How much PPF did you get?

[bobbyg123]

For those of you who opted to get PPF installed, I'm curious how much of your Model 3 that you opted to protect?

I take delivery in 2-4 weeks, and I'm looking at having the following surfaces done. This will run me about $1,300.

• Full Hood
• Front Bumper
• Headlights
• Partial fenders
• Side view mirrors
• Door cups
• Door edges
• Rear bumper top (I'm a golfer, and I always scuff the top of the rear bumper getting my clubs out)

I'm also considering having the door sills done, but at $320, it might be excessive. Might be better to have the a-pillars and roofline done for about the same cost.

Thanks in advance.

 

[meegrr]

I haven't got it done yet, but I got a quote for $4700 CAD to get the whole car wrapped in PPF.

 

[bobbyg123]

I haven't got it done yet, but I got a quote for $4700 CAD to get the whole car wrapped in PPF.

Damn, that's a big number, but you won't regret getting it. Everybody's different when it comes to this stuff. Many, if not most people don't care about dings at all. I care , but not as much about the side doors, roof, and rear bumper. Not sure why, but they never seem to take as much of a beating (knock on wood).

I had PPF on an Infiniti G37 years ago, and when some a-hole door dinged me, it not only dented the door, but it created an air bubble in the PPF. I'm done with side door protection. LOL

 

[KenC]

For those of you who opted to get PPF installed, I'm curious how much of your Model 3 that you opted to protect?

I take delivery in 2-4 weeks, and I'm looking at having the following surfaces done. This will run me about $1,300.

• Full Hood
• Front Bumper
• Headlights
• Partial fenders
• Side view mirrors
• Door cups
• Door edges
• Rear bumper top (I'm a golfer, and I always scuff the top of the rear bumper getting my clubs out)

I'm also considering having the door sills done, but at $320, it might be excessive. Might be better to have the a-pillars and roofline done for about the same cost.

Thanks in advance.

I did a partial hood, partial fender, front bumper, mirror cups, doors, rockers, bumper top. All DIY.

 

[Gimmethecash]

I haven’t got my car (or even vin) yet, but I plan to do full frontal plus rocker panels in PPF, then ceramic coat the whole car and tint everything but the roof. I’ve got a quote for $4346 USD for all of it from a shop that says they’ve done a couple thousand Model 3’s here in So Cal, where everybody has one.

 

[aspec818]

That’s a decent price. I highly recommend getting your rocker panels done too as that spot is prone to taking hits. Most rocker panel ppf runs along the whole skirt.

 

[blodg1]

Personally I think PPF should only be used on cars that appreciate and repainting would hurt their value. That scenario would justify the expense and should make you more comfortable using the car. For regular cars it’s completely different because while it may protect a little, it will make repairs difficult and more expensive. Repainting the front of a car that’s a few years old is nowhere near as expensive as PPF and if nothing happens, you’ve saved even more. I see it like extended warranties where it’s rare to calculate in your favor.

I just purchased a 2014 P85D that had it all over the front. It was 7 years old and looked it, I just finished taking it off and it was a PITA! In the end I’m happy it had it but to think the guy saved the paint for me and lived with the haze for the last couple years is just sad.

Am I misunderstandping something here? How long should the film look good?

 

[joebruin77]

Whether or not to get PPF is a personal preference and decision. There is no one correct answer for everyone. Some people prefer to protect their paint with an $8 bottle of Turtle Wax Seal and Shine and save their hard-earned $$$ for something other than paint protection. I respect that point of view.

For me, since I plan on keeping my P3D for 8+ years and since keeping my paint in top condition is important, I paid for a full-car Xpel PPF at the time of delivery in 2018 and am happy with my decision.

If you do a partial PPF, as others have mentioned I would definitely get the rocker panels covered in PPF as well.

Actually, depending on the specific type of damage, PPF may actually make repairs easier, not more difficult. My right front fender was dinged really hard in a parking lot incident. If I had not had the fender covered in PPF, the fender definitely would have needed to be repainted. But the PPF absorbed most of the hit and the paint itself was unscratched. The PPF took such a hit that it could not self heal. But it cost all of $125 to have the PPF removed and replaced by my installer. Total cost was $125 and total time was 1-2 hours. If I had the fender repainted, cost would have been more and it would have taken 2-3 days.

Most quality PPF's come with an 8-10 year warranty. My Xpel PPF comes with a 10-year warranty. If it comes loose or starts to yellow, Xpel will replace it free of charge for 10 years. And the warranty is transferable to a new owner if I end up selling the car during the warranty period.

 

[Gimmethecash]

(some) Film is guaranteed for 10 years, longer than I’ve ever owned a car. No reputable paint shop in So Cal can paint the entire front of your car and make it look like factory for under $2K, about what the PPF will cost.

I drive the 5 & 99 to Bakersfield every 2 weeks or so; pretty much every time I drove my M5 there, I got a new paint chip or scratch from something flying or bouncing around on the highway. That’s with hard BMW paint, not the watercolors Tesla uses; I can only imagine how crappy the front of my car is going to look after a couple years of that if I don’t put something to protect against at least the small stuff. It will look good the entire time I own it if I protect it; otherwise, it looks worse and worse.

If I did all my driving in town, I wouldn’t bother with the PPF and I’d just ceramic coat it and be done.

 

[duanra]

The rockers are a must, specially with snowy roads.

 

[Wood1030]

I haven’t got my car (or even vin) yet, but I plan to do full frontal plus rocker panels in PPF, then ceramic coat the whole car and tint everything but the roof. I’ve got a quote for $4346 USD for all of it from a shop that says they’ve done a couple thousand Model 3’s here in So Cal, where everybody has one.

Hey Gimme,
I got a quote just yesterday from Concours Auto Spa in Marina Del Rey and also in Torrance. They have a package deal of all the stuff you mentioned for considerably less. I'll be taking my, soon to be received MP3 there, as soon as I get it. They're a TMC Sponsor/Vendor, so you might wanna give them a call. Ask for Doug.
tesla-model-3-detailing-group-buy

 

[Gimmethecash]

Hey Gimme,
I got a quote just yesterday from Concours Auto Spa in Marina Del Rey and also in Torrance. They have a package deal of all the stuff you mentioned for considerably less. I'll be taking my, soon to be received MP3 there, as soon as I get it. They're a TMC Sponsor/Vendor, so you might wanna give them a call. Ask for Doug.
tesla-model-3-detailing-group-buy

I may indeed need to call Doug, because that’s a quote I got directly from him lol.

 

[Wood1030]

I may indeed need to call Doug, because that’s a quote I got directly from him lol.

Did you mention the TMC package deal discount? There was a $350 discount off the price on the Option 1 (on his site) deal. But even without that discount, the price was lower than the one you mentioned.

 

[Gimmethecash]

I didn’t mention it, but I will the next time I contact him, thanks.

 

[Wood1030]

I didn’t mention it, but I will the next time I contact him, thanks.

 

[MapledLeif]

Living in Canada, and especially in Calgary, I opted for a full body wrap. The roads are notorious for making a car look like utter crap after only a few winters here. Since I did the full wrap, then I also opted to go for the Xpel Stealth for the matte finish. I don't regret the decision at all, even at a cost of $4,300 CAD (but that included the cost of tinting my windows as well).

 

[Wood1030]

Living in Canada, and especially in Calgary, I opted for a full body wrap. The roads are notorious for making a car look like utter crap after only a few winters here. Since I did the full wrap, then I also opted to go for the Xpel Stealth for the matte finish. I don't regret the decision at all, even at a cost of $4,300 CAD (but that included the cost of tinting my windows as well).

That actually sounds like a pretty good deal, for a full wrap AND tint...that's just over $3,500 US

 

[bobbyg123]

Would you get the rocker panels done in addition to the other areas that I listed, or would you substitute for one of them?

 

[jjrandorin]

I thought about PPF, but then decided that, even if I keep this car as long as I currently plan to, after 4-5 years I can just get a color change wrap or something, to freshen it up.

 

[Dolemite]

Is it just me, or are PPF prices coming down? A good thing, and totally expected, considering the cars that my local XPEL installers drive & the hours they work. I think a number of years ago getting a full wrap was $7K+ and yes all wrap quality is not equal, but prices seem to be coming down to more reasonable levels.

For me, it's worth it, but I'm cheap, so I DIY'd all the "easier" high-wear areas - full hood, full fenders, A-pillars, door mirrors (NOT easy), full rocker panels, and door bottoms. I paid professionals to do the front bumper since there's considerable risk & I wanted it absolutely perfect - even they had to throw a way a few before they got a method down for the Model 3. They threw in the headlights, fog lights, behind the rear wheels, and rear bumper applique for "free."

Now I don't get pissed when I'm driving down the highway & *sugar*'s flying all over the place. Car won't be looking like crap in a few years.