Emira - Detailing, Ceramic Coating, PPF and Car Covers

[Evotion]

Another wicked car - Lotus Carlton. That power back then was insane. I remember the furore.

It took a long time since those early 90s to have a car as desirable - as in the Alfa QF.

(I have never found the M3 that desirable myself)

Tents...  never had one.

My problem when i ever get a car in a garage is that the dust builds up, or with an outdoor cover, it leaves marks/dust or even sight scratching.

Is there any solution to this?  

I think what I want is a car that never has to be washed 😁

[Bibs]

An indoor cover on the car in the garage! 

https://shop.thelotusforums.com/collections/lotus-car-covers

We sell an awful lot of them. They have the pattern for Emira too already

 

[JJ]

What makes a cover indoor vs outdoor? I've never used a car cover but I have heard from others that moisture buildup under the cover can cause paint damage and such, is that an actual thing or just people talking out of their hind side?

[Bibs]

Indoor covers are a soft fleece, outdoor are a 4 layer breathable material. By virtue of the fact that the bottom of the car is uncovered, moisture will condensate on the car but I advise to get a black one and make sure the sun hits it during the day. Even with a weak winter sun the cover will actually steam as the material itself dries and you can imagine that the car under warms and dries nicely too. 

We retail the SCC Stormshield+ covers (just £50 cheaper!). 

https://www.specialisedcovers.com/stormshield-plus-car-cover

[MJON]

15 minutes ago, JJ said:

What makes a cover indoor vs outdoor? I've never used a car cover but I have heard from others that moisture buildup under the cover can cause paint damage and such, is that an actual thing or just people talking out of their hind side?

Two totally different products. The outdoor cover is usually triple or quad layered it has to be waterproof and strong on the outer lining with a soft inner lining, the layers aid ventilation. The car has to be clean and dry before covering as its dirt that causes scratching. Also best if stored in a sheltered position. Can still get condensation build up dependant on where it is stored. 👍

[Mark030358]

On 28/07/2021 at 13:21, Evotion said:

sight scratching.

Is there any solution to this? 

Get your car detailed with Feynlab Self Heal Plus. Google it and see why. My Exige is done with it, plus add a load of PPF.

 

cheers

[Evotion]

Wow, great shout. That is magic!

I'll get some of that anyway.

So, I can add this on my current cars.

The Emiras can be PPFd straight from factory, Is there anything else one can do to new cars to even further strengthen the paint protection - before of after PPF?

[marclurr]

I vaguely remember hearing something about Lotus having a habit of putting PPF on before the paint has fully cured and removing then causing horrible damage to the paint. As I'm planning to use my car as a not-quite-daily-but main car, I'd be in the camp of having it PPF'd from the factory but if that story is true I may not bother and have someone with a good reputation sort it afterward. 

On further strengthening, I had my Exige ceramic coated and while I'm not convinced it's doing anything to protect the paint per se, it definitely made it easier to clean, so I may opt for that out of laziness.

[Bibs]

Never heard of that myself.

You can get ceramics now that are made specifically to be applied onto PPF. XPEL have their own I'm sure.

[marclurr]

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has heard of or experienced that. I can't remember exactly where I heard it and I've not been able to find anything proper online about it, so probably someone I met on a trackday complaining/reciting someone else's anecdote  

[Evotion]

Ah ok, thanks. So new car > PPF > Ceramic Coat

It then might make sense to take the new car straight to a specialist to undertake both.

I might get some subtle stripes.

 

Painted on or wrap, I guess they are best going on first.

 

[MJON]

Post delivery straight to a specialist detailer, paint correction if/where needed, self healing PPF to front, sills and lower rear wing, ceramic or graphene coating to wheels and full body. Subject to how well you prep, wash and care going forward it’ll look great for years dependant on which product chosen.

 

[Bibs]

£2.5k-4k probably but will save a lot of grief and keep the car looking new for quite some time!

[MJON]

If you go for PPF  as photo (sorry it’s a 911 😖) it’s just under £1k and if you prep and treat with Crystal Serum Ultra topped with Exo including full wheels off and coated together ( protection quoted as 9 years?) the total cost under £2k. If wanting to go a little cheaper, can use CS light which states 5 years protection, also coat wheel faces only. Personally would go for the former. Don’t know what graphene costs but if you cover more area with PPF, can easily double the price and then some.

[Bibs]

That diagram is missing A-pillars and the front of the roof too, well worth doing if you're after a minimum of front facing areas. The bonnet too really as it's a large area to repaint if damaged.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Just dug out the receipts for my Evora GTE new car detailing from 2015. New car protection detail + Carbon Collective Protective Coating Upgrade - platinum paint, Oracle, platinum wheels, platinum glass. Template, trim and apply PPF to front bumper, front half bonnet and front wings, lower rear flanks, sills, leading edge of rear wing and wing mirror caps. Total price £1049 inc VAT. I haven’t touched it with anything but a bucket of car wash, alloy wheel cleaner, sponge, water and chamois leather ever since. I know it’s tempting to wrap the entire car in PPF, but you do lose that nice feel and look of the shiny paintwork. This was collection day.

 

[glen8]

My Emira is having at the VERY least the track PPF + Ceramic.  To be honest, I might go full PPF.

Budget £4k

The Elises get covered in stone chips the second they leave the dealers forecourt.

[Evotion]

1 hour ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

but you do lose that nice feel and look of the shiny paintwork. This was collection day.

Ah, l wasn't aware of that.

1 hour ago, glen8 said:

track PPF

Is that what is being mostly mentioned? front + sides?

[glen8]

Ceramic over PPF still gives you that glossy look and makes cleaning easier. Most of the good PPF is also self healing so light swirls are removed through heat.

Track PPF is full front, side skirts, rear quarters and lower rear bumber

[C8RKH]

8 hours ago, Evotion said:

Wow, great shout. That is magic!

I'll get some of that anyway.

So, I can add this on my current cars.

The Emiras can be PPFd straight from factory, Is there anything else one can do to new cars to even further strengthen the paint protection - before of after PPF?

Save your money. Just drive the fooking thing and don't worry about the odd stone chip etc. When it gets really bad, cos' you've had so much fun driving it rather than polishing it, just get a blow over the affected parts and she'll look like new again.  

There's a whole multi-billion pound industry that is taking a lot of money from car owners who obsess about the cars finish - it's paint for christs sake. When it looks tired just repaint it!  Or do what many car owners seem to do these days, buy it - wash it - put in an immaculate garage - then show people pictures of it - as to drive it means you'll get it dirty. Some people blame their obsession on OCD. Me, I just say bollocks to that and stop wasting your money on a car and buy yourself some decent artwork to look at instead.

It's a fooking car! Drive it. Clean it yes. But drive the fooking thing....... 

[glen8]

I'm of the opinion that on a 60k+ car, one which sits low to the ground, another £2k or so is nothing to protect your pride and joy.  Having PPF doesn't stop you driving it 😁

I've also never found a decent bodyshop, they are all cowboys.

 

Look at these beauties

 

 

 

 

[Mark030358]

Paint needs to "de-gas" after application for a "sufficient period" before PPF'ing a car.

[C8RKH]

12 hours ago, glen8 said:

Having PPF doesn't stop you driving it 😁

I was being tongue in cheek at the fact that people were already discussing paint protection for Lotus' last ever ICE production car a minimum of 12 months before it was out!

As for paint shops. I must be blessed, as I have two near me, one I have used personally and they did a great job, one that many people have used and highly recommend them. To say they are all cowboys with such a broad brush is a little harsh. You may have had a bad experience or two, but really, all of them are cowboys, I think not.

9 hours ago, Mark030358 said:

Paint needs to "de-gas" after application for a "sufficient period" before PPF'ing a car.

So how does that work with the PPF that the factory puts on when the car leaves the factory?

[glen8]

26 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

I was being tongue in cheek at the fact that people were already discussing paint protection for Lotus' last ever ICE production car a minimum of 12 months before it was out!

As for paint shops. I must be blessed, as I have two near me, one I have used personally and they did a great job, one that many people have used and highly recommend them. To say they are all cowboys with such a broad brush is a little harsh. You may have had a bad experience or two, but really, all of them are cowboys, I think not.

Yeah that's a fair point.  I'm sure there are some good bodyshops out there, and good you've found one of them.  I've unfortunately had bad experiences with three near me (not all my own cars), and one about 90 miles away.  The worst was when they painted my mrs met white TT a different colour.  They painted one side flat white, and ended up snapping something inside the door so the handle fell off, not to mention you could see masking tape lines on the edges of the panels.  Ugh!  such is life.

[C8RKH]

16 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

I know it’s tempting to wrap the entire car in PPF, but you do lose that nice feel and look of the shiny paintwork.

I used a DA and some very light cutting solution, then finishing polish on the PPF on my front clam at the weekend. It came up a treat and only used light pressure. I had a few mark on it (ingrained bug splatters that were leaving a slight shadow) and to be honest I was really pleased with the way it turned out.  I then rinsed it off with some warm water (I have the self healing PPF) and a quick covering of detailers spray.  The PPF can look tired after a few years.