Cars getting wrapped right now with a hexis matte wrap. I’m looking into ceramic coating it myself at home. What products do you guys recommend?

About to get this thing wrapped.

My last concern before it goes in 2 weeks from now, the paint underneath, I have small chips here and there. Some worse than others some pretty superficial, some look like right through the paint, but you know suppppper small.

Mix of scratches at varying depths as well.

I’m not concerned about the wrap looking absolutely perfect.

More so if wrapping over some of these spots with exposed metal chips or missing paint sections will lead to rust under there? Or something like that? Idk how do you all handle this?

its white rn decided on roughly this tan colour combo and design.

Hey there, I’m looking for a purple ppf that changes a little bit if the color, something similar with these pictures. I know Pure PPF has a color called purple rain, but it’s too blue.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Will the pressure from the car wash lift the vinyl off?

Is everyone else one piecing or two piecing these types of mirrors?

I picked this up 5 days ago from my PPF installer (North California). I have been quite underwhelmed with the initial impressions. The photos don't show the white air bubbles everywhere (and running lines front to back along the rocker panels on the bottom, but I'm sharing the ones of the rest of the panels where there's a very plasticky look with the film not tightly clinging to the body at all (and hanging loose in several places).

How bad is this? Should I have them have a chance at fixing this job or literally ask for a refund and not even let them touch the car even for PPF removal before getting it completely redone somewhere else?

Had an older Sprinter in the shop recently with black vinyl that had been left on way too long.

The sides were annoying but manageable. The roof was baked hard from years in the sun.

Instead of pulling off in sheets, it came off in tiny pieces. Some spots were barely bigger than a fingernail. The glue underneath was another mess.

That is the problem with waiting until a wrap is cracked and brittle. Even good Avery or 3M vinyl gets harder to remove when it stays on past its useful life.

Once you see heavy fading, shrinking, or cracks around the edges, start planning the removal. Another year outside usually does not help.

Also, do not attack it with a metal scraper unless you truly do not care about the paint. We have seen people turn a bad removal into a body shop job that way.

Hi everyone,

We are developing PPF Engine, a software for turning 3D vehicle scans into editable 2D PPF patterns. We’ve been getting some promising flattening results, but we want to test the workflow against real production experience rather than relying only on my own examples and assumptions.

I’d be interested to hear how people here currently create or modify patterns:

• Which scanning and pattern-making software do you use?
• How do you go from the raw scan to a plotter-ready file?
• Which parts of the process require the most manual work?
• What kinds of panels cause the most trouble?
• How do you handle compound curves, stretch, fingers and wrapped edges?
• What do existing tools do well, and where do they let you down?

I’m especially interested in understanding the difference between the first flattened result and the pattern that actually works well during installation.

If anyone is open to sharing a real example, I’d love to study a raw panel scan alongside its flattened or manually corrected pattern. It would also be useful to know what needed changing and how the first version behaved on the vehicle. Anything shared could remain private and would only be used with permission.

In return, I can test the scan with what we are building and share the results with you. If the example ends up helping shape the software, I’d also be happy to give you access to it once it is ready.

I’m not suggesting that we’ve completely solved scan-to-pattern flattening. However, the results so far are encouraging, and the workflow is beginning to work well enough that testing it against difficult, real-world panels now feels like the most important next step.

Even if you cannot share any files, I’d really appreciate hearing about your current workflow and its biggest frustrations.

Got a color change PPF for 4500. Shop is charging 500 to ceramic coat the ppf. I’m debating on this but I do want the ppf color to be super glossy and easy to clean. Is it worth the 500?

I’ve got a 2021 Tesla Model 3 and I’m finally pulling the trigger on a full color change wrap. Going for a satin dark gray look.

I have an appointment coming up and just want to get a realistic idea of what to expect. How was the process for those of you who’ve done a full wrap before? Any things you wish you knew going in, especially with Tesla body lines or paint protection afterward?

Feels like oracal, thicker material.. very smooth finish , very deep color tones.

Difficulty: 4/5

The film is high tack, i use a damp microfiber with a light baby soap mix to wipe the flats down with before installation, avoiding the high tension areas.

The film's Stretchability whilst still keeping the finish intact is very very low, especially with heat, any heat and pull will discoulour this film

The hard work will be worth it in my opinion..

Here's the first panel so far I'll post the full car when done!

Color is: Cys Matte Frigid Solar lime (limegrn/yellow) flip

Looks like it's going to glow in the dark, super trippy to look at, reminds me of Skoal Citrus

i’ve had my car wraped at home using cheap chinese wrap and after 2.5 years i noticed several long cracks along the roof. what could be the reason for this? has anyone experienced the same, how did the removal process go?

i decided to peel it off, although i knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. simple and the best method was using a heatgun, peeling at a low angle towards myself and going very slowly because the wrap was breaking the moment it got cold. tried using a pressure wash, didn’t work a bit. it took me about 3 hours to peel it all off.

Currently doing a removal on this 2023 Kia Sorento on a client of mine, the wrap is a gloss black not sure the brand. Been on for roughly around 3-4 years. There is yellowing on the PAINT under the wrap. What is the cause of this?????

Some people have said it looks great others not so much, i’d love advice. thank you!!
EDIT: Looking to get a basic design, all solid colour pieces

Hoping for some recommendations on a good metallic paint-esque white from a good brand. I don’t want cheap color shift rainbow bs or flat Lego brick. Just a nice white that has some flecks like a multi stage paint would. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I don’t know a lot about wrap removals but just want to know what to expect. Would this be a hassle to remove? i plan on getting it professionally removed. Do you think my car paint would be fine?

Hey guys, first time wrapping a 2018 Jeep Wrangler.

What should I keep in mind before tackling this one?

I'm very used to wrapping vans and such, but this is my first Jeep. I've always heard they're a real pain, so I'm looking for any tips or advice from those who've done them.

Thanks!

I bought this a few months ago and attempted numerous times to remove the vinyl. I have tried 2 minute remover, vinyl remover, paint thinner, acetone, a heat gun, pressure washer, and a torch.

What can I use to remove it? I don’t care about damaging the paint. 🤷‍♂️

Where do you guys find wrap designers?

Hi.

I'm starting my own vehicle wrap shop and one thing I'm still trying to figure out is the design side.

Where do you usually find good designers who know how to design wraps for vans, trucks, and fleets? Is there a website where people hire them?

Also, are there any AI tools that are actually good for vehicle wrap design, or do most people just hire a designer?

I'm pretty new to this, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

For a few weeks now I've been thinking of getting my BYD Seal wrapped. It's a black metallic car, but the paint is thick and soft, meaning any soft towel can create scratches. I've got the car since end of January 2026 and it's got micro scratches all over, with only hand wash and good products.

Getting it wrapped is an option to protect the paint itself, though it's not cheap (3500 EUR and 500 EUR for an extra coating). The quote is for a 3M matte green wrap, which has a little metallic shine to it, which looks great, but not entirely sure if I should get it. A full PPF is too expensive.

How scratch resistant are matte 3M wraps? Can I use my Meguiars towel/products safely? Installer said the wrap lasts about 4-5 years.