paint protection film - on vehicles

[ramonesfreak]

like 3M....pro installed

how do you feel about this? i’m watching videos and can’t decide if i would get this or not

[chapo]

Or Teflon or Ceramic? just bought a new truck, curious myself.

[skinnerd]

I think the "self healing" paint films on the front of the car and leading edges of the rear flares is a wise move/investment.
Trying to learn more about the ceramic craze right now.
If that is more durable than your standard wax, it might be worth it as well to keep that paint protected to some degree.
I'm definitely investigating films and ceramic coatings at this point.

[Steve Carlton]

Both

[cstreit]

I’ve put it on the nose of vehicles that I didn’t want to pick up rock chips. Are you concerned about doing it? It’s removable,,

[911boost]

My GT3 has a full clear bra and ceramic and I really like it.

My new Toyota goes in on the 17th for a full nose ppf and ceramic too. This is my DD that spends a lot of time on the interstate and it wasn’t cheap so I want to take care of it.

There are lots of differentiation types of paint protection film and each has strengths.

[PorscheGAL]

Do it. We have 2 Ford Focus cars both with 200K miles. One with and one without. The difference in the paint on the front end is dramatically different. After seeing that, I made sure my Audi had the entire front fascia, hood, and mirrors done. The installer also did a few small areas like the door edges, the area behind the door handle (protect against rings) and the areal just below the trunk so if something got dragged into the trunk would not scratch the paint.

[GH85Carrera]

When we bought my wife's Macan we took it to the paint protection place. We had the front end, mirrors, door sills, and rear deck where stuff is loaded in and out all covered. It seems to be doing great and doing the job we wanted.

[ramonesfreak]

anyone have direct experience with the self-healing type?

[Ctopher]

I had my 911 done with Suntek Ultra along with multiple coats of CQuartz & Gliss. It was the best thing I’ve done to make the car look amazing and protection with little worry while driving. The car has around 10k in the nearly 4yrs I’ve owned it and has plenty of hard impacts that made me shiver hearing the impact. Some have hit hard enough that it started or ripped the film but many show no signs of the impact. Drive the car during the day or leave out in the sun for a little bit and the minor scratches seem to disappear.

The ceramic coatings while durable for keeping the car clean and pretty looking don’t really seem to add any actual rock impact protection. In my case I’m doing it for two parts, UV protection of the film for additional longevity and keeping the car clean and glossy. I’m just over the 3yr mark on the ceramic coating and probably time for a new application. Honestly the car lives in the garage and is kept clean and I use the Reload spray on sealant so the car doesn’t show any signs of coating lost.

If your intent is to protect the paint from rocks and debris scratching or chipping the paint then PPF is the only way to go. And I mean specifically PPF, not a wrap. Most wraps are significantly thinner and are meant as a color change not paint protection. If you want super ease of keeping the car clean and glossy then ceramic coating for longevity or spray on sealant for very short term durability.

CTopher

[thor66]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

like 3M....pro installed

how do you feel about this? i’m watching videos and can’t decide if i would get this or not

We live in a fear driven society

don't worry about it

besides, "paint is temporary" - I know that because a painter told me so

[Brian 162]

We just got a Mazda CX5. We had protection film installed on the front of the hood and the leading edge of the roof. The line across the hood from the film is really noticeable. But it's better that stone chips.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

anyone have direct experience with the self-healing type?

Had it on three cars, meh They all are self-healing these days. Nothing earth-shattering (bigger scars and hazing still shows) and still needs maintenance.

[RANDY P]

Stay away from 3M films. Old 3m once it gets old comes off in little chips. Nightmare. Dunno if they changed the formula but no way.

In fact, I'm getting old 3m removed off my car on the 20th- old 3m looks like orange peel.

Suntek is better. Virtually clear.

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by Brian 162

We just got a Mazda CX5. We had protection film installed on the front of the hood and the leading edge of the roof. The line across the hood from the film is really noticeable. But it's better that stone chips.

my wife has a new one. her second one in a row. nice interior. i turned her on to them. she leases though so no need for protection

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by thor66

We live in a fear driven society

don't worry about it

besides, "paint is temporary" - I know that because a painter told me so

it’s not temporary if you protect it - I know that because a painter told me so

[ramonesfreak]

i’m looking for rock chip protection. in NY if you don’t keep up with touching up chips, salt gets in during winter. and, touch up paint looks like crap no matter how careful i try to be

Originally Posted by Ctopher

I had my 911 done with Suntek Ultra along with multiple coats of CQuartz & Gliss. It was the best thing I’ve done to make the car look amazing and protection with little worry while driving. The car has around 10k in the nearly 4yrs I’ve owned it and has plenty of hard impacts that made me shiver hearing the impact. Some have hit hard enough that it started or ripped the film but many show no signs of the impact. Drive the car during the day or leave out in the sun for a little bit and the minor scratches seem to disappear.

The ceramic coatings while durable for keeping the car clean and pretty looking don’t really seem to add any actual rock impact protection. In my case I’m doing it for two parts, UV protection of the film for additional longevity and keeping the car clean and glossy. I’m just over the 3yr mark on the ceramic coating and probably time for a new application. Honestly the car lives in the garage and is kept clean and I use the Reload spray on sealant so the car doesn’t show any signs of coating lost.

If your intent is to protect the paint from rocks and debris scratching or chipping the paint then PPF is the only way to go. And I mean specifically PPF, not a wrap. Most wraps are significantly thinner and are meant as a color change not paint protection. If you want super ease of keeping the car clean and glossy then ceramic coating for longevity or spray on sealant for very short term durability.

CTopher

[Ctopher]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

i’m looking for rock chip protection. in NY if you don’t keep up with touching up chips, salt gets in during winter. and, touch up paint looks like crap no matter how careful i try to be

PPF is the way to go. Something you might not be aware of, if you have rock chips already on the car and get PPF installed you will see what looks like little bubbles under the film. This is from the divet/chip holding air under the film, nothing you can do other than paint the panel prior to adding PPF. On my 87 since it was all original paint I spent something like 40hrs doing touch up work on all the chips that I could with a 0000 brush, hitting them multiple times to help fill the chip area. Even after all that work I still had those bubbles in the film. A neat trick is to use the touch up paint and add a small dot to the film to cover the bubble. It’ll blend in and be very hard to find, I have a few handful that the PPF install did and some I did myself….and I would be hard pressed to find any of them without putting my face right on top of the film while rubbing it with my fingers to find the paint touch up. Just something to be aware of and depending on the panel….having it sprayed prior to PPF may give you a better look.

CTopher

[ramonesfreak]

^^^ i figured a chip would cause issues so i’m trying to decide now. car is a week old


thanks

[Aurel]

I have a black wrap on my 911. Can you tell?