[JM5W]

Hey guys. Happy Holidays and New Year!

I am hoping everyone can give me their opinion so I can make an informed decision...

I am taking delivery of my 2020 BMW M5 in BSM. It arrived in port yesterday and I'll probably get to pick it up week of Jan 6th after it gets some CF pieces installed at the port.

I know I am not going to keep my car after the lease, but I want to protect my car, keep it looking great and minimize cleaning and maintenance. I am located in NY and it's always difficult with bad weather and terrible roads.

I was considering 3 different options:

1. Full PPF
2. PPF Front and rear bumpers and Ceramic Coat the rest of the car
3. Ceramic Coat the entire car

Pricing I got from Phenominal Vinyl in Long Island for the 3 Options:

1. $5,500
2. $2,500
3. $1,500


This is my build:

2020 BMW M5
Black Sapphire Metallic
Full Black Merino Leather
Executive Package
Driving Assistance Plus Package
Bowers & Wilkins Sound System
Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills
Carbon Fiber Side Grills
Carbon Fiber Pro Rear Spoiler

Planned Mod List:

IND Painted Front Reflector Delete
IND Painted Rear Reflector Delete
GlossBlack Exhaust Tip change
Gloss Black M5 Trunk Logo Swap
Mode Carbon Carbon Fiber Trophy Rear Diffuser
Window Tint (thinking 30%)

[josec70]

Originally Posted by JM5W

Hey guys. Happy Holidays and New Year!

I am hoping everyone can give me their opinion so I can make an informed decision...

I am taking delivery of my 2020 BMW M5 in BSM. It arrived in port yesterday and I'll probably get to pick it up week of Jan 6th after it gets some CF pieces installed at the port.

I know I am not going to keep my car after the lease, but I want to protect my car, keep it looking great and minimize cleaning and maintenance. I am located in NY and it's always difficult with bad weather and terrible roads.

I was considering 3 different options:

1. Full PPF
2. PPF Front and rear bumpers and Ceramic Coat the rest of the car
3. Ceramic Coat the entire car

Pricing I got from Phenominal Vinyl in Long Island for the 3 Options:

1. $5,500
2. $2,500
3. $1,500


This is my build:

2020 BMW M5
Black Sapphire Metallic
Full Black Merino Leather
Executive Package
Driving Assistance Plus Package
Bowers & Wilkins Sound System
Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills
Carbon Fiber Side Grills
Carbon Fiber Pro Rear Spoiler

Planned Mod List:

IND Painted Front Reflector Delete
IND Painted Rear Reflector Delete
GlossBlack Exhaust Tip change
Gloss Black M5 Trunk Logo Swap
Mode Carbon Carbon Fiber Trophy Rear Diffuser
Window Tint (thinking 30%)

Option # 1 all day for max protection and ease of maintenance.

I've done Ceramic in the past and it does not offer the same level of protection and is temporary.

BSM is a brutal color to maintain so do yourself a favor and get PPF; I owned a BSM 15' F10 M5.

Did full PPF on my 19' SG M5C.

If you want to go all-out, have the paint corrected prior to having the PPF installed.

[JM5W]

Originally Posted by josec70

Option # 1 all day for max protection and ease of maintenance.

I've done Ceramic in the past and it does not offer the same level of protection and is temporary.

BSM is a brutal color to maintain so do yourself a favor and get PPF; I owned a BSM 15' F10 M5.

Did full PPF on my 19' SG M5C.

If you want to go all-out, have the paint corrected prior to having the PPF installed.

I appreciate the info.

I see that you are taking about a car you owned - I'm leasing my car, so I just don't know if spending the money is worth it.

What did you pay for your full PPF?

[josec70]

Originally Posted by JM5W

I appreciate the info.

I see that you are taking about a car you owned - I'm leasing my car, so I just don't know if spending the money is worth it.

What did you pay for your full PPF?

All my cars are leased including my current 19' M5C ...

I paid around $4k for the entire car.

[JM5W]

Josec70 -

Wow, that's a great price. Where are you located and where did you get it done?

[DNGRTOM]

I've done option 2 several times. Never 1 and option 3 on 3 cars.
For me, for a lease PPF is hard to justify
I plan on option 3 on my 2 incoming leases (I plan on paint correcting and coating myself). I just did my wife's new white Tesla.

micro-marring will be more noticeable on your BSM (my wife's previous Tesla was black with opti pro+ and it got still got a lot of wash marring...and I hand wash/sometimes waterless wash)

Option 1 would be the raddest (and of course paint needs to be corrected beforehand) but it's a lot to spend. The car will always look great though, maintenance will be a breeze. Black cars are a nightmare so it might be worth it.

With dark interior 30% will look good on the windows. I like to do 70% on the windshield too. We just did 15% ceramic on my wife's new Tesla (light interior) and it looks damn good and not too dark.

[JM5W]

Originally Posted by DNGRTOM

I've done option 2 several times. Never 1 and option 3 on 3 cars.
For me, for a lease PPF is hard to justify
I plan on option 3 on my 2 incoming leases (I plan on paint correcting and coating myself). I just did my wife's new white Tesla.

micro-marring will be more noticeable on your BSM (my wife's previous Tesla was black with opti pro+ and it got still got a lot of wash marring...and I hand wash/sometimes waterless wash)

Option 1 would be the raddest (and of course paint needs to be corrected beforehand) but it's a lot to spend. The car will always look great though, maintenance will be a breeze. Black cars are a nightmare so it might be worth it.

With dark interior 30% will look good on the windows. I like to do 70% on the windshield too. We just did 15% ceramic on my wife's new Tesla (light interior) and it looks damn good and not too dark.

What was your experience with PPF on the bumpers and Ceramic Pro on the rest of the car? Did it do a good job?

Why did you decide to just Ceramic Pro the next 2 cars that you are leasing? Won't you have to have it re-applied every year? What product are you going to use?

I've never had a Black car. I didn't know it's such a nightmare to keep clean.

If I can get a better deal for the full PPF, I think I might go with that. Why would I need to get paint correction before doing the PPF? The car is brand new and I haven't even picked it up yet.

[josec70]

Originally Posted by JM5W

Josec70 -

Wow, that's a great price. Where are you located and where did you get it done?

Miami, Florida and the PPF was handled by Velos Designwerks.

[DNGRTOM]

Originally Posted by JM5W

What was your experience with PPF on the bumpers and Ceramic Pro on the rest of the car? Did it do a good job?

So I've had an S6 coated specifically with Ceramic Pro, it had Xpel on the front+A pillars+rockers. CP did a decent job - met my expectations.

My wife's previous Tesla was coated in Optimum's Pro+

I had an Acadia coated in Optimum's Gloss-Coat

I have a 911 with full front/A pillars/rockers/rear fender in Llumar's PPF (not as tough as Xpel) and Gtechniq's Crystal Serum Light coating (slickest feeling)

Originally Posted by JM5W

Why did you decide to just Ceramic Pro the next 2 cars that you are leasing? Won't you have to have it re-applied every year? What product are you going to use?

So, there are many coatings with many different lifespans. CP, Opti Pro + are supposed to be "permanent" (although CP installers try to sell annual maintenance packages to keep their warranty). There are other professionally installed coatings that have longer life expectancies and then there are "consumer" coatings that can have 12-18+++ month lifespans depending on use/maintenance/exposure/etc.

I have found, for my personal situation, that the consumer coatings are good enough for me. For example a professional coating will run around 1200-1500, a consumer coating by the same shop might be 750. For a garaged lease a consumer coating is going to be where I find the best value. The cars are garage kept, my annual miles split over 3 and I take the time to maintain them so I expect these coatings to last over 24 months...If I notice they're starting to fail, I can re-coat them or try a different path - I'll save that decision for Future Tom. FWIW, the Acadia didn't seem like it was failing when I turned it in.

For the incoming X5 I am doing Carpro's UK 3.0 topped with their Gliss 2.0 (both consumer grade). For the M5 I will be doing Kamikaze's Zipang/Miyabi/Zipang triple layer. For my wife's latest Tesla I did Optimum's Gloss-Coat. (I was going to do Gloss-Coat on all of them but I went down the rabbit hole while I waited for the BMW's to be built)

My expectation from any coating is that it makes maintenance/washing/making the car look good easier. A coating won't necessarily protect the car's paint - sure you can argue there's like a second clear coat on it but, eh...its more for hydrophobicity/ease of cleaning and maybe a deeper shine (though many argue, not the same depth or warmth traditional carnauba gives).
I enjoy clean cars but I don't want to spend hours cleaning them, I see coatings as a cheat/helper.

PPF on the other hand is protective and as a bonus helps with keeping the car clean too.

Sure I'm nervous about no PPF, especially on an individual M5. For me its not necessarily as much a money thing as it is a value/utility thing; I don't see the value on a lease. I own the 911 so that's why I did the PPF there.

Originally Posted by JM5W

I've never had a Black car. I didn't know it's such a nightmare to keep clean.

I'm so glad my wife got a white car this time around, that black one looked killer clean but f'ing blink and there was dust/pollen/road spray/fingerprints - anything and everything showed. The white really needs to be filthy to show any dirt

Originally Posted by JM5W

If I can get a better deal for the full PPF, I think I might go with that. Why would I need to get paint correction before doing the PPF? The car is brand new and I haven't even picked it up yet.

If I were to get a black car 1) it would be a small one like a 911 not like a Model S or an X5 2) I would seriously consider full PPF for all those reasons above - I'd probably add a coating on top myself. I'd encourage you to think about that. Gloss-Coat is like $60 for or something and its idiot proof to install, one of the easiest out there...over PPF, you'll already have the heavy lifting of paint correction done so you just need to make sure the car is clean before applying. Or get a bottle of Beadmaker for like $9; that stuff is magic. OR do the Gloss-Coat and top it with Beadmaker

I hope any of that helps.

[subterFUSE]

Originally Posted by JM5W

I've never had a Black car. I didn't know it's such a nightmare to keep clean.

It's not that it's harder to keep a black car clean. It's that black is a color that reveals surface flaws more readily than other colors.

Any swirl mark on a black car is going to be visually accentuated because of the dark background.

That is why it is so critical to have a corrected surface before doing PPF or a coating.

Why would I need to get paint correction before doing the PPF? The car is brand new and I haven't even picked it up yet.

Even a brand new car that still has the shipping plastic from the factory on it will need a paint correction. You would not believe how much contamination and dead paint can be on a new car paintjob when it arrives.

However, the most likely problem is that the car dealership will have washed the car and detailed it prior to your picking it up, and that's where the real damage happens. Detailers that work at car dealerships generally have no clue how to properly clean and maintain car paint. Only the best professional detailers can be trusted with that. So by washing the car, your dealer will have added swirls to the paint that will require a true professional to correct.

That is why I always tell my car dealers that there is a "no wash" request on my cars upon arrival. I tell them I want the car delivered to me dirty. No one is to wash it, buff it, wipe it down or even look at it the wrong way. I prefer to have the plastic still on the paint.

Then, I will get the car transported to my detailer and they are the ones to clean it up and prep it for PPF and coating. My detailer has a covered trailer and will pick up cars and bring them to his shop.

This is why I am doing performance delivery with my M5. My detailer is located outside Atlanta, and by doing performance delivery he can meet me in Greer to put the car directly onto his trailer. It makes the trip shorter for him.



If you drive the car for even 1 mile on the road before getting PPF, you are opening yourself up to potential rock chips. That's why I never do it. If you absolutely must drive it, stay off the freeway and don't follow anyone too closely.

If you get a rock chip before doing PPF, the options are not good. You either have to live the the chip and put PPF over it, and you'll always see it. Or, you have to fix the rock chip which might require painting. If you paint a car, you can't put PPF or coating on the fresh paint for many weeks because the paint has to fully cure. New paint will outgas and if you put PPF or coating on top too soon, the gas will be trapped underneath and will look flawed.

[rjd598]

Just do a full ceramic coating if you are giving it up after the lease. It's just a waste of money to ppf. Who cares if you get a rock chip? It won't be your problem after three years.

[cruzzinlow]

I am somewhere in between, I’m having full front end PPF with suntek (hood, bumper, fenders, headlights and mirror caps) and then the entire car will be ceramic coated with Feynlab 5 year coating. It’s a lease but it’s not black it’s donington grey. The last lease on my X5 daily driver I just did the ceramic coat on then whole car but the front end still got peppered with chips so I said I’m not having that with the m5 since it’ll be my daily

[northtorque]

Originally Posted by subterFUSE

That is why I always tell my car dealers that there is a "no wash" request on my cars upon arrival. I tell them I want the car delivered to me dirty. No one is to wash it, buff it, wipe it down or even look at it the wrong way. I prefer to have the plastic still on the paint

If you drive the car for even 1 mile on the road before getting PPF, you are opening yourself up to potential rock chips. That's why I never do it. If you absolutely must drive it, stay off the freeway and don't follow anyone too closely.
.

You sound as OCD as me! Here is a pick of mine all protected before I drove almost 400km to get the PPF/ceramic applied. I applied the yellow frog tape gentle painters tape which leaves no residue- it was my shield against rock chips for the drive there. Worked like a charm

[northtorque]

OP - i would go ceramic on a lease and possibly consider front PPF with ceramic if you live in an area with a lot of loose surface poor roads and/or highway. That probably is the best cost risk / benefit. Like said above by others - dark colours look best cared for out of the box to avoid scratches and swirls. Don’t let dealer touch it unless they have a stellar subcontract detail shop.

[MDJAK]

I realize this may have been done already. If I had money to burn, I’d still never waste it on ppf on a leased car. I’d sooner donate that money to a soup kitchen.

I’ve used ppf on one of many cars I’ve owned, a 911, and wound up trading it in within a month or so after buying it. 2K for full front ppf down the drain. Never again.

[amg55driver]

my M5 is at my detailer getting Cquartz Finest reserve done.

the car was only 2 weeks old, 1500 miles, still needed some paint correction,
full decontamination as well.

will update later tomorrow with result!

I would never PPF on lease car, because at the end, you are not going to buy it back, so why doing kudo to the next owner(s).. Ceramic coat will just make your life easier to maintain clean car WHILE you own it for 3 years.

[subterFUSE]

A new car that is still wrapped in the factory shipping plastic actually needs a full decon and paint correction. By 1500 miles, most cars would already have rock chips. These car paints don't hold up very well these days.

PPF is worth it to me because I can't stand chips.

I'm taking delivery tomorrow and my detailer is picking the car up on his enclosed trailer. No risking rock chips before my PPF is installed. 😉

[amg55driver]

Originally Posted by subterFUSE

A new car that is still wrapped in the factory shipping plastic actually needs a full decon and paint correction. By 1500 miles, most cars would already have rock chips. These car paints don't hold up very well these days.

PPF is worth it to me because I can't stand chips.

I'm taking delivery tomorrow and my detailer is picking the car up on his enclosed trailer. No risking rock chips before my PPF is installed. ��

its funny, i picked up my car yesterday from my detailer after coating, I didnt get PPF because of im leasing this vehicle, he pointed out some rockchips that i never knew. haha i guess my color hides them well.

[subterFUSE]

Yeah it's really difficult to drive a car and not get chips, especially on the freeway. At 70 mph a car is getting blasted on the front. Sand, dirt, rocks, etc..

I wash my car by hand myself, so I will always find chips on my car and they make me cringe. So PPF is worth it to me, even on a 3 year lease.

[amg55driver]

Originally Posted by subterFUSE

Yeah it's really difficult to drive a car and not get chips, especially on the freeway. At 70 mph a car is getting blasted on the front. Sand, dirt, rocks, etc..

I wash my car by hand myself, so I will always find chips on my car and they make me cringe. So PPF is worth it to me, even on a 3 year lease.

I see I see.
to each its own, I never wash my car myself, so I would never know.. haha :-)

[DocWeatherington]

I just got Expel+, PPF full front, mirrors, interior trim plus a topcoat of ceramic pro sport for 1850.

It's a lease also but like others.. tons of highway miles. An a few years of projected local road contstruction in the area. So tons of chips to be had.