OK, before the topic of PPF moves backward in the thread churn, one last thought for those of you suffering from PPF sticker shock.
I did mention in my last PPF wall of text that you could buy pre-cut kits to make the installation job easier. And that's true, you can, but these kits are still pretty expensive.
There is one other alternative... You can buy bulk rolls of PPF for very reasonable prices. Yes, it is harder to apply PPF that isn't pre-cut, but the learning curve isn't *that* steep. Check out this NON-affiliate Amazon link to
3M Paint Protection Film.
You can seriously mess up
a lot of panels and still be thousands of dollars ahead by going this route. No, 3m film isn't the best in the business, but it beats the
hell out of nothing.
And once you get practiced up on PPF installation, if your film ever needs to be replaced, you can buy bulk XPEL (or another of the high end, high quality films) and replace it yourself.
And for guys looking for track protection: The linked film is easily cut out to apply to areas that need protection on track days. Skip the Trac Armor crap.
IMO, it's just too cheap/easy to go without PPF. Even if you can't afford the high end stuff professionally applied, you can do this. And it makes for a great excuse to spend some quality time with your car.
For best results, you should apply PPF to a freshly polished surfaced. Even "paint correction" has gotten consumer friendly the last decade or so. No longer do you need a rotary polisher (which should only be used by a very practiced hand) to polish your paint to perfection. Meguiars makes very user friendly polishes that will work with dual action polishers, which are MUCH safer/easier to use than a rotary. A dual action polisher, some microfiber polishing pads, Meguiars polish, some really plush microfiber towels and a day of your time can get your car looking professionally polished.
Meguiars also has some very good YouTube videos on how to do this yourself.
Even though my spine has taken me out of the detailing game for other guy's cars, I still enjoy spending time with my car, keeping the paint polished and looking better than delivery day.
Car detailing is one of those things that has triggered my OCD since I was in high school back in the '80's, and I really have a hard time not writing walls of text about it, so this is all I'm gonna post on the issue. That's a gentle way of saying "I'm not gonna answer a bunch of detailing related questions."
Pretty much everything you could possibly want to learn/know about detailing is out there on the 'net, anyway.
It's not rocket surgery, guys... you
can polish your car and apply PPF. Just takes a little time and effort.
