I do installs, expect to pay around 1500-2k depending on mirrors and headlights. Location is the biggest factor, upscale areas vs rural the price point in labor will vary a lot. Also worth a note to make sure you get Grade A films like Suntek, Prestige Films, Xpel Ultimate or Stek. I have personally not dealt with 3m so I can't comment.

I currently have Xpel Ultimate on my S7 and Sunteks ultimate on my S60R, both front ends completely done.

Always recommend doing all heavy contact areas.

Front Bumper
Hood
Fenders
A pillars to sunroof
Door handles
Bumper Tailgate

 

I had Xpel Ultimate put on our XC90.

Detailer did paint decon, correction, film and then Nanolex Si3D HD ceramic coating to all painted and filmed surfaces along with removing the wheels and coating the face and inner-barrel along with the calipers.

Areas covered with PPF
Full hood
Full front bumper
Full front quarter panels
A Pillars
Roof infront of sunroof
Mirror caps
Headlights
Door cups
Lower Doors to the crease
B Pillars (these always get swirled so it's totally worth having them covered)
Lower portion of rear quarter panel behind the wheels

We paid $3500

 

I bought xpel pre cut kit did it myself for $400. Half hood bumper fender a pillar and sunroof. Took 8 hrs and weeks for all bubbles to clear. I enjoyed doing it.

 

+1
DIY route for me as well.

 

I would recommend PFF 3M Pro to be used, and we had this done on our MY2019 XC90 T6. Focus was mostly on front and front sides as that's where most of the damage would come to.

Areas covered with PPF:
Full hood
Full front bumper
Full front fenders
Side mirrors
Door cups (most people have rings on fingers which scratch)

Also had Ceramic Pro applied to whole body and glass. Will see how this works out after 2-5 years.

 

I had Xpel installed for front, partial hood and mirrors for $750.

 

I had front bumper, 25% of the hood and the front part of the fenders done by a pro for $650.


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I just had full hood, front bumper including the grey lip, headlights, fog lights, partial front fenders, strip across roof above windshield, door cups, doglegs, and trunk, and side mirrors. I paid $1590. I’m actually taking it back tomorrow though bc I have a white car and parts are getting dirt behind them almost like a phone case.

 

I just had full hood, front bumper including the grey lip, headlights, fog lights, partial front fenders, strip across roof above windshield, door cups, doglegs, and trunk, and side mirrors. I paid $1590. I'm actually taking it back tomorrow though bc I have a white car and parts are getting dirt behind them almost like a phone case.

JFYI this is an issue with white and PPF if the edges of the film aren't wrapped around the edge/back of the panel so it's out of sight. There will be slight dirt build up but it's really only noticeable on white cars. The worst is when people only get a partial hood and aren't careful when washing or applying wax if they don't have a coating. They usually cake the edge with wax and it starts to get really dirty looking.

Our vehicle is white and there are a few spots where I have this issue, particularly on the bottom door panel edges. Most people don't notice it until you point it out, and even then you have to be a foot or two from the vehicle. My other car is a Metallic Gray color and has had PPF on it for almost 2 years. I can't see anything on any of the edges. So my lesson that I've learned is if you want to PPF a car, make sure it's not white or if it has to be white, pay and have the panels removed and fully wrapped around the back.

 

Ceramic Pro - Silver Package - Car - $1000.00
1 layer of 9h paint coating Glass Shield

1 layer of Light on paint

1 layer of Plastic on plastic

1 layer of Rain on windshield and front side windows
1 layer of Wheel & Caliper on wheel faces"

XPEL - Clear Bra Full Kit - $1700
Covered areas:

Full Hood (Wrapped)
Bumper
Full Front Fenders

Side Mirrors
Door Cups
Lights

If you are near Carlsbad CA, 5 Point Auto Spa just opened a new branch there and are offering 15% off services (tinting excluded) until the end of November. Tell them Ron sent you

So far, i like the work they have done on my 2019 XC90 R-Design.

You go back after 14 days when the curing is set and they will do your 1st car wash and show you how to care of the ppf/ceramic coat.

 

Ceramic Pro - Silver Package - Car - $1000.00
1 layer of 9h paint coating Glass Shield

1 layer of Light on paint

1 layer of Plastic on plastic

1 layer of Rain on windshield and front side windows
1 layer of Wheel & Caliper on wheel faces"

XPEL - Clear Bra Full Kit - $1700
Covered areas:

Full Hood (Wrapped)
Bumper
Full Front Fenders

Side Mirrors
Door Cups
Lights

If you are near Carlsbad CA, 5 Point Auto Spa just opened a new branch there and are offering 15% off services (tinting excluded) until the end of November. Tell them Ron sent you

So far, i like the work they have done on my 2019 XC90 R-Design.

You go back after 14 days when the curing is set and they will do your 1st car wash and show you how to care of the ppf/ceramic coat.

Ceramic coating is pretty easy to apply to a new car - just need to do a thorough clean first, the application itself takes less than an hour. $1000 seems excessive, since most good-quality ceramic products are ~$70-80 for a two car supply.

In my experience, SUV's are not affected by road rash nearly as bad as sedans/coupes, since the body is a lot higher off the ground. Doing a full hood wrap is probably an overkill. Of course if you have OCD and even a single tiny rock chip bothers you (or you simply hate to see the film edge running across the hood), than it's certainly worth it

 

Anyone have any recommendations for the NYC/NJ area to get this done? I've reached out to a few people I found on Yelp and not entirely sure of their work.

 

Detailers Domain. Phil has done a ton of Volvo products since there is a Volvo facility right around the corner from him.
https://www.detailersdomain.com/

 

I'm in Long Island if your up for the trip.

 

What did you all pay if you have had clear bra put on your XC90?

I bought two rolls of 3M Scotchgard Pro film enough to do the entire XC90 (fresh from OSD, so no paint correction needed!) and an entire sedan for $1700, but I'm doing the labor myself. I'm slow though with a family, 3 weeks over nights/weekends and 75% done on the XC90. Paying someone else to do the entire XC90 would be at least $8000, and the sedan probably another $7000 . . .
Ceramic coating materials is <$100 but again I'm doing it myself.
I think I have OCD and am a cheapo . . .

 

What did you all pay if you have had clear bra put on your XC90?

I bought two rolls of 3M Scotchgard Pro film enough to do the entire XC90 (fresh from OSD, so no paint correction needed!) and an entire sedan for $1700, but I'm doing the labor myself. I'm slow though with a family, 3 weeks over nights/weekends and 75% done on the XC90. Paying someone else to do the entire XC90 would be at least $8000, and the sedan probably another $7000 . . .
Ceramic coating materials is <$100 but again I'm doing it myself.
I think I have OCD and am a cheapo . . .

$4k is what I heard to do entire car.

 

I seal my car every 2 months. It beads the water and takes me an hr to do. I haven’t understood the point of opti coatings cars. If u get a scratch and have to wet sand a panel u screwed. God forbid u have to get a panel repainted. My paint guy said that’s more info he needs to properly sand and prep a panel for paint work.

 

I understand you are defensive because that's what you do. I am not here to start a fight - just providing alternative point of view based on my own personal experience. All I can honestly say is that I am happy with what I have been able to accomplish myself (not a pro) in a couple of hours for under $100. We put ~1000 miles/mo on each of our three Volvos, and have realistic expectations of the finish longevity. I understand that (for whatever reason) this may not be the case for someone who is willing to spend $1000 on a ceramic coating. I guess they are more proud of their cars than me

BTW, I know that that there are dozens of products on the market that have different formulations and application protocols. It's a business targeted at a certain segment of the population, just like any other - fancy cell phone cases for teenage girls, for example. Please feel free to educate me with any hard evidence that directly correlates the amount of time and money spent on a ceramic coating with its performance and longevity, hence justifying the extra expense and effort to apply. Blinded, 2-3 year long, real-life wear test would work, using your favorite 2+ step coating applied by a pro detailer vs Black Fire Pro 1-step (or any similar quality equivalent) applied by a regular schmoe capable of following simple instructions. Not a subjective/biased test, sponsored by the coating manufacturer, obviously. I would gladly re-evaluate my point of view, if the findings support it.

 

Well, I'm definitely not sponsored by a particular company. I just carry what I feel is the best for my target market.

These are some, there are many many other threads I just don't have them bookmarked.

https://www.autopia.org/forums/car-...sion/190089-ceramic-coating-experiment-observations-videos-photos-included.html

This is why my preference is IGL.
https://www.autopia.org/forums/deta.../183870-professional-syntetic-durability-test-longterm-coatings.html?highlight=

Real world test is my own DD which is basic physical material test, I purposely high spotted my roof with CQUK 2.0 in Mar.2014 an the material is still visible. Be aware that coating material will last 2-5 years depending on which one.Most do loose hydrophobic properties after a year if not refreshed with a Topper like Car-pro reload, IGL premier etc.

 

Interesting discussion on spray-type coating.

One more thing I want to add on clear film is that for headlight and foglight lenses, they have thicker films available. They range around 20 to 40 mil thick, and I usually prefer the 40mil. Here's how a 40mil look like, although I'm not sure whether it is easy to see in the picture:

Heat application helps the installation a bit more on this one than the thinner ones marketed for body panel protection.

In contrast, this one is 8 mil (I've seen something as thick as 12mil in the past, but it seems rather rare), and you can see how much it forms pleats because it is more flexible.