Ghost Shield Film has a brand new C8 on order, it’s actually already been built. We’re now just waiting on the delivery date. We went with Black on Black. So protecting the paint and the interior of the vehicle are going to be our top priorities when we finally get the car.
Our last Corvette, a Stingray, had about 70,000 miles on it in 4 years. We definitely drive our vehicles. We don’t want swirl marks or severe road rash on the most hit prone surfaces of the vehicle.
First Thing: Paint Protection Film
The first thing we plan on doing when our C8 comes in is doing a full body paint protection wrap. Either in the Satin finish or the gloss finish. But with a black vehicle that we plan on keeping for a long time we want the paint to remain in perfect condition.
Besides rock chips, black paint is susceptible to swirl marks and etching. We don’t want to have to keep detailing our car to keep it looking show-ready. Having to remove swirls marks, again and again, causes the clear coat to thin, and leaves it more at risk from UV damage and chips.
With Suntek Ultra you get a multilayered film that offers protection from road debris and a topcoat that can stop swirls and etching. The film’s top coat has the ability to “self-heal”, when it gets hot, either from the sun or a heat gun.
Suntek also offers a thicker film we can use on areas we know to take the hardest hits, like the front bumper and rocker panels. Suntek Ultra Defense is a .16 mil film, versus our usual .8 mil film. That offers the same “self-healing” and hydrophobic qualities.
Second Thing: Ceramic Window Tint
The second step in prepping our C8 is going to be ceramic window tint. Not only to help with the aesthetics of the vehicle but also to block heat and UV rays.
Our C8 is going to have a black exterior and a black interior. This car is going to get hot in the summer! So keeping as much heat out of the car as possible is important. With ceramic tint on all the windows, including 70% on the windshield, it will really help to reduce how hot the cabin gets.
Another benefit of ceramic tint is its ability to block out UV rays that would eventually lead to fading and cracking on the interior surfaces. We want to keep the interior as nice as possible.
Third Thing: Ceramic Coating Over Paint Protection Film
While it is not necessary to take this step it does have benefits. One of the top ones is the insane gloss it adds to the vehicle. Creating a high-gloss, mirror-like finish to a black vehicle that makes the car look better than fresh off the factory line. With metallic paint colors it also really brings out the sparkle of the metallic flakes. It’s a finish that cannot be beaten.
Ceramic coatings also offer more UV protection and does not impede the self-healing qualities of the film. It’s offering another layer of protection for your vehicle.
The coating also adds to the hydropohbic quality of the film. Making maintence washes easier and quicker. It also means we don’t need to wax the vehicle, we can just use a hydro-silica spray detailer to maintain the hydropohbic quailty of the coating.
More info about ceramic coatings here
Fourth Thing: Installing SlipLo On Front Splitter
Protecting the front splitter and spoiler is something else important to us. With such a low front end it is bound to scrape against a driveway or speedbump at some point.
The SlipLo is an adhesive-backed flexible plastic that adheres to the underside of the front splitter/bumper on your vehicle. It helps to guard the front end from curb rash and scrapes from driveways.
It’s a great solution because you do not have to drill holes into the bumper for installation. It works on any vehicle. It can even be used on rocker panels, and other high impact areas.
In Los Angeles or Ventura County? We have SlipLo’s available for sale during regular business hours. Come by and pick one up.
Other Options We Are Considering
Windshield Protection Film:
This has advantages and disadvantages. One being that windshield wipers will cause scratches if they are not clean. Another issue is that many report distortion that causes motion sickness. Get a quote for windshield protection film
Another option is to use a liquid hardening agent to offer some protection for the windshield, as well as hydrophobic properties to help rain bead off the windshield. Though this won’t protect the windshield from hard hits.
Vinyl Accents:
We may or may not add some stripping or hash marks to the vehicle. Vinyl accents to it help to break it up and make the car a little unique. The most we will do on this one will probably be some hash marks on a fender. Just a little splash of color to set it apart. Check out our vinyl page to learn more
What do you plan on doing with your C8? Have questions? Contact us to speak to a rep on how to get the best for your new corvette. Check out our page dedicated to C8 Paint Protection Film.
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Comments
Prices?
Hi. Please submit a quote request through our online form with what you are looking to have done and we will get back to you with pricing. Thank you 🙂