PPF or no PPF

[2101Guy]

My point is simple, Tesla paint is now softer than any other auto brand and if you want to refute that fact, please come with data. Otherwise we will take that as a given so if you want to keep your $100K+ car looking nice, without a ton of rock chips you have two choices, 1.Don't daily drive it 2. Protect the paint.

Hmm. My wifes 2021 Y has ~19k miles on it right now and is 13 months old. (Daily driven and then some)A combo of highway and city. No PPF. I can certainly post some very close up pics of the front bumper cover (tomorrow) if proof is needed but I can assure the pics will show maybe 2 minor (and by minor I mean less than 2mm in size) nicks on the bumper, for example. (And they are only still there because weather has not warmed up enough for me to take 10 mins to sand the edges of the nicks down with 2000 grit sandpaper and fill in with a couple layers of tesla touch up, which based on past touch up experience, reduces visibility of the nicks by about 90%). Maybe the paint was not thin/on the day hers was made?

Maybe its because we arent driving on lots of dirt roads here in VA like some may be driving on in other parts of the country? Not really sure. Even my prior MB's and BMW's and the 2017 S didnt have any form of unusual amount of nicks and chips.

 

[cmarshack]

Hmm. My wifes 2021 Y has ~19k miles on it right now and is 13 months old. (Daily driven and then some)A combo of highway and city. No PPF. I can certainly post some very close up pics of the front bumper cover (tomorrow) if proof is needed but I can assure the pics will show maybe 2 minor (and by minor I mean less than 2mm in size) nicks on the bumper, for example. (And they are only still there because weather has not warmed up enough for me to take 10 mins to sand the edges of the nicks down with 2000 grit sandpaper and fill in with a couple layers of tesla touch up, which based on past touch up experience, reduces visibility of the nicks by about 90%). Maybe the paint was not thin/on the day hers was made?

Maybe its because we arent driving on lots of dirt roads here in VA like some may be driving on in other parts of the country? Not really sure. Even my prior MB's and BMW's and the 2017 S didnt have any form of unusual amount of nicks and chips.

Dude, you already posted that video and paint depth has nothing to do with paint hardness.

I am 100% done with you.

 

[oktane]

Another reason to get PPF is that you can sloppily wash the car without worrying about swirls. (Or so I'm told.) Honestly, that one is more tempting than anything else. It's just not >$5k tempting.

This is totally false. The PPF is actually SOFTER than paint clearcoat, and will get scratches much easier than paint. That is my experience. Even light pressure from microfiber will scratch up Xpel Ultimate. I found PPF to be a costly waste of money. I don't have ceramic on my PPF, so not sure if that is the reason why. Also, the self healing doesn't really work at all. I was saddened that my fully wrapped car has tons of scratches to the PPF, that don't go away despite hot water, heat gun, etc.

I'm also told it's not easy to remove the PPF and replace it, since it might peel off the soft Tesla paint underneath.

I think if I did it again I'd just ceramic the car, skip the PPF, and respray panels down the road as neeeded.

 

[2101Guy]

Dude, you already posted that video and paint depth has nothing to do with paint hardness.

I am 100% done with you.

Oh ok. Yes, that video uses a device that clearly measures the paint thickness.
Can you share a link to the video that shows measuring of paint hardness? Im definitely interested.

 

[planetary]

This is totally false. The PPF is actually SOFTER than paint clearcoat, and will get scratches much easier than paint. That is my experience. Even light pressure from microfiber will scratch up Xpel Ultimate. I found PPF to be a costly waste of money. I don't have ceramic on my PPF, so not sure if that is the reason why. Also, the self healing doesn't really work at all. I was saddened that my fully wrapped car has tons of scratches to the PPF, that don't go away despite hot water, heat gun, etc.

I'm also told it's not easy to remove the PPF and replace it, since it might peel off the soft Tesla paint underneath.

I think if I did it again I'd just ceramic the car, skip the PPF, and respray panels down the road as neeeded.

Interesting. Tesla Bjorn (of YouTube fame) seems to disagree -- unless I'm misinterpreting him. But I'm pretty sure he's clamied that PPF is "self-healing". Or at least the products he's used. Might be wrong.

 

[oktane]

Interesting. Tesla Bjorn (of YouTube fame) seems to disagree -- unless I'm misinterpreting him. But I'm pretty sure he's clamied that PPF is "self-healing". Or at least the products he's used. Might be wrong.

That's how they advertise it. I have Xpel Ultimate, which is supposed to be a very good product. Mine doesn't seem to heal at all. Maybe the other brands are better, I have no idea.

 

[DayTrippin]

That's how they advertise it. I have Xpel Ultimate, which is supposed to be a very good product. Mine doesn't seem to heal at all. Maybe the other brands are better, I have no idea.

If you have an issue, and it was installed by a certified installer, it has a 10 year warranty. I found (in Florida) that Xpel Ultimate did a pretty good job healing after minor issues when left in the hot sun. I never had a major issue but minor ones disappeared. I never tried hot water but sun seemed to work well.

Car color might be an impact on how well it heals. Mine was white so likely absorbed less solar energy to warm up the film so maybe darker colors might heal quicker.

 

[oktane]

If you have an issue, and it was installed by a certified installer, it has a 10 year warranty. I found (in Florida) that Xpel Ultimate did a pretty good job healing after minor issues when left in the hot sun. I never had a major issue but minor ones disappeared. I never tried hot water but sun seemed to work well.

Car color might be an impact on how well it heals. Mine was white so likely absorbed less solar energy to warm up the film so maybe darker colors might heal quicker.

Mine's black and doesn't heal in sunlight, hot water, or heat gun. This is only my experience and your results may vary.

 

[DayTrippin]

I would say check with the installer. Any sort of coatings on it?

 

[airborne spoon]

i dont have any paint protection on my car besides turtle wax.

The nose/hood has a shitload of dings in it, and the rear doors are super ****ed up. But its also the conditions i drive in. I do a lot of snow driving and i dont go out of my way to avoid less than ideal roads. I also live in the desert of CA so the sandstorms are real and they blast the paint pretty bad. Luckily when i move in about a year ill be able to do an insurance claim to get a new paint job (USAA for the win).

After seeing how ****ed up the paint is in only like 5 years of ownership i may consider getting some sort of paint film stuff once i get a new paintjob.
I say based on your location and driving habits vs how much the film costs in your area vs if you even give a damn in the first place needs to be how you consider if you need protective or not.

 

[David29]

I did not get any paint protection when I got my car 6-1/2 years ago. I had no previous experience with it, and no knowledge except a few comments I read on the forums. (I think it is much more popular now that it was 6 years ago. I had never heard of the various products before then.) About that time, Tesla discontinued offering their own paint protection. I called what was then the only Tesla-certified body shop in my area and asked if I should get it. The body shop owner said that it was untrue that Tesla's paint was any softer than others, and said to save my money. He said, "Save your money. When the time comes to turn it in [mine was leased], I can fix any dings for less than PPF would cost," or words to that effect.
As it happened, I kept the car when the lease ended and still have it. The car is parked outside 100% of the time, and it is indeed showing its age and many small defects. I have been meaning to take it someplace for paint correction and some touch-ups, but haven't yet. In my view it still looks doggone nice right after a thorough wash. But it's not without its dings. At this point, it is too late for PPF and the best I can hope for is likely a nice shine, which will degrade again as it continues to age.

 

[Lsantana954]

So looking at getting PPF installed in my vehicle. I took the car over to the installer and he insists that the car has a ceramic coating. I purchased the vehicle from the original owner with less than 300 miles and he didn't apply any coating. The installer cleaned an area in the fender and poured some water over it and it did repel the water quite well. So I just wanted to confirm that these cars don't come from the factory with any type of coating applied.

 

[pengy]

It does not come with a factory coating applied but the previous owner or during the PDI at Tesla they may have used a wax that contains some sort of coating. Some automatic car washes do the same as well.

 

[Richmonder]

I wrapped my 3 and having a car that looked freshly washed all the time gave me at least $3,000 worth of joy over the 4 years I owned it. It also let me enjoy the car a little more by not worrying about where I parked it.

I'm wrapping my S in matte next week and can't wait!

 

[oktane]

I would say check with the installer. Any sort of coatings on it?

No coatings at all.

 

[jc368]

I think you'll find the responses are all over the gamut.
when my neighbor had a guy who would do the whole car for $3,500 I was in. When he said the guy won't return his calls, I was out (otherwise about $7k).
Can I afford the $7k? Yes.
Will I pay it? No - same reason I got an S or MS or LR or whatever it's called, versus the Plaid.
Yes, I regret bits of not getting the Plaid, but I feel the LR is more than good enough for me.
Similarly, yah, I think PPF is "the cadiallc" (well, back when cadillac was really good" of coverings - I think there is no better protection for your paint.
however:
1) I saw someone had damage to their door, and had to pay more to get PPF reapplied (not saying that's unfair, just saying...that.
2) supposedly PPF can be removed with no damage. I think that's probably true...but what if it damages the underlying stuff?
3) I went ceramic. I figure it is a little stronger (they claim a lot stronger) than just wax, or even the clear coat. I will say after some rain, it seems to bead exactly like wax. I don't see any difference between ceramic and wax, but maybe it's there and i just can't see it.
4) though people malign the tesla paint, clear coat, and for that matter lights, I have seen some videos, etc. that say the tesla paint and clear coat is pretty much the same quality as most other manufacturers', i.e. it's not supposedly inferior. Yeah, I'm sure some cars could have underspray, but I dont' think that's the norm.
5) I plan to keep the car 3 years. If there are some paint chips, so be it. I already rashed both rear rims (and yeah, it bothered me, but not enough to have them redone - I have like 2 years and 350 or so days to go - i'm going to have a lot more going on - dents, nicks, parking lots, etc.)
6) I've owned and sold or returned leases on many cars without PPF (i don't think it even existed until a few years ago). I don't remember any of them looking like swiss cheese on the paint. Sure, some rock chips. and touch up paint did a 95% job.
At the end of the day, my personal opinion is PPF is like an extended warranty or insurance - it can give peace of mind. If $7k on a $100k or more car is worth it to you - then go for it. To me, I decided I'd rather pocket the $6,725 difference between PPF and the $275 clear coat I had put on (if i did my math right).
I think a car with PPF will look better than mine after 3 years (unless the PPF gets damaged, and you may still be able to fix it with a hair dryer). However, on the resale, I'd be surprised if you get $500 more. If the choice was "your car with PPF" or mine without, and they were the same colors, same miles, etc. sure, if I was the buyer i'd go for the PPF (for the same price, sure!) but otherwise not sure i'd pay a premium.
just my .02

Thank you for your thoughts! I think this is spot on.

I've been 50/50 on PPF for a while. On one hand, I am coming from a Porsche Macan and have had it for ~8 years without PPF and there are definitely some chips and dings, but it doesn't really bother me or my wife much. The car still looks great.

On the other hand, I do think PFF is like "insurance" and will help protect the car from rock chips, dings, etc., and I wouldn't mind paying some $$$ if it was reasonable. Since I am picking up my new Model X this week, I got a quote and it was $9k for the full car and $3.5k for just the front!! I think is way too much so I am going to pass on PPF (again).

 

[DayTrippin]

Thank you for your thoughts! I think this is spot on.

I've been 50/50 on PPF for a while. On one hand, I am coming from a Porsche Macan and have had it for ~8 years without PPF and there are definitely some chips and dings, but it doesn't really bother me or my wife much. The car still looks great.

On the other hand, I do think PFF is like "insurance" and will help protect the car from rock chips, dings, etc., and I wouldn't mind paying some $$$ if it was reasonable. Since I am picking up my new Model X this week, I got a quote and it was $9k for the full car and $3.5k for just the front!! I think is way too much so I am going to pass on PPF (again).

I thought the 6500 I was being quoted in Dallas was high. At that price, I'd pass too. A standard front was about 2k and all the prices were higher here than where I came from in Florida.

I would say get more quotes. I also took the time to reach out to local vendors and see if I could arrange some sort of a group buy with enough people. I can say that was a raging success. I pretty quickly found enough people to have critical mass and got a very substantial discount. Might be worth trying. DM me if you want to know how I approached it.

 

[2MuchLala]

I am currently getting the full front of the car done for about 2k. This is my first expensive car. I had a Model 3 before and didnt consider it.F rankly any 50k car i would think its overkill. The model S is obviously more expensive, I am doing it for piece of mind. I don't think I will regret it but who knows, i live in chicagoland, there is constant highway construction, i have gone through 2 windshields in the past 4 years, 1 on the 3 and the other on a previous vehicle. I also did get a few nicks on my hood of the 3 as well. At the very least this will provide me with some piece of mind.

 

[patgilm]

For as much as you all are being quoted I’m not sure I would do it either. The front half for me is about $1,400 and $4,000 for the whole car with Suntek Ultra and 20% more for Suntek Reaction.

 

[DayTrippin]

For as much as you all are being quoted I’m not sure I would do it either. The front half for me is about $1,400 and $4,000 for the whole car with Suntek Ultra and 20% more for Suntek Reaction.

That's a very good price though I don't know how Suntek compares to Xpel. Almost anything would be better than the Tesla paint though. I think the Tesla that needs it the most is the Y with that big fat slab of a nose. I am glad I did my S but likely won't do my 3 unless just the nose.