How does a full wrap make sense?

[commasign]

Here's the truth and historical context for paint protection on Teslas:

https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blog/model-s-x-and-3-tips-paint-protection-options

For a P3D, I'd say probably yes for front PPF and ceramic coating the rest of the car.

 

[SMAlset]

Bugs still stick to my PPF. And I have to scrub to get them off. I think the ceramic coating is what helps with that.

Same thing with our MS that only had PPF on it. One of the reasons my husband took the car in a year later to have it cleaned and ceramic applied. I had both done at the same time when I picked up my Model 3.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

I think full wraps are great for color changes. Otherwise the standard front end protection (possibly adding rocket protection) is adequate.

Black cars would be mostbenefitted IMO. but it’s a good plan on all cars.

My BMW has 65k and I think 1 rock penetrated the film.

The film protected the car when my wife rubbed the front 1/4 panel on our house....female drivers....


I will be doing front end and rockers on my mod3P (White)

Ceramic coatings are the bees tits. I’ve done a cpl different DiY versions. I’m hoping to find a detailer who will sell me the professional stuff and I can just DIY it. If not I’ll try another DIY

 

[LandToSea]

Bugs still stick to my PPF. And I have to scrub to get them off. I think the ceramic coating is what helps with that.

What PPF do you have?

 

[LandToSea]

Same thing with our MS that only had PPF on it. One of the reasons my husband took the car in a year later to have it cleaned and ceramic applied. I had both done at the same time when I picked up my Model 3.

What PPF do you have also?

 

[jerry33]

I think full wraps are great for color changes. Otherwise the standard front end protection (possibly adding rocket protection) is adequate.

Only as long as you can keep other cars from rubbing against yours.

 

[LandToSea]

I think full wraps are great for color changes. Otherwise the standard front end protection (possibly adding rocket protection) is adequate.

Black cars would be mostbenefitted IMO. but it’s a good plan on all cars.

My BMW has 65k and I think 1 rock penetrated the film.

The film protected the car when my wife rubbed the front 1/4 panel on our house....female drivers....


I will be doing front end and rockers on my mod3P (White)

Ceramic coatings are the bees tits. I’ve done a cpl different DiY versions. I’m hoping to find a detailer who will sell me the professional stuff and I can just DIY it. If not I’ll try another DIY

Where do you get ROCKET protection? I must have!!!

My intent was bumper only or front and rockers at the most, but then I am at near half the cost of covering the full car, $1500. My situation of living on a dirt road weighs heavy in justifying wrapping the full car. It isn't to protect from rock chips in the mid-rear since I wouldn't drive down it fast enough for that to be an issue. The idea is that our cars get covered very fast with a film of silica dust from dust clouds produced by cars passing by the house since the garage is not vacant for the cars to be parked inside. Even if I drive at idle when it is dry out it kicks up enough dust to cover a freshly cleaned car. So, the typical process is to only clean the cars when they are filthy, every couple months at best. I had applied ceramic myself to a car in the past and I didn't notice the car staying cleaner longer but it was somewhat easier to clean. I thought it may had been the CQuartz UK I used or my application process which gave the impression of it not being beneficial. Then, when my wife got her Jeep Trailhawk in black that she had to have I decided to bite the $1300 bullet for a professional ceramic 2 coat application of Carpro to include glass. After a year I have deemed that also a waste. The paint has chips and light scratches which the ceramic wasn't meant to protect from. If the glass isn't cleaned regularly it loses the hydrophobic properties. It doesn't seem to repel dirt/dust any better than untreated. Washing is a little easier and probably more effective in releasing contaminants for a better outcome after a couple months. But, was it worth $1300? I don't feel it was and won't get ceramic again.

So, given all of that I am thinking the PPF with hydrophopic built in may be my best solution? I can drive the car through a car wash every few days without worries of damage and keep the car somewhat clean.

 

[LandToSea]

Here's the truth and historical context for paint protection on Teslas:

https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blog/model-s-x-and-3-tips-paint-protection-options

For a P3D, I'd say probably yes for front PPF and ceramic coating the rest of the car.

True, if this was a $35k base car I wouldn't be considering this investments. But at $60k it is a different level.

 

[Rottenapplr]

I take delivery of my M3P Wednesday. I drive 100m/day average and previous cars acquire notable road debris chips in the front end within a year. I had a bumper 3M clear bra applied on a car 7y ago and I felt it was a waste of $500. Within a few months it had a rock gouge through the film and into the paint. It was very visible mostly due to the film damage drawing the eye to it and not able to be touched up. I saw the end result simply costing me extra $ to resolve, $500 lost on the damaged film plus removal fee before the bumper was repainted. Maybe the newer films are better?

I want to preserve the paint, although I have read it is crappy, but I can't come up with a rational calculation of it's value considering a repaint can be done for similar costs once the car has enough damage to justify it. The lifespan of the wrap in S FL is likely less than 6y which is probably when the paint would really look bad enough to justify repainting without a wrap. Plus, if an accident occurs insurance will only cover the body work and paint to restore to the OEM finish and I would have to pay to reapply wrap to match the rest or remove it all wasting the investment. Considering I have been in 3 not at fault accidents in 2y that isn't promising.

I guess I am looking for missing considerations that may sell me before it is too late to apply a wrap as the paint acquires any damage from daily driving.

I don’t blame you. Hey if you are Financially well off with 3 million in the bank by all means do a full wrap. If you are average joe middle class guy or Johnny upper middle class, I say save the money and invest. It’s a car!

 

[Rothgarr]

I wish I could afford some sort of wrap. The prices I was given were between 1600.00 and 1900.00 for a full front (Full hood, full bumper, full fenders, head lights and mirrors).

 

[KenC]

If you're handy and like to try stuff, then you can DIY your PPF for alot less. The only piece that requires some expertise is the front bumper. I just did a partial hood 30" with wrapped edges, with matching partial fender, mirror caps, full doors, rockers, and front bumper for $700, 3M scotch guard pro from invisiblemask.com. Other places can sell you Xpel, like carprotectionpros.com.

Hood might be the easiest piece. Doors are fairly easy, but require 3 or 4 hands because of the size. Rockers are easy but also require an extra hand due to size. Fenders are a little hard due to some curves. Mirrors are hard, because you have to do alot of stretching. Front bumper is crazy hard requiring extreme patience. It's all doable if you start with the easy pieces and work your way to the hard ones, building up experience as you go. The front bumper is doable, but you need alot of time, and some help.

First pic shows the partial hood, partial fender and front bumper. I did one nasty relief cut in the bumper film when I panicked that I wasn't going to be able to do it. Hood and fenders are good.

Second pic shows the completed doors. I wrapped the trailing edge, since that's the one you might hit against something. I think I did that wrong, since I came up ¼" short on the leading edge. Should have just used the door edge guards to wrap the trailing edge, but I thought my way would be a cleaner look.

Last pic is of the rockers I did, fairly easy, but the paint finish is far more pebbly, orange-peelish, down there, so the PPF has a harder time sticking. Actually I think it's the elastic undercoat that they put on that makes the finish more pebbly.

Anyhow, if the cost is prohibitive, then you can consider DIY. Everything but the front bumper is within the capability of a competent DIYer. Of course, I didn't do the rear bumper, and I assume that one has to be hard too.

 

[LandToSea]

If you're handy and like to try stuff, then you can DIY your PPF for alot less. The only piece that requires some expertise is the front bumper. I just did a partial hood 30" with wrapped edges, with matching partial fender, mirror caps, full doors, rockers, and front bumper for $700, 3M scotch guard pro from invisiblemask.com. Other places can sell you Xpel, like carprotectionpros.com.

Hood might be the easiest piece. Doors are fairly easy, but require 3 or 4 hands because of the size. Rockers are easy but also require an extra hand due to size. Fenders are a little hard due to some curves. Mirrors are hard, because you have to do alot of stretching. Front bumper is crazy hard requiring extreme patience. It's all doable if you start with the easy pieces and work your way to the hard ones, building up experience as you go. The front bumper is doable, but you need alot of time, and some help.

First pic shows the partial hood, partial fender and front bumper. I did one nasty relief cut in the bumper film when I panicked that I wasn't going to be able to do it. Hood and fenders are good.

Second pic shows the completed doors. I wrapped the trailing edge, since that's the one you might hit against something. I think I did that wrong, since I came up ¼" short on the leading edge. Should have just used the door edge guards to wrap the trailing edge, but I thought my way would be a cleaner look.

Last pic is of the rockers I did, fairly easy, but the paint finish is far more pebbly, orange-peelish, down there, so the PPF has a harder time sticking. Actually I think it's the elastic undercoat that they put on that makes the finish more pebbly.

Anyhow, if the cost is prohibitive, then you can consider DIY. Everything but the front bumper is within the capability of a competent DIYer. Of course, I didn't do the rear bumper, and I assume that one has to be hard too.

It looks tight! I wish I could have gotten that silver instead of midnight. IMO it is hands down the best looking color for this car and I usually find silver to look basic and cheap.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Maintaining a pristine finish on a often driven car is going to cost time, money and effort, no matter the path you take.

Easiest path to take is to just consider normal wear and tear as "patina". Brings big bucks 50 years down the road.

Paint on a car is essentially just a pigmented coating to reduce corrosion. Let it do it's job.

For me, I wash the car when dirty, wax it every 9 Months and repair any visible chips or divits with Dr. Color Chip. Can't see any of those issues when driving anyways

 

[LandToSea]

Maintaining a pristine finish on a often driven car is going to cost time, money and effort, no matter the path you take.

Easiest path to take is to just consider normal wear and tear as "patina". Brings big bucks 50 years down the road.

Paint on a car is essentially just a pigmented coating to reduce corrosion. Let it do it's job.

For me, I wash the car when dirty, wax it every 9 Months and repair any visible chips or divits with Dr. Color Chip. Can't see any of those issues when driving anyways

If I wash my car "when dirty" I would be washing it every day, lol.

 

[Hart]

A full wrap is nice, but only worthwhile if you plan to keep the car a long time. If you at any time plan to trade it in to Tesla, it is financially very bad. Tesla dings you in a major way: they state they have to re-constitute the car to its original state, and taking off the wrap is so difficult they calculate in to repaint the car entirely.

 

[LandToSea]

A full wrap is nice, but only worthwhile if you plan to keep the car a long time. If you at any time plan to trade it in to Tesla, it is financially very bad. Tesla dings you in a major way: they state they have to re-constitute the car to its original state, and taking off the wrap is so difficult they calculate in to repaint the car entirely.

That is interesting. My intent is to keep the car long term, likely most of the film's lifespan of 10 years. Either way I rarely trade in and usually sell private since you are giving up at least 10-20% in value trading in.

 

[JayNJ]

I’ve never befofe considered PPF or ceramic coating for my car. It doesn’t make financial sense for me - I drive on highways, local roads, some good, mostly bad, park at various stores, malls, restaurants, etc. Even occasionally drive in The Bronx. I park outdoors, in my driveway, year round. Everything from 2 feet of snow to 105 degree heat are possible.

So, my point being ... door dings, rock chips, etc are just reality. No PPF or ceramic is going to stop someone from opening their door into mine. It’s just a factor of life. I get it - I bought the Model 3 to drive it, not to put it in a museum.

All that said ... the one thing that’s driving me nuts are BUGS. The front bumper of Model 3 seems to be a bug catcher unlike anything else I’ve driven before. I think the “scoop” design is just catching them and holding their splatter.

So ... that said ... I’ve been wondering if a PPF on the front bumper would help the bug guts slide off? Sometimes it might be a week or 4 before I get the car washed - with those guts baking into the paint the whole time.

Anyone have success reducing the insect freeloaders by applying PPF? If it doesn’t make a real difference, I’ll save the $$$ and blow it on something much more fun ....

Ceramic coating would help with that and easy to DIY it.

 

[JetSpeed]

I wish I could afford some sort of wrap. The prices I was given were between 1600.00 and 1900.00 for a full front (Full hood, full bumper, full fenders, head lights and mirrors).

This is about what I paid. Originally quoted $2250, and was able to get them down to $1800 (out the door, including tax). I went with the Llumar clear bra.

Areas wrapped:
Full front (hood, fenders, bumper, headlights)
Mirror caps
A-pillars (all the way back to the seem - about mid rear window)
Rocker panels
Rear bumper strip

I drove it immediately from delivery to the detail shop to get it wrapped. It looks great and I love the peace of mind it provides. The car only has 70 miles on it so far, so time will tell how well it holds up.

 

[Merle]

I take delivery of my M3P Wednesday. I drive 100m/day average and previous cars acquire notable road debris chips in the front end within a year. I had a bumper 3M clear bra applied on a car 7y ago and I felt it was a waste of $500. Within a few months it had a rock gouge through the film and into the paint. It was very visible mostly due to the film damage drawing the eye to it and not able to be touched up. I saw the end result simply costing me extra $ to resolve, $500 lost on the damaged film plus removal fee before the bumper was repainted. Maybe the newer films are better?

I want to preserve the paint, although I have read it is crappy, but I can't come up with a rational calculation of it's value considering a repaint can be done for similar costs once the car has enough damage to justify it. The lifespan of the wrap in S FL is likely less than 6y which is probably when the paint would really look bad enough to justify repainting without a wrap. Plus, if an accident occurs insurance will only cover the body work and paint to restore to the OEM finish and I would have to pay to reapply wrap to match the rest or remove it all wasting the investment. Considering I have been in 3 not at fault accidents in 2y that isn't promising.

I guess I am looking for missing considerations that may sell me before it is too late to apply a wrap as the paint acquires any damage from daily driving.

It is NOT worth it. Period.

The problem areas are going to be the bumper, and front hood. You'll be picking up rocks which will impact your windshield, and even land on the area right above the windshield.

When was the last time you (based upon your mileage) had your hood repainted? Or even bumper which has far more frontal / vertical area?

You deal with it, or you learn to ignore the dents / dings. Based upon your mileage. You may take precautions (actually wash the car, and wax it 1-2 times a year) but apart from that, it's not worth doing anything more. You're driving a depreciating asset and when it comes time to sell, you will not recoup anything close to what you put into "protecting" the vehicle.

Ceramic Coating is going to be $300-900, which is far more than any type of wax job you can get applied.
PPF for the frontal areas is going to be $300-900 which is going to protect the areas a bit - but you may want to repaint it anyhow. Otherwise you'll ignore it.
PPF for the entire car is going to be $5000-8000 and you can get the entire car repainted if you cared.

I drive >500 miles a week, so know where you're coming from - but after the new wears off, you're still have a car and would you wrap an older vehicle? No. Would you spend more (see above for $$$) buying a used car that had a wrap or bra? No.

BUT someone like the multi-color red, and that costs more. At that point it's not a fiscal issue, but something they would enjoy more to each ... their own.

 

[Whitehawk]

Getting ready to lease return my 2016 Hyundai Genesis with 35,000 miles. After seeing all of the rock chips on the front bumper and headlights of that car I decided to spend 1,950 to ppf the front end of my M3 and ceramic coat the rest. I drive about 50 miles per day on fast moving urban freeways. I do not tailgate and am careful to avoid following semis. Regarding a discount applied at trade in for ppf coverings- I have never heard of that and would not worry...