Satin Black Ice Metallic

CheetahWrap Satin Black Ice Metallic is a satin black film from CheetahWrap's CheetahPCC range, catalogued as CWPCC60328. CheetahWrap lists 6 other black shades, so it is worth seeing them side by side before you settle on one.

This is color paint protection film from CheetahWrap's CheetahPCC line, not a vinyl wrap. The color sits inside the film itself, so one layer changes the car and shields the paint from rock chips at the same time. It is thicker than wrap vinyl, the top layer is elastomeric so it absorbs impact instead of transmitting it, and light swirls and scratches self-heal with heat. It costs more than vinyl in the same shade, and it is the choice when you want the color change to also be the protection.

The satin finish

Satin sits between gloss and matte — a soft sheen that moves along the body lines as the light changes rather than mirroring what is around it. It is the finish that most often makes people ask what color the car actually is. It marks more readily with fingerprints and oils around the handles and fuel door, and it is never polished: cleaning is a gentle wash and a wrap-safe detail spray, nothing abrasive.

Living with black in the Pacific Northwest

Black is the hardest color to keep looking perfect and the best looking when it is. Every swirl and every water spot shows, and in Seattle that means drying the car rather than letting it air dry after rain. Dark colors show water spots, dust and wash marks sooner than light ones, and our rain leaves spots the moment it dries on a panel. Drying the car after a wash rather than letting it air dry is most of the battle.

Care: hand wash with a wrap-safe soap and a soft mitt. Nothing abrasive and no polishing — satin cannot be corrected the way gloss can.