What PPF did you go for?

What PPF did you go for?

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worldwidewebs

Original Poster:

2,356 posts

250 months

Tuesday 11th January 2022
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My A110 goes into build any day now so I've been thinking of what PPF coverage to get. I'd really like to get the whole car done but I can't justify the expense so will probably go for full front end (bumper, wings, bonnet, mirror cars), sills and potentially the rear wing and A-pillars. What have other people gone for, or wish they had done?

Hoofty

654 posts

190 months

Tuesday 11th January 2022
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Front bumper, headlights, bonnet, mirrors and sills here. So far the hardest working areas are the mirrors and sills…

I suppose I could’ve done the front wings too, but like everybody, had to draw the line somewhere. Whatever you choose you’ll soon stop thinking about it, particularly once it’s run in! biggrin

Miserablegit

4,021 posts

109 months

Tuesday 11th January 2022
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Full front end and rear bumper

xondat

235 posts

50 months

Wednesday 12th January 2022
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Full coverage, but I could justify it since I have an Atelier color, and it was my first brand new car.

worldwidewebs

Original Poster:

2,356 posts

250 months

Wednesday 12th January 2022
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xondat said:
Full coverage, but I could justify it since I have an Atelier color, and it was my first brand new car.
A big part of the reason I'm going for PPF myself is that I know if I have to get the Alpine Blue re-sprayed it'll cost a fortune and probably be a pig to match. Who did you use and what did you pay, if you don't mind me asking? And would you recommend them?

I'm likely to be using Assetti near Chester

worldwidewebs

Original Poster:

2,356 posts

250 months

Wednesday 12th January 2022
quotequote all
Miserablegit said:
Full front end and rear bumper
What was your thinking about getting the rear bumper done? Does it get chipped?

Miserablegit

4,021 posts

109 months

Wednesday 12th January 2022
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Driving on country roads a lot of detritus is thrown up by my cars at the rear and hits rear skirts etc.

I don't think the Alpine is particularly prone but I just wanted to take extra precautions on a car that would be used. Couldn't justify a whole wrap.




xondat

235 posts

50 months

Wednesday 12th January 2022
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worldwidewebs said:
A big part of the reason I'm going for PPF myself is that I know if I have to get the Alpine Blue re-sprayed it'll cost a fortune and probably be a pig to match. Who did you use and what did you pay, if you don't mind me asking? And would you recommend them?

I'm likely to be using Assetti near Chester
Topaz, I think approx. £6k after VAT, including the detailing.

Wouldn't recommend them at all - fitment isn't nearly as good as their marketing would make you think. They did nothing to help me when the clear coat peeled off during PPF application, just told me here's the price, pay it.

I would've gone with Assetti if I knew they existed, would be interested to hear your experience if you go that way!

fanatical_andy_rs

31 posts

256 months

Wednesday 12th January 2022
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Full front end on my Pure, so bonnet, bumper, headlights, front wings and wing mirrors. I also had the door sills done, plus the painted parts of the interior doors done as well.

Xpel Ultimate Plus self healing film, work carried out by NVN London.

First class job and they also did a superb job on my Megane RS Trophy previously as well, a pleasure to deal with too.

They charge £1500 + VAT for the front kit and £3000 + VAT for full PPF. They have done quite a few now, so have the template for the A110.


Hoofty

654 posts

190 months

Saturday 15th January 2022
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worldwidewebs said:
Miserablegit said:
Full front end and rear bumper
What was your thinking about getting the rear bumper done? Does it get chipped?
Following an extremely minor (but surprisingly annoying) spot of car park contact yesterday, I have found another reason to add the rear bumper panel to the list.

Greg-

167 posts

192 months

Saturday 15th January 2022
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I did whole car, but figured as I was going to use it all year round it was worth the cost. I also looked at doing the Paint Protection Spray from Litchfield but couldn't quite justify the cost, though I may go for it later down the line and do a colour change.

Liam22

128 posts

106 months

Saturday 15th January 2022
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Just for balance, I decided against it. I had pushed the budget up and up so had to draw the line somewhere.

Frada01

57 posts

131 months

Sunday 16th January 2022
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I went with concours detailing. Amazing service from Bradly. Pretty reasonable too I thought.

Renault Alpine Xpel Ultimate Plus Paint Protection Film:
Full bonnet
Front wings
Wing mirrors
Front bumper
Side sills
Front roof section
A pillars
Rear bumper impact area
Headlights and fog lights

Had a 2 stage detail on the car and ceramic coating all over for a toal cost of £2500. The PPF was £1500 inc VAT.

Meonstoke

264 posts

102 months

Tuesday 18th January 2022
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Hi WWW,

Prior to the Alpine I never made use of PPF. I was more into classic cars which were already no longer 'perfect' although they were of greater value. When first exploring the world of PPF and ceramic coating you can easily get yourself in a real pickle - the pros and cons, and with an expert behind every forum corner - each one with their own view. It almost drove me bonkers working it all out after I had decided to switch from classics sports cars to a modern retro sportscar - with the A110 fitting the bill almost perfectly.

Knowing what I know now, I am overall happy with the PPF choices I made - and in my eyes, I would only focus on the areas of the car most prone to chip or scratch. I chose for the frunk, front bumper, lights, sills, the mirrors, and with a larger area above the rear wheel arch, and a small area on the rear bumper, inner door sills, door cups, and a small strip next to the rear boot lid (easy to mark when bringing in / taking out gear - this was a tip from one of the guys on PH.) There was a slight misunderstanding with the company I chose and they ended up doing the 2 front wings as well. Such is life, but if I was to take another A110 I would still not have the front wings done, nor would I extend above the plastic rear protector on the front of the rear wheel arches. I would also not take ceramic coating (although it looks great) which I had applied to the rest of the body areas, and not to the PPF areas.

After much thought I chose the latest Premium Shield self-healing product rather than XPEL Ultimate. XPEL is undoubtedly good and strong but it has 2 downsides - it's not so glossy and it's a lot harder to work with - as it's not so pliable and the sticky agent is very strong stuff. Hence, it's harder to manipulate and to adjust, and more of a chance of things not going quite right.... Plus, I wanted to minimise the risk of damage to the clearcoat with the strength of the agent applied.

The thing to bear in mind with PPF (and with ceramic coating) is it is no passport to carefree car ownership - you have to be really careful about their maintenance and ensure nothing with any residue sticks for more than a couple of weeks to the surface. Not to mention the special cleaning products required to keep it all clean. Hence, my conclusion above: apply PPF only to the most obvious places for stone chip damage and for wear and tear; and don't try to protect the whole car. That's a folly and will only drive you nuts in the end. Enjoy the shine of the new paintwork over the majority of the car and accept that 'scratches' and chips ultimately go hand in hand with cars that are driven - which is their purpose...

A couple of caveats to the above; if you are a serious track event driver then you may want to protect more of the car with PPF. Or if you have a really expensive and special new car, then I can imagine a full PPF might be worthwhile to safe-guard your investment.

The one thing I would advise though - above all else - is go with someone you trust implicitly and where you know you will receive great customer service, also after the work is done. You are almost guaranteed to have to pay them a visit again to make minor adjustments here and there. You don't want any hassle in the future. Also, trust what they say and their advice based on their experience of PPF and the various products. This is what really counts in the end. I chose to go with a well established family run business close to where I live who are well respected, have won custom awards; and I know they are likely to still be around for the next 10 years over the guaranteed lifetime of the product. They are used by Porsche garages and by clients with high end cars e.g. Rolls, Ferrari's, Astons, etc. So that gave me confidence - and despite a feeling that they were perhaps not the very best - I chose for the mix of close proximity and customer service. That was more important to me to give peace of mind.

Hope this helps and does not over-complicate your decision-making.

Good luck!

M.









LGC-Adams

126 posts

44 months

Tuesday 18th January 2022
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Meonstoke said:
I would only focus on the areas of the car most prone to chip or scratch. I chose for the frunk, front bumper, lights, sills, the mirrors, and with a larger area above the rear wheel arch, and a small area on the rear bumper, inner door sills, door cups, and a small strip next to the rear boot lid (easy to mark when bringing in / taking out gear - this was a tip from one of the guys on PH.) There was a slight misunderstanding with the company I chose and they ended up doing the 2 front wings as well. Such is life, but if I was to take another A110 I would still not have the front wings done, nor would I extend above the plastic rear protector on the front of the rear wheel arches. I would also not take ceramic coating (although it looks great) which I had applied to the rest of the body areas, and not to the PPF areas.




........Sounds a very pragmatic choice for a car that will be driven and used!!

I got my front bumper done professionally (Azuri Car Care, Stevenage - No connection to business!). They handle a lot of very prestige vehicles.
This was sufficient coverage for my long term ownership plans.

I also did the sills myself with materials from MDP supplies (https://www.mdpsupplies.co.uk/vehicle-wrapping). Its not actually very difficult, just take time, make sure everything is very clean and The job was acceptable for me. Peeling off the patch of sill OEM film ahead of the rear wheel was easy with some gentle heat (hair drier level, not paint gun!!).
Edited by LGC-Adams on Tuesday 18th January 16:23


Edited by LGC-Adams on Wednesday 19th January 09:10

Iceblue

101 posts

31 months

Monday 16th May 2022
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worldwidewebs said:
A big part of the reason I'm going for PPF myself is that I know if I have to get the Alpine Blue re-sprayed it'll cost a fortune and probably be a pig to match. Who did you use and what did you pay, if you don't mind me asking? And would you recommend them?

I'm likely to be using Assetti near Chester
Out of interest did you use Assetti for the PPF install if so were you pleased with their work. Cheers

worldwidewebs

Original Poster:

2,356 posts

250 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
Iceblue said:
worldwidewebs said:
A big part of the reason I'm going for PPF myself is that I know if I have to get the Alpine Blue re-sprayed it'll cost a fortune and probably be a pig to match. Who did you use and what did you pay, if you don't mind me asking? And would you recommend them?

I'm likely to be using Assetti near Chester
Out of interest did you use Assetti for the PPF install if so were you pleased with their work. Cheers
Yes I did use them - no problems yet from what I can see. They were great to deal with and I'd happily use them again. Obviously, the acid test is what happens if I have a problem but in all honesty I feel comfortable that they'd sort any issues out without question.

LE62NDE

267 posts

20 months

Monday 17th October 2022
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I'm booked in for front bumper and mirror pods with Azuri in Stevenage. I dropped in on them unannounced on Friday, following up a month-old online enquiry; Graham took time to show me around, explain the material they use (XPEL) and show me finished examples: an AMG and a Ferrari; there was a Lamborghini being prepped too, so while it is no guarantee of quality it seems like he has high-end customers. Pricing seems on a par with other companies.
Although the XPEL CAD file has cutouts to fit around the 'Alpine' lettering, he suggests removing the originals and replacing them with new afterwards which, as it 'only' adds £66 to the bill, seems quite reasonable yes

Miserablegit

4,021 posts

109 months

Monday 17th October 2022
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LE62NDE said:
I'm booked in for front bumper and mirror pods with Azuri in Stevenage. I dropped in on them unannounced on Friday, following up a month-old online enquiry; Graham took time to show me around, explain the material they use (XPEL) and show me finished examples: an AMG and a Ferrari; there was a Lamborghini being prepped too, so while it is no guarantee of quality it seems like he has high-end customers. Pricing seems on a par with other companies.
Although the XPEL CAD file has cutouts to fit around the 'Alpine' lettering, he suggests removing the originals and replacing them with new afterwards which, as it 'only' adds £66 to the bill, seems quite reasonable yes
I’d do this - I have the cutout Xpel ppl and, to be honest, it’s not very good - quite a gap around the letters and so, in hindsight I’d get them taken off and put back on again.

LGC-Adams

126 posts

44 months

Monday 17th October 2022
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Just FYI....Azuri in Stevenage did my front bumper a year, or so, ago. Nice job and so far so good.
Re attached old letters but one fell off later. I bought new whole badge (about £70?) cut out letter needed, fitted it and have the rest spare!
Suggest you give each letter a wobble around when you collect car.
The bumper is a pretty complex shape to cover too.