Satin PPF - I'm going for it!

[tony993]

Thanks for all the info. I spoke with Lewis yesterday, & I was considering going down there this morning to meet him & have a look at your car. I decided I was too busy, so it's great to read your write up & see the pictures.

It certainly sounds as though they've done a great job.

[Coilover]

Swampy1982 said:

Oh wow, that really does look very special indeed!

Congrats!

It's a leap of faith. You basically have to decide "do you trust a bunch of guys to go to work on your new car". Especially difficult as most wrapping workshops don't have cars sitting around waiting for you to come and look at them. You can go and see what they are doing at the time, but that wasn't an Alpine in satin PPF so it was only a general guide.

You can see from the pictures that as the angle of viewing gets shallower the more the reflections show. This si especially noticeable on the front bumper, where the surface facing the camera is matte but the as the surface curves away it starts to pick up reflections.

Edited by Coilover on Saturday 11th December 16:28

[fanatical_andy_rs]

Looks great, really like the black PPF roof in particular.

[worldwidewebs]

Those unwrapped corners would drive me nuts. Did they not suggest putting vinyl wrap on the roof instead so you wouldn't have that problem?

[Coilover]

In an ideal world they would be covered but the limitations of PPF simply don't allow it. You could go for a vinyl wrap but the overall look would be far inferior. Maybe as PPF products evolve they will have greater flexibility in coverage but for the time being the option is spend £2-3k on carbon fibre roof, Paint the roof, install a cheap looking vinyl or PPF with no corners. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

[Martyn P]

Coilover said:

In an ideal world they would be covered but the limitations of PPF simply don't allow it.

First off, can I say your car looks fantastic.

Second, the cut off rather than going fully around the edges to my eyes looks right. It is beautifully cut and means there is no need to try and carry on around the door shuts. Rather like the rear wheel arch protectors, the fact you can see them is not a distraction.

The roof to my eyes looks great as well, small corner gaps that are well cut don't look out of place - only noticeable to the anal-retentive.

[Coilover]

Thanks Martyn,
It does actually look seriously nice 'in the flesh' (in my opinion).
I have always found the Alpine can look a little awkward in front of the lens. They always seem to look much better in person.

I think that 'Think Wraps' dealt with those cut-outs very well. They are so neat it is untrue and from a few feet away they are unnoticeable. I think if they were totally marooned in a sea of black then they would stand out more but they are right next to an another area of grey.

I am back at 'Think Wraps' in early January for a standard checkup to ensure that all the PPF is 'settled in' OK and that there are no issues.I have to say that Lewis and the boys have gone above and beyond with customer satisfaction and attention to detail. Simply put; if those guys can get THAT level of detail on a PPF wrap that is designed to be a feature then a standard clear wrap is child's play. I have no hesitation in recommending them for either!

[resolve10]

This looks just like the factroy matt finish to my eyes, with the added bonus that it'll be a lot more hard wearing

I'm wondering how good the same treatment would look on Alpine Blue...

[Coilover]

I tried a small section of film over a similar blue and it really works.