PPF job after picking up

[mzjk]

Hi everyone! I don‘t know anyone who‘s gotten their car wrapped so I thought I‘d ask here. I recently got my M3 wrapped with 3M Scotchgard PPF in matte finish, and when I picked it up, there were clearly still bubbles and rough edges visible. It was also night time when I picked it up so I wasn‘t able to take a good luck at it until the next morning. Either way, when I pointed out some blemishes that night, the shop told me to come back a few days later to make sure the installation is done correctly and allow the wrap to dry. I gave them some benefit of the doubt, but the overall job done just seems very sloppy and unprofessional and nothing really changed after letting my car sit for a few days in the sun.

I sent them these same photos, and I was told these are normal issues for the most part. Regardless whether or not they fix the installation, I wanted to get some input on whether or not this is actually "normal" for getting it fresh from the shop. I‘m finding it hard to believe that this is ok to expect lol especially since the place has an overall good reputation.

There‘s also the photo that shows a cut in the wrap above the rear lights. I pointed this out when I picked it up, and they said this is normal since they had to use two separate films to apply to the trunk. It made sense in the moment, but the more I look into other photos online, I don‘t really see anything similar to how they did it?

The shop is polishing up the wrap job soon, but I just wanted to get some input from y‘all whether or not this is all actually generally normal and if I‘m overthinking the situation!!! They have to fix it either way because of the warranty, but I want to make sure I have more insight when I discuss this matter with them. :‘)

 

[whatsupsor]

I'm sorry to tell you this...but that's a HORRIBLE PPF install. Those fingers on the lower rocker panel needs to be fixed BEFORE you start driving on it. Notice also on the rocker panel that ridge. They should have squeegee'd into that ridge to get rid of air bubbles. Same with the side view mirror. Those are some large bubbles that should have been pretty easy for them to squeegee out.

That 2 piece install on the trunk is horrible! They definitely should have done that in one piece. My guess is they didn't have a large enough piece of PPF to cover the whole trunk. But they do exist and they probably just don't carry it. All of the bubbles, corners cuts, and "fingers" you see on the edge pieces tells me the installer is an amateur. Hopefully you can get them to correct it. Perhaps they let a beginner wrap your car. If that's the case I woudl insist on someone more experience at the location fix everything.

Good luck.

Edit: Do a search on youtube for PPF installs. Specifically the trunk. It's a pretty difficult piece to do. Most trunk shapes are pretty much the same. But I think it's safe to assume that whoever did the install on the rest of your car (even the easier pieces like the rocker panels) would not have the skill to do the trunk in one piece and have it turn out looking good.

Also, it looks like they tried to roll the edges on some panels and just cut the edge on others. Personally I prefer to roll the edges sincd it'll look cleaner. But specifically in the rocker panel picture. You can see the bottom of the fender and door area they cut the PPF. Either they cut it way too short so there's a gap between the edge and PPF. Or they used a pre-cut piece and didn't pull it or align it properly so your'e left with that big gap.

 

[mzjk]

@whatsupsor Thanks for the input and the extra comments on specific details!!! Good call on the inconsistent edges as well, and the difficulty of the trunk. Absolutely makes sense.

I‘m talking to them tonight so hoping for much better results.

 

[whatsupsor]

Just noticed you're in Cali. Mind if I ask who is doing your install? You can feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable answering here.

I'm not an installer but I am a picky customer. I've had several of my vehicles PPF'd and had the front clip of my Model 3 done after I picked her up. to save a few bucks I did the rocker panels myself. Not perfect by far and the white helps to hite some of my mistakes I just hate to see shoddy work like that being done and them trying to pass it off as the norm.

 

[KenC]

Those edges may never lay flat. Obviously, they used pre-cut pieces. I did 3M Scotchguard Pro, myself. First time and I think I did a better job.

 

[kev1n]

depends how much you paid. you really get what you pay for

the trunk can be done in one piece from an experienced shop

all those ugly edges/corners can be better

 

[contourrob]

When was your M3 built? If late 2020, there is a small possibility that the paint on the lower rockers is not adhered properly to the panel.

I had a temporary piece of PPF installed and when it was taken off prior to installing the permanent piece the paint pulled from the surface of the car. Wanted to give you a heads up so that if your installer decides to replace the piece on the rockers have them be very careful when pulling the PPF off the paint in that lower rocker location. I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this issue and wanted to share my experience just in case they go to replace that piece of film.

And as someone that has had PPF done on many vehicles, the installer clearly is either not very experienced or rushed through this job. Underneath the front lip is difficult to get to lay flat, but my installer got on the ground and ensured it was trimmed perfectly to avoid those wrinkles. And the large bubbles and wrinkles on the rockers could have easily been addressed during the install with very little effort. I would tell them you expect the film to lay perfect and not have large bubbles (which can be removed with a thin syringe) or edges which either aren’t lying flat nor wrinkled. Good luck

 

[mzjk]

Thanks for the responses everyone! This is all super helpful and helps me understand the process and what to expect more.

The owner said he‘ll redo/flatten out basically all the bad parts, and inspect the whole car to polish the poor job. I guess now we‘ll see how it‘ll go. I kinda got the feeling that someone else (an amateur probably) did most of my car. The owner seemed pretty disappointed too lol sigh a little bad luck on my part

 

[stopcrazypp]

When was your M3 built? If late 2020, there is a small possibility that the paint on the lower rockers is not adhered properly to the panel.

I had a temporary piece of PPF installed and when it was taken off prior to installing the permanent piece the paint pulled from the surface of the car. Wanted to give you a heads up so that if your installer decides to replace the piece on the rockers have them be very careful when pulling the PPF off the paint in that lower rocker location. I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this issue and wanted to share my experience just in case they go to replace that piece of film.

This context wasn't mentioned in the other thread, but did you do the PPF very shortly after you got the car? This was exactly what I fear would happen if doing that, especially during the year end rush when they may not have given the car's paint enough time to cure yet (so it remains very soft). Other people who did it may not have seen the issue given they usually keep the PPF on and never remove it or remove it years later (when any off gassing is long done and clear coat has hardened).

Did Tesla end up covering it under warranty however?

 

[contourrob]

This context wasn't mentioned in the other thread, but did you do the PPF very shortly after you got the car? This was exactly what I fear would happen if doing that, especially during the year end rush when they may not have given the car's paint enough time to cure yet (so it remains very soft). Other people who did it may not have seen the issue given they usually keep the PPF on and never remove it or remove it years later (when any off gassing is long done and clear coat has hardened).

Did Tesla end up covering it under warranty however?

The PPF originally went on the car approximately 3-4 weeks after the car left the factory. Typically should be enough time for the clear coat to harden, but there was clearly an issue here as the paint pulled up with almost no effort and was very gooey.

I didn’t take up the issue with Tesla. I had the panel repaired, cured for 30 days, and re-applied PPF.

 

[stopcrazypp]

The PPF originally went on the car approximately 3-4 weeks after the car left the factory. Typically should be enough time for the clear coat to harden, but there was clearly an issue here as the paint pulled up with almost no effort and was very gooey.

I didn’t take up the issue with Tesla. I had the panel repaired, cured for 30 days, and re-applied PPF.

If 3-4 weeks that should have been enough time for it to cure. You might have been able to claim warranty, but I guess you had it fixed already.

 

[contourrob]

If 3-4 weeks that should have been enough time for it to cure. You might have been able to claim warranty, but I guess you had it fixed already.

i likely could have. However, the nearest SC is 2 hours away. So likely a full day trip just to have them look at the damage. Then another trip for them to fix it, which would have involved a multi-day paint repair (closest approved shop is over 1.5 hours away). So this one just wasn’t worth the hassle of fighting. I did submit the issue to Tesla via the app and then cancelled the appointment, just to document the issue in their system. Plus I’ve kept decent documentation and pictures just in case something similar happens in the future.

 

[bpobill]

That ppf job is truly awful. The seam in the trunk is amateur hour for sure.

 

[Needsdecaf]

That ppf job is truly awful. The seam in the trunk is amateur hour for sure.

Agreed. That’s in the bottom 10% of ones I’ve seen.

 

[focher]

Count me in for thinking that PPF is very poorly done. Now, if you paid $500 for it then it might be the best PPF install ever. For $500.

Interesting that some are suggesting not to do a wrap right away due to clear coat hardening etc. However, I recommend the exact opposite to ensure nothing happens to the paint before the wrap. Blemishes show very horribly under PPF, especially chips.

I’m in the Bay Area and used OCDetailing for mine. It wasn’t the cheapest, but they did a flawless job. And we’ll be having them wrap the new X due in April straight from delivery.

 

[mzjk]

I paid for a pretty standard amount for PPFs in California, and honestly I'm still confused given all the good reviews I see online lol. Well, I'm picking it up tomorrow, so I'll keep y'all updated on the fix!

 

[Rottenapplr]

Hi everyone! I don‘t know anyone who‘s gotten their car wrapped so I thought I‘d ask here. I recently got my M3 wrapped with 3M Scotchgard PPF in matte finish, and when I picked it up, there were clearly still bubbles and rough edges visible. It was also night time when I picked it up so I wasn‘t able to take a good luck at it until the next morning. Either way, when I pointed out some blemishes that night, the shop told me to come back a few days later to make sure the installation is done correctly and allow the wrap to dry. I gave them some benefit of the doubt, but the overall job done just seems very sloppy and unprofessional and nothing really changed after letting my car sit for a few days in the sun.

I sent them these same photos, and I was told these are normal issues for the most part. Regardless whether or not they fix the installation, I wanted to get some input on whether or not this is actually "normal" for getting it fresh from the shop. I‘m finding it hard to believe that this is ok to expect lol especially since the place has an overall good reputation.

There‘s also the photo that shows a cut in the wrap above the rear lights. I pointed this out when I picked it up, and they said this is normal since they had to use two separate films to apply to the trunk. It made sense in the moment, but the more I look into other photos online, I don‘t really see anything similar to how they did it?

The shop is polishing up the wrap job soon, but I just wanted to get some input from y‘all whether or not this is all actually generally normal and if I‘m overthinking the situation!!! They have to fix it either way because of the warranty, but I want to make sure I have more insight when I discuss this matter with them. :‘)

I had the front wrapped professionally including mirrors. I did the lower side and rear fender area as a DIY, they were small areas to cover. Hate to break it to you but it looks like I did the work on your car haha

 

[mzjk]

Hi y‘all! Got the car back today, and it overall looks better though there‘s definitely still some questionable spots. Gonna wait out the few days they said again to see how it heals but tbh I‘m so over dealing with this place. They literally made me wait 40 mins today when they said it was ready to be picked up yesterday. -_- But hey, they‘re giving me free window tinting so I guess there‘s that

Edit: attaching a photo to at least say she looks good from a distance looool

 

[Rottenapplr]

Looks good! Same can be said for my diy hack job lol. Did you call out the place to let us know to avoid them.

 

[Lumens]

Just noticed you're in Cali. Mind if I ask who is doing your install? You can feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable answering here.

I'm not an installer but I am a picky customer. I've had several of my vehicles PPF'd and had the front clip of my Model 3 done after I picked her up. to save a few bucks I did the rocker panels myself. Not perfect by far and the white helps to hite some of my mistakes I just hate to see shoddy work like that being done and them trying to pass it off as the norm.

Sorry to revive the thread- can I ask you to DM me about Cali PPF info? I'm new so I don't think I'm allowed to DM anyone yet.