[07CR]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

Need help with deciding whether or not we want to go ahead with the Xline variant. Dear members who own this variant - how do you maintain the matte paint work? I feel PPF is a safe bet..? Does it need to be an expensive one? I’m aware of the distinctions between TPU and TPH and the necessity of a high-quality TPU film but uncertain about the optimal price point.

Ps: Not considering any coating (ceramic et al.) as I don’t think that it protects the paint.

Thank you.

GT Line facelift owner here. I personally don't believe in either PPF or Ceramic coatings. I did consider the X Line, but backed off primarily due to fear of minor scratches that would develop overtime. Even minor incidents would damage the panels. It would be way cheaper and easier to getting the said panel replaced with a new one/getting the said panel repainted. Same isn't the case with matte paint as repainting a matte shade is way more costlier, and I doubt it would be as good as factory finish.

Also if I am not wrong you were earlier considering the Creta over Seltos. Just out of curiosity, what changed?

[satya_ip]

Originally Posted by blogslogger

Ive been using the 70mai dual channel dashcam for over 2 years and it is brilliant. I use the hardwiring kit. There is no wire cutting involved as it has a fuse tap. Warranty should not be void. However, if it is a concern, you can use the 12V socket. It is purely plug and play. There is quite an expensive option too. You dealer can sell you Kia branded dash cam for 20K.

Hi blogslogger!

I am also planning to buy a dashcam for my Creta. Want to check on some points related to the dashcam you are using.

1. Is the numberplate of vehicle behind you legible from rear camera with the headlights of that vehicle ON (high/low beam)? Same for the vehicle ahead of you?

2. Have read somewhere in one of the thread that dashcams with Super Capacitors are better in managing the heat generated as compared to the ones with Lithium Ion battery. How is your experience in this regard? Has the dashcam caused some problems when it is hot?

3. How is the app's performance so far?

Thanks in Advance!

[actinium15]

Originally Posted by the_bugil

the service advisor while giving the demo informed me that if the sunroof shade is open and the car is locked this will drain my battery.

GTX+ owner here, who's kept the sunshade open for past two-three months (Delhi winters). No battery issues.

I can only guess - but perhaps what the SA meant was that operating the sunshade with engine off can drain the battery.

[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by 07CR

GT Line facelift owner here. I personally don't believe in either PPF or Ceramic coatings. I did consider the X Line, but backed off primarily due to fear of minor scratches that would develop overtime. Even minor incidents would damage the panels. It would be way cheaper and easier to getting the said panel replaced with a new one/getting the said panel repainted. Same isn't the case with matte paint as repainting a matte shade is way more costlier, and I doubt it would be as good as factory finish.

Also if I am not wrong you were earlier considering the Creta over Seltos. Just out of curiosity, what changed?

Thank you for your response.

We are still evaluating the two. The Creta is definitely favorite in the family for its better looks (subjective), superior seat comfort, ride quality and above all – availability of the NA IVT combo on its top trim. The only downer for us is that sad looking HVAC and inferior plastic quality on an otherwise beautiful looking center console. The all-grey color theme isn’t to our taste either.

The Seltos, on the other hand, is also a beautiful looking car with more features (particularly headrest for the 5th passenger and backlit windows buttons). What we don’t like is all black claustrophobic interior theme in the GT line which makes the cabin look cramped and less premium. We aren’t a big fan of turbo DCT. Even though it is a ‘technically’ superior combo, is laggy and jerky in city traffic conditions, but we are ready to consider it if the rest of the things work out.

The reason for taking the Xline into consideration is a much premium interior theme, but also understand the maintenance challenges it comes with. And this is where the PPF will be critical to make the final call as it should help protect that matte paint from minor scratches and chips which means lesser instances of repaint. Obviously though, major scratches/dents etc. will need repainting.

For now, we are just not entirely convinced with either of the two. The Creta is a better package (for our needs), but the interior is a letdown. The Seltos Xline has a more premium interior theme (not a fan of its center console looks, but it’s alright I think…), but maintaining the matte color will be a challenge. So, in short, we are yet to finalize, and a great deal of things will look better in favor of the Seltos Xline if the PPF is the solution for matte paint protection and ease of maintenance.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

The Seltos, on the other hand, is also a beautiful looking car with more features (particularly headrest for the 5th passenger and backlit windows buttons). What we don’t like is all black claustrophobic interior theme in the GT line which makes the cabin look cramped and less premium. We aren’t a big fan of turbo DCT. Even though it is a ‘technically’ superior combo, is laggy and jerky in city traffic conditions, but we are ready to consider it if the rest of the things work out.

I guess there are two hiccups which you are concerned with the Seltos-

1) Dark Interior
2) Jerky gearshifts in turbo dct

For (1) you can keep the sunshade of sunroof open and that brings in a lot of light and doesn't feel claustrophobic at all. That said, I understand that we can hardly keep it open at all times, and is definitely a valid point.

For (2), are you sure about the jerky gearshifts? This is my first AT car, but never felt the gearshift to be jerky even in bumper to bumper traffic as well. If you put it in ECO mode it is even more seamless. That said, I had test driven the 1.4T in 2019 and it was indeed very jerky.

[jazzy]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

Thank you for your response.

What we don’t like is all black claustrophobic interior theme in the GT line which makes the cabin look cramped and less premium. We aren’t a big fan of turbo DCT. Even though it is a ‘technically’ superior combo, is laggy and jerky in city traffic conditions, but we are ready to consider it if the rest of the things work out.

DCT is the one that is supposed to be the smoothest in gear shifts out of all the known transmission systems on offer. There is absolutely no "jerk", not in traffic, not on slopes, nowhere. On the other hand, "laggy" it could be. It depends on your driving style. In 1st and 2nd gear shifts, it is not as fast as a manual transmission usually is. This has changed my driving style to a bit more sedate, at least in lower gears and I find this better, considering the fact that this is a bigger car than my previous i10, which I used to just push through in Bengaluru traffic. It does take some time, getting used to the slower gear shifts at lower speeds but after a while, (just like the black/grey interiors), it's hardly noticeable.

On that note, black interiors are definitely not as premium as the beige/orangish-brown interiors of another trim, but white interiors are a maintenance nightmare that I would always want to avoid.

[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by 07CR

For (2), are you sure about the jerky gearshifts? This is my first AT car, but never felt the gearshift to be jerky even in bumper to bumper traffic as well. If you put it in ECO mode it is even more seamless. That said, I had test driven the 1.4T in 2019 and it was indeed very jerky.

Originally Posted by jazzy

DCT is the one that is supposed to be the smoothest in gear shifts out of all the known transmission systems on offer. There is absolutely no "jerk", not in traffic, not on slopes, nowhere. On the other hand, "laggy" it could be. It depends on your driving style. In 1st and 2nd gear shifts, it is not as fast as a manual transmission usually is. This has changed my driving style to a bit more sedate, at least in lower gears and I find this better, considering the fact that this is a bigger car than my previous i10, which I used to just push through in Bengaluru traffic. It does take some time, getting used to the slower gear shifts at lower speeds but after a while, (just like the black/grey interiors), it's hardly noticeable.

Well, I have been driving TCs and CVTs for a long time now and they are smooth in city traffic conditions, particularly the IVT on our Creta. I have also extensively driven the 1.4 Turbo DCT and always found it to be terrible with initial gear lag and jerkiness if you want to move quick in traffic. But if you drive it sedately, there are no jerks, but then the lag is more apparent in that situation. This is where the IVT shines. No drama, that’s how I describe it. Just far superior in such situations where most of our drives take place.

The DCT gearbox often gets confused and just doesn’t feel seamless. The same response we had during our multiple TDs with different TD cars from different dealers (yes, we wanted to be sure and thus tried multiple samples). So in case we do go with the DCT, will have to calibrate our driving style.

For further validation, our own teambhp official review has also called it out as below.

“However, we did notice that the gearbox got a little confused on a few instances while driving through some traffic.”

Anyways, I don’t want to sway from the initial query on matte PPF. Looking forward to hearing from the Xline owners on how to upkeep the matte paint before taking the final call.

[Mr Anderson]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

Thank you for your response. Yes, that’s what I meant - protection from minor scratches and paint chips for which PPF makes more sense I think.

Would love to hear from the Xline owners as well about their experiences and suggestions on how one should go about maintaining the matte paint .

Fellow Seltos X-line owner here. Its almost been 6 months since I purchased the car and 5 months since I applied Avery Dennison matte ppf from a local detailer.

The car has been very easy to maintain ever since. The applicator did a pretty good job with fit and finish of the ppf. You need to identify a good applicator. It's as important as the quality of ppf you choose, if not more.

So far, luckily I haven't scratched or banged my car in any way thanks to ADAS which saved me once when I almost collided with a vehicle infront. So I have no experience of how ppf will hold up incase such a scenario occured.

On the hind side I am free from swirl marks and minor superficial scratches and the car looks as good as new after simply cleaing it with water and a microfibre cloth. I haven't even observed a rock chip even though I take my car out frequently on the highways.

The obvious difference between a new and an old car is that the paint of the old car over time gets dull because of direct exposure to atmosphere(dirt, dust, pollution )and UV rays along with several swirl marks which develop while cleaning the car and ppf helps prevents both those things thus maintaing the original shien and finish of the paint.

All in all if you want to keep your car looking as good as new, ppf does a fantastic job especially in darker colours like we have in the X-LINE. And since a matte ppf is non reflective it is even better because there is no orange peel effect that we get in glossy ppfs. It looks super clean.

[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by Mr Anderson

Fellow Seltos X-line owner here. Its almost been 6 months since I purchased the car and 5 months since I applied Avery Dennison matte ppf from a local detailer.

Thank you so very much for the feedback. Very helpful . Pretty much cemented my thoughts on PPF and its usefulness, particularly on a matte paint.

Could you please share the cost of the PPF? I presume it's a TPU film, am I correct?

[Mr Anderson]

Originally Posted by Col Mehta

Could you please share the cost of the PPF? I presume it's a TPU film, am I correct?

Yes it is a self healing tpu film costing me 1.10 lakh. They also had another option at 80k. It was a newer brand. I went with the well established Avery Dennison brand for peace of mind.

In this forum, somehwere I found out that Garware has also started to produce matte ppf and it's a good indigenous brand as well that will cost around 1 lakh.

[blogslogger]

Originally Posted by satya_ip

Hi blogslogger!

I am also planning to buy a dashcam for my Creta. Want to check on some points related to the dashcam you are using.

1. Is the numberplate of vehicle behind you legible from rear camera with the headlights of that vehicle ON (high/low beam)? Same for the vehicle ahead of you?

2. Have read somewhere in one of the thread that dashcams with Super Capacitors are better in managing the heat generated as compared to the ones with Lithium Ion battery. How is your experience in this regard? Has the dashcam caused some problems when it is hot?

3. How is the app's performance so far?

Thanks in Advance!

Hey Satya,

I am using 70mai A500S.

1. Rear camera has to be adjusted when fitting. I have no problems with the visibility of number plates of vehicles. The HDR does a good job. Coming to the front, there is an availability of polarizing filter add-on which eliminates reflections. You have the option to buy it for the front camera. So visibility wont be a problem for either the front or rear cameras.

2. That is true. Super capacitor instead of lithium ion battery dashcams are better for longevity as they are supposed to last longer. Personally, I havent faced any issues during my 3 years of usage. And ive used it in temp ranges from 10 C- 48 C.

3. App is smooth, but video transfers can be slow as it operates over Wifi. Easier way would be to transfer directly from SD card.

[blogslogger]

I may be in the minority here, but I believe PPF and ceramic coating for cars less than 50 Lakhs are not very wise investments. I own a GT Line and I was quoted 1.4 lakhs for a good TPU PPF, 1 Lakh for a decent one which is like 5% of the car's price.

On top of that, KIA's paint quality is not great compared to our other cars- Jetta and a Crysta. So it is not worth the price of admission. So I detail the car once every two months, and then after 5 years, I plan to get it repainted if required. Repainting costs 90K from a paint booth enabled workshop and I will have the feeling of a 'new car'.

Just my two cents.

[Mr Anderson]

Originally Posted by blogslogger

I may be in the minority here, but I believe PPF and ceramic coating for cars less than 50 Lakhs are not very wise investments. I own a GT Line and I was quoted 1.4 lakhs for a good TPU PPF, 1 Lakh for a decent one which is like 5% of the car's price.

On top of that, KIA's paint quality is not great compared to our other cars- Jetta and a Crysta. So it is not worth the price of admission. So I detail the car once every two months, and then after 5 years, I plan to get it repainted if required. Repainting costs 90K from a paint booth enabled workshop and I will have the feeling of a 'new car'.

Just my two cents.

Detailing the car is not an option for matte finish. Rubbing and polishing it will turn it into glossy. The only way to truly protect matte finish is ppf.

Also detailing in general can only be done a finite a amount of times. It essentially scrapes off the outer protective clear coat of the paint which has a finite thickness. You are essentially thinning your original factory finish paint over time and it's not advisable to do it regularly or the clear coat layer will be completely wiped off. You are in essence further degrading the already "lower" quality paint of Kia. Also,a repainted panel in a local workshop can never match paint quality of a factory finish product.

What ppf does is keep the shien and quality of the original factory finish paint intact and your car will look as good as new every time you simply clean it. So the feeling of a new car never goes away. It also protects the paint from minor scratches and rock chips. For a matte finish car ppf is something godsend.

I, for instance, was totally in love with the matte finish ever since I saw it on the pre facelift Seltos. It was something I always wanted and I was willing to pay extra for the ppf to maintain and protect it. I knew what I was getting into and was ready for it.

For people who don't want that hassle I'd not recommend them to go with X-line but go with GT-Line instead.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by blogslogger

I may be in the minority here, but I believe PPF and ceramic coating for cars less than 50 Lakhs are not very wise investments. I own a GT Line and I was quoted 1.4 lakhs for a good TPU PPF, 1 Lakh for a decent one which is like 5% of the car's price.

On top of that, KIA's paint quality is not great compared to our other cars- Jetta and a Crysta. So it is not worth the price of admission. So I detail the car once every two months, and then after 5 years, I plan to get it repainted if required. Repainting costs 90K from a paint booth enabled workshop and I will have the feeling of a 'new car'.

Just my two cents.

Also to add that if any accidental repair is needed then the investment on ppf is down the drain. But to each his own

[blogslogger]

Originally Posted by Mr Anderson

Detailing the car is not an option for matte finish. Rubbing and polishing it will turn it into glossy. The only way to truly protect matte finish is ppf.

Also detailing in general can only be done a finite a amount of times. It essentially scrapes off the outer protective clear coat of the paint which has a finite thickness. You are essentially thinning your original factory finish paint over time and it's not advisable to do it regularly or the clear coat layer will be completely wiped off. You are in essence further degrading the already "lower" quality paint of Kia. Also,a repainted panel in a local workshop can never match paint quality of a factory finish product.

What ppf does is keep the shien and quality of the original factory finish paint intact and your car will look as good as new every time you simply clean it. So the feeling of a new car never goes away. It also protects the paint from minor scratches and rock chips. For a matte finish car ppf is something godsend.

I, for instance, was totally in love with the matte finish ever since I saw it on the pre facelift Seltos. It was something I always wanted and I was willing to pay extra for the ppf to maintain and protect it. I knew what I was getting into and was ready for it.

For people who don't want that hassle I'd not recommend them to go with X-line but go with GT-Line instead.

I was talking from a purely financial standpoint. I completely agree people would like to keep their cars looking new for long. I am however against the principle of applying PPF because it is necessary. I know of people who spent Rs. 3 Lakh on wraps for an Alto because it looks cool (and it does!). Just that for me, spending 1.2 lakh on 24 lakh stings a bit.

I would like to address a few misconceptions.

Matte Paint cannot be detailed: It is not true. Only the final step of machine polish is to be avoided. Matte finish is like normal paint except it has a special type of clear coat called Matting Agent. So your regular car shampoo wash and car care can be done.
More details can be found here: https://www.infinitywax.com/blogs/ne...atte-paintwork

Car detailing damage paintwork: Detailing, if done properly does not damage paintwork. It involves removing the dust and debris from the panels and 'filling in' the gaps in the clear coat. Doing it often helps the paint 'recover'. Only if products with abrasives are used will the paint get damaged. More info can be found here: https://www.detailingdevils.com/blog...etailing-myths

Also, I was not implying to paint panels but the whole car. In fact except for CBU and to an extent CKD's, none of the production cars have a great 'Factory Finish'. The factory paint is uniform for sure, but it is uniformly average. A skilled human painter can still produce a finish far greater. PPF can only protect minor scratches. For fender benders and deep gouges, it cant. https://gleamworksdetailing.ca/uncov...r-your-vehicle

Add to that the cost of replacing the panel, repainting and replacing PPF, it would be an exercise in excess.