protecting a macan with xpel
The elegancy and simplicity of a Porsche Macan is one that stands out in its class. The pleasing deep tone exhaust notes are like no other. Sportiness but also a practical vehicle with comfort make this a perfect daily commuter. Being a daily vehicle did warrant some protection by us with our aesthetic touch. So lets go over what we did exactly
PREP STAGE
First off with any vehicle coming through our shop we do a full decontamination wash. This ensures proper cleanliness and a deep clean of all surfaces. We beign with a simple soap and wash , followed by a iron remover and clay bar treatment and in this stage is where the deep cleaning begins. The iron remover helps break down any deep iron and fallout particles in your paint . If you have a newer car you may have very small amount sitting on the paint, but if your vehicle has some life to it with no proper upkeep you would be able to feel all the contamination. if you rub your hand on the surface of your vehicle andit feels gritty then you know you need a proper decontamination. So pre spraying your vehicle down with iron remover helps soften those embedded contaminants and clay bar helps pull out all those contaminants and your final outcome should be a super clean and smooth surface. Doing so will give us a clean surface to continue with the paint correction or polishing stage.
Our paint correction or polishing stage is crucial when applying any sort of protection to the paint and the almost near final stage of prepping. While it removes surface defects like swirls , scratches, scuffs, and etching it also acts in a way like a primer if you were going to apply a ceramic coating, sealant, or even wax. Taking the time to go through this stage helps give you the ultimate bare surface so your protectant can cling on to your vehicles paint and give you the longest durability. The macan we worked on here went through all that . With 3 years on the road refinishing the paint to a near perfect finish gave us not only that superior glossy finish but a clean slate to apply our products. If youd like to learn about our paint corrections click the button below.
PPF INSTALLATION
The Porsche Macan did opt in for a couple different options of protection and the most important out of the two was our Xpel ultimate plus paint protection film or in short abbreviated term PPF. If you have never had a vehicle with ppf let me tell you its the best thing you can do for it and the ultimate option for any kind of vehicle protection this market offers. I wont go into to much as you can browse thorough information about it in our ppf page on our site (click below) .
But to put it in a simple short summary its practically like a screen protector for your phone only for your car. It has a self-healing technology that well, self-heals. If the film is to scratch it has the capability to heal back and make those imperfections disappear. Now it's not indestructible but it can help prevent major damage to your vehicle. We have had instances where people have been side swiped, hit something, and even gravel kick up and the film has completely taken all damage leaving the original finish unscathed. This all sounds amazing of course but it does come with a heavier monetary price for those seeking this service. For many though its the peace of mind of being able to enjoy their vehicle without any worry of rock chip damage to their exposed front surfaces or any small accidents.
Applying the film is not anything that of a simple task and really something that takes skill and many many hours of practice to achieve installations of this caliber. Macans are not a entry level project either. The most difficult part of this vehicle is its unique clam shell style hood . Where a normal vehicle would have a flat top and side fenders this is a style that is hood and fenders in one panel. Any mistakes in the hood installation itself is costly to the shop . The material alone for the style hood because it requires a specialty size film can cost us nearly $500 . Thats just the material enough to do that hood! SO THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR , and taking our time is necessary to execute a perfect outcome.
The most pleasing part of doing ppf is making it near invisible. Invisible enough that a normal untrained eye would have a hard time telling where its applied. The details and aesthetic touches matter and how do we achieve that goal? On any edges where we have room to fold our film pass the edge and tuck away we do, For example the hood once the film is installed we trim it down to about a third of an inch away from the edge. This allows us to fold it inwards so there is no exposed edges all around. Not only is this more pleasing for the aesthetic details, but also helps from leaving as little as an exposed edge possible to prevent something like a pressure washer to easily rip it off if catching an edge. Where we have no edges to tuck in or fold into, the goal is to reach the body line so close that its flush with the edges shadow which is approximately 1/8 of an inch away. The picture below shows our work. Can you see where our ppf is applied?
PPF is an art form of vehicle care at a high level. Taking a clean flat sheet of paper takes skill to comform to your vehicles body . Nothing we cant do though .
Ceramic Coating & Final Touches
The final touches include our ceramic coating on the entirety of the Porsche. That includes the entire freshly polished panels and PPF panels with wheels and glass included. Our ceramic coating leaves that final layer of Enviromental and UV protection but with a kick. The coating adds that final layer of a candy like gloss with a super mirror like glossy finish. The best part? It super smooth surface that will help with maintenance . Do you hate waxing? Having this applied will give you that fresh wax like gloss after a wash everytime without going through the headache of re applying a wax every month . Now some people combine this with their ppf service and many just opt in to do ceramic coating by itself which is totally fine. Ceramic coating wont give you the physical benefits of ppf but still can protect your vehicle envirmentally. To learn more about our ceramic coatings check out our coating page.
The finished product is a head turner for sure. Us guys especially love our vehicles and nothings as amazing as driving down the streets and moutains of the Tri-cities in a fresh clean ride with protection like no other. If we decide to rally , track, or daily our vehicle one things for sure. My car will not have any scratch or rock chip damage.
Founded in 2019, Autosthetics has quickly become a trusted name across the Tricities in Bluff City, TN for vehicle protection and enhancement. Specializing in XPEL-exclusive products, we proudly offer state-of-the-art ceramic coatings, paint protection films, and expert window tinting. Our certified technicians are trained at XPEL’s headquarters to bring industry-leading skills and precision to every project. Whether you drive a luxury car or an everyday ride, we combine the finest products with a passion for perfection to ensure your vehicle receives unmatched care and attention.
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