Paint Protection Film (PPF) & Ceramic Coating

[bchan911]

So, now that orders are around the corner. I wanted to see and hear some insights about preference on exterior protection for Teslas and what products you recommend. Maybe it's none at all!

PPF & Ceramic Coating are the big players out there, but can get quite expensive depending on how much you wrap your vehicle. In your opinion is it really necessary? I do live in the north, so salt, sand and rocks are a thing, but when I see these things costing thousands of dollars, it's time to dive into the cost vs benefits of these products.

Where do you live? What have you done in the past? Is it worth the investment? What are your results with products you've used in the past? Any stories of these products actually protecting your vehicle? Do companies pray on our wallets because Tesla owners do tend to have more of an affinity to purchasing these products vs other car manufacturers?

If you selected 'Other' please enlighten me! Sound off below! I'd love to hear from y'all!

 

[mgraff]

Currently not planning on doing any coating. Despite all the online postings regarding Teslas having "thin" or "weak" paint, I'm not willing to spend thousands of dollars to add a coating to my car. I can only imagine the nasty chemicals involved in the manufacture and application of these coatings.

 

[ratsbew]

One of my regrets with my Model 3 is not getting a "clear bra" wrap on the front bumper. I will be doing just that area on my Y. The Y looks to have black plastic under the doors otherwise I'd do that area too to prevent road tar from sticking to it.

The clear wrap on the bumper is mostly so I don't feel bad really putting elbow grease into getting bugs and dirt off. I'm sure if I looked at my 3's nose it is all swirled and scratched from scrubbing.

 

[SoRandom]

I’ve been back and forth with doing the whole car or just full front. I commute to work so a lot of highway and construction in the highway. Other thing is door dings with the weak paint and the amount of videos I’ve seen with folks car getting keyed

 

[rchivert]

Recommendations for XPEL PPF shop in N.J.?

 

[house9]

Not getting a Model Y - just got my Model 3 but I did get ceramic coating with Paint Protection Film on the bumper, head lights, A pillars and mirrors.

 

[EliteFinish]

My typical recommendation is to have at least the front bumper, headlights, foglights, mirrors, and the leading edge of the rear bumper (behind the rear tire) covered with PPF. These are the items that are vulnerable with almost anyone's driving habits. The hood and fenders are definitely high risk if you're on the freeways a lot or doing long commutes. On the Model 3, the rockers (panel underneath both doors) tend to get chewed up from front tire sling pretty quickly. The Model Y doesn't appear to have this unavoidable paint damage panel since it's been replaced with the plastic cladding. But at the end of the day, it is up to the owner if they care. If you're keeping your Tesla forever and some paint chips don't bother you, then it doesn't provide value. Reselling the car at some point? Want the car to look it's best the longest? PPF and ceramic coat it. That being said, a full front and ceramic coating is usually the go-to. A full car PPF provides more protection against things like parking lot hits, door dings, but certainly to an extent! Hoping for force-field technology to happen sooner than later, but until then, protect your car with the best in tech available!

 

[gigawatt1010]

Recommendations for XPEL PPF shop in N.J.?

APC in Waldwick - look for Anthony, tell him Glenn sent you.

Just to put my two cents to this. I have a Plain White 2016 Model S that I got new. No protection, but always garaged and hand washed ONLY by APC (A local car wash/detailer in Jersey). The only time it's exposed to the elements is when I'm driving from home to work. Garaged at home, under a roof at work. Over 80k miles now and my front bumper is peppered with nicks and rock chips. Also, paint surface has spider webs now, despite the hand wash only car washes over four years with microfiber towels etc.

We took delivery of a 2019 Pearl White Model X 100D last summer and immediately took it from the Paramus Sales Center to APC for minor paint correction (yes, even with a brand new car), had it wrapped in Xpel PPF and coated with Xpel Ceramic Pro. The very next week, we drove it 7500+ miles from NY to Fremont Factory, with stops in Dallas, Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Moab UT. The car was covered in every road grime imaginable. When I got to Fremont, we hosed it down and it sparkled like it was new. Now we have about 20k miles on the X and it still looks brand new after every car wash. Sometimes it gets so filthy and after driving through rain, it seems like dirt just washes off.

So I have an S and an X, one with bare paint, one with protection. Moral of the story, if you can do the PPF and Ceramic Coat, do it. Make sure they do the rims inside and out too. It makes a big difference. I'm seriously considering getting my front bumper on the S repainted and get it wrapped since it's almost paid off now.

 

[FreqFlyer]

I would skip the ceramic, you can do it yourself but instead splurge on the PPF, that is what is going to protect your car. Overkill, but have the whole car done if possible.

 

[EliteFinish]

I would skip the ceramic, you can do it yourself but instead splurge on the PPF, that is what is going to protect your car. Overkill, but have the whole car done if possible.

I caution applying a ceramic yourself if you haven't at least polished a car before or have a strong understanding of the things that can go wrong. I know a lot of DIY detail enthusiasts have the confidence and knowledge of how to apply a sealant and the proper prep involved. However of lot of new Tesla owners are new to this world of protection with PPF and ceramics alike, and unfortunately I've seen some things go very wrong with DIYers applying coatings for the first time.

 

[FreqFlyer]

I caution applying a ceramic yourself if you haven't at least polished a car before or have a strong understanding of the things that can go wrong. I know a lot of DIY detail enthusiasts have the confidence and knowledge of how to apply a sealant and the proper prep involved. However of lot of new Tesla owners are new to this world of protection with PPF and ceramics alike, and unfortunately I've seen some things go very wrong with DIYers applying coatings for the first time.

Thats why I stated pay for PPF on the whole car first. That is the most bang for the buck. The paint is corrected before the PPF is professionally applied. Depending on the film, ceramic coating is not required or necessary.

 

[PagodaY]

What's a ball park figure for PPF, full coverage vs front bumper, headlights, foglights, mirrors, and the leading edge of the rear bumper?

 

[zedtava]

Here is a quote I received. All the work is custom, not pre-cut. Anyone have feedback on this? Thinking about doing a full car wrap, but it might be overkill? Does the XPEL show lines where it starts and stops? What happens if there is a deep scratch? What about a dent that needs to be removed or a big scuff from a car accident?

Thanks!

XPEL Ultimate Plus Paint Protection Film:
1) Standard kit: $895
-Partial hood
-Partial fenders
-Front bumper
-Backs of the mirrors
-Door edges
-Rear bumper deck (loading zone)
2) Full front-end: $1,595
-Full hood
-Full fenders
-Front bumper
-Backs of the mirrors
-Door edges
-Rear bumper deck (loading zone)
3) Full car wrap with XPEL Ultimate Plus $4,850 which would cover all of the painted exteriors panels.
4) Full car wrap with XPEL Stealth $5,450 which would cover all of your current painted areas for protection and a satin finish. Turns the factory color into matte/satin.
5) Center Console: 3 piece center console wrap in XPEL Ultimate or XPEL Stealth (satin finish): $150
6) Headlights + Fog lights (XPEL Ultimate Plus): $150
7) Door Sills (rear only as the fronts come with factory ones): $70
8) Rocker Panels: $400 (pair)


Window Tint: Ceramic film carries a lifetime warranty and protects against 99.9% of the UV's (Again, the price may differ on the Y)
Sides only: Ceramic film: $350
Full rear only: Ceramic film: $400 (1 piece, no seams)

 

[SoRandom]

Here is a quote I received. All the work is custom, not pre-cut. Anyone have feedback on this? Thinking about doing a full car wrap, but it might be overkill? Does the XPEL show lines where it starts and stops? What happens if there is a deep scratch? What about a dent that needs to be removed or a big scuff from a car accident?

Thanks!

XPEL Ultimate Plus Paint Protection Film:
1) Standard kit: $895
-Partial hood
-Partial fenders
-Front bumper
-Backs of the mirrors
-Door edges
-Rear bumper deck (loading zone)
2) Full front-end: $1,595
-Full hood
-Full fenders
-Front bumper
-Backs of the mirrors
-Door edges
-Rear bumper deck (loading zone)
3) Full car wrap with XPEL Ultimate Plus $4,850 which would cover all of the painted exteriors panels.
4) Full car wrap with XPEL Stealth $5,450 which would cover all of your current painted areas for protection and a satin finish. Turns the factory color into matte/satin.
5) Center Console: 3 piece center console wrap in XPEL Ultimate or XPEL Stealth (satin finish): $150
6) Headlights + Fog lights (XPEL Ultimate Plus): $150
7) Door Sills (rear only as the fronts come with factory ones): $70
8) Rocker Panels: $400 (pair)


Window Tint: Ceramic film carries a lifetime warranty and protects against 99.9% of the UV's (Again, the price may differ on the Y)
Sides only: Ceramic film: $350
Full rear only: Ceramic film: $400 (1 piece, no seams)

Those r good prices and. Healer than what I got quoted

 

[knikak]

Here is a quote I received. All the work is custom, not pre-cut. Anyone have feedback on this? Thinking about doing a full car wrap, but it might be overkill? Does the XPEL show lines where it starts and stops? What happens if there is a deep scratch? What about a dent that needs to be removed or a big scuff from a car accident?

Thanks!

XPEL Ultimate Plus Paint Protection Film:
1) Standard kit: $895
-Partial hood
-Partial fenders
-Front bumper
-Backs of the mirrors
-Door edges
-Rear bumper deck (loading zone)
2) Full front-end: $1,595
-Full hood
-Full fenders
-Front bumper
-Backs of the mirrors
-Door edges
-Rear bumper deck (loading zone)
3) Full car wrap with XPEL Ultimate Plus $4,850 which would cover all of the painted exteriors panels.
4) Full car wrap with XPEL Stealth $5,450 which would cover all of your current painted areas for protection and a satin finish. Turns the factory color into matte/satin.
5) Center Console: 3 piece center console wrap in XPEL Ultimate or XPEL Stealth (satin finish): $150
6) Headlights + Fog lights (XPEL Ultimate Plus): $150
7) Door Sills (rear only as the fronts come with factory ones): $70
8) Rocker Panels: $400 (pair)


Window Tint: Ceramic film carries a lifetime warranty and protects against 99.9% of the UV's (Again, the price may differ on the Y)
Sides only: Ceramic film: $350
Full rear only: Ceramic film: $400 (1 piece, no seams)

Where did you secure that quote? I'm also looking for PPF quotes in the Portland area.

 

[JohnnyCakes]

imma satin wrap the whole thing

 

[edstewbob]

The highest number of votes went to PPF plus Ceramic Coating. I'm wondering if most were doing full body PPF or partial with ceramic and what extra value ceramic gives if if is used to cover PPF?

 

[zedtava]

The highest number of votes went to PPF plus Ceramic Coating. I'm wondering if most were doing full body PPF or partial with ceramic and what extra value ceramic gives if if is used to cover PPF?

From what I understand full body is overkill and expensive. Full front makes the most sense and supposedly you cannot tell that only the front is done. Ceramic will make the car easier to wash and makes paint look better (requires color correction), but doesn't offer protection.

My plan is full front PPF without ceramic.

 

[DriveEV]

Now that they put plastic in the wheel wells, should not need to PPF the rockers/wells, unlike the 3. Should be more durable?

 

[zedtava]

Should you wait to bring a car in for work if it is the first their company will see? Is it better to wait until they have worked on a couple? I worry that they will tear it up to see how it is put together, or won't know what has changed from a 3.