Everyone loves their colors... so lets chat about paint protection, shall we?

[KidBobot]

So I'm assuming that the large majority of peeps in here got a Gladiator in the color they wanted - and likewise think their color is God's gift to our optic sensors.

I've also heard from some Jeep folks that chips and dings are a badge of honor, like a battle scar. I guess its the Jeep-newbie in me, but absolutely want to protect my paint as much as possible.

I looked into wrapping my incoming Gobi Mojave in XPel Stealth - not only to protect the paint but also afford me a unique satin/matte finish among the other Gobies out in the wild.
https://www.xpel.com/products/paint-protection-film/stealth# (Check out the hellcat video)
But then I got the $5100 quote... FTS...

So now thinking of just Ceramic Coating (10 year) the inside and outside of the rig... for a third of the cost of the wrap.

Has anyone done a full wrap? (probably) What about with XPel finish?

How is everyone else protecting their paint? Or not?

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[NachoRuby]

Ceramic for me, but I did it myself, and now I just maintain it. It's holding up well, especially for consumer grade stuff. I used chemical guys for the initial (NOT hybrid ceramic, real ceramic), and I maintain with either Meguiars hybrid ceramic or Chemical Guys hybrid ceramic products. I also buff out scratches using Meguiars 105 and Meguiars 205, and a Griots DA buffer. The only permanent scratches I have are on the black unpainted flares, and I do take mine off-road at least sometimes. There have been times where I was certain I'd have new scratches, but then I get home, and there's nothing.

 

[ZoMojave]

I just wish that someone would come up with simple (body paint color) plastic protectors for the front of the door hinges. I don't need whole hinge covers. Already tried the clear tape stuff but still gets dinged and doesn't stick well so they all eventually show dirt on exposed adhesive.

Hate to say that I am touching up the chips about once a month.

 

[Almost]

If you don't have steps rokblokz are must to stop rocks from pelting the side of your truck. Best $80 spent so far. I will be getting the front wrapped in PPF soon.

 

[jcarbs]

I did it myself as well. Looked into the cost of having it done professionally and some of the warranties, etc. and didn't have that kind of cash.

So I clay barred, and then applied Griots 3in1 ceramic spray on wax. Took about 2 to 3 hours and my Gladiator looks awesome. The first coat lasted about a year and then I had to reapply it. Every once in a while, I use their ceramic quick detailer to reinforce the 3in1. Overall very happy with the outcome and the total cost of $40 for clay bar and the 3in1.

Sure it won't stop rock chips etc., and a professional detailer will take me task that it's not the same quality but then I didn't have to spend $1k plus to have it done here in Houston.

 

[ZoMojave]

If you don't have steps rokblokz are must to stop rocks from pelting the side of your truck. Best $80 spent so far. I will be getting the front wrapped in PPF soon.

I don't have steps either. I did install the Weathertech splash guards front and rear on my JTM and they really help. Coverage is good. Unfortunately with KO2's, they tend to throw rocks.

 

[Gladiator2919]

I got similar quotes for both the wrap and ceramic options… FTS is right! Decided to go the DIY route, but went with chemical guys hybrid ceramic. I was afraid of trying the real ceramic for fear of messing it up and the hybrid ceramic is supposed to be easy (and it was)…. Having done it and being a little smarter now, I would go @NachoRuby route if I was to do anything different. But I will say the hybrid ceramic turned out AWESOME. It’s like looking across a calm lake when you look across the hood, its smooth as silk to the touch and water just slides away….

Only thing now is how long it will stay that way, which, who knows. Mines a 2022, about a month old, has seen very little drive time and nothing that would really qualify as trail time, so I skipped the clay and the polish. Just a foam wash with 3x of the concentrated juice, dried it, gave it a couple hours and went straight to hybrid ceramic.

As pleased as I am for now, I can’t say I expect much from a ceramic aside from aesthetics, Uv, and road swirl damage… maybe light scratch resistance… so I am looking for some DIY PPF solutions, if anyone has a link to something, lmk.

 

[aj93jeep]

I have the bushwhacker to protect the hood edge. I have wrapped the hood, mirrors, and door edges of other vehicles- and while it did stop chips - it is almost inevitable that the edges look dirty. The wife on the door cups do just as much damage. But not where the cup protector would be. The edges are worse on a white vehicle than a dark vehicle. I may try the leading edge of the hinges as mine get chips as well. But it likely won’t last long.

 

[KidBobot]

Honestly, it will like be ceramic for me as well... though I don't trust myself enough to do it right.

Still the notion of having a satin/matte finish Gobi (a la XPel Stealth) is really appealing... just not $5K worth... i'd rather use that dough for wheels/tires, and some other goodies.
(Plus I feel like the whole matte/satin craze will come to an abrupt end - like the all-chrome-everything trend of the early 2000's.)

 

[Lunentucker]

I watched someone else do the testing and then bought the Hybrid Solutions from Turtle Wax.

 

[NachoRuby]

Honestly, it will like be ceramic for me as well... though I don't trust myself enough to do it right.

Still the notion of having a satin/matte finish Gobi (a la XPel Stealth) is really appealing... just not $5K worth... i'd rather use that dough for wheels/tires, and some other goodies.
(Plus I feel like the whole matte/satin craze will come to an abrupt end - like the all-chrome-everything trend of the early 2000's.)

Ceramic coating isn't that hard to do. Prep is the most important/crucial part. If you can do a real, old school, wax on, wax off wax job, you can do it yourself. Wash, paint correction, clay bar, glaze, then ceramic. I use a da attachment for the clay bar, so I cheat a little

 

[Jcsii]

I guess I am the odd guy out that never washes his jeep

Most people have forgotten how bad factory paint used to be. If you were lucky you would get a year before it would start fading, especially when they started playing with the water based stuff. We warranty painted a lot of fords and chevy's back in the 70'S/80's. Today, I just don't see the need but respect those that want that extra shine.

 

[SpeedNeed]

1. For either Wrap or Ceramic, I was quoted about $500 to start off with for “paint correction“.

2. Wrap: I was quoted “about $7.5k” for a complete robust clear wrap, and “around $6k for a different brand of clear wrap. After taking samples home to play “scratch and stab” I would have wanted the more expensive one. They really do ”heal themselves”, it’s impressive.

3. Ceramic: The “Ceramic Pro” installers here both quoted me about $2.5k” for the 5-year (“silver”, 2-coat) package with wheels. Tricky to compare because one included wheels, plastic, and and some windshield stuff. The other separated everything out individually. The lower “2-year” package (one-coat) was about $1k less, the higher so called “lifetime” (4-coat) was around $1k more. They encourage an annual “refresh“ for around $750.

They don’t wap a ceramic coated section, and they told me it was good but extravagant to ceramic coat the wrapping. So every section of the Jeep would be basically one or the other. My brain froze for weeks pondering the best “mix and match“, like maybe just wrapping the front grill for $1k etc.

For 2-coat ceramic the Jeep would be ready to pick up in about 3-4 days, for a full wrap they said allow 2-weeks.

I’m biased, I had a new vehicle clear wrapped in 2010 and it’s still almost perfect. My Insurance covered the re-wrap on body parts when someone smacked it.

This time the wrap is just too much moola for me. I‘m in for a basic ceramic-only job. But there is no doubt in my mind that a good wrap, if you can afford it, is spectacular for both protection and appearance.

Added:
A. Door Hinges, have not tried:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q557CY...olid=2O4GLVK73PSNH&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

B. MEK Magnet “wrap”, I’m intrigued:
https://www.mekmagnet.com/collections/jku-4-door-armor

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

I just keep a light layer of dirt/mud on it and call it a day.

Me and my gladiator. Don’t be jealous of our relationship…

 

[NachoRuby]

I just keep a light layer of dirt/mud on it and call it a day.

Me and my gladiator. Don’t be jealous of our relationship…

Too much corrosive stuff is on the roads up here. It's November until at least May before it's all washed off the streets by rain. Rust is a real issue here, and it kills many jeeps. People around here can't understand how my old bug is so rust free, even though the paint is gone, and the rubber body seals are rotted. I tell them It's because me/my bug are from Texas. The paint and the rubber baked in the sun for 45 years before I bought it here, but it never saw road salt until a couple years ago, and not on purpose then.

Plus, yeah, I can't stand a dirty car (or jeep truck). It looks cool for about a day after running a trail. But then, it needs to come off and be glossy again.

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