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  1. #1
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    Brand new vehicle questions!

    Hey geeks! Long time no see.

    I'm picking up a brand new Lightning Blue F-150 this afternoon. At 37 years old I'm finally buying a brand new vehicle for the first time! The body shop has to fix a couple small scratches from shipping and sitting in the lot so I'm going to wait until that's done to do the exterior, but how long should I wait to do anything to the interior? I have some PBL leather and vinyl sealant that I've used with good results on my other fords, but I've heard it may be a good idea to let everything inside sit and gas off a bit to get rid of any nasty stuff from production. I don't know if that's a thing. What say you?

    Additionally, what's everyone's opinion of clear bra products? Any specific brands you would go with? This is something I would pay for vs doing myself like the detail.

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Super Member Breese147's Avatar
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    First off congrats on the new truck! Now as a background I used to work for someone who did tinting and clear bra installations. Here’s my opinion on them.
    Protection wise they’re are the best thing for your paint! The thickness of the clearbra offers superior protection against rock chips. Just like detailing you want a very reputable installer to do it. DONT GO THROUGH THE DEALER! They are 99% of the time outsourcing someone and all you’re doing is paying more money! Do your research and find the right guy for the job.
    Being a detailer the one thing that always annoyed me about clear was edges. No matter what dirt will build up in the edges over time and it gets very annoying when your car is perfectly clean except for that thin dirt line running across your hood. Quality wise we used to use suntek and that film offered a 10 year warranty if I remember correctly . An easy way to save some money and get some experience in this is to order your door cups film online and do them your self! They are pretty easy and that’s where I started! If you need anymore help or advice feel free to pm me.


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  4. #3
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    Great news on the new F150 and loved that color. I agree with Breese147 on the PPF film suggestions. I have a 2018 F150 with the painted bumpers so that was my reason to do the PPF on the front end. Find a local dealer to do the PPF and I have used Suntek on my truck and same on other auto. Xpel is another product that has a good product and warranty. Visit the installer and see what steps they perform to install the PPF. They should do a clay on the surface prior to install. Even a new truck needs that service.

    For the interior protection, start now. It will continue to release chemicals even treated. Read the many post here and you will do a great job protecting your investment.

    Kirby

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  6. #4
    Super Member Rsurfer's Avatar
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    Quote Originally Posted by Breese147 View Post
    First off congrats on the new truck! Now as a background I used to work for someone who did tinting and clear bra installations. Here’s my opinion on them.
    Protection wise they’re are the best thing for your paint! The thickness of the clearbra offers superior protection against rock chips. Just like detailing you want a very reputable installer to do it. DONT GO THROUGH THE DEALER! They are 99% of the time outsourcing someone and all you’re doing is paying more money! Do your research and find the right guy for the job.
    Being a detailer the one thing that always annoyed me about clear was edges. No matter what dirt will build up in the edges over time and it gets very annoying when your car is perfectly clean except for that thin dirt line running across your hood. Quality wise we used to use suntek and that film offered a 10 year warranty if I remember correctly . An easy way to save some money and get some experience in this is to order your door cups film online and do them your self! They are pretty easy and that’s where I started! If you need anymore help or advice feel free to pm me.


    Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app
    If you do a full wrap on the hood, you wouldn't have any edges to collect dirt.

  7. #5
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    Thanks guys. I have every intent of giving it a thorough decontamination, correction and protection when the weather improves and they fix the lot rash. I don't know what was used on it, but it has some protection as there were a couple swirl marks on the trim and the water that was left on there was beading quite nicely. I do know there are some bulk brand products used by the dealerships. Aside from the couple scratches, the paint looks in good shape without a ton of swirls or orange peel.

    There are several Xpel and 3M dealers in the area. I'll be researching their websites and looking into their quality. For now:

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  9. #6
    Super Member TTQ B4U's Avatar
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    Congrats on the new truck. Love the color! In terms of clear bra, look into Premium Shield Elite too. 7 layer design with a lifetime warranty. I've used their products on many of my previous cars and loved it. Find a good installer who doesn't use templates too. Templates leave lines and edges and too much room for off-setting errors. Custom cuts and rolled edges to hide it perfectly is the way to go. Won't be cheap for sure but well worth it. Costs for the full hood may give you pause and may not be needed given the height of the truck and the shape too. Bikini cut say 18-24" up will work well and the line can be nearly invisible when cut correctly. I did a bikini on my S4 and it wasn't noticeable at all. Do the leading edge of the roof between the sunroof and windshield and of course the A pillars too. If your B Pillars are gloss, correct them then do those too as they scratch easier. Just my insight on them.
    2019 Pearl White Accord 2.0T Touring (mine)
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    2010 Urban Platinum Metallic CRV EX-L & 2014 Mica Black Metallic Toyota Corolla S (kids)

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  11. #7
    Super Member Breese147's Avatar
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    +1 on the templates we used a machine that cut out the template exactly to vehicle year,spec,and model and it’s good for amateurs but I knew someone who did his own cuts and his installs came out pretty nice they just took a lot longer. But also yes the prep work is important too. I hated how we never washed the vehicles prior to applying the ppf when we would do dealership vehicles. We also used baby shampoo with water as clay lubeBrand new vehicle questions! but hey it wasn’t my business so I never said anything. I remember the first time he had me prep a car for clear bra I started filling up wash buckets and he looked at me like I was crazy. Needless to say this guy did great tint jobs but the clear bra thing was kind of out of his league/ knowlede


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  12. #8
    Super Member FUNX650's Avatar
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    RE: PPF

    •For best results (IMO):
    -Get the XPel Ultimate Plus
    -“Bikini Cuts” are not an option;
    (opt for the Full Hood coverage only).


    Bob
    "Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk."
    ~Joaquin de Setanti

  13. #9
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    Here is a photo with a front end job using the SunTek PPF product. Look closely to see the line where it stops.

    Brand new vehicle questions!-ppf-f150-jpg

    Kirby

  14. #10
    Junior Member mdbenge's Avatar
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    Re: Brand new vehicle questions!

    Congrats on the new truck! Neighbor has the twin to yours, that blue is incredible on that vehicle.

    As for clear bras you've already got lots of good advice. I will add it's a must-do for any new vehicles I've purchased. The local shop here allowed me to do a quick wash of my vehicle before they started, they also allowed me to watch. He is an artist with clear bra work and it was a fantastic experience. As for brands, there's a lot of anecdotal evidence out there but I've yet to see a true controlled scientific experiment which shows conclusively A is better than B is better than C. That said, the shop here uses Xpel Ultimate Plus.

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