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Got my PPF done. Was it done right?

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Hi everyone,

This is my first time getting a PPF or any type of wrap on a car. I got a full front PPF on my MY.

I saw other PPF’s done on cars before and mine wasn’t done the same so I wanted to see comparisons from other PPF’s done on MY and see if the way they did mine correctly?

1- The film doesn’t wrap the edges (is that normal?)
2- the whole mirror cap isn’t wrapped
3- they used multiple pieces for the bottom bumper part & there’s a gap between the films (friend is worried that dirt will show and build up on the edges of the film since there’s a gap)

Thank you for your thoughts!
 

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Very interesting. I got my M3 done last year locally, and they also used a template...so less wrapping. My bumper is similar to yours, but the pieces butt up against each other (no gap). The rest of yours (hood, mirrors, etc) looks the same.

What does yours look like on the side markers (turn signals) if you had that part done? Mine is also cut around those, but which they would have tucked under the markers.
 
I've seen a ton of PPF installs on various cars including a few of mine. There are two routes an installer can take - pre-cut or custom.

Pre-cut will use templates provided by the manufacture (eg. XPel) that match the cars panels. Your installer used this method. When using this method, good installers will usually extend all the sides when printing so they match to the edges as best as possible. I would have to say based on experience, the installer you used was on the lower end of quality when it comes to this method.

Custom uses big sheets of PPF and performs the cutting after it's fitted. These installs are usually cleaner but you pay for it.
 
Very interesting. I got my M3 done last year locally, and they also used a template...so less wrapping. My bumper is similar to yours, but the pieces butt up against each other (no gap). The rest of yours (hood, mirrors, etc) looks the same.

What does yours look like on the side markers (turn signals) if you had that part done? Mine is also cut around those, but which they would have tucked under the markers.

I think mine is tucked around the signals, I don’t see it cut around it.
 

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If I were to go back to them and bring up these concerns, what should I say for them to fix? The place I went to is very well known and rated for color wraps so I assumed the PPF would be installed up to par.
 
Yea hopefully you didn’t pay a lot for that. Will it protect majority of the paint? Yes. But the edges will eventually accumulate dirt and wax and maybe even start to peel. I’ve seen good custom jobs and you can’t even tell the car has been wrapped. In my area a full front custom runs about $2k
 
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Hi everyone,

This is my first time getting a PPF or any type of wrap on a car. I got a full front PPF on my MY.

I saw other PPF’s done on cars before and mine wasn’t done the same so I wanted to see comparisons from other PPF’s done on MY and see if the way they did mine correctly?

1- The film doesn’t wrap the edges (is that normal?)
2- the whole mirror cap isn’t wrapped
3- they used multiple pieces for the bottom bumper part & there’s a gap between the films (friend is worried that dirt will show and build up on the edges of the film since there’s a gap)

Thank you for your thoughts!

I had ppf put on the front end too. All my edges are tucked in. Lower bumper should be one piece.
 
PPF was done correctly. What you're seeing is the pre-determined cuts done by the software and the machine.
If you were expecting them to be wrapped around the edges, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that's generally an extra cost and something that needs to be discussed prior to the installation, during the quote process.

The side mirrors aren't easy to wrap and it's common for the installation to be what you're seeing. Same with the front bumper cover. This is typically a 2-piece install. Some companies can do it in one piece but this is something discussed during the quote process.
 
THIS is a standard "computer cut" installation. It is faster and easier to install than doing a custom installation that would hide most, if not all, of the edges as well as eliminate seams and reduce relief cuts. Your front bumper probably only took the installer 30 minutes or less to install vs an hour or so to install it by someone that hand cuts the product. I'm sorry but, this is a perfect example of "you get what you pay for".

If you brought up your frustrations to this company, I am sure they'd respond with the defense of something like, " this is how the computer cuts it" or "we don't do/you didn't pay for a custom install" or "it will still protect the paint"
 
This why I stuck with the recommended PPF installers in my local tesla FB group

Thank you everyone for your input.
This was a highly recommended company locally so hence my decision. Also decided upon seeing multiple examples from this company. “You get what you paid for” is disappointing given that I also did Tint and Ceramic Coating with the same visit and money wasn’t any issue on getting the proper and appropriate service needed.
 
Yea hopefully you didn’t pay a lot for that. Will it protect majority of the paint? Yes. But the edges will eventually accumulate dirt and wax and maybe even start to peel. I’ve seen good custom jobs and you can’t even tell the car has been wrapped. In my area a full front custom runs about $2k

Particularly on white this is an issue. I had an M3 in white and full wrap. Lots of edges had dark lines. It drove me frigging crazy. I said If I ever get white again, they will either custom wrap most panels or I won’t do it at all. White is the only color that is affected by this.
 
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I’m having issues with PPF on the front fender. This happened (see pics) and I took it back to the installer who is highly rated in my area of Northern NJ. He redid it and said that with the newness of the MY and the curves that was probably the cause of it peeling. He also said I was only the third MY he’s done and that they learned a lot from it since early October. Well it’s happening again but only on one side and to a much smaller level. Has anyone else had this occur? Is it the installer? Is the brand (3M) which is supposed to be thicker and more protective but also more difficult to install? I’m kind of annoyed. I am bringing it back on Friday for my guy to reevaluate. 28209151-2414-4A40-AD45-28FE26EA1F94.jpeg1764A344-E51C-48F3-B3BD-DAC89317EA45.jpeg
 
I’m having issues with PPF on the front fender. This happened (see pics) and I took it back to the installer who is highly rated in my area of Northern NJ. He redid it and said that with the newness of the MY and the curves that was probably the cause of it peeling. He also said I was only the third MY he’s done and that they learned a lot from it since early October. Well it’s happening again but only on one side and to a much smaller level. Has anyone else had this occur? Is it the installer? Is the brand (3M) which is supposed to be thicker and more protective but also more difficult to install? I’m kind of annoyed. I am bringing it back on Friday for my guy to reevaluate. View attachment 609260View attachment 609259
If you don't mind sharing, which installer did you use?
 
If you don't mind sharing, which installer did you use?

I am a little hesitant to bad mouth him since he’s been willing to address the issues. I really was mostly curious to see if anyone else had encountered an issue with the PPF peeling on certain areas. Where in NJ are you? I’m in northern NJ. If you were seriously looking up near my area I might be willing to give you the name privately. I’ve always been of the mindset that sometimes you have a bad experience with a product or a service provider and that’s not as important as how the person or company responds to your issue. If they are willing to make good and treat you with respect and try to make you a “happy” customer then that goes a long way.