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Done PPF yourself
- Thread starter Lazyguy71
- Start date
There are some YouTube videos that make it look doable... but I’m sure it becomes extremely hard. The films are very large so it looks difficult to handle them without another person helping. You have to keep it wet... but catch let it touch anything... but then use a tacky spray to secure areas while you stretch and work other areas... maybe for $300 it’s worth trying it out for yourself, but there is a reason why installers charge like $5k full a full vehicle... labor hours are high on this...
I did a tiny section of the rocker panels behind the front wheels and in front of the back wheels and it was a giant PITA. If you like chasing bubbles this is for you.
maximus96
Member
eyyyy, for $300 it was a good DIY and I’m happy with the result. It will serve its purpose well in saving that blunt nose from rocks and bugs.
On my Model 3, I had the front bumper done by a professional (the most well regarded installer in the city) and I did the hood, headlights, and front quarter panels myself.
I am not particularly happy with how any of it came out. The professional did slightly better than I did but their part still has numerous bubbles and bits of dust/sand under the ppf. Perhaps by year 10 I'll see the benefit, but after 1 year the non-ppf'ed areas still look better than the ppf'ed areas. And for how much I spent covering the bumper, I could have purchased a new pre-painted bumper to install when the original starts to look ragged.
After seeing how many flaws were in the pro's work I thought I could do better myself, and I didn't think that it was worth the cost. But after doing a few panels myself, I've changed my mind about the cost. It was super time consuming. It took me 2 full days of work for each panel.
It is really easy to get it to stick to the car and protect the paint. But it is really hard to not end up with some bubbles and dirt under the ppf. If you are hoping to preserve that day 1 flawless look, I think that you will be disappointed by a diy job (and possibly by a professional install).
I am not particularly happy with how any of it came out. The professional did slightly better than I did but their part still has numerous bubbles and bits of dust/sand under the ppf. Perhaps by year 10 I'll see the benefit, but after 1 year the non-ppf'ed areas still look better than the ppf'ed areas. And for how much I spent covering the bumper, I could have purchased a new pre-painted bumper to install when the original starts to look ragged.
After seeing how many flaws were in the pro's work I thought I could do better myself, and I didn't think that it was worth the cost. But after doing a few panels myself, I've changed my mind about the cost. It was super time consuming. It took me 2 full days of work for each panel.
It is really easy to get it to stick to the car and protect the paint. But it is really hard to not end up with some bubbles and dirt under the ppf. If you are hoping to preserve that day 1 flawless look, I think that you will be disappointed by a diy job (and possibly by a professional install).
There should not be any dirt under it. Bubbles should go away over time, but if they didn’t your installer should correct that with a quick (free) follow up visit. Most likely they will use a needle, which in my opinion isn’t the greatest, but at least they will be removed. If you have Xpel they should be great about warranty and quality of work. Give your installer a chance to correct it; call them up and say the dirt has been bugging you all year and you would like to know if they’ll correct it without a charge, and if they give you trouble take pictures and reach out to Xpel. From my understanding they are really good about standing behind their work and high quality finish.
I complained right away. They refused to do anything. They just looked at it and said that is how it is supposed to look. Said the bits of sand under the PPF are unavoidable and the bubbles would go away (they didn't).
Is if Xpel? I would reach out to them and offer to email them pictures if they would like. I thought there used to be an Xpel rep on this site, but I’m not sure if they still are.
If it’s not Xpel still reach out to the brand and let them know. Dirt/sand should not be under it. They don’t have a clean room that’s for sure, but it should be applied to a clear car, inside, with moderate airflow (like not directly under and old rust air conditioning vent or something.)
FredMertz
Member
I tried to do the front headlights and bumper of a car a few years ago and it was a total loss. It's very hard to do it in a mediocre way without a ton of experience. Nearly impossible to do it well enough to meet the standards of someone who cares enough about their car to even think about it.
It's really hard.
It's really hard.
Just finished solo DIY PPF for my M3, full hood, fenders, headlights, mirrors, rockers. I paid for the fender install to get some protection right away as I researched my PPF options. Settled on Suntek Ultra and got mine through ServoPPF and they have great customer service and military discount! Used Xpel gel and dishsoap water together. I think I spent 6 hours just on the fenders and hood. Really happy with the results, sure it's not perfect but turned out way better than I expected, no real major disasters although came close a couple times (like dropping a rocker piece on the garage floor adhesive side down!). I would say bottom of the rockers, the under wrap of the front part of the hood, headlights, and mirrors were the toughest....surprisingly, its all those slight bends. If you're very handy, ultra patient and detail oriented, you can save a ton of money and be happy with the results. Due to an ordering snafu on my part, I have some extra pieces for a 3 (partial hood and partial fenders, mirrors, headlights) not sure what parts will work on the Y but maybe most of those. Could be an easy/cheap way to test the waters, maybe start with mirrors. If you're interested, let me know and we can come up with a fair price. Hope this helps.
Are the pre-cut pieces 1 piece per panel? Or are they split up into multiple sections per area? Specifically wondering about the front bumper for example. The reason I ask is because multiple seams will be more obvious and I heard could also collect dirt. I actually had a guy quote me $4500 for the xpel stealth vs $7000 elsewhere only to find out that the cheaper install had a lot more seams visible including edges of doors etc instead of wrapping around the edges.
maximus96
Member
here you can see where the seam will be, mostly by the foglights. correct, edges can and likely will collect dirt. I think with regular washing it won't get too bad.
If you can afford a 60k dollar car and are concerned about rock chips, and are considering PPF, then find a reputable installer that will do a custom wrap. A good installer will wrap over the edges so you'll never see a seam. A reputable installer will also ask you to return after a week to clear out any bubbles that didn't dry themselves.
I have a 15 year old yellow car with PPF on the front, and the seams are pretty obvious and unsightly over time. You don't want seams if you can afford it.
I just had the front end wrapped on my new SUV and had to take it back 3x over the course of a month. All easy corrections and no grief from him. He quoted me 1700 (Suntek Ultra) to do my MY when I get it. That includes a full front end wrap (hood, front fenders, headlights, bumper, mirrors, and he throws in door edges and rear bumper top to keep luggage from scraping the top of the bumper). This is the Bay Area and prices will be higher than other parts of the country, so I would expect you can find lower prices elsewhere.
I have a 15 year old yellow car with PPF on the front, and the seams are pretty obvious and unsightly over time. You don't want seams if you can afford it.
I just had the front end wrapped on my new SUV and had to take it back 3x over the course of a month. All easy corrections and no grief from him. He quoted me 1700 (Suntek Ultra) to do my MY when I get it. That includes a full front end wrap (hood, front fenders, headlights, bumper, mirrors, and he throws in door edges and rear bumper top to keep luggage from scraping the top of the bumper). This is the Bay Area and prices will be higher than other parts of the country, so I would expect you can find lower prices elsewhere.
Curious what people think about installers that use pre-cut and not wrap around edges. This leaves a lot of visible edges of the film but it is also a lot cheaper to install (less labor). I was quoted $4500 for xpel stealth and is very reputable, but definitely uses the pre-cut pieces which means a lot more seams and edges. For full custom and wrapping corners, it would be $7k from other shops.
