[ourlee]

Originally Posted by reallymarkedup

8 grand to saran wrap your ride.

I'm just going to do the front bumper and headlights, I'd rather spend the rest of that money on an axle-back and carbon fiber bits and then go drive the thing.

I’m doing all those things too.

[mdrobc13]

Originally Posted by DrewNewM2

At max I would just do front bumper and hood and take the financial hit if it’s less than $2k or so. No way spending 10% of a vehicles value on full PPF makes any type of financial sense especially since it needs to be replaced at some point, gets beat up, can’t be removed and sold like an exhaust if you want to trade or sell the car, won’t protect against everything…bigger debris, dings, etc.

I hate rock chips as much as the next guy but the cars I have don’t have a ton of rock chips so full PPF would be like paying $1,000 per rock deflection. Not worth it to me.

That is the question for the OP and in general. Depends on your driving environment and tolerance basically as if you drive the car on a public road likely you will get some damage whether protected or not at some point given enough exposure to the elements. On my Carrera I PPF'd the whole front end and still have a nice gouge on my right front lower fender under my side marker from something. Cost of PPF was I think around $2800 or so...however when I had my front bumper repainted after a parking lot scrap after I first got it (hit and run by someone's shopping cart) it cost me about $1500 from Porsche certified shop. So in some cases it may be cheaper to just re-spray and paint vs ceramic and PPF especially given the PPF will eventually needs replacing also at some point over time and driving.

I've heard of some guys replacing PPF multiple times on their cars.. that is kinda crazy but they are OCD over chips and its their cars and their $$ so hey...I DO know one circumstance where I WOULD get PPF done full and that is on a PTS=paint to sample/individual paint color car. At $8-12k for a special individual paint for a color like Porsche does for example...I would for SURE protect the hell out of it! So PPF would be mandatory!

Originally Posted by ajchoi

Got a quote for a little under 5K for full body 3M scotch guard PPF from a local shop here in Vegas. They mentioned August is their slowest month so there’s a significant discount. I’m trying to save a bit so they’re doing full front clip from front bumper to hood + the rocker/side skirts for 2100, and agreed I can pay the difference to get the rest done whenever. Pretty happy with that deal!

Couple other shops quoted 8K+ for the same thing. This place also had really good prices on tint and said they charge less as a newer business to gain more repeat customers (100+ 5 star yelp reviews and nothing lower than 4) so I’m going to stick with them for now haha.

Yes I had my son's car done with tint at a new shop just established and got a 25% discount on what he chose as they wanted the work and let them shoot pics to advertise. Also look for slow season/work times where you can also get discounts and work done at good rates.

[MineralGreyMetallic]

PPF isn't about stopping things that would gouge your bumper.

In some cases yes it can help mitigate damage of unusual events like that, but mostly it's to prevent everyday wear. Sand and small debris. That shit is constantly hitting your car.

Without PPF your bumper, rockers, and other significant points of air contact will be completely peppered. That's exactly why PPF'ing a whole car is a bit dubious, although I did do it this time around.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by MineralGreyMetallic

PPF isn't about stopping things that would gouge your bumper.

In some cases yes it can help mitigate damage of unusual events like that, but mostly it's to prevent everyday wear. Sand and small debris. That shit is constantly hitting your car.

Without PPF your bumper, rockers, and other significant points of air contact will be completely peppered. That's exactly why PPF'ing a whole car is a bit dubious, although I did do it this time around.

I can't tell you the number of cars I've seen where the owners scoff at ppf & brag about how undamaged their front end is after so many miles, only to look at the front end and see a bunch of chips or pit marks.

[ebbet]

Got a quote from my dealer for $5200 for full body including ceramic coating and paint correction. They will have it all done when I come to pick it up. It’ll add a 4-5 days to my wait but those will be the last days before she’s mine.

[ajchoi]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

I can't tell you the number of cars I've seen where the owners scoff at ppf & brag about how undamaged their front end is after so many miles, only to look at the front end and see a bunch of chips or pit marks.

My girlfriend has a 2022 Accord and drives about 250 miles a week. That front end has a solid 3 dozen chips already which is wild. Their paint honestly seems extra weak. If she gets something nicer next I’m definitely PPFing the frontend

Originally Posted by ebbet

Got a quote from my dealer for $5200 for full body including ceramic coating and paint correction. They will have it all done when I come to pick it up. It’ll add a 4-5 days to my wait but those will be the last days before she’s mine.

Mine is having me come back to do a checkup and adjustments in case there’s some bubbling or edge wrapping touch ups. Said it’ll only take 60-90m though (figured I’d share since this is my first time PPFing where it didn’t come that way from a previous owner)

Originally Posted by mdrobc13

Yes I had my son's car done with tint at a new shop just established and got a 25% discount on what he chose as they wanted the work and let them shoot pics to advertise. Also look for slow season/work times where you can also get discounts and work done at good rates.

I’m happy with the work so much so when I bring it in for the checkup I’m having them tint the GF’s Accord. 3M ceramic for $300 and a 90 min install wait.

Originally Posted by MineralGreyMetallic

That's exactly why PPF'ing a whole car is a bit dubious, although I did do it this time around.

I did full frontend + rockers and I drove home thinking I’m going to regret not just doing it all at once with 200mi on the car lol. Especially rear bumper where on the side stones could kick up. But another 2700 wasn’t in my budget to do right away. Feel like I should get something for the oil cooler before anything else after reading scary stories to tell in the car park here

[MineralGreyMetallic]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

I can't tell you the number of cars I've seen where the owners scoff at ppf & brag about how undamaged their front end is after so many miles, only to look at the front end and see a bunch of chips or pit marks.

What I've learned as I've gotten older is that certain personality types are just not bothered by this type of thing. They internalize it differently, so when they speak about it it's not communicated as being a problem.

I'm quite orderly. I like my things neat and clean. My eye hones in on blemishes. It's a blessing and a curse. Something like PPF takes away a lot of anxiety and frustration for me.

Originally Posted by ajchoi

I did full frontend + rockers and I drove home thinking I’m going to regret not just doing it all at once with 200mi on the car lol. Especially rear bumper where on the side stones could kick up. But another 2700 wasn’t in my budget to do right away. Feel like I should get something for the oil cooler before anything else after reading scary stories to tell in the car park here

I was so skeptical about PPF the first time I got it. The results were so good 7 years later that I now consider it a requirement.

I only did a track package that first time. The doors and rear quarters definitely could have used some PPF, so I would recommend doing those sooner rather than later if you can. It's not clear to me in your post if "full front end" also includes doors.

Trunk, rear bumper, b, and c pillars don't really seem to need it, but at that point you're only talking a $1-2k more. Might as well if you can afford it.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by ajchoi

My girlfriend has a 2022 Accord and drives about 250 miles a week. That front end has a solid 3 dozen chips already which is wild. Their paint honestly seems extra weak. If she gets something nicer next I’m definitely PPFing the frontend



Mine is having me come back to do a checkup and adjustments in case there’s some bubbling or edge wrapping touch ups. Said it’ll only take 60-90m though (figured I’d share since this is my first time PPFing where it didn’t come that way from a previous owner)



I’m happy with the work so much so when I bring it in for the checkup I’m having them tint the GF’s Accord. 3M ceramic for $300 and a 90 min install wait.


I did full frontend + rockers and I drove home thinking I’m going to regret not just doing it all at once with 200mi on the car lol. Especially rear bumper where on the side stones could kick up. But another 2700 wasn’t in my budget to do right away. Feel like I should get something for the oil cooler before anything else after reading scary stories to tell in the car park here

The roads are so cluttered with debris & construction is non-stop near me, all my cars have ppf.

Did the rockers not include the section behind the rear wheel and lower rear bumper? Mine did.

[BroDoze]

Not optional in CO. Within months of new car ownership, any forward-facing surfaces will be sandblasted by the 365-day gravel and sand that never leaves our roads. Windshields look 5 years old in a matter of weeks.
I think PPF means different things to people living in different areas.
FL or HI simply is not in the same situation as CO is, as an example.

[MMMGuy60]

My last daily (2017 WRX) has over 50 little rock chip on the bumper/hood in 4 years. Looks nasty up close. My current daily (2021 Model 3) in 3.5 years, i honestly see maybe one or two tiny hits on the PPF. I am sure the paint is perfect underneath.

My current toy M2 is almost a year old and there is not one chip that i can see anywhere. I would not pay 5k to 7k for ppf. Just doing the front is enough. I did both Model 3 and M2 front end from pre-cut eBay ppf. I plan to replace them every 5 years if I still have the car. It costed me around 500 to DIY the whole M2 front if I remembered correctly.

[BroDoze]

Originally Posted by MMMGuy60

I would not pay 5k to 7k for ppf. Just doing the front is enough.

This. Seems like people think it’s all or nothing, and then talk themselves out of the entire thing. I’ve been doing PPF on all of my cars (40+?) and have ever only done the front areas.

My inbound M2 will actually be the first car I’ll be doing a full hood and fenders on, because it’s frozen and I don’t think “the line” will jive with me too well on frozen paint.

Just do the forward-facing surfaces for ~2k or less and be done.

[Ehloo]

unless you are going satin and changing the appearance of the car a full ppf is really not necessary. i would only consider ppf on other parts of the car that are piano black to prevent the hairline scratches with every car wash.

i leased my car and plan was not ppf but im really liking the car and may buy out the lease. so the dilemma of spending 2500 to do the full front on a lease got me thinking

[ajchoi]

Originally Posted by MineralGreyMetallic

What I've learned as I've gotten older is that certain personality types are just not bothered by this type of thing. They internalize it differently, so when they speak about it it's not communicated as being a problem.

I'm quite orderly. I like my things neat and clean. My eye hones in on blemishes. It's a blessing and a curse. Something like PPF takes away a lot of anxiety and frustration for me.

I was so skeptical about PPF the first time I got it. The results were so good 7 years later that I now consider it a requirement.

I only did a track package that first time. The doors and rear quarters definitely could have used some PPF, so I would recommend doing those sooner rather than later if you can. It's not clear to me in your post if "full front end" also includes doors.

Trunk, rear bumper, b, and c pillars don't really seem to need it, but at that point you're only talking a $1-2k more. Might as well if you can afford it.

I’m the same way. I’m especially annoyed if I blemish something due to my own mistakes, it could be microscopic but I’ll never un-see it. That reminds me I need to patch the screw holes from unmounting something behind my office TV lol

Originally Posted by JABCAT

The roads are so cluttered with debris & construction is non-stop near me, all my cars have ppf.

Did the rockers not include the section behind the rear wheel and lower rear bumper? Mine did.

I’m in your area for work pretty often and it does not help that there’s a way larger ratio of full size trucks on the road vs other places.

Rockers included that little square shaped section indeed! My only other real concerns are the doors and rear point behind the wheels, but at least I’ve covered the major impact points so far.

Originally Posted by Ehloo

unless you are going satin and changing the appearance of the car a full ppf is really not necessary. i would only consider ppf on other parts of the car that are piano black to prevent the hairline scratches with every car wash.

i leased my car and plan was not ppf but im really liking the car and may buy out the lease. so the dilemma of spending 2500 to do the full front on a lease got me thinking

I also leased but likely plan to buy it, and I did the front end PPF specifically because I didn’t want to deal with BMW’s pretty stringent lease return BS around paint quality if I do decide to turn it in and get a new one. For me, if when my lease is up there’s still a decent manual offering I may swap, but at least I have much less worry should I decide to keep it. I’m also pretty obsessive about things being clean and orderly in my life as mentioned above, so it’s more to keep my anxiety at bay haha

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by ajchoi

I’m in your area for work pretty often and it does not help that there’s a way larger ratio of full size trucks on the road vs other places.

Rockers included that little square shaped section indeed! My only other real concerns are the doors and rear point behind the wheels, but at least I’ve covered the major impact points so far.

The front end got hit with a kicked up piece of tire tread on my drive down to Austin on Thurs. Thought for sure my new front splitter was toast. Thankfully just a little scuff on the Xpel.

My rockers also included this section shown below.

[ajchoi]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

The front end got hit with a kicked up piece of tire tread on my drive down to Austin on Thurs. Thought for sure my new front splitter was toast. Thankfully just a little scuff on the Xpel.

My rockers also included this section shown below.

Ooof, glad the PPF did its job! We were driving a rental van to Wimberly when I was there for a work retreat thing at a ranch earlier this year, and hit some debris that fell off a work truck that would have been really painful with my M2. Stay safe out there, you have some fun roads outside the cities but seems like there’s some risk of debris too!

[ednir98]

I was just quoted $420 for exoshield windshield protection film

For that price I’d rather teach myself how to fish buy buying a bulk roll of material and doing it over and over until I get it right.

[reallymarkedup]

Originally Posted by ednir98

I was just quoted $420 for exoshield windshield protection film

For that price I’d rather teach myself how to fish buy buying a bulk roll of material and doing it over and over until I get it right.

How much is your time worth? $420 for someone who's done this hundreds to thousands of times and will warranty their work versus cost of materials and how many hours will it take you to get it done halfway decently?

I used to love doing everything myself. I've since realized I'd rather have that time back to do other things I enjoy more.

[ednir98]

Originally Posted by reallymarkedup

How much is your time worth?

It's worth my time to learn something I never have to pay someone else to do again.

I have nothing against paying to get stuff done but $800/hr to install a piece of plastic is not my style.

[hb]

Originally Posted by IamJoe

What can I expect to pay for full PPF and do you have any recommendations for the Chicago Northwest suburbs?

Just did a couple of my cars at Tinting Chicago in Palatine

[Jett2835]

Originally Posted by ednir98

I was just quoted $420 for exoshield windshield protection film

For that price I’d rather teach myself how to fish buy buying a bulk roll of material and doing it over and over until I get it right.

I did this, bought a full roll for the purpose of knowing there would be replacements and additional $$ needed due to the film micro-scratching over time (think the plastic screen PET protectors on your phones picking up marring from typical wear & tear). I typically hear 10-18 months of use before requiring replacements for moderate driving, even less if you live in areas where you use your wipers frequently. For a garage queen car, you can probably stretch that out by quite a bit longer.

I also planned to install on all my other vehicles as well, so it made it more cost sensible.

I will caveat, don't expect perfection if you are DIY'ing. It took multiple tries to get familiar with the film properties. Only after maybe 5-6 attempts and maybe 20 hours total of shrinking did I realize some of my mistakes. However, now I feel comfortable installing it at a 9 out of 10 quality job (10 out of 10 being professional shop).

My lines and edge cuts aren't straight. I also have minimal debris/dust caught underneath, but overall I know it's coming off and I'll replace it so it doesn't bother me from that aspect if not in my eye sight on driver side.

It is definitely a harder material to shrink + work with since it's typically at 4mm. So if you have experience working in tint, it's a similar process but takes a while longer to get heated up.

From my personal experience, the cost of the roll and the time spent playing around with it and learning how to install was definitely more expensive than getting it installed at a shop. Not to mention the frustration I went through. Seems like I am drawn to putting myself in miserable situations.

Honestly, with these window tint + windshield services out there; you really are paying for labor and I honestly would say they are pretty reasonable if you want close to perfection jobs.

[DrewNewM2]

Originally Posted by BroDoze

This. Seems like people think it’s all or nothing, and then talk themselves out of the entire thing. I’ve been doing PPF on all of my cars (40+?) and have ever only done the front areas.

My inbound M2 will actually be the first car I’ll be doing a full hood and fenders on, because it’s frozen and I don’t think “the line” will jive with me too well on frozen paint.

Just do the forward-facing surfaces for ~2k or less and be done.

I totally agree front facing only if I were to do PPF but with that many cars, you've spent around $80k in PPF?

[buckybadger]

Avoid PPF at all costs. If you really need it then personally I only recommend to put it on your bumper.