2015 Ferrari California T

A 2015 Ferrari California T arrived at Ixexotics in Cypress, TX with a problem most exotics eventually face: the paint protection film on its front end had been on the car for years. Aged film loses its clarity, edges start to lift, and the highest-impact panels of an eleven-year-old Italian coupe carry the evidence of every mile — chips, clouding, and wear that no amount of polishing can fix. The film had done its job; now it was time to take it off and rebuild the protection the right way.

The owner wanted a full reset: strip the old film, correct the paint beneath it, and re-protect the car with current-generation materials. That meant a three-part program — complete removal of the existing PPF, a fresh full-front XPEL Ultimate Paint Protection Film installation, the 5 Year Gold ceramic coating package, and XPEL XR Plus ceramic window tint on all side and rear glass — purchased together as a bundle.

Preparation — Removing the Old Paint Protection Film

Before anything new could go on, every inch of the existing film had to come off — carefully, and billed by the hour, because this is exactly the kind of work that cannot be rushed. Film removal on a high-value car is delicate: the goal is pulling the aged material cleanly without disturbing the factory finish underneath, leaving a smooth substrate ready for correction. This is the step where patience separates a proper job from one that leaves paint damage in its wake.

Once the front end was stripped bare, it joined the rest of the car in the paint correction phase — the preparation that determines whether a coating looks good or looks flawless.

Paint Correction & Ceramic Coating

The 5 Year Gold Package is a two-step process, and it starts where every good coating does: with the surface. A full paint correction and paint enhancement pass — typically eight to ten hours on a car of this caliber — systematically removed the swirls, scratches, and haziness accumulated over years of driving and washing, restoring depth and clarity to the finish.

With the paint leveled and dead-clean, our team hand-applied ceramic coating panel by panel. Each coated surface was then cured under an infrared heat lamp, which accelerates the bonding process and drives the coating into the paint more quickly and evenly. The result is a harder, more durable finish with improved chemical resistance and water-repellency. The package is engineered for 4–5 years or more of protection, and includes a complimentary check-up two weeks after delivery to confirm everything has settled in as it should.

Full Front XPEL Ultimate Paint Protection Film

With the old film removed and the paint corrected, we rebuilt the front end’s armor with XPEL Ultimate paint protection film, backed by XPEL’s 10-year manufacturer warranty. Coverage follows our standard front-end package: full front bumper, hood, fenders, trim, headlights, and mirror caps — every surface the car presents to road debris.

Installation included basic trim removal — handles, flares, trim, and emblems — so the film tucks cleanly behind the components instead of being cut around them, and edges were extended and wrapped wherever applicable for a seamless, durable finish. As with any professional PPF installation, small exposed areas can remain on high-tension surfaces where relief cuts or seams are necessary for long-term durability — standard practice, not a compromise. The package also comes with a complimentary warranty wash and check two weeks after delivery.

XPEL XR Plus Ceramic Window Tint

The final layer was ceramic window tint across the full side and rear glass, finished in the owner’s shade choice: 30% all around. We used XPEL XR Plus, a premium nano-ceramic film rated for up to 98% heat rejection while blocking more than 99% of harmful UV rays. At 30%, the tint keeps the cabin dramatically cooler under Texas sun and cuts glare without compromising visibility — and for a convertible like the California T, the UV blockage also protects leather and interior trim from the slow fade that open-air driving accelerates.

Final Result

The transformation was visible from across the shop: clear, fresh front-end film where the tired old material used to be, paint with a deep, freshly corrected gloss, and uniform 30% tint completing a cohesive, purposeful look. But the real payoff sits beneath the surface — an eleven-year-old exotic whose protection now exceeds what it left the factory with. The old film is gone, the paint it shielded was brought back to its best condition, and the new materials carry guarantees that will outlast the next chapter of the car’s life.

Professional Vehicle Protection in Houston

Ixexotics serves vehicle owners throughout Cypress, Katy, Tomball, Fulshear, Houston, Spring, and The Woodlands. Projects like this California T are exactly what our facility is built around: paint protection film replacement and installation, paint correction, ceramic coating, and ceramic window tint — done in the right order, with the right materials, by people accustomed to high-value paint. When a car’s protection has served its time, the answer isn’t more patches on top of it. It’s doing the job over, properly.