Paint Protection film - can't decide what to go for.
Discussion
My recently acquired 63 plate Vantage SP10 only has minimal paint protection film on the bumper/splitter with nothing on the bonnet (?factory standard fit) and I'm trying to decide what to go for. I'm definitely getting the sills and rear quarter panels done but I can't decide what to do at the front. Paintshield offer the "Standard kit" and "Full front kit" as below:
They will also do "Standard kit" with full bonnet coverage as an in between option. My last V8V had the equivalent of the standard kit and had virtually no chips at 7 years and 27,000 miles.
So standard seems to provide pretty good protection but you end up with a line across the bonnet. But the full front kit is much more expensive and covers the whole front of the car (clearly) and surely the film isn't as good to look at as the original paint. Also, will the film fade/yellow over time although this maybe isn't as important on a dark colour.
What do most people go for? I suppose there is the option of putting nothing on and just having a front end respray when it gets really bad but that doesn't seem like a good option given that the car will do about 5000 miles per year. Thoughts please.
They will also do "Standard kit" with full bonnet coverage as an in between option. My last V8V had the equivalent of the standard kit and had virtually no chips at 7 years and 27,000 miles.
So standard seems to provide pretty good protection but you end up with a line across the bonnet. But the full front kit is much more expensive and covers the whole front of the car (clearly) and surely the film isn't as good to look at as the original paint. Also, will the film fade/yellow over time although this maybe isn't as important on a dark colour.
What do most people go for? I suppose there is the option of putting nothing on and just having a front end respray when it gets really bad but that doesn't seem like a good option given that the car will do about 5000 miles per year. Thoughts please.
V8V Pete said:
My recently acquired 63 plate Vantage SP10 only has minimal paint protection film on the bumper/splitter with nothing on the bonnet (?factory standard fit) and I'm trying to decide what to go for. I'm definitely getting the sills and rear quarter panels done but I can't decide what to do at the front. Paintshield offer the "Standard kit" and "Full front kit" as below:
They will also do "Standard kit" with full bonnet coverage as an in between option. My last V8V had the equivalent of the standard kit and had virtually no chips at 7 years and 27,000 miles.
So standard seems to provide pretty good protection but you end up with a line across the bonnet. But the full front kit is much more expensive and covers the whole front of the car (clearly) and surely the film isn't as good to look at as the original paint. Also, will the film fade/yellow over time although this maybe isn't as important on a dark colour.
What do most people go for? I suppose there is the option of putting nothing on and just having a front end respray when it gets really bad but that doesn't seem like a good option given that the car will do about 5000 miles per year. Thoughts please.
What kind of pricing?They will also do "Standard kit" with full bonnet coverage as an in between option. My last V8V had the equivalent of the standard kit and had virtually no chips at 7 years and 27,000 miles.
So standard seems to provide pretty good protection but you end up with a line across the bonnet. But the full front kit is much more expensive and covers the whole front of the car (clearly) and surely the film isn't as good to look at as the original paint. Also, will the film fade/yellow over time although this maybe isn't as important on a dark colour.
What do most people go for? I suppose there is the option of putting nothing on and just having a front end respray when it gets really bad but that doesn't seem like a good option given that the car will do about 5000 miles per year. Thoughts please.
A guy visited my house and made this stuff up for my F430, he was very careful and my detailer couldn't believe how good it looked! wasn't too much money either.
My V12V has the standard kit - or at least something very similar. Generally it looks fine and is very good at its job. However, it came with it; if I had my way I'd have done the whole thing and avoided the line and got the extra protection. I know a chap with a Vanquish that had the whole lot done, and you'd be hard pressed to spot the edges. I remember once having to explain to someone (at some length) that the line on my bonnet wasn't a big scratch….
Also the only small chip I have is from a stone that bounced up and landed just in front of the wipers before chipping the windscreen
Edited to add:
Whilst I think about it, the front of the rear wheel arches and the bottom edge of the boot lid have been done as well. The wheel arches one is very good as the upper edge is aligned with the slash that runs from the front wing vents back...
Also the only small chip I have is from a stone that bounced up and landed just in front of the wipers before chipping the windscreen
Edited to add:
Whilst I think about it, the front of the rear wheel arches and the bottom edge of the boot lid have been done as well. The wheel arches one is very good as the upper edge is aligned with the slash that runs from the front wing vents back...
Edited by wokkadriver on Thursday 6th August 08:13
I'm setting myself up for abuse here, but ...
I don't understand why one would want to spend a lot of money on protective film for a car, ultimately for the benefit of whoever it is eventually sold on to later in its life. Meanwhile, however good the protective film is and however well it was applied, it never seems to look as good as virgin paintwork (the paintwork doesn't 'pop' in the sun like an uncovered car). Personally, I'd save the money now and get a respray later on if I'm selling and it really needs it.
OK, now to put on my flak-jacket.
I don't understand why one would want to spend a lot of money on protective film for a car, ultimately for the benefit of whoever it is eventually sold on to later in its life. Meanwhile, however good the protective film is and however well it was applied, it never seems to look as good as virgin paintwork (the paintwork doesn't 'pop' in the sun like an uncovered car). Personally, I'd save the money now and get a respray later on if I'm selling and it really needs it.
OK, now to put on my flak-jacket.
moveover said:
I'm setting myself up for abuse here, but ...
I don't understand why one would want to spend a lot of money on protective film for a car, ultimately for the benefit of whoever it is eventually sold on to later in its life. Meanwhile, however good the protective film is and however well it was applied, it never seems to look as good as virgin paintwork (the paintwork doesn't 'pop' in the sun like an uncovered car). Personally, I'd save the money now and get a respray later on if I'm selling and it really needs it.
OK, now to put on my flak-jacket.
I completely agree with you. I don't understand why one would want to spend a lot of money on protective film for a car, ultimately for the benefit of whoever it is eventually sold on to later in its life. Meanwhile, however good the protective film is and however well it was applied, it never seems to look as good as virgin paintwork (the paintwork doesn't 'pop' in the sun like an uncovered car). Personally, I'd save the money now and get a respray later on if I'm selling and it really needs it.
OK, now to put on my flak-jacket.
I would always suggest that you get the whole front done. It would be sods law that you get a chip above the film, but more importantly, you will always have a line going across the bonnet and that won't look very nice. As many will know, i work closely with paintshield, but that doesn't mean I'm going to try and get everyone to go for the most expensive option, far from it. The areas that have film over them will look perfect for many years to come, due to the self healing film they use. They now use Suntek film, which is a gen 2 film, where as expel is gen 1. It does the same thing, but the suntek is must clearer and has much less orange peel in the film. If you have film applied anywhere, check what they are going to put on the car first.
If cost is an issue, then i would always at least get the whole bonnet done and then you can have whatever you want on the rest of the car. The most popular choice is full front, sills and up to the swage line on the rear 3/4.
A respray is always an option too, instead of film, but where as the film will pretty much always look ago, you'll have to drive around while the car looks steadily worse, until you decide its time for paint.
If cost is an issue, then i would always at least get the whole bonnet done and then you can have whatever you want on the rest of the car. The most popular choice is full front, sills and up to the swage line on the rear 3/4.
A respray is always an option too, instead of film, but where as the film will pretty much always look ago, you'll have to drive around while the car looks steadily worse, until you decide its time for paint.
Armen said:
moveover said:
I'm setting myself up for abuse here, but ...
I don't understand why one would want to spend a lot of money on protective film for a car, ultimately for the benefit of whoever it is eventually sold on to later in its life. Meanwhile, however good the protective film is and however well it was applied, it never seems to look as good as virgin paintwork (the paintwork doesn't 'pop' in the sun like an uncovered car). Personally, I'd save the money now and get a respray later on if I'm selling and it really needs it.
OK, now to put on my flak-jacket.
I completely agree with you. I don't understand why one would want to spend a lot of money on protective film for a car, ultimately for the benefit of whoever it is eventually sold on to later in its life. Meanwhile, however good the protective film is and however well it was applied, it never seems to look as good as virgin paintwork (the paintwork doesn't 'pop' in the sun like an uncovered car). Personally, I'd save the money now and get a respray later on if I'm selling and it really needs it.
OK, now to put on my flak-jacket.
Have the front end done on mine and the paint still pops, it looks fantastic. Perhaps a lower quality film yields poorer results, as per Paddy's suggestion?
Having seen this thread I'm giving serious thought to getting the full bonnet and front wings done...
paddy328 said:
I would suggest that anyone thinking of having the film applied gets the paint corrected before hand. The last thing you want it to lock in any nasty marks.
I agree and I would also with out fail get the full front kit. Otherwise there looks like there's a great big scratch right across the bonnet and the wings. My 9 had a half kit fitted by first owner at factory and the number of people who said "I'm sorry it's scratched" really annoyed my until I got it removed, detailed then a full front kit (and rear wheel arches) fitted.Daniel
.
The "proof of the pudding is in the eating". My friend and I both bought new Vantages recently. I took mine to paint shield and Francis worked like a dervish to get the paint corrected. My friend "invested" in some serum that the dealer recommended but baulked at the cost of Paintshield; anyhow 8 or so months later the car with without the shield is peppered with stone chips and the quote to correct is only slightly less than than Francis and Paintshield bills together. My friend has vowed to have the film applied next time he has a new car. It is absolutely personal choice and the cost and risks will vary dependant upon your view, amount of use and a good slice of luck. 
The "proof of the pudding is in the eating". My friend and I both bought new Vantages recently. I took mine to paint shield and Francis worked like a dervish to get the paint corrected. My friend "invested" in some serum that the dealer recommended but baulked at the cost of Paintshield; anyhow 8 or so months later the car with without the shield is peppered with stone chips and the quote to correct is only slightly less than than Francis and Paintshield bills together. My friend has vowed to have the film applied next time he has a new car. It is absolutely personal choice and the cost and risks will vary dependant upon your view, amount of use and a good slice of luck.
V8V Pete said:
... So standard seems to provide pretty good protection but you end up with a line across the bonnet. But the full front kit ... covers the whole front of the car (clearly) and surely the film isn't as good to look at as the original paint... I suppose there is the option of putting nothing on and just having a front end respray when it gets really bad ...
These were the main issues for me. I did the "standard" or similar on both cars because: 1) The line is only noticeable from certain angles and, to me, is less objectionable than chips.
2) The paint on Astons is really beautiful, and has very little orange peel. All of the films have more texture/orange peel than the paint, so for me, when the whole front is done in film, it looks like the front end was repainted and doesn't quite match properly -- because the texture of the film doesn't match that of the paint. With just the forward-most portion of the nose covered, yes there's a line, but much more of the beautiful paint is visible. I want to protect the most vulnerable areas, but I want to see as much of the paint -- not plastic -- as possible.
3) The paint is only original once -- I don't want to have to repaint it.
So far, so good...
Vesuvius as new had the Paddy detail Paintshield xpel full monty treatment. Have I any regrets, none whatsoever. Do I think it altered the look of the paintwork, yes, not quite so vibrant. For me, the slight difference is insignificant compared to the benefit,,,just one tiny chip at the bottom of the offside wing that didn't fully heal,,,,not bad after 4500 miles and 3 Track days.
I had the full front end of my car (Porsche) done by Topaz a few weeks ago. They used two different types of films (Suntek and one of the Xpel films), with the slightly thicker of the two films going on the front bumper and the thinner of the two films over the wings and the entire bonnet. Both films are apparently self healing but touchwood, I haven't had to test that yet. My car had just had a front end respray, so the paint was as good as it could be. I considered Paintshield and understand they're excellent but the proximity of Topaz to me and the number of friends who have had work done there swayed me.
Most of the time, the paintwork is only marginally less glossy than the unprotected parts of the car but the protection the film offers more than compensates. This perhaps depends on the colour, perhaps lighter colours are less prone to showing the difference. I have just done a 3,000 mile european road trip and the car looks exactly the same as when I took delivery. When the car has been waxed, I think the difference between the different areas of the car is minimal.
For cars that are likely to be kept for sometime and used regularly, I think PPF makes a lot of sense. For garage queens that don't go on long trips, I probably wouldn't bother, and I would choose a product like G Techniq instead. A friend of mine has just had his DBS treated by one of the G techniq firms (one down in Hampshire I believe), who put together a video showing all the parts of his car which needed paint correction. I doubt the factory paint job is much worse than anything by other high end manufacturers - something the technicians also said - but his had been done particularly badly. I was quite surprised how many factory fresh cars get sent for paint correction jobs by the dealer prior to delivery. He wasn't very happy when they called his DBS 'a typical Friday afternoon car...'
Regarding yellowing and general visual deterioration, the products on my car have different guarantee lengths; one is for 5 years, the other is for 10 years. Either way, that shows confidence. There are some aftercare guidelines but nothing too onerous. If you have an Aston, you're going to take care of it anyway, so it shouldn't put you off.
Most of the time, the paintwork is only marginally less glossy than the unprotected parts of the car but the protection the film offers more than compensates. This perhaps depends on the colour, perhaps lighter colours are less prone to showing the difference. I have just done a 3,000 mile european road trip and the car looks exactly the same as when I took delivery. When the car has been waxed, I think the difference between the different areas of the car is minimal.
For cars that are likely to be kept for sometime and used regularly, I think PPF makes a lot of sense. For garage queens that don't go on long trips, I probably wouldn't bother, and I would choose a product like G Techniq instead. A friend of mine has just had his DBS treated by one of the G techniq firms (one down in Hampshire I believe), who put together a video showing all the parts of his car which needed paint correction. I doubt the factory paint job is much worse than anything by other high end manufacturers - something the technicians also said - but his had been done particularly badly. I was quite surprised how many factory fresh cars get sent for paint correction jobs by the dealer prior to delivery. He wasn't very happy when they called his DBS 'a typical Friday afternoon car...'
Regarding yellowing and general visual deterioration, the products on my car have different guarantee lengths; one is for 5 years, the other is for 10 years. Either way, that shows confidence. There are some aftercare guidelines but nothing too onerous. If you have an Aston, you're going to take care of it anyway, so it shouldn't put you off.
paddy328 said:
I would always suggest that you get the whole front done. It would be sods law that you get a chip above the film, but more importantly, you will always have a line going across the bonnet and that won't look very nice. As many will know, i work closely with paintshield, but that doesn't mean I'm going to try and get everyone to go for the most expensive option, far from it. The areas that have film over them will look perfect for many years to come, due to the self healing film they use. They now use Suntek film, which is a gen 2 film, where as expel is gen 1. It does the same thing, but the suntek is must clearer and has much less orange peel in the film. If you have film applied anywhere, check what they are going to put on the car first.
If cost is an issue, then i would always at least get the whole bonnet done and then you can have whatever you want on the rest of the car. The most popular choice is full front, sills and up to the swage line on the rear 3/4.
A respray is always an option too, instead of film, but where as the film will pretty much always look ago, you'll have to drive around while the car looks steadily worse, until you decide its time for paint.
If cost is an issue, then i would always at least get the whole bonnet done and then you can have whatever you want on the rest of the car. The most popular choice is full front, sills and up to the swage line on the rear 3/4.
A respray is always an option too, instead of film, but where as the film will pretty much always look ago, you'll have to drive around while the car looks steadily worse, until you decide its time for paint.
I used to dislike this stuff but inherited Venture Shield on the first Aston, it was a revelation.
So much so I did a full V12V kit and full bonnet on my V8VS.
In just under 40k miles I never had a single issue with it and not a single chip or mark in the areas covered.
The McLaren wil have a gen2 film across the whole front and rear 3/4's
BTW price a front end respray from and Aston approved body shop and compare the prices
Edited by mikey k on Friday 7th August 18:47
Thanks to all for views. I'm convinced and will be going for full front, sills & rear 3/4 panels. I understand those that don't put any film on but with the use my car will get that just isn't an option. I hate the couple of chips it has already and just watching them build up & up until a respray would be bad! I suppose it's fine if you just cruise around 50 yards behind the car in front but I quite like overtaking 
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