Is PPF worth having?
Discussion
Probably not a big issue up there (Im in New Zealand) but I have had perhaps 5-6 brand new cars PPF in the last 15 years and a similar number without.
IMO it is worthwhile only for cars that will see long open road distances and the best results are in the first two years. After that the UV makes the film "soft" and bug juice and other contaminants become a real mission to remove (and on darker coloured cars are an eyesore). Mostly I have removed the film at year 2-3 and run it "naked" before selling her on.
Clear coat/laquer is considerably harder, more durable and easier to move the contaminants from - whatever the PPF film manufacturer tells you (Ive used Suntek, 3M, Expel etc). Its just a fact of chemical physics. Ive found the fim best on mid-coloured cars. On white cars like my 991.1 GT3 I did not bother, the primer under the paint is white too so small stone chips did not show and Ive experienced film go yellow with age on white cars in the past. With dark coloured cars it was also a fail, mostly due to bug and insect splat etching into the film once the film got a little aged - the first year it always looked good.
Of course the UV down here is twice as bad as up there.
The cost in the most part for doing front bumper, hood and fenders in digitally cut high quality film is around 85% of having the same panels spray painted before re sale.
The films with the best optic look (reflection and gloss) are also the ones that tend to be the hardest and thinnest and are also from my experience not effective for protecting from large stones or on very exposed areas such as the rear quarter panesl/fender of a 911. The thinner films tear up pretty quick.
Not sure that helps. One mans point of view and Im sure you will find many that have invested in the product defending it profusely, however my experience down here is likely different to most...
IMO it is worthwhile only for cars that will see long open road distances and the best results are in the first two years. After that the UV makes the film "soft" and bug juice and other contaminants become a real mission to remove (and on darker coloured cars are an eyesore). Mostly I have removed the film at year 2-3 and run it "naked" before selling her on.
Clear coat/laquer is considerably harder, more durable and easier to move the contaminants from - whatever the PPF film manufacturer tells you (Ive used Suntek, 3M, Expel etc). Its just a fact of chemical physics. Ive found the fim best on mid-coloured cars. On white cars like my 991.1 GT3 I did not bother, the primer under the paint is white too so small stone chips did not show and Ive experienced film go yellow with age on white cars in the past. With dark coloured cars it was also a fail, mostly due to bug and insect splat etching into the film once the film got a little aged - the first year it always looked good.
Of course the UV down here is twice as bad as up there.
The cost in the most part for doing front bumper, hood and fenders in digitally cut high quality film is around 85% of having the same panels spray painted before re sale.
The films with the best optic look (reflection and gloss) are also the ones that tend to be the hardest and thinnest and are also from my experience not effective for protecting from large stones or on very exposed areas such as the rear quarter panesl/fender of a 911. The thinner films tear up pretty quick.
Not sure that helps. One mans point of view and Im sure you will find many that have invested in the product defending it profusely, however my experience down here is likely different to most...
Edited by Macca993 on Tuesday 19th February 10:10
TonyF said:
Definatly worth doing imo.
I have had all of my cars fully ppf covered because I feel that any stone chips or scratches etc that require a panel or quarter respraying will probably cost pretty much the same as getting the ppf done so I think it’s worthwhile.
HTH.
wow all your cars fully covered.I have had all of my cars fully ppf covered because I feel that any stone chips or scratches etc that require a panel or quarter respraying will probably cost pretty much the same as getting the ppf done so I think it’s worthwhile.
HTH.
I have only fitted it to 1 bumper out of 73 (it also looked s
t) and never had a car resprayed either.I don't get the fad of spending £5k a car and then also why people get resprays for road rash !
Really helpful to hear some views. Thank you !
ALSO, it was also suggested I could PPF the headlights with a light grey wrap (mine are clear) - I prefer the grey tint look.
If so, does this PPF wrap come off easily enough ??
(N.B. Porsche use lacquer finish on headlamps - which are some sort of ceramic material, not glass.)
Cheers.
ALSO, it was also suggested I could PPF the headlights with a light grey wrap (mine are clear) - I prefer the grey tint look.
If so, does this PPF wrap come off easily enough ??
(N.B. Porsche use lacquer finish on headlamps - which are some sort of ceramic material, not glass.)
Cheers.
notsomadmick said:
Really helpful to hear some views. Thank you !
ALSO, it was also suggested I could PPF the headlights with a light grey wrap (mine are clear) - I prefer the grey tint look.
If so, does this PPF wrap come off easily enough ??
(N.B. Porsche use lacquer finish on headlamps - which are some sort of ceramic material, not glass.)
Cheers.
Headlights not a problem. Just had mine done and cannot see any reason the tinted film would be any different to the clear ppfALSO, it was also suggested I could PPF the headlights with a light grey wrap (mine are clear) - I prefer the grey tint look.
If so, does this PPF wrap come off easily enough ??
(N.B. Porsche use lacquer finish on headlamps - which are some sort of ceramic material, not glass.)
Cheers.
Another reason to have PPF in my view is the ease of replacement. Ignoring the cost comparison of spraying a panel v PPFing it, it's much quicker if film is damaged to swap it out than it is to get a respray - even if the respray goes smoothly and doesn't have to go back to be redone (all too common), or cause problems with other panels (by reason of overspray or blending).
Having said that, I only PPF low cars, not the family Macan which has GTechniq Black which is ace (but provides no stone chip protection).
Having said that, I only PPF low cars, not the family Macan which has GTechniq Black which is ace (but provides no stone chip protection).
PPF on bumper can be curse and blessing. If you get a car park graze that cuts the paint you now have cost to respray bumper and PPF (so likely double the cost of a respray bumper alone etc). I had a small issue such as this that I chose not to claim on (so I did not loose my clean history and also because my excess on this particular car was 400 GBP). The bumper cost 500 GBP to respray. The PPF was a further 300 GBP to reapply. As it was out of pocket expense I chose not to replace the PPF. The car was sold within a year in any case....
Porsche911R said:
wow all your cars fully covered.
I have only fitted it to 1 bumper out of 73 (it also looked st) and never had a car resprayed either.
I don't get the fad of spending £5k a car and then also why people get resprays for road rash !
Yes, all of them.I have only fitted it to 1 bumper out of 73 (it also looked s
t) and never had a car resprayed either.I don't get the fad of spending £5k a car and then also why people get resprays for road rash !
I have got ocd when it comes to my cars as I always keep them spotlessly clean all the time and yes I do drive them a lot also before anyone asks !
Digga said:
A lot of detailers will ceramic coat over the PPF, so this helps to make it easier to clean. I had mine done by Staffordshire Car Care.
I didn't think this was possible ?I've got PPF on the rear bumper of my Macan PP as the scuffs from dogs/bags going in and out of the boot on our Cayenne were pretty bad (I'm careful not everyone else is that uses the car!). Someone reversed into the Macan in a car park at low speed, the PPF did it's job and was damaged itself but paintwork underneath was blemish free. PPF doing it's job well in this case.
Isn't it the "in thing" nowadays to have the unrestored look so that the car looks its age, whether it's 80 years old or 8 years old?
I do touch in stone chips from time to time, but I'm past the stage where it must look pristine. Having an unblemished car smacks of a garage queen and I really don't wish to have that label applied. My 981C isn't a concours show car it's a driver's car and its slight road rash confirms that.
I dare say I could spend £2k on a front end respray, another £2k on front end PPF, but I'd soon have a stone cut a chunk out of the PPF and paint and I'd be back to square one.
Unless it's rusting away or there's been accident damage I say leave it to weather gracefully and demonstrate that it has been used as intended. Keep it clean and polished by all means, but don't overdo it.
I do touch in stone chips from time to time, but I'm past the stage where it must look pristine. Having an unblemished car smacks of a garage queen and I really don't wish to have that label applied. My 981C isn't a concours show car it's a driver's car and its slight road rash confirms that.
I dare say I could spend £2k on a front end respray, another £2k on front end PPF, but I'd soon have a stone cut a chunk out of the PPF and paint and I'd be back to square one.
Unless it's rusting away or there's been accident damage I say leave it to weather gracefully and demonstrate that it has been used as intended. Keep it clean and polished by all means, but don't overdo it.
Edited by DJMC on Tuesday 19th February 19:15
TonyF said:
Porsche911R said:
wow all your cars fully covered.
I have only fitted it to 1 bumper out of 73 (it also looked st) and never had a car resprayed either.
I don't get the fad of spending £5k a car and then also why people get resprays for road rash !
Yes, all of them.I have only fitted it to 1 bumper out of 73 (it also looked s
t) and never had a car resprayed either.I don't get the fad of spending £5k a car and then also why people get resprays for road rash !
I have got ocd when it comes to my cars as I always keep them spotlessly clean all the time and yes I do drive them a lot also before anyone asks !
All my moderns, except the M3 which I got before I came across PPF, have full coverage. I've just had all my classics detailed at 2.5 days each car including ceramic coating. They don't do the miles to need PPF. Bought a pet drier so when I wash them I can just blow dry them, works a treat but with the PPF'd cars I just dry them with microfibre towels.
One of my Porsches has had xPel on for 6 years now. Still looks great after nigh on 40,000 miles (and that one is my winter DD). The rest have Suntek. Superb stuff.
I have full PPF on my 991.2 GTS.
I have no real regrets, after a year there’s not a mark on the car, not having any stone chips is so refreshing.
Also knowing bird poo and malicious damage shouldn’t affect the paint underneath is peace of mind.
The only issue I’ve had is during the really hot summer last year, I needed to remove bugs off the front of the car daily, as one of the properties of the PPF is it’s self healing capabilities, but that’s a double edged sword, it also allows the bugs to melt into the film with the direct sunlight a heat we had. So you really need to remove them ASAP. I just kept water wipes (baby wipes) in the frunk and used those each time, worked well, they’re also great on bird poo!
I have no real regrets, after a year there’s not a mark on the car, not having any stone chips is so refreshing.
Also knowing bird poo and malicious damage shouldn’t affect the paint underneath is peace of mind.
The only issue I’ve had is during the really hot summer last year, I needed to remove bugs off the front of the car daily, as one of the properties of the PPF is it’s self healing capabilities, but that’s a double edged sword, it also allows the bugs to melt into the film with the direct sunlight a heat we had. So you really need to remove them ASAP. I just kept water wipes (baby wipes) in the frunk and used those each time, worked well, they’re also great on bird poo!
_Leg_ said:
You and me both. My cars are driven plenty, a lot round Europe, but cared for meticulously.
All my moderns, except the M3 which I got before I came across PPF, have full coverage. I've just had all my classics detailed at 2.5 days each car including ceramic coating. They don't do the miles to need PPF. Bought a pet drier so when I wash them I can just blow dry them, works a treat but with the PPF'd cars I just dry them with microfibre towels.
One of my Porsches has had xPel on for 6 years now. Still looks great after nigh on 40,000 miles (and that one is my winter DD). The rest have Suntek. Superb stuff.
Snap, all mine are done in xpel and suntek, best on the market right now and the cars always look pristine.All my moderns, except the M3 which I got before I came across PPF, have full coverage. I've just had all my classics detailed at 2.5 days each car including ceramic coating. They don't do the miles to need PPF. Bought a pet drier so when I wash them I can just blow dry them, works a treat but with the PPF'd cars I just dry them with microfibre towels.
One of my Porsches has had xPel on for 6 years now. Still looks great after nigh on 40,000 miles (and that one is my winter DD). The rest have Suntek. Superb stuff.
Just had my gt3 done - full ppf. I cant stand seeing stine chips and gravel rash. Also means i dont have to be so careful washing the car, and the time saving in that is worth it. Yes tour could respray, but that in itself could put off a future buyer - whats to say it wasnt a respray following an accident?
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