Cheap DIY Paint Protection Film Project

[Lanzer]

In your opinion, is the rear bumper harder than front bumper? I put on a pre-cut ppf on the front bumper and was thinking about doing the rear bumper with bulk film because I am inspired by Lanzer's success.

I have zero experience on bumpers since I had my front installed professionally. Though knowing the shape of the rear bumper I wouldn’t think it’s too tough of a project. The tough shape to me would be the trunk with the curved spoiler shape.

I would love to hear your experience installing PPF on your rear bumper!

 

[Lanzer]

More update on the PPF install.

The 1/2 inch bubble had shrunk to 1/4 the size after a week, the. The bubble only shrunk slightly in another week.

I realized that once most of the bubble is gone, you need to help push the air out by pressing half of the bubble to shrink it and increase the internal pressure of the trapped air.

So for all you DIY’res out there, know that any bubbles do go away pretty quickly. Though do note that there will be a slight ring which remain on the film even after the bubble vanish. It’s hard to notice, but I think perfectionists would want to avoid all bubbles in the first place.

 

[Fusion]

Pros actually use a needle to pop the bubble if it does not go away.

I just ordered some Xpel Ultimate to do the whole front also. Let's see how my front bumper install goes, I'm gonna try the full sheet install instead of the pre-cut... haha

I could start doing cars if I'm successful. Anyone want to hire me or Lanzer?

 

[steven415]

More update on the PPF install.

The 1/2 inch bubble had shrunk to 1/4 the size after a week, the. The bubble only shrunk slightly in another week.

I realized that once most of the bubble is gone, you need to help push the air out by pressing half of the bubble to shrink it and increase the internal pressure of the trapped air.

So for all you DIY’res out there, know that any bubbles do go away pretty quickly. Though do note that there will be a slight ring which remain on the film even after the bubble vanish. It’s hard to notice, but I think perfectionists would want to avoid all bubbles in the first place.

My PFF installer gave me an insulin needle to remove bubbles if anymore popped up because he went on vacation. I saw him do a small bubble and it looked pretty easy. Also the hole healed and I cant find it anymore.

 

[Acho]

Small advice: do not push the bubble to smaller size because by doing this you stretch the film. When using needle poke the hole at the edge ov the bubble and push the air to the hole gently. Poking in the middle ov the bubble may complicate the job.

 

[bnsfengineer]

More film arrived! This time I'm installing the film on the fender.

I bought two pieces of 30x60 film for $90 each. I think 31 inches wide would have been perfect. Right now I think it's a little too short on width to cover the hood side properly.

View media item 118407I'm super paranoid about dog hair this time. I use my magnifying glass to look for hair and dust before and after install. I also use it when I was cutting.

View media item 118405First I tape the top edge with masking tape, then I drew out the shape with a sharpie so that I can use the rest for the rear view mirror hood and other parts.

View media item 118406View media item 118409I then flipped the film over and start spraying water. It was easy to peel the backing as the masking tape hold the film in place. This time it's a one person job.

View media item 118410Flip the film down, and it's time to cut out the area for the side camera housing. First I squeegee the bottom part so I know where to cut.

View media item 118411There are some space behind the housing, you can actually leave more film to go behind it.

View media item 118413As I started trimming I noticed that I drew the corner too close and I left the corner uncovered. Oh well you can't tell after install.

View media item 118412Having to stretch to prevent fingers is tough when the headlight bulges out so much. I made a cut where the headlight is, but I stretched so much that I tore the film and now there's an exposed corner that's 1/2 inch in size. It's not a BIG deal but it's painful none the less.

This time around I used the cheap plastic squeegee that was included with the film, and it seemed to work better than that rubber squeegee. I don't have to press as hard to push all the water out, and it glides even on dry film.

Overall the install took 2 and a half hours since I need to spend more time on trimming. Hopefully I'll do a better job on the opposite side tomorrow.

Very Impressive!

 

[bluhorshue]

Can I ask you guys which vendor you used?

This looks like the kind of project I'd like to try (when I get my car). The front looks tough, but much easier than a car with a lot of grille space would.

I saw a youtube video and the cuts for the front don't look impossible.

I also saw a merchant Cleardefender.com that sells the 5' rolls for $36/foot, which seems pretty reasonable but I don't know if he is a reputable merchant, but the math seems to match what you paid.

 

[Fusion]

Depends on what brand you want. There was a really good online place that sold film for really good prices but since raised prices. Also most film vendors don't wanna sell to DIY people to keep their installers in business. If you look at a lot of the videos on youtube of M3s with the film. They look great with really fast panning shots. If you slow it down and even pause, you can see some of the installs aren't even that great.

I think there is a handful of companies that actually make the film. The majority is just re-branding and selling it as their own. It's pretty much the same stuff they sell for screen protectors that have the wet installs.

 

[Lanzer]

Can I ask you guys which vendor you used?

This looks like the kind of project I'd like to try (when I get my car). The front looks tough, but much easier than a car with a lot of grille space would.

I also saw a merchant Cleardefender.com that sells the 5' rolls for $36/foot, which seems pretty reasonable but I don't know if he is a reputable merchant, but the math seems to match what you paid.

I bought my sheets through Ebay, and after the fact I've heard that there are vendors out there selling off-brand films as 3M so I'm super paranoid and doing more research to make sure I got the real thing. So I can't recommend anyone at the moment until I figured things out. Sorry I can't be of any help there.

 

[SouthBayGuy]

I have zero experience on bumpers since I had my front installed professionally. Though knowing the shape of the rear bumper I wouldn’t think it’s too tough of a project. The tough shape to me would be the trunk with the curved spoiler shape.

I would love to hear your experience installing PPF on your rear bumper!

I just finished installing a pre-cut Suntek kit for the rear bumper. It took me about 5 hours to install. Like last time, I spent a good amount of time just getting dust off the film. Originally, I was thinking about using bulk film for the rear bumper. But decided to go with a kit instead for a little bit more money because I was concerned my cutting skills would be substandard. In addition, I am afraid of cutting the paint. My rear bumper kit cost me about $200.

While it is one piece of film. The film splits or has arms where the rear turn signals lights are. So you will see a very fine line where the two arms meet again on the lower bottom sides of the car. I have a white car. So it is not noticeable at all.

Installation Tip: Temporary adhere the lower arms to the upper part of the film so that it does not accidentally touch the ground when putting the film on the bumper.

The cutout for one sensor was misplaced to a random area near the passenger turn signal light. As result, I have a misplaced cutout in one area, and I had to cutout a hole for the sensor on another part of the bumper. I'm sure the vendor will address the problem with the misplaced sensor cutouts for future customers upon notifying him. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with the install. Having a bit more experience with ppf installs definitely resulted in a better quality result this time. I did have to cut a little excess in a couple of areas. I like that someone recommended getting a surgeons scalpel to cut the film. It cuts much better with minimal pressure.

 

[Fusion]

Here's my install....



Got the film... getting ready to go!

Decided to do the front bumper first.

Finished product. Not gonna lie, the picture looks awsome, however there are many cut lines because I couldn't get the fingers/wrinkles out and gave up so I just cut slits to make it fit. From a distance it looks alright but up close you would be like WTF is up with this bumper..... haha

Here's the finished hood. Didn't take before pictures considering it's pretty straight forward.

Tips:
Swipe with even pressure to get the initial water out, then go again with much more pressure to get all the water and bubbles out.

Make sure you keep the PPF wet. If you don't think you will get to a spot in time, make sure you go back and spray it again or else it will dry and tack. Once it does, you will get finger prints or lines from having to peel it back out. Also when you have to pull to peel it, the film stretches. This will cause more trouble, it will shrink back but it takes a bit of time.

Make sure you have a heat gun or at least a blow dryer for the edges. Most of the vids don't show this step, it's important to heat and press down on the edged so they stick well or else they will peel later.

Don't do the front bumper in a full sheet! You have been warned. Buy a pre-cut kit. Your back will thank you and the time savings will be more worth it. It was hard and getting all those wrinkles out was a nightmare. The videos make it look super easy but it was NOT easy.
If your cutting skills might not be good, get a pre-cut full front kit. It's about $500-700 on ebay. Most places charge about $1500+ do do the whole front. The cost savings is worth it if you can tackle the job.

 

[juanmedina]

The bumper is hard but the hood and fender should be not too bad.

 

[SouthBayGuy]

I currently have a pre-cut half hood. But I am considering buying bulk and doing the full hood instead. I am also thinking about doing at least the drivers door because I am concerned fingernails scratching the area around the door handles. Anyone know if the recommended procedure for putting ppf on a Model 3 is to take off the door handles?

Btw. The vendor who sold me the Suntek kit always gives me a complimentary squeegee for the install. I look this particular squeegee because instead of hard plastic like ones I used to have, it is a softer stiff rubber like squeegee. I feel this type of squeegee is superior in getting rid of the water and preventing bubbles because it seems to conform to the surface better. But I still need the hard card like squeegee to tuck film in tight spots.

Thanks to all who post in this thread. It is inspiring.

 

[Lanzer]

Here's my install....



Finished product. Not gonna lie, the picture looks awsome, however there are many cut lines because I couldn't get the fingers/wrinkles out and gave up so I just cut slits to make it fit. From a distance it looks alright but up close you would be like WTF is up with this bumper..... haha

Don't do the front bumper in a full sheet! You have been warned. Buy a pre-cut kit. Your back will thank you and the time savings will be more worth it. It was hard and getting all those wrinkles out was a nightmare. The videos make it look super easy but it was NOT easy.
If your cutting skills might not be good, get a pre-cut full front kit. It's about $500-700 on ebay. Most places charge about $1500+ do do the whole front. The cost savings is worth it if you can tackle the job.

It looks great! I must say that if you look up close you can see my orange peel and other mistakes also. I've accepted the fact that my car isn't gonna be showroom quality thanks to my inexperience, but I've saved hundreds with the protection I want.

 

[Lanzer]

I currently have a pre-cut half hood. But I am considering buying bulk and doing the full hood instead. I am also thinking about doing at least the drivers door because I am concerned fingernails scratching the area around the door handles. Anyone know if the recommended procedure for putting ppf on a Model 3 is to take off the door handles?

Btw. The vendor who sold me the Suntek kit always gives me a complimentary squeegee for the install. I look this particular squeegee because instead of hard plastic like ones I used to have, it is a softer stiff rubber like squeegee. I feel this type of squeegee is superior in getting rid of the water and preventing bubbles because it seems to conform to the surface better. But I still need the hard card like squeegee to tuck film in tight spots.

Thanks to all who post in this thread. It is inspiring.

Considering the price difference of bulk sheets vs precut, you definitely should just cover the whole hood. Lines are very noticeable if it runs across your hood. It is harder to install but not by much. You can use the partial hood sheet to cover the side mirror hoods, door edges and floor board areas.

If you're cheap like me you can just cutout PPF to wrap around the door handle area plus cover the front of the door handle itself. It's been working great so far. If you don't have a vinyl cutter I can help you make the cut-outs. No idea how to actually remove the door handles.

Personally I think the harder plastic squeegee does a better job of removing bubbles, and they don't require much water on the surface to glide smoothly. Though be careful not to let it touch regular paint as it scratches the paint easily. That's where the soft squeegee is better.

 

[Lanzer]

Another short update:

The bubble that started off at 1/2" in size had completely disappeared.
I noticed that bubbles consisting of completely water/alcohol tend to disappear very fast, about 2 days
Air bubbles on the other hand takes much longer to disappear, check with the bubbles often and push half the bubble away to promote the bubble going away, but don't push too hard to stretch the film

Some installation tips after my novice experience:
- Take twice the time in planning before the actual application. Keep the backing on and tape the film up with masking tape, identify which parts will have wrinkles/fingers and make note that these areas will need to be stretched. Use a marker to mark those areas if need be.
- Keep hydrated: Re-spray the sheet with water solution every 3 minutes. The moment any part get dry you'll create bubbles.
- After removing the backing, stretch the sheet so that the trouble area that's prone to having fingers wraps is smooth. Squeegee the corner of the film to keep the tension going.
- Use a smaller squeegee. 2" to 3" is the right size, especially for a novice. Apply good firm pressure to avoid leaving water behind.

 

[Fusion]

Another short update:

The bubble that started off at 1/2" in size had completely disappeared.
I noticed that bubbles consisting of completely water/alcohol tend to disappear very fast, about 2 days
Air bubbles on the other hand takes much longer to disappear, check with the bubbles often and push half the bubble away to promote the bubble going away, but don't push too hard to stretch the film

Some installation tips after my novice experience:
- Take twice the time in planning before the actual application. Keep the backing on and tape the film up with masking tape, identify which parts will have wrinkles/fingers and make note that these areas will need to be stretched. Use a marker to mark those areas if need be.
- Keep hydrated: Re-spray the sheet with water solution every 3 minutes. The moment any part get dry you'll create bubbles.
- After removing the backing, stretch the sheet so that the trouble area that's prone to having fingers wraps is smooth. Squeegee the corner of the film to keep the tension going.
- Use a smaller squeegee. 2" to 3" is the right size, especially for a novice. Apply good firm pressure to avoid leaving water behind.

We should of did our installations together. LOL

 

[juanmedina]

Has anyone tried a pre cut front bumper install? They are going for $180 on eBay for the 3M pro film

 

[Fusion]

Has anyone tried a pre cut front bumper install? They are going for $180 on eBay for the 3M pro film

I think you should be fine. Here's a vid to help you. Pre cut for the front bumper is the way to go.

 

[uclakim]

With more film sitting around, I lined the step board area of all the doors today.

I just got my carpool stickers today, so I put them on the film before sticking on the car.
View media item 118438
Lastly, I cut out a strip and taped the emergency door handle so first time riders won't pull the handle by mistake. The tape wraps around to the bottom.
View media item 118437
I've made some adjustments to the door handle template. You can see it here
View media item 118439
Or you can download the PNG or Silhouette Studio file from my google drive:
Tesla - Google Drive

very useful!