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New Car - PPF

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This was my first time ever, and you don't even need expensive tools. Applying PPF is challenging and applying near perfect was way more challenging, but I was able to finish the job with 99% professional quality. If you don't hurry and take your time, you can do it too. I did 1-2 panels a day and I prepped my garage well (cleaning and flooded the garage floor with a lot of water, so that I don't get the dust flying around).

1. Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF for entire car - $1100
2. CarPro CQuartz UK 3.0 - $75
3. Harbor Freight Dual Action Random Orbital Polisher - $65
4. Lake Country Pads (cutting, plishing, final finish pads) - $30
5. Sonax "Perfect Finish" and "CutMax" - $50
6. Baby shampoo, distilled water, alcohol, spray bottles, squeegees - $20
Dang, super impressive!!! Bet after a few panels your skills and confidence increased drastically.

You saved a ton of $$$ not taking it to a shop. PREP is the key - getting the paint corrected is easy - the crazy money shops charge for that and ceramic coating is beyond nuts.

PPF I've done on the hood, mirrors, fenders and bumper (the curves are the toughest) on my RDX - with a heat gun, tools and loads of patience - came out amazing too. Helped I've done of ton of DIY window tinting, but the flexibility of the PPF to get pulled and stretched makes it more forgiving and easier to install.

Do you have any before and after pics?
 
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@nate704 source for "1. Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF for entire car - $1100"

???

thanks
This place offers "pre-cut" PPF for all vehicles. They even have a "insurance" for 10% more (if you screw up a piece, you get a free one) and all the tools with a kit to install. Did this on my 21 Acura RDX (front end kit with door edge guards) - was a good way to cut my teeth on installing PPF myself for a fraction of the cost, without a lot of cutting. Heat gun on low or a hairdryer to warm up the material to stretch over curves helps too.

Prep is KING - getting the paint corrected with an orbital buffer + light polish makes a world of difference. Big panels (like the hood & bumper) a helper makes install so much easier.

InvisibleMask - Paint Protection For Your Car - - Sure there are others DIY pre-cut places to buy from.
 
Dang, super impressive!!! Bet after a few panels your skills and confidence increased drastically.

You saved a ton of $$$ not taking it to a shop. PREP is the key - getting the paint corrected is easy - the crazy money shops charge for that and ceramic coating is beyond nuts.

PPF I've done on the hood, mirrors, fenders and bumper (the curves are the toughest) on my RDX - with a heat gun, tools and loads of patience - came out amazing too. Helped I've done of ton of DIY window tinting, but the flexibility of the PPF to get pulled and stretched makes it more forgiving and easier to install.

Do you have any before and after pics?
 
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Any opinions as to whether a new factory painted Tesla needs to "cure" for some amount of time before applying a ceramic coating to it?
If it was my car - Best to wait a 6 weeks to 2-months for the paint to fully cure, before any paint correction, ceramic coating or PPF. Especially if it just was built and delivered to the Tesla dealership for pickup.
 
If it was my car - Best to wait a 6 weeks to 2-months for the paint to fully cure, before any paint correction, ceramic coating or PPF. Especially if it just was built and delivered to the Tesla dealership for pickup.
Cars come from factory fully cured paint. It is a myth that car paint needs extra cure time.
If you wait 2 months, it will have more scratches and chips from normal use and it will take extra time and effort/money to do the paint correction and PPF.
 
Cars come from factory fully cured paint. It is a myth that car paint needs extra cure time.
If you wait 2 months, it will have more scratches and chips from normal use and it will take extra time and effort/money to do the paint correction and PPF.
Depends on how the car was painted. The finish is softer at the beginning. I personally wait a while to paint correct my vehicles and then a sealer or ceramic coating.

Not from the school of PPF on a daily driver (rather do a wrap) - done from a installer perspective, most get yellowish over time (regardless of the mfg) and lift up somewhere to get dirt underneath it. However it's your $$$$, spend it on what you think is necessary.
 
We do a lot of Tesla vehicles with PPF. The minimum that we recommend is doing the full front kit (full hood, full front fenders, front bumper, headlights, and back of the painted areas on the mirrors.). With as many of these vehicles that we have done we do experience a lot of rock chips on the front section of the hood and some on the fenders. Most the time these are pretty new cars with less then 1000 miles on them.

As for the doing the Full Body PPF we do a lot of these as well. It does add extra protection to your vehicle. If you are in the desert area where a lot of sand is getting blown around all the time it is recommended. If you are wanting extra piece of mind for when going to the stores and having a run a way buggy scratch the car then yes it is recommended. It really comes down to how much piece of mind you would like and the protection to the vehicle. The full front is something that I would highly recommend just to protect from the flying road debris.
 
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I did my whole car myself exactly one year ago.


Never did this before. I researched and cleaned my garage for four months while waiting for delivery. All edges that can be wrapped are. It's held up great and is doing the job. I did it myself not for the money savings but for the challenge. I'm a person who likes buying new tools and learning new skills.
 
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Crazy how this "Tesla" fade of getting your entire vehicle PPF is going viral, great for the shop and installer. Then add the "Tesla price increase" most of these PPF and tint shops are charging - it's crazy! Where is the ROI if your spend $2-$8K+ for a partial or full PPF with ceramic coating (BTW - there are plenty of hight quality ceramic coatings you can buy that spray on and last months for less than $50)? Definitely not on the resale. Save the $$$ for your next vehicle and just enjoy it.

Then they will want to sell you on ceramic coating - as the PPF does not protect from fading or sun damage. PPF stains quickly from bird dropping and other contaminates too - which most of the time can not be removed. Also to do it right, you need to paint correct + clay bar the vehicle before the PPF, or you'll see all the imperfections through the PPF. It's all in the prep - as the plastic PPF will show all the imperfections if not removed.

IMO not necessary for a daily driver, and it seems most will trade up in a couple-few years. Tesla paint is good (consistent paint thickness over the past couple of years), much better than most of the people trying to scare you into getting all this work done.

I did partial PPF on one of my SUV's when new, seems will come up with the best products over time, PPF will yellow over time and rocks that hit and damage the PPF are ugly blemishes. Then add that it's not as slick as paint - even with a coating - just rather fix a few paint chips or get a bumper resprayed.

For all those who want to do PPF - NEVER do a partial panel (like just 18"-24" of the front of the hood). Why? Over time the paint will fade differently. Once you remove it - there will be a noticeable difference and line that won't be able to buff out.

Being OCD, I do this to all my vehicles when I get them new or gently used:

1) Ceramic tint - all windows + windshield at 70%-80% (necessary for reducing cabin heat, energy consumption and privacy).
2) Skip tinting the glass roofs, as the tint absorbs heat and rejects it into the glass. Get a removable inside glass roof shape for less than $70 which will significantly help in the summer months.
3) Detail car, clay bar + paint correct with a light polish - then use a high quality spray on ceramic coating.
4) Exterior windows - RainX by far is the best coating you can apply - last for months.
5) Weekly washes and a new layer of the spray on ceramic coating - your paint will pop and be super hydrophobic.

At the end - it's your money - do your homework first, as thats a chuck of change spend.
 
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Then they will want to sell you on ceramic coating - as the PPF does not protect from fading or sun damage. PPF stains quickly from bird dropping and other contaminates too - which most of the time can not be removed. Also to do it right, you need to paint correct + clay bar the vehicle before the PPF, or you'll see all the imperfections through the PPF. It's all in the prep - as the plastic PPF will show all the imperfections if not removed.
Actually, PPF film will hide all the clear coat scratches.
 
Yup, Tesla is good for the economy. I definitely enjoyed PPFing my car (see post #74) and am very happy with the results after exactly one year.
You have skills - seen your post. It's not that hard with some practice and a few YouTube install videos. A heat gun surely helps and knowing that it can be stretched (within limits).

Been window tinting for a super long time - once you get the hang of it - it's rewarding and super cost efficient. I did PPF myself too for a fraction of the cost, that is the only way I could justify it.
 
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You guys in the US are getting ripped off by your PPF installers. Here in Edm, AB I only paid a total of $2400USD for a whole-body XPEL Ultimate Plus PPF and got a free front XPEL Ceramic tints as well.
hhmmmm, costs of living are rather different in "the ChucK" than in the USA.
Service providers need to make a living; don't begrudge them that.

If you're so frugal, why didn't you just do the PPF install yourself?
 
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