"Why Paint Protection Film (PPF) Sucks - Watch this before you buy" - video

[DANgerous]

What is the price of peace of mind? Personally I've never had PPF and never felt that I missed it. Maybe I've been lucky. I'll keep taking my chances and use the touch up method if I ever have to.

Now, kerbing wheels... I haven't been so lucky and I fear there's no PPF that will help me there!

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[Vim Schrotnock]

These days you can find a video that tells you it's a bad idea to breath air or drink water.

A couple points in this thread need to be emphasized - first, pick the right shop! If you have a 5-star installer, they will use the right PPF and they will keep it looking good when you get dings or need a ceramic refresh. Second is you WILL get a significant number of paint chips on the front if you drive a lot of miles. I've already posted two dings that without PPF would have required a repaint of a panel. Not only are you saving the cost of a repaint, but you're increasing the resale value by preserving the original paint. Many shops will consider a repainted panel a sign of possible structural damage. Finally, the peace of mind, knowing you don't need to worry -about door dings or shopping carts (both happened while I was in the car with no consequence). Put all this together, and I think there are some pretty compelling reasons to get PPF installed by a good shop.

 

[gnop1950]

Yes, I can imagine that working out well in your situation.

But, as you implied, it's different in some places. For instance, here in the American Southwest high desert country. We occasionally have windborne granules of granite driven steadily at 50+ mph in a particular (pardon the pun) horizontal direction over hours-long periods. Then there are the 300+ per year cloudless days of very intense solar radiation with a mile-high lack of atmospheric filtration levels of the lower elevations. This radiation can literally consume even the highest-tech paint on upward-facing surfaces. Last, I sometimes drive dusty secondary roads without the benefits of regular precipitation to temper them. Welcome to my world, and please do visit, as the opportunity arises, and you can experience this dramatic outdoor environment (most of it really is beautiful and enjoyable).

My car is firmly garaged while I am at home, but I don't want to subject the front clip OR any other painted areas to hours of unprotected exposure to the above-mentioned elements. I've driven 6200 miles and have been out for many hours with my full-PPFed Taycan Turbo, yet it still glistens with a faultless, unblemished shine, maintained by a mere monthly, brief, gentle hand wash. So, I'm happy to have this protection, and if, after 5 years I prefer to replace some or all of the PPF, then so be it.

Not to mention all of the Pickup Trucks, most without mud flaps, some with raised suspensions and big tires constantly throwing up pebbles. There are so many on the road in the SW USA that it is almost impossible to not occasionally get behind one.

 

[tutis]

I also don’t understand the whole PPF. Cars age; the paint, the batteries, the chassis underneath picks up a bit of oxydation or even rust. The $7k it costs to apply PPF is better spent respraying parts if and when they’re damaged. Small chips get touched up by dealer for free. In fact I think a few battle scars show that the car has been used. The cars in the Porsche museum don’t have PPF, and if you look closet they have a few blemishes from track use.
Just as people who garage queen their cars are compared with people who “spare their girlfriend for the next guy”, PPF Is like wearing rubber with one’s GF still for the benefit of the next guy… drive your cars, and fix them when they get dinged. A well off car collecting friend drives all of his cars as much as he can. He makes and saves money elsewhere. Cars like these are not museum pieces.

 

[Tooney]

Just as people who garage queen their cars are compared with people who “spare their girlfriend for the next guy”, PPF Is like wearing rubber with one’s GF still for the benefit of the next guy… drive your cars, and fix them when they get dinged.

A memorable analogy......

 

[Jhenson29]

The $7k it costs to apply PPF is better spent respraying parts if and when they’re damaged.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing either though. In my experience, 90% of the damage (just an estimate) occurs on the front of the car. So, around $2k gets the front protected. That’s what I did.

 

[Skilly]

Along with installers being key to longevity, so is the product itself. Xpel used to be the gold but they stopped innovating and I think their product is 'mid pack'.

PPF is a must unless you want paint damage and resprays - and I have used Xpel as long as I can remember. That said, for my last 3 cars, I have used Stek (www.stek-usa.com). Frankly the stuff is bulletproof AND it doesnt need coating with Ceramic after install - in fact it's so hydrophobic that I had to use adhesion promoter to reapply my decals. Its thicker than Xpel so will be a little more difficult for installers...so it wont always be their first choice.

 

[dynamo]

I've owned plenty of cars over 50 years, driven 100s of thousands of miles and never had a chipping issue on any of my cars.

My Jeep Rubicon gets driven hard off road and no chip issues to justify thousands of dollars of PPF.

 

[XLR82XS]

I've owned plenty of cars over 50 years, driven 100s of thousands of miles and never had a chipping issue on any of my cars.

My Jeep Rubicon gets driven hard off road and no chip issues to justify thousands of dollars of PPF.

Simply not true. Ive had brand new cars get paint damage after a few hundred miles. Flashlight test a car with 100K miles.

 

[Skilly]

Simply not true. Ive had brand new cars get paint damage after a few hundred miles. Flashlight test a car with 100K miles.

or 10K...

it also depends what your standards are I suppose. If chips don't bug you then I guess this could be true. Also, at 100K miles chips just blend in with all the other regular use damage that shows up.

The response is funny though...it has the feel of "you kids and your crazy new fangled ideas!"

 

[Vim Schrotnock]

I've owned plenty of cars over 50 years, driven 100s of thousands of miles and never had a chipping issue on any of my cars.

My Jeep Rubicon gets driven hard off road and no chip issues to justify thousands of dollars of PPF.

Don't see a whole lot of Jeeps going in for PPF. Wonder why that is?

For a very low car with an exposed hood like the Taycan, if you drive at a speed the car is designed for, you will get significant dings if you drive enough miles. Anyone who's owned a Porsche knows this. I stopped driving my Panamera on the low setting on the highway and the hood chips reduced significantly. If you're not terribly particular about small chips/dings in your car, then you don't need PPF. If you want to keep your paint in pristine condition, and drive it the way it was designed to be driven, there is no better solution.

 

[dynamo]

Simply not true. Ive had brand new cars get paint damage after a few hundred miles. Flashlight test a car with 100K miles.

you look silly trying to exclaim you know my experiences better than I do.

I couldn't care less about your experience, but for some reason you need to attack mine.

 

[dynamo]

Don't see a whole lot of Jeeps going in for PPF. Wonder why that is?

For a very low car with an exposed hood like the Taycan, if you drive at a speed the car is designed for, you will get significant dings if you drive enough miles. Anyone who's owned a Porsche knows this. I stopped driving my Panamera on the low setting on the highway and the hood chips reduced significantly. If you're not terribly particular about small chips/dings in your car, then you don't need PPF. If you want to keep your paint in pristine condition, and drive it the way it was designed to be driven, there is no better solution.

Fill me in, How many Rubicons have PPF.


I've owned and driven plenty of cars with "exposed" hoods, lol, yet have no need to spend thousands of dollars on PPF.

I didn't comment on your view of PPF, I could not care less.

 

[Claude Balls]

Driving in a wet

climate like the UK is challenging for any car. My Aston DB11 was 3.5 years old with full PPF. There were no dirty edges or any imperfections on the vehicle when I sold it back to Aston. In fact you could see your face in the paintwork. The main dealers professional buyer said “he wished every car would had it installed”

 

[gnop1950]

you look silly trying to exclaim you know my experiences better than I do.

I couldn't care less about your experience, but for some reason you need to attack mine.

I think that it is just that your claim is so difficult to believe. While I can believe you only have minor chipping, and that it doesn't bother you. To claim there is no chipping after 100s of thousands of miles driven defies logic and common sense. Unless you have a special forcefield protecting your car Heck, I've never had a car more than a few years that didn't, at some point, need a windshield repair and can start to see minor chips, dings, after just a few months.

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