Paint protection and City Parking

[ezevphl]

I just picked up my new Model 3 today and and have had the Tesla grin non stop while driving.

I was thinking about PPF but I'm not sure if its really worth it in the city. I've read most of the threads on here and and while it will definitely protect from bugs and minor road debris, I'm not sure if it will make a difference for bumper parking.

I've talked to a few shops that install it and they also seem to be split. One says that it will eliminate scratches from minor contact and another one says that it will do next to nothing to protect the bumpers from other cars.

Any thoughts or personal experience?
The one that said its not worth it is a very reputable place that worked on other Teslas so I'm kind of leaning that way.

 

[Nisesen]

The film won't keep a car from making a big ol' dent if he backs into you, but it will stop rocks from scratching the paint, as well as mitigate damage for light brushes by other cars, shopping carts, etc. I would say: not worth it if you do a lot of driving in densely populate cities like SF, worth it if you live in an urban area and drive a lot of highway.

 

[HopeToGolf]

If you are looking to protect your car from the bumpers of other cars, PPF is not going to do it.

I’m guessing you will need those pads I’ve seen in NYC/Boston/Philly hanging off the trunks of the cars and covering the bumpers. I’ve even seen them on the front of a few cars. I always wondered if people are more or less inclined to bump you if they see the pad????

As a former big city dweller I cannot imagine owning a nice car there. People are pretty disrespectful when it comes to street parking.

Hell I have to go into NYC a few times a month and I am stressed about giving my keys to the valet. They pack the cars in so tightly I’m almost certain they are doing some bumper tapping.

 

[outie]

It is a personal preference. Some people like to keep their paint new for the next owner. Some people don't give a crap about minor scratches (PPF won't protect large scratches anyways). Some people lose sleep over tiny scratches that PPF likely prevents. That's why you got mixed opinions and you will likely get mixed opinions here as well. It's just kind of like insurance.

At the end of the day, only you know what you want for your car and only you know how much you are willing to spend your money on your car.

 

[ezevphl]

I think I've been leaning away from it for all of those reasons. I'd be perfectly happy to spend the money to keep the car looking like new, but I'm not willing to do it to keep it looking slightly newer..

 

[Phillyasian]

We just picked up my Model 3 from a dealer on Long Island. We had PPF film installed on the front and rear bumper (also both rear view mirrors and matte film on Center Console) and Ceramic coating on the entire car.
We park on the street on a narrow and small CC/South Philly Street. Our previous car, a Ford Fusion Hybrid, was 4 years old and was purchased while we lived in Philly (Going on 12 years here as a Native NY'er). We had no major damage to our Ford EXCEPT for multiple dings and paint scratches on the front and rear bumper. Quotes from a independent body shop would have costed us over $600 to touch up both bumpers. Because of that history we wanted to install the film on the bumpers to help mitigate the paint scratches.
We considered garaging our new car but as you probably know garages are not particularly cheap here. We felt that the cost of the above services is an investment into keeping out car as nice as possible. Obviously I can go out now and find a big dent in it but by the same token you can garage a car and still suffer cosmetic damages to it. the coating will assist in keeping the paint finish brand new for as long as possible. Our past experiences show us that we're not going to clean our car weekly or even bi-weekly so the coating will make it easier to keep clean since we're not the type of people to do it religiously.
We asked the detailer about the flip-down rubber bumper guards and his opinion was that the can help with paint scratches on bumpers but that the straps that may leave some mar marks on the bumper. In our case it would be on the film and could be buffed out. So we will probably get those guards as well. Because of our Frunk it is possible to use those guards on our front bumper.

 

[ezevphl]

We just picked up my Model 3 from a dealer on Long Island. We had PPF film installed on the front and rear bumper (also both rear view mirrors and matte film on Center Console) and Ceramic coating on the entire car.
We park on the street on a narrow and small CC/South Philly Street. Our previous car, a Ford Fusion Hybrid, was 4 years old and was purchased while we lived in Philly (Going on 12 years here as a Native NY'er). We had no major damage to our Ford EXCEPT for multiple dings and paint scratches on the front and rear bumper. Quotes from a independent body shop would have costed us over $600 to touch up both bumpers. Because of that history we wanted to install the film on the bumpers to help mitigate the paint scratches.
We considered garaging our new car but as you probably know garages are not particularly cheap here. We felt that the cost of the above services is an investment into keeping out car as nice as possible. Obviously I can go out now and find a big dent in it but by the same token you can garage a car and still suffer cosmetic damages to it. the coating will assist in keeping the paint finish brand new for as long as possible. Our past experiences show us that we're not going to clean our car weekly or even bi-weekly so the coating will make it easier to keep clean since we're not the type of people to do it religiously.
We asked the detailer about the flip-down rubber bumper guards and his opinion was that the can help with paint scratches on bumpers but that the straps that may leave some mar marks on the bumper. In our case it would be on the film and could be buffed out. So we will probably get those guards as well. Because of our Frunk it is possible to use those guards on our front bumper.

Let me know if you find something that works well for the Frunk. I have a big ol Bumper Bully for the back, but I wouldn't want to keep one of those for the front. I'm also starting to get a bit spoiled by the ultrasonic sensors and the distance for parking, so hopefully not too much interference with those.

 

[Phillyasian]

Let me know if you find something that works well for the Frunk. I have a big ol Bumper Bully for the back, but I wouldn't want to keep one of those for the front. I'm also starting to get a bit spoiled by the ultrasonic sensors and the distance for parking, so hopefully not too much interference with those.

Don't you take the bumper pad out AFTER you finish parking and flip it back in the TRUNK BEFORE driving away? Or in practice is that too cumbersome? Never had them before so I don't know how much of a hassle doing what I wrote above would be every time you park.

 

[ezevphl]

Don't you take the bumper pad out AFTER you finish parking and flip it back in the TRUNK BEFORE driving away? Or in practice is that too cumbersome? Never had them before so I don't know how much of a hassle doing what I wrote above would be every time you park.

Depends on how tight the spot is. If I'm not going too far I might just leave it on. Haven't done it much yet with the Tesla, will have to see how it reacts.

 

[Rockster]

I sustained this scrape in a parking garage in Dallas while we were away eating dinner. The vehicle that hit me was obviously painted white. All the white paint you see here (including the really large stripe in the middle that at first glance looks like a reflection) wiped away with an alcohol prep pad in mere moments once I got home. Having the PPF on my car turned what could have been a $1000 repair into nothing more than a momentary distraction.

 

[alseTrick]

PPF will absolutely prevent the paint from getting scratched from most minor incidents.

There are plenty of similar videos on youtube (yes, there's a small scratch on this video lol):

 

[Ppf.nyc]

We just picked up my Model 3 from a dealer on Long Island. We had PPF film installed on the front and rear bumper (also both rear view mirrors and matte film on Center Console) and Ceramic coating on the entire car.
We park on the street on a narrow and small CC/South Philly Street. Our previous car, a Ford Fusion Hybrid, was 4 years old and was purchased while we lived in Philly (Going on 12 years here as a Native NY'er). We had no major damage to our Ford EXCEPT for multiple dings and paint scratches on the front and rear bumper. Quotes from a independent body shop would have costed us over $600 to touch up both bumpers. Because of that history we wanted to install the film on the bumpers to help mitigate the paint scratches.
We considered garaging our new car but as you probably know garages are not particularly cheap here. We felt that the cost of the above services is an investment into keeping out car as nice as possible. Obviously I can go out now and find a big dent in it but by the same token you can garage a car and still suffer cosmetic damages to it. the coating will assist in keeping the paint finish brand new for as long as possible. Our past experiences show us that we're not going to clean our car weekly or even bi-weekly so the coating will make it easier to keep clean since we're not the type of people to do it religiously.
We asked the detailer about the flip-down rubber bumper guards and his opinion was that the can help with paint scratches on bumpers but that the straps that may leave some mar marks on the bumper. In our case it would be on the film and could be buffed out. So we will probably get those guards as well. Because of our Frunk it is possible to use those guards on our front bumper.

Only certain ppf film can be buffed to remove scratches on it, such as old 3m ppf, etc. Most of the newer ppf are self healing with heat, or super scratch resistant. Buffing will/might help on certain brand of ppf