Pro Sport Touch Up treatment for $200. Car has no scratches and looks fantastic. Very easy to wash and dry. Buyer was ecstatic with his purchase.
 

ljump12

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I did full ceramic on my bmw 5 years ago. I would definitely do it again. Makes washing the car a breeze. A strong rain will have the car coming out looking brand new.

I will say the coating probably only really lasted 3 years. Also total cost was $1200. The actual ceramic product is only $50 or so...probably a 4-5 hour total job between washing/polishing/application.

$2900 is insane.
 

Vim Schrotnock

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I've got full-body Xpel and 4 coats of CeramicPro and I can't recommend highly enough. As others have stated, the ceramic coating makes the car incredibly easy to clean - most times I can just rinse it. It doesn't accumulate dirt anything like a non-ceramic car.

The Xpel has now saved my hood from dent repair/repaint twice. Both times the Xpel was almost penetrated, but the underlying paint was completely untouched. I'm approaching 9K miles now, so I'm figuring a redo of my hood every 5K miles is not unreasonable, but hopefully this won't be the case. For just the hood, it's a few hundred $'s from my shop and they will do a refresh of the ceramic once a year for $100. This works out to around $700/year if you're driving 15K miles/year, and if my hood keeps getting hit at the same frequency, which is a lot. If this is the case, I think the cost is merited if you want to keep your car in 'as new' condition.
 
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Jhenson29

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I did full front PPF for $2k and full ceramic including wheels for $1500. I did this through the dealer.

I originally called around to get it done separate, but the place I settled on was scheduling 6-weeks out. They also happened to be the same place my dealership uses anyway. So I just did it through the dealership since they schedule dealer cars immediately.

Plus the dealer gave me a loaner so I did not have to rent a car while I wait for it to get done. I also didn’t have to drive it without protection as the car was trailered from the dealer to the PPF place.

They quoted full PPF at $6k. In my experience, 90%+ of the damage occurs on the front bumper and hood, so, while I’m sure full PPF is really nice, I wasn’t willing to pay 3x more for minimal gains.
 

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Don’t bother getting it through the dealer. They upcharge. Go straight to the detailed.
Ceramic should be cheaper than XPEL
 


smohr33

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I’ve had XPEL on the full front of my last 2 Porsche. Won’t own one without PPF again, after a combined 30k+ miles they looked like new. Worst thing that happened was a tear in the film from a really bad rock impact, no damage to the paint. Gives you peace of mind, no worries when you get stuck behind a truck on the highway, sanded roads in the winter, etc.

I was less than thrilled with the installs however. They were done by the Porsche dealers installer. I had some lifting edges, cuts that didn’t follow panels well, poor tucks under the frunk that were all wrinkly, etc. The precut XPEL really showed on my Carrara white Macan, dirt lines everywhere. Bulk tucked everywhere is definitely worth the extra cost.

I’m picking my Taycan up tomorrow from a different shop after lots of research. This installer used STEK film, but having a skilled installer is definitely more important than brand of film. A nice benefit of the STEK however is it’s hydrophobic, so no ceramic needed on top of it.

He’s been sending me teasers all weekend, I can’t wait to pick it up tomorrow!

Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? E5A6486D-1A03-4EF3-8DE1-EBE45B3B8B97
Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? 298E789C-0428-440B-A87E-CF306BA88494
Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? ABCEA663-BDEE-4151-91FC-F2D451BF83FE
Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? 33DFBC3D-A041-4AF9-9E5D-3F5C0C608D10
 
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Genau

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II’m picking my Taycan up tomorrow from a different shop after lots of research. This installer used STEK film, but having a skilled installer is definitely more important than brand of film. A nice benefit of the STEK however is it’s hydrophobic, so no ceramic needed on top of it.
Ask about the glass protection film that STEK just introduced. I had it installed on my Taycan windshield last week. The replacement cost for a Taycan windshield is over $10,000, so having it replaced for rock chips will quickly result in an insurance premium increase.

UPDATE: it turns out the service rep was quoting $10,000 for the windshield assembly, which includes the sensors in addition to the windshield itself. He is now quoting $2,600 for the windshield alone. I'm curious whether that is the windshield price when the Taycan is optioned with thermally and sound insulated glass.

My apologies to everyone for the misinformation pointed out by @Oink, @dflohr, and @Jhenson29.
 
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Torv

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Some installers I've spoken with insist that to do the job correctly they must remove the door handles, side mirrors, window trim, and lights. While I do appreciate their devotion, I am seriously apprehensive about them removing and reinstalling complex components. Am I paranoid and unreasonably nervous? I don't think so--I’d hate to void any warranties. Maybe if a professional body shop did the PPF application it would be OK, at least they're intimately conversant in the removal and reassembly of those components. Personally, when I find the installer I'm confident in, I won't have them remove the previously referenced items. Too risky for my taste.
 

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Ask about the glass protection film that STEK just introduced. I had it installed on my Taycan windshield last week. The replacement cost for a Taycan windshield is over $10,000, so having it replaced for rock chips will quickly result in an insurance premium increase.
10k? Where on earth did you hear that? They replaced mine "just because" when they had to open up the dash to replace some wiring for the camera system. Doubt they'd bother doing that if it's that expensive.

I was pretty pumped about it as I had two annoying scratches from I guess a grain of sand being smudged by the wipers. Could always see them at night when the lights shone on them.


Some installers I've spoken with insist that to do the job correctly...
What this guy said. We're looking at just getting the front bumper and hood done. Maybe the windshield if the above price is correct (yikes)
 

smohr33

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What this guy said. We're looking at just getting the front bumper and hood done. Maybe the windshield if the above price is correct (yikes)
This is why having a trusted installer is important. My guy sent me updates throughout the install. You can see from the photos why removal is preferable...

Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? A61FA326-4EFA-4266-9C14-3E37B9ECF22F
Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? 3FB1765E-F8C0-4471-924D-A3140FAF7B66
Porsche Taycan XPEL vs Ceramic, neither both? CCD7B395-0EA4-4BAB-8FEE-4165607168B0
 

Torv

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This is why having a trusted installer is important. My guy sent me updates throughout the install. You can see from the photos why removal is preferable...

A61FA326-4EFA-4266-9C14-3E37B9ECF22F.jpeg
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Oh, I get why they remove various things. It simply scares the hell out of me, regardless of the installer, that somehow they'll screw something up. The emblem is no big deal, but the charging ports? That's another thing altogether, especially if you have the electronic ones. Same with the door handles. The Taycan is a new car and regardless of the installer’s experience I seriously doubt they have worked on enough Taycans to acquire sufficient expertise with its unique qualities. Finally, are there then warranty issues at play? Will Porsche cover any of their mistakes?
 
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Jhenson29

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The replacement cost for a Taycan windshield is over $10,000,
Is there a source for this?

Someone in the Facebook group posted they had to replace a windshield and it was $2k (through dealer).
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