Car door film - worth it?

[squirk]

Seems like a lot of people agree that mudflaps are a worthwhile investment.

But what about the paint-protection film that Tesla bundles with the mudflaps as the “All-Weather Protection Package” - worth it? Worth it for some but not for others? Or a waste of money?

Plz and thx.

 

[NeverGoingBack]

I feel like it was worth it. Lots of stuff gets kicked up onto that rear door area ….. even with front mudflaps.

 

[Wu-Chang Clan]

Worth it. There have been a number of posts with pictures of rock chips in that area by the back doors that flares out. Plus, you gotta assume Tesla makes them for a reason.

 

[GtiMart]

Mostly depends on the conditions in which you drive. Here in Quebec they throw sand and (small) crushed rocks on the road to give some traction over snow and ice. Those projections are extremely harsh on the paint. I have mudflaps and I have a ppf covering the bottom of the car and the bottom part of doors (up to the crease). The ppf in that area at the back that flares out isn't shiny anymore, tells you how much the paint would be scratched.

 

[squirk]

Mostly depends on the conditions in which you drive. Here in Quebec they throw sand and (small) crushed rocks on the road to give some traction over snow and ice. Those projections are extremely harsh on the paint. I have mudflaps and I have a ppf covering the bottom of the car and the bottom part of doors (up to the crease). The ppf in that area at the back that flares out isn't shiny anymore, tells you how much the paint would be scratched.

Thx. I live in the U.S. Deep South, so ice (and road treatments for ice) are not a factor for me. But I live in a somewhat rural area with our fair share of gravel roads and driveways. Nothing where I would be driving 100kph across such surfaces, but for $50, I guess I can't go wrong.

 

[dagug]

Protecting the door is worth it IMO but I'm not convinced the little quarter circle pieces of PPF are enough coverage and therefore not worth the price if you're going to eventually pull them for something with better coverage. I have mud flaps (very worth it) and the factory PPF on the rear doors... The combo definitely helps and does an okay job but it's not enough to battle northeast ohio winters. I get salt spray over the entire door - not nearly as much as I had without the mud flaps and the majority of the spray hits the PPF, but there's still significant spray that lands on the rest of the door.

If I'm spending the money, I'd rather go for full PPF over the entire surface of the doors (which I'm scheduled for a full car PPF wrap). The edges of the quarter circle PPF are super noticeable when you drive through any dirt or salt and end up looking really bad except for those first couple of road hours after freshly washing the car... If you cover the entire door, you get better protection and the seems won't be visible at all.

 

[CaseyL]

Seems like a lot of people agree that mudflaps are a worthwhile investment.

But what about the paint-protection film that Tesla bundles with the mudflaps as the “All-Weather Protection Package” - worth it? Worth it for some but not for others? Or a waste of money?

Plz and thx.

I live in Florida, which probably makes a big difference. I got the mud flaps and I think they are worthwhile. I skipped the Tesla PPF panels and 11,000 miles later my rear doors are just fine.

I have a 2011 Honda Pilot with PPF in that same lower rear door area and they look horrible. They have dark stains and the edges are black (the vehicle is white). They've always been noticeable.

 

[squirk]

I live in Florida, which probably makes a big difference. I got the mud flaps and I think they are worthwhile. I skipped the Tesla PPF panels and 11,000 miles later my rear doors are just fine.

I have a 2011 Honda Pilot with PPF in that same lower rear door area and they look horrible. They have dark stains and the edges are black (the vehicle is white). They've always been noticeable.

I'm in the same climate as you. Yes, I've seen films on white cars really stand out in terms of how dirty they get.

 

[dagug]

Yeah if you guys are in Florida-like climates, you're probably mostly just concerned with rock chips so the quarter round of PPF (or even just mud flaps) are probably sufficient. For us in the land of ice and snow we have to contend with corrosive/sandblasting salt spray. The extra protection really makes a big difference.

If going with a partial panel PPF, those film edges are going to be a dirt/grime magnet and will be increasingly difficult to fully clean over time. I don't think it's generally worth it to get the PPF unless you 1) wrap a full panel so there are no seams or 2) don't care about looks - in which case you're defeating the entire purpose of getting PPF in the first place.
I guess you could argue protecting the paint for resale... but if you have a partial panel PPF, it'll look dirty around the edges when it's time to sell. If you pull it off, you'll likely have a color difference where the PPF was vs was not. You could repaint the entire thing but then what was the point of getting PPF in the first place if you do that? I don't see much point in a partial panel PPF.

 

[CaseyL]

If going with a partial panel PPF, those film edges are going to be a dirt/grime magnet and will be increasingly difficult to fully clean over time. I don't think it's generally worth it to get the PPF unless you 1) wrap a full panel so there are no seams or 2) don't care about looks - in which case you're defeating the entire purpose of getting PPF in the first place.
I guess you could argue protecting the paint for resale... but if you have a partial panel PPF, it'll look dirty around the edges when it's time to sell. If you pull it off, you'll likely have a color difference where the PPF was vs was not. You could repaint the entire thing but then what was the point of getting PPF in the first place if you do that? I don't see much point in a partial panel PPF.

In my case, in Florida, the partial PPF panel would make my white Model Y look worse over time instead of better.

I wish the Honda would not have put the partial rear door panels on my white Honda Pilot.

 

[ChargePort]

+++++ I have the front mud flaps and paint protection film. Combo works great to prevent rock chips to rear quarter panel.