XPEL ULTIMATE Paint Protection Film uses a special polymer in its clear coat that flows even though it is cured. This allows the clear coat to find its natural level again after being disturbed on the surface.

No. XPEL ULTIMATE Paint Protection Film allows UV to pass through the film and fade the paint underneath at the same rate as the exposed paint.

The clear coat is designed to heal surface scratches and common swirl marks that occur during daily wear & routine cleaning of the car. If the scratch penetrates through the film’s clear coat, only then will it not heal itself.

The time for a scratch to heal depends on the severity of the scratch and the ambient temperature. Minor scratches usually heal in one hour at room temperature (72°F). In warmer climates, healing time will be shorter. The healing process can be accelerated at any time by pouring hot water over the scratched area.

With this technology, there is no limit to the number of times the clear coat can heal itself. As long as the clear coat is not penetrated it will heal over and over again.

Depending on how the film is cared for, the clear coat can last indefinitely. Regular washing and waxing will keep the clear coat in top condition for years to come.

The clear coat on XPEL ULTIMATE has a very low surface energy, which makes it extremely difficult for organic compounds to stick to the film. Insects, bird droppings and environmental contaminants (which would normally cause yellowing) such as road oils, exhaust smoke, and pollution can be removed during regular washing.

Protecting your ULTIMATE PPF with XPEL “FLAWLESS FINISH” Sealant once or twice yearly will greatly enhance it’s ability to resist stains.

If ordinary car wash or soap and water will not remove a stain, there are a variety products available to do the job. In most cases simple isopropyl rubbing alcohol will remove anything on the surface of the film. In cases of more severe staining, or where something has been left on the film for a long period of time, a sparing amount of lacquer thinner can be used. Bug and tar remover available at any auto parts store is also effective. If you are unsure about the use of any other chemical on the surface of the film, please contact XPEL Support at 800-447-9928 for assistance.”

Unlike most paint protection films on the market, XPEL ULTIMATE Paint Protection film can be waxed and sealed just like your paint. Though XPEL “FLAWLESS FINISH” Paint Protection Film Sealant is still the preferred product, Any automotive wax or sealant may be used.

A simple trick is to use “1/4 painter’s masking tape” over the leading edge of the film to avoid wax build-up. Remove the painter’s tape when done waxing/polishing with no buildup.

Yes, you may use any wash, wax, detailer, etc… that does not contain high amounts of petroleum distillates such as naphtha or kerosene. Often times, a good detail spray is all you may need. We offer several great products that you can use to clean & protect your PPF, Paint, Glass, & Interior.

Our ULTIMATE and STEALTH films are warranted for 10 years. (twice as long as most PPF) This warranty covers: yellowing, staining, delaminating, cracking, peeling, bubbling, and more.

Coatings such as “CQuartz” or “Pearl Nano” should not hurt the film or interfere with our ULTIMATE paint protection film’s self-healing properties if applied properly.

We do NOT recommend applying Ceramic Coatings to the parts of the car that will be covered with film.

The low surface energy of paint sealant products such as these will cause adhesion problems both during installation and over the life of the product.

In addition, it is worth noting that there is really no benefit to applying sealant to the paint in the areas that the PPF will be installed, since the film will provide far more environmental protection than a sealant ever could.

The DOT has not currently approved any type of film for coverage for automotive headlamps. However the high optical clarity of XPEL Ultimate still makes it an excellent choice to provide protection against yellowing, sandblasting, and cracking on headlamps and fog lamps. We also have light & dark smoke protective film available.

You will need to talk to your body shop and see what they recommend. The time will vary depending on the paint system the body shop used.

Ceramic Coatings and traditional waxes or sealants serve similar purposes. Both are aimed at providing protection from environmental contaminants and enhancing a vehicle’s gloss.

However, a Ceramic Coating is a higher performing and more permanent solution. While a traditional wax has to be reapplied after several weeks, polymer sealants after 8 to 12 months, Ceramic Coatings provide multi-year protection as well as providing a higher level of gloss than traditional sealants & wax.

It’s additional hardness also provides increased protection for painted surfaces against scratching and contaminant etching caused by birds, bugs, tree sap, & environmental fallout. Ceramic Coatings also provide increased protection against harmful UV Rays that cause fading to painted surfaces.

No. A Ceramic Coating does not make your vehicle’s paint bullet-proof. In fact, the scratch resistance of Ceramic Coatings is often exaggerated. While the surface of a cured Ceramic Coating is harder than a vehicle’s factory clear coat, it is still susceptible to chips and scratches and thus needs to have a certain level of care taken to retain its surface appearance & permanence.

Are Ceramic Coatings a viable alternative to Paint Protection Film?

No. While a Ceramic Coating does provide a level of protection for your cars paint, it is no substitute for the comprehensive protection provided by a premium Paint Protection Film (otherwise known as Clear Bra). Our XPEL ULTIMATE PLUS Premium Paint Protection Film is thicker than a Ceramic Coating, (approximately 150 microns for PPF/approximately 1-2 microns for Ceramic Coating) and its surface is designed to self-heal from chips and scratches.

These characteristics provide unique protection against flying debris encountered while driving, such as rock chips that damage the front facing surfaces of your vehicle. While it is possible to protect all painted surfaces of your vehicle with Paint Protection Film the high cost is generally prohibitive for most vehicles thereby making ceramic coating the best viable option to protect the rest of your vehicle

We highly recommend XPEL ULTIMATE PLUS Paint Protection Film to protect the front of your vehicle, in combination with a Ceramic Coating to protect the remaining paint, glass, trim & wheels.

It is recommended that you allow a freshly applied coating to cure for 12 hours before you get it wet.

With any hydrophobic (water repelling) coating, if dirty or in particular hard tap water is left on the surface to dry, it often deposits these residues onto the surface. These residues appear as unsightly spots on your beautifully glossy coated finish!

In most cases these will wash off. But in some cases, particularly with hard water which leaves behind white spots of calcium & magnesium they may need additional measures to facilitate removal.

Our best advice to prevent this from happening is to NEVER allow tap water to dry out on your vehicle! We offer many products that aid in safely drying the surface of your vehicle after wet washing it.

Yes you can, as wax or sealants will not damage your coating. However you may not want to. Firstly, your coating is extremely hydrophobic; wax will reduce the hydrophobicity of the surface. Also your coating is designed to drastically reduce contaminant bonding and is non-yellowing. Wax on the other hand is a soft finish into which contaminants easily bond & wax is not optically clear.

What effect will a coating have if I need to get my paint repaired or repainted?

Our coatings have no adverse effects on standard repaint procedures. Also none of our coating produce airborne silicones & therefore will not cause any body shop contamination.

Most coatings are gas permeable and therefore do not prevent paint from “out-gassing” solvents. (ie, curing out) We do recommend waiting at least 72 hours after painting before applying a coating. The paint shop where you are having the paint work done should have a recommendation for you based on the type of repair work done.

Absolutely not! We apply the window film directly over defroster lines and your defroster will continue to function as before. In fact, using your defroster can actually speed up the drying process.

Also your rear window defroster has no negative effects on professional installed window film as the defroster only heats the window to around 100* F (Slightly hot to the touch). Whereas a quality window film can easily withstand temperatures two to three times hotter while at the same time reflecting as much as 65% of the solar energy (heat) and 98% of harmful UV rays back into the atmosphere and out of your vehicle!

No, we micro-edge the window film to the exact shape and size of your vehicle’s windows, and make certain that there are no unnecessary gaps or imperfections.

Most manufacturers recommend a period of 2 to 3 days, and most shops will tell you to wait a week. At Auto Visual we usually only require you to wait 24 Hours before rolling any windows down! Unless we discover an unusual issue with your vehicles window seals, or if you have rain visors that are installed inside the window seal area, 24 hours is generally sufficient waiting period before rolling windows down. However full adhesion will not be realized for several days.

Because window film is installed wet, there is a micro thin layer of moisture remaining between the newly installed window film and the glass.

This moisture needs to evaporate through the window film. How quickly, depends greatly on outside temperature and humidity.

As the film cures, it will push remaining moisture into pockets. (Mostly referred to as bubbles). These water pockets will dissipate as the moisture evaporates allowing the film to lay flat. Quality window films are thicker than cheap films. Therefore a high-quality film will take a little bit longer to cure out.

Auto Visual only offers high-quality lifetime warrantied window films.

Yes, window film can be installed in any weather. However, when window film is installed in cold or wet weather, the adhesive may take longer to dry.

However this does not affect the performance of the film, it simply takes a bit longer for the moisture to evaporate through the film and to visually appear cured.

Direct exposure to sunlight causes the fastest curing of window film, however moisture will always cure out regardless of temperature or climate.

This initially posed a problem on high-end vehicles (back in the 1990s) when cell phone and satellite antennas were installed on the rear window.

Today, navigation antennas are located on the roof of most vehicles and cell phones are now hand held. Therefore metalized window films do not pose a problem for the majority of automotive applications.

Auto Visual has installed high-quality metalized window films for over 15 years on thousands of vehicles with only one reported instance of AM radio reception interference during this time.

Auto Visual offers Carbon and Ceramic window films with no metal layers that can cause interference with cell phone, radio, or navigation system signals.

One of our technicians would be happy to help you find the right film for your vehicle.

Yes! We only offer lifetime warranted window tinting films. And we also provide a Satisfaction Guaranteed warranty for all of our installations.

If there are any defects or imperfections in the window film after installation, we will gladly resolve any issues. If we cannot resolve these issues, we will provide a full refund.

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