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Gloss vs Stealth PPF: What's the Difference?
The difference is only the finish. Gloss PPF is clear and keeps your factory paint looking exactly like factory, just protected. Stealth PPF keeps your exact color but converts the finish to satin — a smooth, flat, factory-style matte look — with the same chip and road-rash protection underneath. Same film job, same armor, two different looks. At Vaderwerks in Agoura Hills, full-body gloss runs from Coupe $5,600 to Exotic $7,900, and full-body stealth is quoted as its own standalone price from Coupe $6,100 to Exotics $8,400. Here is how to pick.
What Does Gloss PPF Look Like on the Car?
Gloss PPF is essentially invisible. It goes over your factory color and keeps the shine, depth, and reflection the car had on day one. On a new car in Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, or Agoura Hills, most people cannot tell it is there — which is exactly the point. If you love how your paint looks now and just want it to stay that way through years of 101 freeway commuting, gloss is the default choice.
Gloss is also the finish to pick on metallic and pearl paints where the flake and color shift are part of the car's character. The clear film preserves that effect instead of flattening it.
What Does Stealth PPF Look Like on the Car?
Stealth PPF keeps your color and changes the light. A gloss black car becomes satin black. A gloss grey becomes a flat, factory-style matte grey. The color itself does not change — the reflection does. It is the way to get the satin/matte look with real film protection instead of a vinyl color change, and it is fully removable later, so the factory gloss paint is still underneath.
Stealth is quoted at Vaderwerks as its own standalone price, never as an add-on line: Full Body Stealth Coupe $6,100 / Sedan $6,400 / SUV $6,900 / Van $7,400 / Truck from $7,900 / Exotics $8,400, and Stealth Full Front from $2,495. You pick the finish, we quote that finish — simple.
Is the Protection the Same for Gloss and Stealth?
Yes. Both finishes are thick paint protection film engineered for impact: rock chips, gravel spray, road rash, bug and bird staining, and UV. Both resist the grit blast that front bumpers, hoods, fenders, mirrors, and rocker panels take on the 101 and 405 and on canyon roads above Malibu and Calabasas. Fine swirl marks and light scratches self-heal with heat on modern top grades of film, so either finish keeps looking clean instead of hazed.
What PPF does not do — in either finish — is make a car dent-proof, or fix paint that is already chipped or peeling. Film goes over sound paint. If you are deciding between film and a color change first, we break that down in Wrap vs PPF: Which Is Right for You?, and the full PPF basics live in What Is Paint Protection Film (PPF) and Why You Need It. Services: Vehicle Wraps and Paint Protection Film
How Do You Choose Between Gloss and Stealth?
Ask one question: do you want your car to look the same, or different?
Pick gloss if you love the factory shine, your paint has metallic or pearl flake you want to keep showing, or you want protection nobody can see. Pick stealth if you want the satin transformation and the armor in one layer, without committing to a vinyl color change.
A few practical notes. Satin finishes hide light dust and fingerprints differently than gloss — many owners find stealth easier to live with day to day on a daily driver. Gloss shows the paint's depth better in direct sun. Either way, the film still needs hand washing with pH-neutral soap and care around edges, which we cover in Can You Pressure Wash a Wrapped or PPF Car? and How to Wash a Wrapped Car the Right Way. If you want easier washing over the film, ceramic over PPF is $800, or $600 with a fresh install — see Ceramic Coating for PPF (Gloss & Stealth).
Coverage matters more than finish for most cars. PPF Full Front from $1,995 (gloss) or Stealth Full Front from $2,495 covers the high-impact zones most daily drivers need, at 2–3 days turnaround. Full body films every painted panel at about 5 days, and is the right call for expensive or dark paint, heavy freeway miles, or a car you plan to keep for years. A hood-only panel is $800.
How Much Does Gloss and Stealth PPF Cost in the Conejo Valley?
Real Vaderwerks pricing to plan with. Gloss: PPF Hood $800; Full Front from $1,995; Full Body Coupe $5,600 / Sedan $5,900 / SUV $6,400 / Van $6,900 / Truck from $7,400 / Exotic $7,900. Stealth, quoted standalone: Full Body Coupe $6,100 / Sedan $6,400 / SUV $6,900 / Van $7,400 / Truck from $7,900 / Exotics $8,400; Stealth Full Front from $2,495. Ceramic over either finish is $800, or $600 with a fresh PPF installation.
Send us your year, make, and model and we will quote the exact finish and coverage for your car — no invented numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does stealth PPF change my car's color?
No. Stealth keeps your exact factory color and changes only the finish to satin. Gloss keeps both the color and the shine. A different color requires a vinyl wrap.
Which is more popular, gloss or stealth?
Gloss is the default for most new cars because the protection is invisible. Stealth is the pick when an owner wants the satin look and protection in one layer.
Is stealth PPF priced as an upgrade over gloss?
No. At Vaderwerks stealth is quoted as its own standalone price for the finish and coverage you choose — Full Body from Coupe $6,100 to Exotics $8,400, Stealth Full Front from $2,495.
Can I do stealth on just the front of the car?
Yes. Stealth Full Front starts at $2,495 and covers the high-impact front panels in the satin finish, at 2–3 days turnaround.
Does the finish change how long PPF takes to install?
No. Full Front takes 2–3 days and full body takes about 5 days at Vaderwerks in either finish, depending on the vehicle and coverage.
Should I ceramic coat over gloss or stealth PPF?
If the car lives outside or commutes daily, ceramic makes either finish easier to wash and helps with UV resistance: $800 on its own, or $600 with a fresh PPF installation. It does not replace PPF for chip protection.
Vaderwerks, 5310 Derry Ave Suite I, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 · Mon–Fri 9am–5pm