[Scrutineer]

Aside from CF bits, another approach is to not PPF and if you collect sizable damage and if you care about it, you can always have a panel repainted, right?

I don’t put many miles on the car - not at all like some in this thread do - so I think I’m just going to get my CF roof protected and deal with anything else as it comes.

Can the roof be done in one piece, without seams?

[Dieselmd]

Picking up my car on Monday. I did the Xpel Ultimate Plus full PPF and Fusion Plus Premium Ceramic coat. Expensive yes but I plan on keeping this car for a while.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by Scrutineer

Aside from CF bits, another approach is to not PPF and if you collect sizable damage and if you care about it, you can always have a panel repainted, right?

Have you ever had a panel repainted on a car? 1. It's not inexpensive, 2. You have to worry about color-match. 3. You have to worry about orange peel match. 4. You have to worry about over-spray. I'm sure I'm forgetting other issues with having a panel painted.

I damaged my rear bumper by backing into my son's Jeep. Wasn't paying attention, totally my fault. Purchased a new bumper & had a shop who does a lot of high-end cars, and who was recommended by my PPF shop do the painting. $750 to paint the rear bumper cover. It was painted off the car because I did the installation. They didn't have to blend into the fenders or trunk because the car was so new.

Conversely, we had the lower door trim pieces replaced under warranty on my wife's X3MC. Got the car back from the BMW dealership & the trim pieces were painted the wrong shade of blue. The car also came back with glue stuck to the paint on the door handle as if the tech had it on his hands when he opened the door. There was also overspray of clear cost all over the entire vehicle. Had to bring it back so they could fix everything. The color on the trim pieces matches the doors better but is still off. There was still over-spray on the door sills and front wheels, and there are a ton of swirl marks from them buffing (poorly) and washing the vehicle.

Someone backing into my wife's vehicle in a parking lot. Hit the corner of the front bumper & the wheel arch trim. Scraped the paint off about the size of a quarter on each piece. Quote to repaint that panel was over $1,600.

So, I'm not a big fan of just respraying panels that get damaged.

[robopp]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

Have you ever had a panel repainted on a car? 1. It's not inexpensive, 2. You have to worry about color-match. 3. You have to worry about orange peel match. 4. You have to worry about over-spray. I'm sure I'm forgetting other issues with having a panel painted.

I damaged my rear bumper by backing into my son's Jeep. Wasn't paying attention, totally my fault. Purchased a new bumper & had a shop who does a lot of high-end cars, and who was recommended by my PPF shop do the painting. $750 to paint the rear bumper cover. It was painted off the car because I did the installation. They didn't have to blend into the fenders or trunk because the car was so new.

Conversely, we had the lower door trim pieces replaced under warranty on my wife's X3MC. Got the car back from the BMW dealership & the trim pieces were painted the wrong shade of blue. The car also came back with glue stuck to the paint on the door handle as if the tech had it on his hands when he opened the door. There was also overspray of clear cost all over the entire vehicle. Had to bring it back so they could fix everything. The color on the trim pieces matches the doors better but is still off. There was still over-spray on the door sills and front wheels, and there are a ton of swirl marks from them buffing (poorly) and washing the vehicle.

Someone backing into my wife's vehicle in a parking lot. Hit the corner of the front bumper & the wheel arch trim. Scraped the paint off about the size of a quarter on each piece. Quote to repaint that panel was over $1,600.

So, I'm not a big fan of just [...]

You’d be painting in all three of these examples AND paying for new PPF in addition to the original PPF expense. PPF is great, but isn’t perfect and it’s really down to the owner if it’s worth it or not.

[Driium]

Sure, but PPF will mitigate a lot of rock chips, scuffs etc. On one of my previous vehicles had the front end ppf’d and I later on installed a painted front lip which was NOT ppf’d, one day while driving on the freeway, a thin piece of cardboard from what appeared to be packaging from a box of beer flew up from behind the car in front of me. I hit it and assumed that the piece of cardboard was so thin and light that there was no way it could have caused even a scratch. The PPF was virtually unscathed, but the un protected front lip was left with a deep enough scuff that it required a respray. It was cheaper to buy the same front lip brand new, so I did and had it ppf’d. I won’t knock anyone who forgoes PPF though, but the sting of the cost of PPF goes away pretty quickly.

[ramso]

I think it’s ppf is a must have