Recommendations for a good PPF dealer in the southeast...

[Sonnie]

I'm in southeast Alabama, so somewhere in Alabama, north Florida, or even Nashville or Atlanta would be fine. The last guy I used in Dothan, AL, did a horrible job initially and kept my F150 for over six weeks, and still could not get it perfect, although he had a 150K Corvette that looked perfect sitting in his shop. We made six trips 1.5 hours away with two vehicles, delivering and picking it up three times. I gave up on the sixth trip picking it up and just decided to live with the imperfections. I traded it in on the 24 RAM Limited I have now that I want to get fully matte-wrapped like the F150.

I've been told by some owners that their dealers guaranteed contamination-free wraps, but all of those dealers are too far away. Today, I talked to another one in Dothan, AL, and he does not guarantee contamination-free wraps. The one they were working on had three spots on the back... they appeared to be grains of sand underneath... said he "might" redo that piece. lol ... I did not get a chance to look at the rest of the vehicle, but I wasn't impressed after seeing it and his comment. No way I will pay 8-10K for a wrap with contamination spots in it.

Anyway, I'm hoping there is a really good dealer somewhere down here that can do a contamination-free full wrap. Maybe I'm looking for a unicorn.

UPDATE: OCD Tinting and Wraps is who I ended up using for my Xpel Stealth (matte PPF) and the Xpel Prime XR Plus Tint. OCD Tinting & Wraps

They did a remarkable job with zero issues thus far. I was impressed with their work... no seams in the bumpers even on the sharp turns/bends. Night and day difference between OCD and the previous company I used. Highly Recommended, even if it's a bit of a drive for you.

 

[Ellisstrong]

Quality wraps in Smyrna Ga is really good.

 

[Sonnie]

I spoke for a while with AP3 Paint Protection in Atlanta earlier today. They have been awarded Xpel Dealer of the Year for the last 4-5 years. They've done more matte Stealth wraps than anyone in the southeast... a bunch. They have all the high-end car dealer contracts in that area. They are expensive, but they said I would not have any contamination, and I would be fully satisfied, or they make it right, but basically, they wouldn't need to make it right because it would be right when I pick it up.

 

[Sonnie]

FWIW... found a guy in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, who appears to be OCD about making it look right, and said the problems I experienced previously would not be an issue with him, as he agreed I should not have had those kinds of issues. The name of his shop is OCD Tinting and Wraps. He says OCD is in their name for a reason. He is going to wrap my truck in the Stealth PPF and tint my windows with the Fusion XR Plus tint. Hopefully, this one will turn out better than my last experience. He has it... should be wrapping it up in a couple of weeks.

 

[Bigred82]

FWIW... found a guy in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, who appears to be OCD about making it look right, and said the problems I experienced previously would not be an issue with him, as he agreed I should not have had those kinds of issues. The name of his shop is OCD Tinting and Wraps. He says OCD is in their name for a reason. He is going to wrap my truck in the Stealth PPF and tint my windows with the Fusion XR Plus tint. Hopefully, this one will turn out better than my last experience. He has it... should be wrapping it up in a couple of weeks.

Any particular reason you went with the Fusion XR Plus tint?

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[Bigred82]

I spoke for a while with AP3 Paint Protection in Atlanta earlier today. They have been awarded Xpel Dealer of the Year for the last 4-5 years. They've done more matte Stealth wraps than anyone in the southeast... a bunch. They have all the high-end car dealer contracts in that area. They are expensive, but they said I would not have any contamination, and I would be fully satisfied, or they make it right, but basically, they wouldn't need to make it right because it would be right when I pick it up.

How much are we talking for a ceramic coat on a '24 1500 would you ballpark?

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[Darksteel165]

FWIW... found a guy in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, who appears to be OCD about making it look right, and said the problems I experienced previously would not be an issue with him, as he agreed I should not have had those kinds of issues. The name of his shop is OCD Tinting and Wraps. He says OCD is in their name for a reason. He is going to wrap my truck in the Stealth PPF and tint my windows with the Fusion XR Plus tint. Hopefully, this one will turn out better than my last experience. He has it... should be wrapping it up in a couple of weeks.

Report back if they really were OCD. Couldn't find an installer who would stand by their work in the north east and most "approved" installers for xpel work out of their house lol.

 

[Sonnie]

Any particular reason you went with the Fusion XR Plus tint?

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That should be Prime XR Plus on the tint. Supposedly the best at what they have for heat blocking abilities.

Fusion is their ceramic coating that will go on top of the Stealth PPF.

How much are we talking for a ceramic coat on a '24 1500 would you ballpark?

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My guess is somewhere between 7-11K, depending on what PPF you go with and what you have done. The 8 mil clear comes with the Fusion coating, so you don't have to pay for the labor to coat the PPF as you would if you went with the 10 mil clear or the Stealth matte. It seems the 10 mil and Stealth cost more where I've checked around. Then if you want them to ceramic coat your wheels, windows, interior... all different levels of costs to you.

Report back if they really were OCD. Couldn't find an installer who would stand by their work in the north east and most "approved" installers for xpel work out of their house lol.

No doubt... difficult to find anyone who will outright tell you they will stand behind their work, and you don't have to worry about contamination, bad cuts, edge lifting, etc. This particular dealer stated that these types of issues were unacceptable to him. When I looked over his truck that he had wrapped with the 10 mil clear, it looked flawless... no seams on the bumpers, no contamination that I could see, and no edge lifts, and I believe he said he was in year two with his wrap. That is what I expect... for it to look as good as YOUR personal truck that looks great. He did have one tear on the right door where something hit his truck, and the PPF did its job of protecting the truck, but he had not taken the time to replace the PPF. His tint looked good as did another car he had there and had just tinted. All his work on his Facebook page looks good. I feel good about this dealer... I hope I'm right and he is truly OCD.

 

[Bigred82]

That should be Prime XR Plus on the tint. Supposedly the best at what they have for heat blocking abilities.

Fusion is their ceramic coating that will go on top of the Stealth PPF.

My guess is somewhere between 7-11K, depending on what PPF you go with and what you have done. The 8 mil clear comes with the Fusion coating, so you don't have to pay for the labor to coat the PPF as you would if you went with the 10 mil clear or the Stealth matte. It seems the 10 mil and Stealth cost more where I've checked around. Then if you want them to ceramic coat your wheels, windows, interior... all different levels of costs to you.

No doubt... difficult to find anyone who will outright tell you they will stand behind their work, and you don't have to worry about contamination, bad cuts, edge lifting, etc. This particular dealer stated that these types of issues were unacceptable to him. When I looked over his truck that he had wrapped with the 10 mil clear, it looked flawless... no seams on the bumpers, no contamination that I could see, and no edge lifts, and I believe he said he was in year two with his wrap. That is what I expect... for it to look as good as YOUR personal truck that looks great. He did have one tear on the right door where something hit his truck, and the PPF did its job of protecting the truck, but he had not taken the time to replace the PPF. His tint looked good as did another car he had there and had just tinted. All his work on his Facebook page looks good. I feel good about this dealer... I hope I'm right and he is truly OCD.

Is it me or does $7-11K on PPF sound absolutely insane? I've tried thinking about this every way possible and I can't find*that* much value in it.

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[Darksteel165]

Is it me or does $7-11K on PPF sound absolutely insane? I've tried thinking about this every way possible and I can't find*that* much value in it.

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A paint job costs way more than that. Looking at 15-25k for a fresh paint job.
Most quality PPF lasts a very long time so a full wrap if you are keeping the truck for 20 years could make sense.

 

[Bigred82]

A paint job costs way more than that. Looking at 15-25k for a fresh paint job.
Most quality PPF lasts a very long time so a full wrap if you are keeping the truck for 20 years could make sense.

Yeah, I can't justify that cost. It's actually absurd imo.

You can paint a truck for $10k depending on what part of the country you're in.

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[firecadet613]

Yeah, I can't justify that cost. It's actually absurd imo.

You can paint a truck for $10k depending on what part of the country you're in.

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For that kind of cash, why wouldn't you just trade the truck in on a new one?

I've put PPF on a few trucks (just the hood and front end). I've had it tear from road debris (rocks), but overall it did well.

Since I trade every two years or so, it didn't make sense to get it on my current ride.

IMO, if you can afford 7k for PPF, you likely will get a new truck again before to long...

 

[Bigred82]

For that kind of cash, why wouldn't you just trade the truck in on a new one?

I've put PPF on a few trucks (just the hood and front end). I've had it tear from road debris (rocks), but overall it did well.

Since I trade every two years or so, it didn't make sense to get it on my current ride.

IMO, if you can afford 7k for PPF, you likely will get a new truck again before to long...

That's exactly what I'm saying.

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[Sonnie]

I updated my first post with more info and pics of the completed work from OCD Tinting and Wraps.

 

[dajogejr]

I’ve seen an F250 done at my buddy’s shop In that matte wrap, I really like it.
I’ve got matte (satin) paint on my Harley…. similar gray color as your truck.
They did a nice job, enjoy.
I have two questions, can you get ceramic on that matte wrap and two…you most likely can’t wax it, can you?

I can ask my buddy when i talk to him, but was wondering if you know. I know on my Harley… no wax/carnuba based soap or wax for the satin finish.

 

[Sonnie]

I’ve seen an F250 done at my buddy’s shop In that matte wrap, I really like it.
I’ve got matte (satin) paint on my Harley…. similar gray color as your truck.
They did a nice job, enjoy.
I have two questions, can you get ceramic on that matte wrap and two…you most likely can’t wax it, can you?

I can ask my buddy when i talk to him, but was wondering if you know. I know on my Harley… no wax/carnuba based soap or wax for the satin finish.

Xpel makes a specific ceramic coating for their Stealth PPF, but it's not already applied as it is with the 8 mil gloss PPF. OCD did apply it to my wrap, and other areas, wheels, glass, etc.

I don't think it would be a good idea to wax or polish it. Wax would cover it up and polish would remove it. Xpel has a booster they recommend using on it every so often.

 

[dajogejr]

Interesting, didn’t know the ceramic coating was already applied to Xpel’s gloss 8mil PPF.
I have the boost for my truck, it does work pretty well.

 

[Sonnie]

They also have a 10 mil gloss that does not have the coating applied.