Not getting paint protection film for your Model 3?

[devilmountain]

I highly recommend against unprotected S3X.

If you wanna be a cheap ass, wrap just the tip.

All sorts of nasty stuff your hot rod can catch out there.

PPF on just the front, especially if you are doing just the bumper, should be well under 2k ( not saying 2k grows on trees or anything ). Ceramic coating also will not provide any chip/rock protection.

I was cheap, I only had the front bumper fascia wrapped and it cost me $600. Only rock chip I have received was one on the passenger door and I used the Tesla touch up kit for that and you cannot tell its there.

It appears, a lot of Tesla owners have a conscience regarding their carbon footprint they leave behind. Which is really refreshing to see compared to other brand vehicle forums.

So what is the environmental impact of all this plastic. Or whatever this indesctrucrable non biodegradable material is?

Case in point. For example I was about to get an addition to my house insulated with closed foam. Great R factor. But the closed foam propellant is nasty stuff. Really bad for the environment. I’m waiting for some new water based closed cell that is just coming to market.

One thing to consider is the lifetime engergy savings for the life of the addition or home vs using a less efficient method. Using the foam maybe more environmentally friendly over 100 years. This is assuming we are still on fossile fuels for the life of the addition or home.

 

[mswlogo]

One thing to consider is the lifetime engergy savings for the life of the addition or home vs using a less efficient method. Using the foam maybe more environmentally friendly over 100 years. This is assuming we are still on fossile fuels for the life of the addition or home.

Supposedly the bad stuff is like 20 years or more "return on environment".
But there are alternatives that is 0 years "return on environment" (i.e. no impact from installation).
I suspect the bad stuff will be eventually banned once the new stuff is readily available and proven.

It's not being heated until it's insulated.

Here is more info about it. Some materials (depending on how thick you put) could be 110 years.
Avoiding the Global Warming Impact of Insulation - GreenBuildingAdvisor

Not to mention health issues in your home from outgassing.

 

[XLR82XS]

Was considering a PPF on just the front, but now I am thinking its just not worth it. Have a 51k RWD White TM3. Throwing 2-7k into a PPF doesn't seem worth it to me.

What's the cost of a new bumper? At some point is it not cheaper/easier to simply replace the bumper 4-5 years down the road rather than coating the original one?

It's not just the bumper. Headlights, hood, fenders, rockers, bumper lenses, A-pillars, mirrors, windshield all get blasted with airborne debris and pitted. PPF is 100% worth it. High quality films today carry a 10-year warranty.

 

[StellarRat]

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.

Mine is a year old and I have just a one tiny little pit in the front. I think whether or not to get the film really depends on several factors: Do you live in a place where salt and sand are frequently applied to the roads in the winter? How much freeway/high speed driving do you do? What kind of stuff is normally on your roads? Are your roads well maintained by street sweepers? How much do you drive in general?

In my case we have next to no winter conditions that require salt or sand (maybe every other year), the in city roads are sweep often, I don't take a lot of long freeway trips, and I don't put a lot of miles on the car. For me, I don't think PPF is worth the money. If I keep the car for a long time and it starts to look bad I'll get it repaired and repainted.

 

[JoeJoe]

Just like our previous S, our 3 has soft paint and Tesla still continues to have poor paint quality. I'm too cheap to spend ~2k on front clip PPF, but the front bumper is so prone to rock/bugs due to its aerodynamic design. It's been 4weeks since we started to drive and I noticed a few rock chips on front bumper, as well as some on the headlight. No damage on hood/fender, but a few on windshield which is unavoidable I guess.

I decided to spend a couple of hours at a time to cover front bumper PPF DIY-style at least. I applied RPM's headlight film on my own and they weren't spotless but acceptable. I also did some practice runs on small sections on front bumper where bugs hit the most. I plan to spend 100-150 on front bumper just on films. My local tint shop quoted me $500 for front bumper only. I know it's pro but I can't spend that much money.

hi I was interested in covering full model 3 with film DYI of course, I plan to go camping a lot.

where did you get yours

 

[XLR82XS]

I think the rule here is this: we all know Tesla paint is "soft" and is more prone to damage from road debris, chips, etc... more so than other brands of vehicles. For people who care about their paint they should budget PPF in the vehicle purchase.

(Exceptions are there especially people leasing, short-term ownership, etc...)

 

[israndy]

Or, like those who plan on buying a car bra, wait for the paint damage to occur and THEN put it on to MASK the issue.

 

[groovidad]

Mine is a year old and I have just a one tiny little pit in the front. I think whether or not to get the film really depends on several factors: Do you live in a place where salt and sand are frequently applied to the roads in the winter? How much freeway/high speed driving do you do? What kind of stuff is normally on your roads? Are your roads well maintained by street sweepers? How much do you drive in general?

In my case we have next to no winter conditions that require salt or sand (maybe every other year), the in city roads are sweep often, I don't take a lot of long freeway trips, and I don't put a lot of miles on the car. For me, I don't think PPF is worth the money. If I keep the car for a long time and it starts to look bad I'll get it repaired and repainted.

You read my mind!

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Or, like those who plan on buying a car bra, wait for the paint damage to occur and THEN put it on to MASK the issue.

I didn’t read through the entire thread for context. So I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic. Im forced to point out this isn’t how PPF works. If the damage is there, clear PPF will not mask it.

I drive 50 miles daily. Cracked Windshields are crazy common here. I opted for PPF for that reason (white cars have little to gain from PPF AT 5ft and greater distances). If windshields are getting messed up I can only imagine the poor paint. Cars are more than methods of transport for me...as evidence by my username.

 

[SebRanguis]

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?

Getting the full car Model 3 srp black as we speak. I really tear it up as a daily commute on the freeways and already noticed about 7 significant stone chips with only 4.3k km. They will also do a touch up on the chips that are current. I want to keep mine looking fresh! Will upload pic when done.

 

[El joe]

Was on the fence about this, too. I bought my Model 3 a month ago and was weighing this vs. just getting it repainted one day. Then on our very first road trip the weekend after buying it, a hit my hood and left a dent about the size of a dime. Lesson learned — if you want PPF, get it first thing after purchasing.

 

[MarsOrBust]

I’ll at least get the full front done as I plan on keeping this car for at least as long as the battery warranty.

Here’s a vid of a 3 getting fully wrapped.

Why are the tinting the front window on the outside?

 

[joebruin77]

Why are the tinting the front window on the outside?

I haven't seen the video, but the most likely explanation is that they are not tinting the outside of the windows. When they cut the tint film for installation on the INSIDE, they usually first place the film on the outside to measure how to cut it to match the dimensions of the window. Then once the film is cut, they then move it to the inside to adhere it to the window.

There are some outisde windshield films, but there are problems with these films over the long term and are not very common for that reason.

 

[MarsOrBust]

Looks like they are applying it on the outside to me but I am not an installer/

 

[Mr X]

Get either protective transparent satin wrap or get it vinyl wrapped like I did.


Changing the color changes the car which is a cool thing to do


I have one rock chip in the front which actually is in the paint so the wrap just covers it.

 

[KenC]

Looks like they are applying it on the outside to me but I am not an installer/View attachment 609257

I listened to the first part, and I think the installer called it Llumar Stratos. I wonder if the exterior install helps against chips? How often do they replace it?

 

[joebruin77]

Looks like they are applying it on the outside to me but I am not an installer/View attachment 609257

Many tint films need be heated with a heat gun to shrink the film and make it fit onto a curved window. So I am pretty sure in the video the installer is just heating the film on while it is layed down on the outisde to make it fit the shape of the window. What they do not show in the video is the step of cutting the film, rolling it up, and then unrolling it and applying on the inside of the windshield.

This is from an article on how to install window tint:

Heating Shrinking Window Tint
Before we even begin you may be wondering why anyone would want to heat shrink window tint in the first place and you wouldn't be wrong for asking. Simply put, no one wants the hassle of heat shrinking but, unless you intend to apply tint as a number of strips to cover a concave surface, then heat-shrinking is a necessity. So, just what is it? In essence, when you heat shrink you use a heat gun to shrink the excess film along the grain (toward the factory edge) and smooth it out with a hard card or microfiber cloth. Suffice it to say that this is a technique best left to professionals but when and if you get it right you will have earned your tinting stripes.

Heat Shrinking: Wet Method
Begin by taking an uncut piece of tint, spray both sides with soapy water and lay it on outside of the rear windshield liner-side up. You will then squeegee a horizontal anchor onto the film to gather all the excess film into "fingers" at the top and bottoms of the window.

Next, pass your heat gun over one of the fingers briefly. Once you see the film react to the heat you may then smooth the heated finger area flat with your towel or microfiber cloth. In succession you then proceed to smooth each of the fingers that pop up until the entire area has been shrunk.

After the film is has been heat shrunk you will then need to the process with a hard card as opposed to the towel or cloth.

Trim the film to shape and flatten any newly arisen fingers with a hard card as new ones can occur after the film has been cut.

In order to apply the tint, roll it up onto a core or spindle, reverse the liner and roll it out onto the prepared inner surface.

 

[Saturday]

Was on the fence about this, too. I bought my Model 3 a month ago and was weighing this vs. just getting it repainted one day. Then on our very first road trip the weekend after buying it, a hit my hood and left a dent about the size of a dime. Lesson learned — if you want PPF, get it first thing after purchasing.

Question- was there a scratch in this dent or was there just a dent?

 

[freeAgent]

@joebruin77 is right about the process for tinting. The installers use the outside of the window as a template. They need to do the heat shrinking on the outside in order to get the shape and cut correct. After they've got it cut to size on the outside, they peel the film off and perform the final installation on the inside of the glass.

 

[El joe]

Question- was there a scratch in this dent or was there just a dent?

Scratched it, too. So frustrating. :/