To PPF or not to PPF

[Budweiser]

Ok, once again my thanks to all of you for your thoughts and advice.

I have decided to go with the below quotation from a local company whom I have known for a number of years.

Gtechniq Detailing and Ceramic Package

Gtechniq Used Car Enhancement (Dual Stage Machine Polish)
Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra Black Application
Gtechniq Total Surface Protection Package (Complete Wheel, Callipers, Glass, Leather and Fabrics, Headlights, Tail Lights and Exhaust Tips)

XPEL Ultimate Plus PPF Application

Premium Coverage Application

Front Bumper
Lower Splitter
Full Bonnet (Single Piece or 3 Piece Split Application depending on preferred option)
Full Wing Sections
Wing Mirrors
Headlights (Depending on Manufacturer Recommendation)

Side Sill Application

Lower Gloss Black Section
Upper Painted Section
Rear Bumper Strip (Wear & Tear Area)

Total Package Time Slot - 12-14 days

[reddiesel]

That sounds great , in my experience around £5k to wrap a Vantage to the same specification and using the same PPF . The additional work I never had done but in my opinion its still a worthwhile investment so fingers crossed you are delighted with the end result .Keep us all posted .

[AlexT]

Has anyone got any experience in using the latest 3M PRO 200 PPF film?

I have been advised by some to stay away from 3M.

I have recently viewed examples of Suntek Reaction and Xpel Ultimate on dark cars. In regards to gloss and orange peel, the Suntek appeared slightly superior.

[Marc p]

I’m on the fence with PPF, on one side if it’s just a partial PPF I find that the costs generally quite expensive and would work out cheaper just to have the front bumper resprayed every few years, plus I’ve seen a few times(when the PPF has been removed), the stones have still chipped the paint but the PPF has held the paint in place and have appeared upon removing it.

On the other side, if you have a car fully covered in PPF, it allows for easier maintenance as you can quickly clean the car without having to worry about marring or putting swirls in the paint or be neurotic about bird poor and tree sap getting on the paintwork.

[Coobie]

I have full Suntek PPF on my Vantage and it's been great. My car is xenon grey and the suntek is very clear. Xenon has a lot of paint fleck and it all shows through the PPF. I went with full coverage so I wouldn't have to worry about swirls etc. I may be one of the few that enjoys detailing their car weekly and the PPF makes it so easy and my neurosis about marring etc. is kept at bay. I have had Suntek on many of my previous cars and absolutely no regrets. Even had it removed once on a black M4 and reapplied and no paint issues. Maybe I was just lucky.

[Marc p]

Coobie said:

I have full Suntek PPF on my Vantage and it's been great. My car is xenon grey and the suntek is very clear. Xenon has a lot of paint fleck and it all shows through the PPF. I went with full coverage so I wouldn't have to worry about swirls etc. I may be one of the few that enjoys detailing their car weekly and the PPF makes it so easy and my neurosis about marring etc. is kept at bay. I have had Suntek on many of my previous cars and absolutely no regrets. Even had it removed once on a black M4 and reapplied and no paint issues. Maybe I was just lucky.

Yup, exactly my point on a full PPF, I’m also one of those that enjoys detailing so would normally wince at some methods of washing, but a full PPF makes for a far less neurotic ownership.
I really got the appeal of it last month when I was in the states and had a 2018 911 GT3 for a few days, the owner told me that it was fully PPF’d so no problem taking it through a normal car wash as it was self healing and the sunlight would rectify any swirls/scratches put into the wrap. I initially recoiled at the idea but eventually decided to test it and took it through a car wash, I then drove down the road, parked up and got out to examine it and was gobsmacked by the results, the car was clean and even under the intense Texas sun, there was barely a swirl or mark to note.

[BenAstonV12]

IMHO, on any new high end car (and even nice "mid end" cars), full PPF each and every time is a must. First question I always ask after cars arrive, is how soon can I get my car booked in to get protection added. Plus full ceramic coating. If spending big money on such cars, so many benefits of properly installed PPF with very little downside (costs aside). Key is less which type of PPF material used than using the right body shop/installer to do it who really know what they're doing. And even after that, would never, ever use a drive through car wash. Hand wash, using the right solvents, and again using knowledgeable detail/car wash places is a must - or do it yourself!

[Budweiser]

This is the nub of the problem for the uninitiated, so many contradictory statements about PPF.

[Ken Figenus]

I recently had my car done front end and some bits and bobs inc the carbon sills. The guy is a diligent expert. The material used was made by a French company Hexis.

https://www.bodyfence.net/products/bodyfencex/

It seems to me to be far better value than the more well known brands which are very pricy these days. Had same stuff on my Rapide 3 yrs and is withstanding very well but of course has a few mini rocks that have gone through it and maybe some slight yellowing but the car is white which will particularly show that up. Its very swirl free as the self healing works. Mates who recommended it have also had it on their Macs for 4+ years with no issues.

There is a join here on the splitter as that's the compromise to get it all on within the 10hr day budget it all took - I can personally live with it...



When it all gets to be far far more than a respray - which it never used to be - you have to cut your cloth. Its also a good comment made earlier on peace of mind too with less worry about the paint. I'd recommend any of it by any brand/shop - ESPECIALLY on yer carbon bits as that cant be touched up or resprayed.

[Marc p]

BenAstonV12 said:

IMHO, on any new high end car (and even nice "mid end" cars), full PPF each and every time is a must. First question I always ask after cars arrive, is how soon can I get my car booked in to get protection added. Plus full ceramic coating. If spending big money on such cars, so many benefits of properly installed PPF with very little downside (costs aside). Key is less which type of PPF material used than using the right body shop/installer to do it who really know what they're doing. And even after that, would never, ever use a drive through car wash. Hand wash, using the right solvents, and again using knowledgeable detail/car wash places is a must - or do it yourself!

If you’re going to that level of care that has you ceramic coating a fully PPF’d car and being anal about the products used for washing, what’s the point of having the car fully PPF’d?
It’s a serious question as for me the point of PPF is to allow you to have less concerns and not have to worry about meticulousness when washing a car. It self heals so you can just wash it however you want without the concern of putting swirls in the paint.

[Lionhead]

Stupid question time - and it's my first post here which is unfortunate but hey, here goes - how does PPF impact the way you can wash the car? Can it still be jet-washed (with a brush attachment?) or is it old school bucket and sponge?

[Ken Figenus]

You can still pressure wash but wise not to hammer any edges/joins up close - just like you probably wouldn't hammer the taillights and headlamps and side strakes from 2" away with 200PSi! I wash my two exactly as if they had no PPF - 2 buckets and look after it.

[AdamV12V]

Lionhead said:

Stupid question time - and it's my first post here which is unfortunate but hey, here goes - how does PPF impact the way you can wash the car? Can it still be jet-washed (with a brush attachment?) or is it old school bucket and sponge?

I don't think using a high pressure jet-wash with a brush attachment is a good idea on any car you care much about, full stop. With or without PPF to be honest.

[Lionhead]

Ken Figenus said:

You can still pressure wash but wise not to hammer any edges/joins up close - just like you probably wouldn't hammer the taillights and headlamps and side strakes from 2" away with 200PSi! I wash my two exactly as if they had no PPF - 2 buckets and look after it.

Thanks

[Lionhead]

AdamV12V said:

I don't think using a high pressure jet-wash with a brush attachment is a good idea on any car you care much about, full stop. With or without PPF to be honest.

Hard to disagree, and I don't use a brush, but was curious. Cheers.

[Davil]

AdamV12V said:

I don't think using a high pressure jet-wash with a brush attachment is a good idea on any car you care much about, full stop. With or without PPF to be honest.

Yes, I expect this is probably THE forum for very fussy washers, myself included.

Last service I made sure to tell the service manager not to wash the car. He laughed. They are also a McLaren dealership. He said, yes, every Aston owner tells me the same thing. Every McLaren owner asks to make sure it gets washed.

[OLDBENZ]

It is worth knowing that bug splatter quickly eats into the surface of the ppf and leaves a permanent mark so if on a road trip don't wait until the end of the week to remove. Ask me how I found out. For some reason (at least in my experience) the ppf industry is not very good at giving ongoing care and maintenance instructions.

Works sales had a new unregistered black DBS 707 Ultimate on their display at Salon Prive at Blenheim the other month. That had ppf which I thought was a particularly bad job. The front clamshell was done in sections with very visible joins and in places an odd sort of texture to the ppf itself which looked like paint that needed a good flat and polish. I am not sure if they do that in-house but I would have found that difficult to live with.

I am a bit equivocal about ppf. I see the benefits but, to me, it is not without downsides. I have it on 2 of my cars (front end and sills on a Huracan which H R Owen talked me into and front end on a Vantage V12S which was bought second hand). Given a choice I would probably just do front bumpers and sills and leave low impact areas.

[AlexT]

OLDBENZ said:

It is worth knowing that bug splatter quickly eats into the surface of the ppf and leaves a permanent mark so if on a road trip don't wait until the end of the week to remove........Works sales had a new unregistered black DBS 707 Ultimate on their display at Salon Prive at Blenheim the other month. That had ppf which I thought was a particularly bad job. The front clamshell was done in sections with very visible joins and in places an odd sort of texture to the ppf itself which looked like paint that needed a good flat and polish.

Thanks for the tip. I have noticed this too on PPF I used on a car 13 years ago. I think this why people now use a ceramic coating on top of the PPF in order to help mitigate this.

I wonder what brand PPF they used on that DBS 707? The job sounds amateurish also - they should have used a bulk sheet and custom cut it to cover the entire clamshell. I recently viewed a new Vantage V12 in minotaur green that had PPF. I noted that the PPF did introduce some orange peel that was noticeable on the dark paint. I believe it was 3M PPF but not sure if it was the latest and best.

[Budweiser]

I have been given the choice of having the bonnet covered in one or three pieces.

The only benefit I can see, of any note, is with the three pieces if I have a minor scuff the whole clamshell won’t have to be replaced. The obvious down side is the joints which the installer assures me would be virtually invisible?? The car will be fully ceramic coated after installation.

I could leave the bonnet unprotected and just do the lower front, sides and rear?

My car had 10k on the clock with no noticeable marks on the bonnet so is protection in that area really worth it?

I’d love to hear from other DB11 owners who don’t have protection on the bonnet how that’s working out for them?

[alscar]

Budweiser said:

I have been given the choice of having the bonnet covered in one or three pieces.

The only benefit I can see, of any note, is with the three pieces if I have a minor scuff the whole clamshell won’t have to be replaced. The obvious down side is the joints which the installer assures me would be virtually invisible?? The car will be fully ceramic coated after installation.

I could leave the bonnet unprotected and just do the lower front, sides and rear?

My car had 10k on the clock with no noticeable marks on the bonnet so is protection in that area really worth it?

I’d love to hear from other DB11 owners who don’t have protection on the bonnet how that’s working out for them?

There will be an element of Sods Law that says a stone will hit 1cm away from any panel protected !