PPF or not PPF

[asterothe]

I did not have PPF for my first Tesla and I did not have any major issues. The car looks great after 6 years.
Should I do it with the new one I am in dilemma. I know It only takes one bad experience to ruin it.
Do most people protect their car with PPF?

According to my analysis, pros and cons are like these. Am I missing anything?

Pros:
-Protection (DUH)

Cons:
-Most likely cost (not sure how much would it cost)
-Somehow they might mess up some of the sensors, car's HW.
-Red paint is thick so is it more difficult to apply to it?

There are different types I see and read and what would be the best if I go that route?

 

[Predation]

partial would probably run about $2k, full body PPF would be $5-$8k.
happy medium would be high impact areas.

doesn't really matter thickness of the paint. 10mil thick PPF would be good.

 

[bkcyk]

Your rear quarters are going to get chipped to bits w/o.

My MSP is the first vehicle where I filmed the entire exterior simply because the paint chips so easily. No brainer.

If you're 3 year renting it, who gives af.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Your rear quarters are going to get chipped to bits w/o.

My MSP is the first vehicle where I filmed the entire exterior simply because the paint chips so easily. No brainer.

If you're 3 year renting it, who gives af.

I wouldn't call $5k-$8k for PPF a "no brainer" because one can fix an awful lot of damage with that as a budget. Including issues that PPF would do nothing to prevent which is a very long list.

 

[NeuroRad]

on my next vehicle i will probably only ppf the front end of the vehicle. I have full xpel on the S and i had a large rock hit my door and punch right thru the ppf. Perhaps there would have been less damage without the ppf but paint still needs to be corrected and ppf removed and redone.

 

[bkcyk]

I wouldn't call $5k-$8k for PPF a "no brainer" because one can fix an awful lot of damage with that as a budget.

No brainer for me homey. I don’t want any shop messing with my new factory paint.

 

[zoomer0056]

I did not have PPF for my first Tesla and I did not have any major issues. The car looks great after 6 years.
Should I do it with the new one I am in dilemma. I know It only takes one bad experience to ruin it.
Do most people protect their car with PPF?

According to my analysis, pros and cons are like these. Am I missing anything?

Pros:
-Protection (DUH)

Cons:
-Most likely cost (not sure how much would it cost)
-Somehow they might mess up some of the sensors, car's HW.
-Red paint is thick so is it more difficult to apply to it?

There are different types I see and read and what would be the best if I go that route?

There aren't any sensors anymore, cameras only. Thickness of the paint doesn't matter. There is regular 8mil and thicker 10mil PPF. 8mil is fine for most of the car. Put extra on top just in the high wear areas, especially the flare outs in front of the rear tires. Your brand new car comes with factory installed PPF there. There is matte finish and shiny finish choices. When choosing someone to do it ensure they wrap around all edges that can be wrapped. You can also go an extra mile, probably not worth it, to have them pull the lights, taillights and repeater cameras so more edges are wrapped. I did my whole car myself DIY PPF on 2022 Blue Model S
It was a really good challenge. I got to buy some tools and learn someting new. Almost two years in and its doing the job. I would say 95% of potential chips are the flared out areas due to front wheel kick up. Counter intuitive is only 1% of hits are on the front bumper.

 

[Ostrichsak]

No brainer for me homey. I don’t want any shop messing with my new factory paint.

If a shop messes up your paint, it's on them to make it right. There's also no guarantee that a thin layer of plastic is going to prevent anything a shop might do to your new factory paint. Besides, how many "shops" do you take your car to? Mine goes to Discount tire occasionally and Tesla SC rarely. In both instances I can watch as they work, if I so choose.

I've owned lots of cars and put lots of miles on them. Recently one of our Model S's got keyed. That was the first time something like that has ever happened. Could PPF have protected the paint? Possibly. Could it also have gone through and scratched the paint anyway? Highly likely given how deep this particular gouge was. Someone really didn't like Teslas.

The quote to fix it was less than $1,000 from a reputable body shop locally that is also a Tesla certified spot. This car has 80k miles on it. Under $1,000 to repaint the entire affected panel. I'm equally sure there's also cheaper "looks good enough" alternatives for repair out there.

We have many many miles across other cars. Based on your $5k-$8k estimate, I can pay to have this damage fixed (that may not have even been prevented by PPF, mind you) 100% to factory specifications and I'm still up $4k-$7k. That's across many years, many vehicles & hundreds of thousands of miles with multiple drivers driving them.

Your stance of "no brainer" is drenched in emotion to arrive at a conclusion. Mine is based on statistics, logic and math. I'm quite content with my decision.

 

[bkcyk]

@Ostrichsak

And I’ve observed in very little time that you keyboard jockey like it’s going out of internet style here. You’re weird man. Lol

I simply want to keep my factory paint protected from factory new. Paint will chip exposed to road debris every time you drive the vehicle.

You bring up all these other variables that are out of scope.

Will PPF grow your hair back? No. Will it prevent paint chips? Absolutely.

Stats logic math? Bizarre.

 

[bmah]

Folks, please cool it. Amazing as it might sound, people have different viewpoints on what's important to them, and what's drop-dead obvious to you might completely wrong for someone else. It's great to debate differences but please stay civil, and avoid personal attacks or being deliberately antagonistic.

Thanks for your consideration,

Bruce.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

I would certainly do PPF.

One thing missing in this conversation about PPF, is that, it is NOT only about protection. I myself did just so that I can enjoy an (almost) scratch and swirl mark free car!. I love how it looks, the increased gloss, etc.

Get a good PPF, like the new Lumar Valor (or SunTek Reactor) that also comes with ceramic properties, and you will see the glossiness level. The self-healing properties is the main reason I did full PPF. I can enjoy the car, drive it anywhere, wash it without being super careful about scartches… such a peace of mind.

PPF…The new Llumar Valor:

 

[asterothe]

I would certainly do PPF.

One thing missing in this conversation about PPF, is that, it is NOT only about protection. I myself did just so that I can enjoy an (almost) scratch and swirl mark free car!. I love how it looks, the increased gloss, etc.

Get a good PPF, like the new Lumar Valor (or SunTek Reactor) that also comes with ceramic properties, and you will see the glossiness level. The self-healing properties is the main reason I did full PPF. I can enjoy the car, drive it anywhere, wash it without being super careful about scartches… such a peace of mind.

PPF…The new Llumar Valor:
View attachment 977457View attachment 977458

Thank you. Did you do yourself? Can I do myself too? What skill and tools do I need?
Can I do for the most problematic part and be done?

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Thank you. Did you do yourself? Can I do myself too? What skill and tools do I need?
Can I do for the most problematic part and be done?

I too think it's more than just protecting from chips.
A standard car wash will leave swirls, which show up more on darker colors, FYI. So that's another thing to consider.

• Minor chip protection
• very good swirl protection/self-healing
• If you choose the newer kinds, may have some good hydrophobicity so it always looks freshly waxed!
• It also doesn't let the stickier things, like sap, brake dust, etc... stick as easily, making cleaning the paint much quicker/easier.

DIY does take a LOT of patience, and some trial and error. Watch a bunch of YT vids. I've learned most of my DIY skills that way.
PPF is a different skill set than say laying vinyl. PPF is a wet application, requiring knowledge of solutions to use. (slip and stick)
The tools aren't too expensive. It's the material and time that are the real investment. That's why it's so expensive to have it done professionally. It's very labor intensive. If you're not really into DIY, then it may be worth it to you to just let a pro shop do it.

From a standpoint of partial coverage, I highly recommend doing full panels. A partial hood or rear panel is going to leave a line. This can lead to collection of dirt/particles that can harm your paint. So if doing only the "high impact" areas, you still want to do that particular whole panel/bumper. That's where the true patience and trial & error can come in. Some front bumpers can be complicated. But as complexity goes, Teslas are actually fairly simple. Not many sharp edges or tough stretches, with the exception of rearview mirrors, which are almost always difficult and are usually cut to shape vs stretched.

All that said, each scenario is different, every owner is different.
Do your homework on material, shops, tools, techniques. It can be overwhelming the first time, but it's worth in the long run to be confident in your choice.

 

[father_of_6]

Rocker panels.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

Thank you. Did you do yourself? Can I do myself too? What skill and tools do I need?
Can I do for the most problematic part and be done?

No, I did it at a certified Llumar shop. There is no way on earth I could have done it myself…. I watched them on the cameras….. 3 people spent a whole day on it. It takes a lot of work… I am pretty well with my hands, but this is not an easy DIY. U can try, but its really hard. U can take the approach of other members who said (if I can do it, then u can do it)…but hey, there is a ton of things that I can do that I bet many people can not do. PPF is not one of those things that anyone can do.

 

[AAKEE]

Multicoat red was very weak and I had a lot of flakes after 2.5Years on my M3P.

I did get partial PPF on my MSP, and from what I see the Ultra red is about as sensitive as the multicoat red on the M3P.

 

[asterothe]

No, I did it at a certified Llumar shop. There is no way on earth I could have done it myself…. I watched them on the cameras….. 3 people spent a whole day on it. It takes a lot of work… I am pretty well with my hands, but this is not an easy DIY. U can try, but its really hard. U can take the approach of other members who said (if I can do it, then u can do it)…but hey, there is a ton of things that I can do that I bet many people can not do. PPF is not one of those things that anyone can do.

How much did it cost? Where did you get it done?

 

[zoomer0056]

How much did it cost? Where did you get it done?

What is your goal, whole car or just the high wear areas? Do you enjoy DIY or prefer to pay someone? High wear areas are easy for DIY, even if you've never done it. DIY the whole car requires a college can do attitude and of course, time to learn and do. If you don't have passion or desire and time to learn something new ....

 

[CleanDemon]

PPF is a complete waste of money

 

[dn325ci]

I agree and I’ve had a poor experience with PPF but that has proven to be an unpopular opinion on car enthusiast forums.