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Those door pieces are supposed to be that way meaning you don't want to roll/wrap the bottom edge of the doors because:
1. There is not enough flat surface for the film to stay firmly on the back side of the bottom door edges. because of this if you try to wrap the edges under the doors, they will lift very soon and it will be very ugly and you will have to trim it.
2. when you stop the film before the edge, you need that 1 mm before the actual edge. that 1 mm from the actual edge/end of the door is where the flat surface stops, so that the film will not lift.
3. Same goes for the door handle cuts.
 
Those door pieces are supposed to be that way meaning you don't want to roll/wrap the bottom edge of the doors because:
1. There is not enough flat surface for the film to stay firmly on the back side of the bottom door edges. because of this if you try to wrap the edges under the doors, they will lift very soon and it will be very ugly and you will have to trim it.
2. when you stop the film before the edge, you need that 1 mm before the actual edge. that 1 mm from the actual edge/end of the door is where the flat surface stops, so that the film will not lift.
3. Same goes for the door handle cut
Ahhh, appreciate the clarification. I withdraw the complaint.
 
Same here. Never tinted any of the windows cause it looked cheap and or like a hoodie’s car. But realized now that I’m in SoCal it is almost a necessity as the left side of your face gets toasted.

I wanted to get PPF done also but the cheapest quote I got was $5500 for the entire car. An outrageous cost after having spent $65k on a new car.

Thanks to a user on this forum, I found a dealer selling Xpel ppf. I got the entire car set for $1380. Tried my hand at doing it - it turned out horrendous. My headlight looks like it has scratches and my right mirror looks like it has multiple zits about to burst. Decided to find a guy on Craigslist and am paying him $2k for the labor alone. Taking a big risk cause the guy could be a random dude with no skills or worse, a thief. But he’s coming tomorrow to PPF the entire car.

Several of the more skilled forum users here were able to do a good job. I’m pretty handy but my DIY turned out to be a disaster.
Dang - that's some pricey PPF. You really only need the front portion done, the rest is super over kill IMO for a daily driver. There is little RIO when you go to sell it or trade it in.

Window tinting is essential (good ceramic tint, no need to get the most expensive top of the line by any mfg), as not only does it help reduce heat, glare and UV in the cabin, protects the looky-lue's from seeing what is in your vehicle. No need to do the glass roof, just get a removable sunshade - as summers in the hot states will add heat to the cabin. 35% driver and passenger doors, 20% everything behind it and 80-90% on the front windshield is my go to numbers.
 
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Dang - that's some pricey PPF. You really only need the front portion done, the rest is super over kill IMO for a daily driver. There is little RIO when you go to sell it or trade it in.
Have you seen the YouTube videos of people keying the side and rocks/debris kicked by the front tire etc? Also, you can be super clumsy when you use the car and don't worry about scratches, such as carwash, running errands, handling kids and around kids, and any other every day things that will scratch the sides of the car.
 
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No, so it’s $1400 for the Xpel PPF from Nate’s seller and $2000 for the labor alone. The cheapest quote I got in my area was $5500 and from a very reputable shop. You’re right, it’s a savings of $2100. I couldn’t bring myself to paying the full price. Was the reason I was hoping DIY was better.

So far, he’s doing an ok job. The parts where there seem to be issues is not the installer’s fault. For instance, all four doors’ PPF seem to end 1 mm above the bottom. Which is ridiculous because one of the main areas I wanted to protect were the edges and the bottoms of the doors which get sandblasted during driving. But I would say this was the precut kit being too short.

Same with the area around the door handles. There seems to be a 1mm gap all around the black door handles which is unsightly. Again, this seems to be an issue with the precut kit more than the skill of the installer. I suppose if it was a pro with a laser cutting machine, he’d print out another and make adjustments.

I’ll post a full review of this hybrid DIY/pro model after he is done.

1mm seems normal for precut. At least all the ones I’ve seen.

But nowadays precut is really dying out in favor of tucked edges.

just knowing there’s an option between the two I would never opt for a precut install. Made that mistake on one of my 911s and it always bugged me.

(For what it’s worth using a laser plotter ≠ precut. Plotters cut an additional 3mm so you can tuck)
 
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1mm seems normal for precut. At least all the ones I’ve seen.

But nowadays precut is really dying out in favor of tucked edges.

just knowing there’s an option between the two I would never opt for a precut install. Made that mistake on one of my 911s and it always bugged me.

(For what it’s worth using a laser plotter ≠ precut. Plotters cut an additional 3mm so you can tuck)
Precut doesn't mean there is no wrapped/tucked edges. Precuts have many areas with wrapped edges where there are enough areas for the film to stick and stay down. For MY/MYP doors, some edges simply don't have enough flat surface in the back of the door to wrap around. Same goes for any other areas in the car.
You are not up to date with the latest offerings from the PPF industry.
 
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Precut doesn't mean there is no wrapped/tucked edges. Precuts have many areas with wrapped edges where there are enough areas for the film to stick and stay down. For MY/MYP doors, some edges simply don't have enough flat surface in the back of the door to wrap around. Same goes for any other areas in the car.
You are not up to date with the latest offerings from the PPF industry.

Yeah I guess so, I’m also just not cheap. every part of the door can be tucked or hidden under trim. Minus the door handle which can get pretty flush.
 
Have you seen the YouTube videos of people keying the side and rocks/debris kicked by the front tire etc? Also, you can be super clumsy when you use the car and don't worry about scratches, such as carwash, running errands, handling kids and around kids, and any other every day things that will scratch the sides of the car.

Do you run the car through the auto car wash now that you have PPF? I’m tempted to do it once I have it fully installed. Figure the brushes will scratch the PPF but since it “self-heals” should be ok. I just wanna be as lazy as possible after I PPF and then double ceramic coat it (self).
 
Dang - that's some pricey PPF. You really only need the front portion done, the rest is super over kill IMO for a daily driver. There is little RIO when you go to sell it or trade it in.

Window tinting is essential (good ceramic tint, no need to get the most expensive top of the line by any mfg), as not only does it help reduce heat, glare and UV in the cabin, protects the looky-lue's from seeing what is in your vehicle. No need to do the glass roof, just get a removable sunshade - as summers in the hot states will add heat to the cabin. 35% driver and passenger doors, 20% everything behind it and 80-90% on the front windshield is my go to numbers.
My guy who is doing the PPF install for me also does window tints. He told me that the Tesla back windows are about 15% if I want to match it to the front. However, he says if I go with ceramic, it has a slightly greenish hue which, when viewed right next to the rear window, is quite obvious. He said carbon will look better although ceramic is the pricier and superior option. Is this true?

I’m holding off on doing the tinting because of the white dash reflection. It renders the mirror useless in bright sun. I already notice it now even without the tint.
 
No, so it’s $1400 for the Xpel PPF from Nate’s seller and $2000 for the labor alone. The cheapest quote I got in my area was $5500 and from a very reputable shop. You’re right, it’s a savings of $2100. I couldn’t bring myself to paying the full price. Was the reason I was hoping DIY was better.

So far, he’s doing an ok job. The parts where there seem to be issues is not the installer’s fault. For instance, all four doors’ PPF seem to end 1 mm above the bottom. Which is ridiculous because one of the main areas I wanted to protect were the edges and the bottoms of the doors which get sandblasted during driving. But I would say this was the precut kit being too short.

Same with the area around the door handles. There seems to be a 1mm gap all around the black door handles which is unsightly. Again, this seems to be an issue with the precut kit more than the skill of the installer. I suppose if it was a pro with a laser cutting machine, he’d print out another and make adjustments.

I’ll post a full review of this hybrid DIY/pro model after he is done.
Even the precut kits should have extra play to wrap around and tuck edges so you don't have lines which gather dirt and really stand out... I wonder if he's just not stretching the stuff far enough while installing...
 
Do you run the car through the auto car wash now that you have PPF? I’m tempted to do it once I have it fully installed. Figure the brushes will scratch the PPF but since it “self-heals” should be ok. I just wanna be as lazy as possible after I PPF and then double ceramic coat it (self).

I run my Y through an automated car wash once a week. But its the one where it goes through the brushes and then someone hand dries it after.

With my other cars I have someone come to my house and wash them, but only because I don't drive them as much and they need a little extra care. I drive my Y everyday basically and so it needs constant washing. Zero issues with an automated machine after about 30 washes.

My guy who is doing the PPF install for me also does window tints. He told me that the Tesla back windows are about 15% if I want to match it to the front. However, he says if I go with ceramic, it has a slightly greenish hue which, when viewed right next to the rear window, is quite obvious. He said carbon will look better although ceramic is the pricier and superior option. Is this true?

I’m holding off on doing the tinting because of the white dash reflection. It renders the mirror useless in bright sun. I already notice it now even without the tint.

This all depends on the brand more so than material type. It's near impossible to match the factory glass tint, the closest i've seen is XPEL XR Black which is a ceramic film and has a charcoal tone. Llumar IRX is also a good enough match.

Now if you tint all the windows, you should be fine. I went with the XR Plus because I like the cooler hue as opposed the brownish or charcoal from others.

Go carbon if you want privacy and to look good, go ceramic if you want the above + heat rejection and IR rejection.
 
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My guy who is doing the PPF install for me also does window tints. He told me that the Tesla back windows are about 15% if I want to match it to the front. However, he says if I go with ceramic, it has a slightly greenish hue which, when viewed right next to the rear window, is quite obvious. He said carbon will look better although ceramic is the pricier and superior option. Is this true?

I’m holding off on doing the tinting because of the white dash reflection. It renders the mirror useless in bright sun. I already notice it now even without the tint.
1000% go ceramic. If his tint film has a weird hue to it, use a different brand. I notice no color with my LLumar CTX ceramic tint and I didn't really notice any color with Xpel XR Plus. Maybe the Xpel had a VERY slight blue-ish color to it, but that was when inside and looking out through it, not a blue reflection when looking at the car from the outside. Think of that very slight blue hue you might see when putting on dark sunglasses. It's not really noticeable and certainly didn't bug me. Xpel was crystal clear and LLumar is very clear but not totally Xpel level.

I would get a 70% or 90% applied to the rear windows, from my understanding they are just privacy glass and do not offer any heat rejection (unlike the roof). It would be a waste in my book to tint just the front two side windows and leave the rear ones not with a ceramic tint. Again, you don't have to go dark to get heat rejection when using ceramic.
 
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I'll also note, most PPF shops will remove all trim bits to hid the edges of the film (and allow them to wrap around and still be adhered to painted surface). I haven't had a peeling issue, and if you do, go back to the shop and they'll fix it free of charge.

I stay away from the car wash. The touchless use pretty harsh chemicals (very high and low pH) that have a real potential to destroy your black trim. They eat away at the metal and leave a rainbow type "film." This can be "cleaned off" and hidden with products but usually comes back within a few weeks or the next time you wash it... so now you have to constantly be maintaining that.

Possibly the car washes with brushes use less harsh chemicals since they can rely on mechanical action (the brush physically touching the paint) to remove stuff. Also, the self wash bays are usually ok since idiots could spay each other on a hot summer day or something. Touchless would be a no go for me though unless you got a chrome delete (even on the black trim) which runs usually about $1,000. I ruined my trim on my 2020 Model Y doing that and Tesla wanted ~$800 to replace the trim. Thankfully I could clean it up enough that Tesla didn't notice when I traded it in a few months ago.

ONE single touchless car wash and it came out with the trim looking horrible and never clearing up all the way.
 
I'll also note, most PPF shops will remove all trim bits to hid the edges of the film (and allow them to wrap around and still be adhered to painted surface). I haven't had a peeling issue, and if you do, go back to the shop and they'll fix it free of charge.

I stay away from the car wash. The touchless use pretty harsh chemicals (very high and low pH) that have a real potential to destroy your black trim. They eat away at the metal and leave a rainbow type "film." This can be "cleaned off" and hidden with products but usually comes back within a few weeks or the next time you wash it... so now you have to constantly be maintaining that.

Possibly the car washes with brushes use less harsh chemicals since they can rely on mechanical action (the brush physically touching the paint) to remove stuff. Also, the self wash bays are usually ok since idiots could spay each other on a hot summer day or something. Touchless would be a no go for me though unless you got a chrome delete (even on the black trim) which runs usually about $1,000. I ruined my trim on my 2020 Model Y doing that and Tesla wanted ~$800 to replace the trim. Thankfully I could clean it up enough that Tesla didn't notice when I traded it in a few months ago.

ONE single touchless car wash and it came out with the trim looking horrible and never clearing up all the way.

Also a really good point. The black trim coating will discolor with harsh cleaning chemicals typically found in a touchless wash. I don't have any issues with my standard automated car wash.

A lot of people say it's a Tesla manufacturing defect, but I have seen Mercedes and BMW with OEM Black trim showing the same discoloration.
 
My guy who is doing the PPF install for me also does window tints. He told me that the Tesla back windows are about 15% if I want to match it to the front. However, he says if I go with ceramic, it has a slightly greenish hue which, when viewed right next to the rear window, is quite obvious. He said carbon will look better although ceramic is the pricier and superior option. Is this true?

I’m holding off on doing the tinting because of the white dash reflection. It renders the mirror useless in bright sun. I already notice it now even without the tint.

Not sure what tint your guy is referencing, but good ceramic tint does NOT have. Greenish hue. Most are black and smoke tones. As for just tinting the front drive and passenger doors…do all the windows, as the rear windows are color tinted, but not heat and UV.

PPF on the front bumper and partial hood is more than enough for a daily driver IMO. $4k+ to PPF a car - I see better uses for that money. I can’t justify the cost of the entire car PPF nor super expensive ceramic coatings. Ceramic coatings have minimal ROI and a lot of hype. Too many great ceramic spray waxes out here for $20 that you can quickly spray on after every wash. Then once a year quick buff with a orbital buffer and it’s better than new.

One thing no one tells you about PPF, when it gets marked up (mostly the bumper and partial hood) from rocks, they don’t heal and it looks like crap in a year or so. Plus, if you only do a partial panel, the paint will have a fade line in a couple of years.
 
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View attachment 790343View attachment 790344View attachment 790345

Xpel XR Prime Plus
5% front windows
55% rear doors
70% rear window
45% windshield
Looks fantastic. I just got SunTek's ceramic tint installed on my car but haven't picked it up yet, so I had a question for you. If my math checks out, your rear windows should have a net VLT of ~12%, which is significantly lighter than your front windows' VLT of 5%. Can you see any noticeable difference as to the delta of those VLTs? I went with the same as you on the fronts but slightly darker on the rears, 35%. I was worried that the net 7% VLT on the rears would be noticeably lighter than on the fronts but I can't even tell the difference with your car, and the delta is much greater.
 
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Oy, my Tesla is so hot already! MSM ext and black seats! I put one of those mesh shields on the ceiling but going to get it tinted, would like max UV and heat protection... So do all windows and hatch window? What about ceiling and front windshield?
Thx!
Best return on investment for tinting is to tint the windshield and side windows, then rear hatch and finally glass roof (already factory treated to filter UV and IR). Pay attention to the MVA/DOT regulations in your state. 70% for front windshield is barely noticeable. (You may be able to get a medical waiver from your MD if you suffer from migrains.) Xpel Prime XR Plus and 3M Crystalline are among the best ceramic tint films.

There is a setting under Safety for Cabin Overheat Protection (COP). You can set COP to run the AC or only run the fan. You can now select two different upper temperature limits for COP with AC. COP remains active for up to 12 hours after you park your Tesla Model Y.

Use the Tesla app to precondition the passenger cabin. (It only takes 4 or 5 minutes to cool down the passenger cabin when returning to your Tesla Model Y vehicle.)
 
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3M CIR 70/30/70 - windshield/front/rears
 

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