Not getting paint protection film for your Model 3?

[T34ME]

That video's informative, but I think it's in a what not to do when installing PPF way.

Yes, I agree. Although I have never applied PPF, I am going to give it a try, and I will not do it the way he did. He used the "two bottle" method to apply the slip and I will use one bottle method. He used a heat gun to remove the creases (called "fingers") at the edges, when patient working the material with a squeegee should be enough. I noticed he used a squeegee with felt on the edge whereas most of the pros seem to used a hard edged squeegee.

So @omgwtfbyobbq , give it a try and report back. We can all learn from your experience. Thanks.

 

[Qbenjamin]

Nope, not doing it on a depreciating asset that won't increase the value of the car when I go to sell it.

 

[Dogwhistle]

Planning on going with a ceramic coating and a bottle of touch-up paint. Think that’ll be the best bang for the buck!

 

[daniel]

I’m really on the fence on getting paint protection for my Model 3. On the one hand I want the car to stay nice and look good. I’m worried about that front no-grill area being a rock magnet. On the other hand, it’s a depreciating asset that I don’t want to sink any more money into than I have to, and clear wraps and even partials are expensive. It’s not like if I don’t get a clear wrap, I don’t still have my Model 3 to drive and enjoy.

Curious to see what others out there are planning to do/have already done with their Model 3s.

Anyone who didn’t do paint protection and is happy about their choice? How does that no-grill area hold up on the highways withought paint protection?

I'm not doing it. As I've said in other contexts, it's a car, not the Mona Lisa. If you own the Mona Lisa you need to keep it behind glass, away from the sunlight, maybe in a bank vault. This is a car. It's only value to me is that it's transportation without gasoline. (And for me, in the Pacific Northwest, with all our hydro, zero carbon emission.)

Protective coatings will prevent rocks of a certain size (or more properly, a certain energy and shape) from damaging the paint. Under a certain size, they won't hurt the car anyway. Over a certain size they'll damage it even with the coating. The calculation is: What's the likelihood of damage compared to the cost of repair and the cost of the coating? I don't know the actual numbers, but I've been driving almost 50 years, and I don't see the calculation coming out in favor of spending money on paint protection.

For some people (and I am not criticizing, just noting) it's important that the car look beautiful, and a coating can help with that. For me, a car is transportation.

 

[Transhine]

All you folks have legit reasons for forgoing the film. However, consider just getting the bumper protected and not going crazy with a full wrap job. 90% of all the road debris damage will be to the bumper. Its not a Model X, or S. ($100K car).

I think most Tesla 3 owners are going to use the heck out of the car and thats good. Those drivers get the most out of their clear bra protection. Taking pride in keep your car looking good, whether its a Corolla or Carrera, is a matter of principle not a percentage of the cost of the car.

Also, applying ceramic coatings will protect the paint from many elements, but not a rock at 65MPH.

We have a lot of customers that are big time commuters here in Los Angeles and they drive prius's and Chevy Volts. they know their last car's bumper got thrashed and so they invest in protecting the bumpers on their new car. The average price for an installed bumper kit is $450.00.

Plus, if you ever hit a white picket fence in your Model 3, you will be happy you happy you spent the money.

 

[T34ME]

For some people (and I am not criticizing, just noting) it's important that the car look beautiful, and a coating can help with that. For me, a car is transportation.

TSLA,,,,,,,,,,,it's not just for transportation anymore. (Tesla's new slogan)

 

[Uncle Paul]

Tesla puts a primer on it's body to protect the metal.
They put a base coat on to protect the primer.
They put a clear coat on to protect the paint.
You have a professional paint correct the factory paint with hours and hours of buffing and rubbing with motor driven machines.
You put a wax/polish/sealer on to protect the paint.
Use a touch up pen to address any chips or rubs.
In addition you can put on a clear plastic to protect the paint.
Put a polish/sealer on to protect the plastic coat.
Put a renew finish on from time to time to additionally protect the previously applied sealants.

End up with a pretty shiney Tesla: >)

 

[daniel]

All you folks have legit reasons for forgoing the film. However, consider just getting the bumper protected and not going crazy with a full wrap job. 90% of all the road debris damage will be to the bumper. Its not a Model X, or S. ($100K car).

I think most Tesla 3 owners are going to use the heck out of the car and thats good. Those drivers get the most out of their clear bra protection. Taking pride in keep your car looking good, whether its a Corolla or Carrera, is a matter of principle not a percentage of the cost of the car.

Also, applying ceramic coatings will protect the paint from many elements, but not a rock at 65MPH.

We have a lot of customers that are big time commuters here in Los Angeles and they drive prius's and Chevy Volts. they know their last car's bumper got thrashed and so they invest in protecting the bumpers on their new car. The average price for an installed bumper kit is $450.00.

Plus, if you ever hit a white picket fence in your Model 3, you will be happy you happy you spent the money.

A matter of principle? For me, it's a matter of principle to respect others; it's a matter of principle to assure that human rights and civil rights are respected for all people; it's a matter of principle to recycle and to try to minimize my impact on the environment. It's a matter of esthetics and personal choice to try to keep a car looking like new. I know a guy who maintains his cars to the degree that after a decade they look and perform like new. He gets person pleasure out of that, just as I get personal pleasure out of having art on my walls, or walking in the woods.

I am sure that if you inspected the front bumper of my 7-year-old Roadster, or my 14-year-old Prius, or the Civic I drover for well over a decade, or the Xebra I drove for 4 years, you would find imperfections due to wear and road damage. But none of them has any glaring damage or highly-visible chips. And I hardly ever look at them. I spend money on maintenance to make sure they run well. I don't spend money on maintaining their cosmetic appearance.

People who enjoy owning a car that looks like new should definitely spend that money. Me? Meh. It's car. It's the drivetrain I love. As far as looks, I took a step down when I got the Model 3.

 

[AllThingsFasT]

There's no doubt about the effectiveness of paint protection film. It's just a matter of it's value to you. For me personally, it did help keep the selling cost up on my past vehicles

 

[TexasEV]

This is a car. It's only value to me is that it's transportation without gasoline.

This would be heresy to most early Model S owners. We're still embarrassed if we show up at a supercharger with a dirty car. I guess Tesla really has hit mainstream now.

By the way I'm getting XPEL on the front of my Model 3 and C-Quartz coating over that. Not for the resale value, but because I value a beautiful car.

 

[daniel]

This is a car. It's only value to me is that it's transportation without gasoline. ...

This would be heresy to most early Model S owners. We're still embarrassed if we show up at a supercharger with a dirty car. I guess Tesla really has hit mainstream now.

Mainstream? This is the same way I treated my '89 Civic, my '04 Prius, my Zap Xebra, and my 2010 Tesla Roadster. I've been driving electric since before Tesla sold its first car, even though my Roadster is one of the later ones. I've loved all those cars. As transportation. I don't think I'm mainstream. How many folks do you know whose daily driver for four years was a Zap Xebra just to avoid gasoline? I don't think the Xebra was ever mainstream.

But, no, I don't wash my cars daily or worry about the normal road wear of driving.

 

[Premier Mobile]

When searching for a PPF company, the experience of the installer makes the most difference. Paint Protection Film can be applied in a multitude of ways, all of which will have different results. This ranges from Pre-cut kits, "Customized Kits" (modified pre-cut kit), or True Custom installations. Those with keen eyes will notice and be bother by seams, adhesive distortions, edge / corner gaps, ect..., while others will not. This all comes down to the standards of each individual. What's universal is that if you want to keep the paint in the best condition and drive with a peace of mind, the Clear Bra is the best option.

We've been doing this for over 20 years with our specialty in 100% custom installations. Here is an example of the difference in our Signature Custom installations vs. companies using Pre-cut kits or Customized Pre-cut kits. Our 100% Custom installations provide the most comprehensive coverage in the industry.



Most of our customers don't like seeing seams hence the importance of finding the right installers / installation company. If you don't have prior experience, we do recommend going to see the work in person. Pictures are often misleading, and the only way to figure out if the installation company has the same standards as you, is to see the work in person. Seams, stretch marks, dimples, gaps, other film distortions, and at times razor cuts in the paint can make owners think twice about ever getting Clear Bras again. We see this often as we end up redoing a lot of work from other companies.

 

[insaneoctane]

I agree that the price of installed film is really expensive. Too expensive for many for sure. I think it comes down to how much having / keeping your car's paint job looking great matters to you. I tend to hand wash my own car about twice a month. I see chips, dings and scratches slowly appear as the car ages. I think that it will bother me more with the Tesla than my previous vehicles because I am spending a lot more money than typical. I think I will elect to have film applied, but the extra money will never be recouped, but it will help my OCD a bit as I wash it and hopefully see less issues. I also drive 20K miles per year and those miles add up. I currently have 190K miles on my car (all mine) and I think it looks pretty decent for the mileage and age. I really wish a full wrap was affordable, but I can't possibly justify $5K or whatever. I certainly understand both opinions for film.

 

[pazdan]

I'm only doing a ceramic coating, on a black model 3.

 

[xav-]

All this aftermarket stuff is so expensive. From overpriced product (with tons of fancy marketing) to overpriced labor it quickly adds up.

That is another reason why I got the 19 inch sport wheels... worst case scenario I spend $500 painting the wheels and that's it. And the $1,500 goes to tesla, not to some aftermarket company that outsourced its entire manufacturing to China.

 

[Big Dog]

cite a reputable source for Tesla's paint being softer than other car manufacturers or I'll never believe it.

I'm not reputable! but a California resident and the air quality standards implemented for smog control eliminated plenty of aromatics from California paint years ago. Exterior house paint, for example, no longer lasts as long. Thus, I have no issue believing that Tesla's Fremont plant uses paint that improves the environment, but doesn't last long, i.e., "soft".

 

[juanmedina]

All this aftermarket stuff is so expensive. From overpriced product (with tons of fancy marketing) to overpriced labor it quickly adds up.

That is another reason why I got the 19 inch sport wheels... worst case scenario I spend $500 painting the wheels and that's it. And the $1,500 goes to tesla, not to some aftermarket company that outsourced its entire manufacturing to China.

For 5k I think you can get a decent paint job...specially when the model 3 is mostly glass on the top side.

 

[svp6]

Never wrapped any of my cars. By the time the paint protection shows the difference against other cars, there is wear and tear elsewhere that show a car's age. Why bother? I do not plan to donate the car to the Smithsonian for future generations to admire

 

[Canuck]

the air quality standards implemented for smog control eliminated plenty of aromatics from California paint years ago. Exterior house paint, for example, no longer lasts as long. Thus, I have no issue believing that Tesla's Fremont plant uses paint that improves the environment, but doesn't last long, i.e., "soft".

Same here with house paint. We can't even buy oil paints or stains anymore -- we have to go down to the States to get them, along with weed killer.

In September 2010, the Government of Canada passed legislation limiting the concentration levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in all architectural painting products. 1

What are VOCs? VOCs are a family of chemicals emitted by many household products (such as oil-based paints). VOCs negatively impact the quality of air, both inside and outside your home and contribute to ground level smog and significantly increase the risk of respiratory and heart diseases. In fact, Environment Canada states that 26% of VOC emissions come from paint and other coatings.

We have even stricter regs than in California up here and: We paint a lot of cars on your roads. The paint suppliers are not making harder paint where they can spew more chemicals. That's not how it works.

I'm not reputable!

Agreed but I'm sure you're a great guy.

 

[Sportstick]

By the time the paint protection shows the difference against other cars, there is wear and tear elsewhere that show a car's age. Why bother?

Just trying to follow the logic....a stone chip on day 1 on the way home from the dealer...not much wear/tear otherwise by then. Chips can happen anytime, so not sure of the connection to the age of the vehicle?