Paint Protection Film - Worth It?

[Kenz]

Getting the front bumper done with PPF makes sense and is a reasonable price.
Beyond that has questionable value for most people.
If you are picky then add the partial hood and fender wrap.
The Expel web site is a good reference point. They give installed prices for the US so other area will have to convert.

Paint Protection Film Pre-Cut Kits

 

[Rooster6655]

I Tweeted Direct Line (our current insurer) to ask if PPF was a problem. They said that they will not insure that ‘modification’ right now.

I don’t know why PPF is considered a modification, or why they can’t just exclude the cost of PPF from any claims. It’s not like it changes the risk, surely?

It definitely shits my decision a little in favour of ‘don’t bother’.

Direct Line on Twitter

Probably because they don't want to have to pay £4k to replace it if something happened to the car!

 

[dst87]

Probably because they don't want to have to pay £4k to replace it if something happened to the car!

Sure, but couldn’t they just exclude the PPF from any claims? That would be better than refusing to insure the vehicle entirely.

 

[kevuwk]

Sure, but couldn’t they just exclude the PPF from any claims? That would be better than refusing to insure the vehicle entirely.

There is a risk of peeling paint if you have to remove it to fix some minor damage that can be fixed without a panel replacement. The risk is quite small but that could involve more work and who would pay for it?

 

[Rooster6655]

Sure, but couldn’t they just exclude the PPF from any claims? That would be better than refusing to insure the vehicle entirely.

If you were to insure with say Novo I am sure there wouldn't be an issue, but Direct Line are too mainstream to start getting into expensive modifications which is probably why its a no

 

[karlak]

100m Bubble Wrap
Small Bubbles
Code: 1-BW-S

• £8.06

Bargain.... You're welcome

 

[WannabeOwner]

My car is wrapped, that's 3 years / 90,000 miles ago, the paint looks brand new, not a blemish anywhere. I rarely wash it - perhaps a couple of times a year (just the bucket and sponge brigade at the Supermarket) if I have an upcoming "give a lift to some business people".

I don't worry about pigeon-poo marking the paint, and I live in the country, scrapes rubbing up against countryside hedges are frequent, I have had parking rubs too - paint from another car, or scratches on the film, I haven't even bothered fixing them with a hairdryer as they have disappeared by themselves after a bit (when car basking in the sun I assume).

My car is a Model-S, so very different sticker price, but much the same price for Wrap ... so financially an easier decision. Also Tesla's paint-over-aluminium is supposedly "soft" and that influenced my decision. I suspect it will be harder to justify price for Model-3, although there is the issue of the Tesla paint problem on the sills of Model-3 - which that will ultimately be an issue for Tesla warranty, avoiding the problem, at own expense, is probably worth doing ... for me the decision would come down to how long I think I will keep the car.

I went to Topaz Detailing (chosen because they were very close to Tesla Heathrow ... they did an excellent job, and all the other cars there had another Nought on the price!!). They used pre-cut panel-pieces which may be important in choosing a fitter as I have heard that the other way is to stretch wrap onto the car and then use a knife to cut-to-size, with risk of a slip and paint damage.

I have a 1mm (or so) gap around the edge of some panels. That hasn't been a problem for me.

Or you could do your own PPF wrap?

or you can have a colour change and thereby make the car unique

 

[LEE3]

Admittedly I am somewhat naive to this paint protection process but for people considering spending £4000 plus on protection how much cheaper is this compared to having any stone chips / scuffs scratches resprayed / repaired should they occur?

 

[Roy W.]

Admittedly I am somewhat naive to this paint protection process but for people considering spending £4000 plus on protection how much cheaper is this compared to having any stone chips / scuffs scratches resprayed / repaired should they occur?

I don’t think it would be cheaper at all. But it does add an extra layer of self-healing protection to the car. I’m planning on keeping the M3 for many years, but at £3-4k it’s just a step too far for me price-wise. I’m going with a DIY ceramic coating. If in 12 months the front paintwork is all stone chips then I might consider having that professionally corrected and a PPF applied.

 

[TestPilot]

My car is wrapped, that's 3 years / 90,000 miles ago, the paint looks brand new, not a blemish anywhere. I rarely wash it - perhaps a couple of times a year (just the bucket and sponge brigade at the Supermarket) if I have an upcoming "give a lift to some business people".

I don't worry about pigeon-poo marking the paint, and I live in the country, scrapes rubbing up against countryside hedges are frequent, I have had parking rubs too - paint from another car, or scratches on the film, I haven't even bothered fixing them with a hairdryer as they have disappeared by themselves after a bit (when car basking in the sun I assume).

My car is a Model-S, so very different sticker price, but much the same price for Wrap ... so financially an easier decision. Also Tesla's paint-over-aluminium is supposedly "soft" and that influenced my decision. I suspect it will be harder to justify price for Model-3, although there is the issue of the Tesla paint problem on the sills of Model-3 - which that will ultimately be an issue for Tesla warranty, avoiding the problem, at own expense, is probably worth doing ... for me the decision would come down to how long I think I will keep the car.

I went to Topaz Detailing (chosen because they were very close to Tesla Heathrow ... they did an excellent job, and all the other cars there had another Nought on the price!!). They used pre-cut panel-pieces which may be important in choosing a fitter as I have heard that the other way is to stretch wrap onto the car and then use a knife to cut-to-size, with risk of a slip and paint damage.

I have a 1mm (or so) gap around the edge of some panels. That hasn't been a problem for me.

Or you could do your own PPF wrap?

or you can have a colour change and thereby make the car unique

Is it just me that thinks it looks a lot like that Model S is wearing a blue rubber gimp suit?

On a more serious note, has anyone with recent deliveries checked the thin coverage areas shown in these videos?

 

[WannabeOwner]

for people considering spending £4000 plus on protection how much cheaper is this compared to having any stone chips / scuffs scratches resprayed / repaired should they occur?

Different viewpoint I think.

Paintwork always looks brand new ...
Don't need to rush to wash it etc. (if that's your thing then fine its not mine ...)
Don't think twice about snuggling up to a hedge ... nor worry if there is a slight scrape when park-manoeuvring (although that's probably hard to do in practice as the Sensors will be screaming ... so more likely that someone else does that to you)

I think Bjorn did a "key scrape" test on a wrapped car ... IIRC "no damage to paint"

So basically peace-of-mind rather than comparison with cost of getting it fixed (plus avoids all the hassle associated with "get it fixed" route)

 

[WannabeOwner]

Can't find a "Key Scrape", but this is similar. Mentions not to use hair dryer per se but rather to rub the film (and use a little heat if you like, but not enough to allow the film to "stretch")

Also a lengthy, but instructive, YouTube showing Bjorn's car being wrapped.

 

[RjbT3]

@davidmc I’ve had a few different quotes, and for full coverage it seems to be around £3.5k to £4.5k inc. VAT. Partial coverage significantly less, of course.

They seem to suggest that a full coverage takes about a week, and partial coverage a few days. Then you need to be a little careful with it for the first wee while until it fully dries.

Complete waste of money in my opinion. May as well save it for a complete re-spray.

 

[dst87]

Complete waste of money in my opinion. May as well save it for a complete re-spray.

That's the way I'm currently leaning. Also the Direct Line issue doesn't help. I just hope the 'sandblasting' effect on the sills and lower doors is overblown. I can't be bothered arguing with Tesla about this, even though their vehicle should clearly be able to withstand normal winter conditions.

 

[Rooster6655]

although there is the issue of the Tesla paint problem on the sills of Model-3 - which that will ultimately be an issue for Tesla warranty, avoiding the problem, at own expense, is probably worth doing ... for me the decision would come down to how long I think I will keep the car.

That's the way I'm currently leaning. Also the Direct Line issue doesn't help. I just hope the 'sandblasting' effect on the sills and lower doors is overblown. I can't be bothered arguing with Tesla about this, even though their vehicle should clearly be able to withstand normal winter conditions.

As WannabeOwner it is ultimately a Tesla warranty issue with the sills if its not fit for purpose, somehow I don't think it will be as bad in the UK vs colder climates.

Very tempted to look at a DIY PPF as I am sure most of the cost is in the labour worth it if you have the time on your hands

 

[Roy W.]

Very tempted to look at a DIY PPF as I am sure most of the cost is in the labour worth it if you have the time on your hands

I’m not saying it’s skilled work, but I’ll bet there’s a knack to applying it. I tried wallpapering some years ago, and the end result had so many air bubbles I could have used it as bubble wrap...

 

[elecTED]

I really can’t undertand the fuss about applying a protective coating on a brand new Tesla.

Would you do the same on a brand new Audi/BMW/Merc/Range Rover?

Is the paintwork on Tesla’s really that flakey?

 

[WannabeOwner]

Is the paintwork on Tesla’s really that flakey?

My view would be it has more to do with how you want the vehicle to look / age.

When I bought the MS that was some 3x as much as I normally spent on a car and my thought was "Will I be annoyed when it gets stone chips?" and, after wincing!, decided that spending £4K to keep the paintwork in tip-top condition was worthwhile.

Complete waste of money in my opinion. May as well save it for a complete re-spray

So if you go the respray route :

From Day One until the day before your respray the car progressively changes from Brand New to, the day before the respraying, "looking like it needs a respray" ...

Wrapped the paint stays in showroom condition.

If you sell it then the paint is still in showroom condition ... so that would help the 2nd hand value

... and I would guess?? that the wrap has some value to the next owner - as it will keep the paintwork in showroom condition for them too.

So probably worth the depreciated price ... so around 50% of the Wrap Cost recovered on sale.

 

[RjbT3]

My view would be it has more to do with how you want the vehicle to look / age.

When I bought the MS that was some 3x as much as I normally spent on a car and my thought was "Will I be annoyed when it gets stone chips?" and, after wincing!, decided that spending £4K to keep the paintwork in tip-top condition was worthwhile.



So if you go the respray route :

From Day One until the day before your respray the car progressively changes from Brand New to, the day before the respraying, "looking like it needs a respray" ...

Wrapped the paint stays in showroom condition.

If you sell it then the paint is still in showroom condition ... so that would help the 2nd hand value

... and I would guess?? that the wrap has some value to the next owner - as it will keep the paintwork in showroom condition for them too.

So probably worth the depreciated price ... so around 50% of the Wrap Cost recovered on sale.

Nonsense for anyone without money to burn. The car will look great for a good couple of years, particularly if looked after. You could easily budget for a couple of visits to a detailer (plus DIY ceramic) over this time. It will look good. Perhaps a few chips build up here and there. Then, after a few (say 3) years you could get it professionally re-sprayed and have the joy of it looking fantastic all over again. Perhaps even a slight difference in colour/finish. All for the same cost. After all, the plastic clear wrap will get damaged over time. Waste of money.

 

[WannabeOwner]

After all, the plastic clear wrap will get damaged over time

Nope. it is self healing. Mine looks the same as the day it was installed. Its had plenty of scratches ... none of them to be seen now.

Waste of money.

So you keep saying ...