Paint Protection Film & Ceramic Coating
 

Anybody doing more than just the regular "clear bra" ? I've been poking around looking at various options, 3M vs Suntek vs Xpel, etc. There's a very reputable installer here that is quoting me $1,900 for full hood, full fenders, front bumper, headlights, mirrors, door handles, and A-pillars. Complete coverage of the entire car is $6,000... oof. I will likely go with "Xpel Ultimate Plus" film, from various reviews on YouTube it looks to be the best and least visible (least texture, most glossy), probably not the whole car because $6k is a lot even though I do see a couple chips on my doors :mad:

Another $1,700 on that for ceramic coating the whole vehicle... which seems steep. The dealer will do it for $1,600 using Adams Polishes products, but Adams themselves (local to Denver, which is nice) will do it for $1,000. That being said, I don't want to screw around and want to keep this RS3 looking amazing.

oof is correct ;) Sounds like you've done your research. you probably noted what most people have had covered. There are plenty of threads on this forum regarding this issue.

If you have hand washed your cars over the years, you will know where most chips are located - those ares are what you should cover. For me it was the hood and doors. For that reason I did the entire front end (hood/fenders), doors, rocker panels, mirrors and gas cap cover (figure without a release, all the pushing will wear paint). Then had ceramic coating applied over everything--it's going on 5 yrs and couldn't be more pleased.

Hello Nate,

I did have those things done to the previous Challenger Hellcat and it looked Brand-New when they picked it up from the house to take back to Audi Nashville on trade after 1-year.

I mention the above to say unless I change my mind and I highly doubt that.
Below is the exact shop, detailer, Certified CQuartz Installer I used for the Hellcat and will be using for the 2019 RS3 I think.

Nate,
Below is exactly what I plan on having done buddy.

Area Forty 4

Click on link below,
https://www.areaforty4.com/

Services:

Paint Correction:

Paint protection film

The Front Clip:
Covering the entire front end, a front clip eliminates most visible seams.
All edges are wrapped.
This covers the main areas prone to rock chips,
but does not protect the debris kicked up from your tires.

Starting at: $2,000.00

Ceramic Coatings:

CQuartz FINEST Reserve:CQuartz FINEST Reserve is what we refer to as our 98% package. Meaning, we go the extra mile to remove any and all defects completely. Simply put, this is the most extensive package available. Not only are we correcting your paint to as close to perfection as possible, we are also sanding any nibs out, feathering out any seriously deep damage. When your vehicle is done with this service it could win any concours event.
Once we have finished correcting your paint to perfection, we then correct all glass/trim/door jambs/rims.Nothing is left behind when we apply Reserve to your vehicle.We coat your windows, trim, exhaust, wheels, barrels, suspension, calipers, wheel liners, and obviously your paint.We then bake every inch of your vehicle to ensure a proper bond. 12 hours after we have baked everything, we apply reload to eliminate any possible static charge.Not only is this coating slightly better than our baseline coating, the amount of protection and correction is leagues above anything else on the market.If you have an exotic or restoration, this is right up your alley.
Not recommended for daily drivers.
Starting at: $2,600.00

Terry

Also living in Denver I did the entire car in 3M Pro. No regrets whatsoever always looks pristine and is so easy to clean. I definitely recommend it if you're a perfectionist like I am.

I'm going to make a visit to these guys this weekend: https://www.denverautoshield.com/

They have some nice customer stories and a bunch of great pics on their blog: https://www.denverautoshield.com/blog/

Seems like a very good shop, low volume, lots of care for each application. I talked to them for about 15 mins earlier, seemed like a really stand up place.

They do awesome work! Detailed my Evo and looked better than new.

I shopped around a lot and ultimately did Xpel Ultimate on the Full hood, fenders, bumper, and mirrors, and a tiny strip on the back for putting things into the trunk. The rest of the car is ceramic coated.

Overall it looks pretty good. My main goal was to keep it looking good when I don't have time to bucket wash - just coin wash - and to avoid paint chips since my prior car got all kinds of bumper chips from highway stones.

ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT YOU MIGHT GET ETCHING IN THE XPEL that is hard to get out. Google "anybody have stains etch in their XPel? freakin salt, snow, sand combo" to see a thread about it.

I have some water spots like this and it's irritating. I don't have time to do the full treatment to get them out.

If I were doing it all again I'd probably just ceramic the whole car and plan to touch up the front paint in a few years. Also, the RS3 is notoriously hard to apply the film on because of the hard creases in the hood, so you might get air bubbles that look lame.

Tax Lit,

I have watched a lot of videos and what you have said above that I highlighted in Bold ^^^^^ is very true for a fact.
(It's gotten me really very-nervous about having it done)

I'm going to have to have a Very-Serious discussion with my local guy before I have the complete front-end covered in the clear.
I might end up having him do the Car Pro CQuarts Finest Reserve to the complete RS3 instead. :confused:

Terry

Terry

I did the same nearly five years ago. I have been extremely happy with the XPEL Ultimate

Toured that shop today, definitely going with them. Super clean, friendly and answered a million questions. I think I'm going to have them pull off the rings and the RS3 badge off the back (vs cutting shapes around them) and then put new badges on over the film.

They had a ridiculous Ferrari 488 Pista on the floor (and a couple nice 911's). Gorgeous car, just stunning. I asked about the RS3 hood, he said yeah they are a little tough but just take some finesse, and they had done them before and were not worried.