Best Comprehensive & Budget Car Protection: Partial Front Wrap & 5-Year Ceramic Coating on New Metallic White Subaru Forester Sport
- Fahad Ahmad
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
Robust Shop, Napa, California: Our customer from Fairfield recently purchased a new Subaru Forester Sport and wanted to protect it while keeping a budget. The customer also pointed out that his primary concern was protection and not, per se, aesthetics. Initially, we had recommended that our customer get our full front and 10-year coating package. However, after listening to his needs and figuring out his expectations, we suggested that he get a partial front paint protection film coverage(bumper, partial hood, partial fender, front lights, back of the mirror) while having the rest of the Subaru Forester Sport covered in a 5-year ceramic coating. The customer then proceeded to drop off his Subaru Forester at our shop for a day and a half to get it wrapped, coated, and protected.
We started the process of wrapping and coating the Subaru Forester by first giving it a nice wipedown(we didn’t need to give the vehicle a foam cannon wash since it had only 80 miles on it) with a waterless wash detergent, followed by a cleansing process that removed all residue and dealership waxes and oils. It is interesting to note here that the dealership had the car waxed but since it was a very rushed wax job, the vehicle, especially on black trim and edges, had white wax residue all over the exterior of the Subaru Forester. Our cleansing and detox process stripped all of the residue away, leaving a pristine and clean surface.
After the detox treatment, we inspected the surface of the vehicle for any potential blemishes, scratches, and swirls. Interestingly, we did find yellow blemishes that were inside the clear coat of the Subaru Forester, thereby highlighting the point that even factory-finished paints, albeit rarely, can have imperfections in them.
Noticing no other issues and a smooth surface(though we did have to do some clay bar treatment on some horizontal surfaces), we sectionally applied our standard 8-mil paint protection film on the front bumper front lights, clear-coated trim pieces, partial hood, and partial fender. It’s important to note that the partial hood covers about one-third of the hood with paint protection film which leaves a barely visible line on the hood. If aesthetics and even more comprehensive protection are a concern, it’s recommended to get the full hood and fender wrapped. However, a partial hood and fender wrap can provide massive protection against rock chip damage in normal driving scenarios.
Finally, we detoxed the vehicle again and applied our 5-year ceramic coating to the film, painted surfaces, lights, top and front glass, and the face of the wheel. The customer dropped by a day after dropping off the vehicle and was thoroughly happy at the results he saw and now had the peace of mind when it came to his future outdoor and camping trips with his new Subaru Forester Sport! Note, the vehicle had solid protection on the front against rock chips, scratches, swirls, and light scrapes while the rest of the Subaru Forester was protected against chemical damage with the installation of the ceramic coating.
Cars, after our homes, are the second-largest financial investment we make. Did you know that your car's cosmetics are valued at about 30% of its retail price and having a professional film, paint correction, and ceramic coating installed on your vehicle can save you thousands of dollars in maintenance and cosmetic damage while maintaining a higher than normal resale value? Keeping a meticulous appearance using our paint correction expertise and protecting it using paint protection films (PPF) and coatings can put money back into your wallet! If you’re in Napa and the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area, give us a call at 707-681-5944, email info@robustd.com, or book our services right away.
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