PPF or not PPF

[Kahukura]

I had my model covered in xpel 6.5 years ago. I really like the peace of mind knowing that small scratches and rock chips won't happen easily. My favorite thing is the time saved to clean the car. Whenever it gets rained on, I just wipe it down and it looks like it's been detailed. Even if it's dirty, there isn't an issue.
I agree with the fact that the biggest worry was install errors.

 

[Dracaris]

We had full PPF professionally installed on our midnight silver 2023 MYLR. Looks like it has has already protected the car from a couple of small rock nicks on the front bumper. It does look great, and it sure is an easy wash. This is our first car ever to have PPF and tint added. Was it worth the cash? Not convinced, but the money is spent and so we're gonna enjoy that PPF for as long as it and the PPF warranty lasts (ten years). We plan to drive the wheels off this car so we're in it for the long term. If we were planning to change cars in 2-3 years, no way would we have done this, because we know dealers who take trade-ins don't give a darn, and the value on these cars is going down over time anyhow as Tesla continues to cut prices.

 

[rlsd]

I actually got quotes for PPF for front cover. I intended to bring to the shop after New Year 2023. But my car price dropped more than $10,000 after the new year. I didn't want to spend more money on the car because the resale value dropped and abandoned the plan.

 

[NeuroRad]

Having now had a vehicle with full ppf, id say the sweet spot is probably just to do the high impact areas or simply the whole front end.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

I have hot water supply in my garage. It's just outstanding that with a light spray of hot water, I can get the car back to ZERO swirl marks and absolutely super shinny PPF as day-1 in a matter if 2-5 minutes. During summer months, parking it under the sun works the same way.

To me, PPF is more about perfection and gloss than anything else. I do not drive much on highways to worry about rock-chips, and still got full PPF.

 

[Sam1]

For those not sure if PPF is worthwhile or not, here's a pic of my car with expel ppf on it from a couple of months ago when someone decided to run into me (and cause $10k+ in damage because they were in a hurry and didn't look)...anyways. Everything had to be replaced because the bumper support cut through the bumper, but I thought I'd see how much of it could be removed with a DA polisher and compound out of curiosity. Every scuff and paint mark on the PPF came off except in the green circle area where the bumper was physically cut up.

You should not use a polisher on PPF, but this was all being replaced so it didn't matter.

PPF is absolutely worth it after seeing this. It'll take a harder scuff than I imagined it would without going through. Obviously it's not made to withstand direct impacts...

 

[coder]

I've been going back and forth on PPF but after a lot of reading, and watching the two videos linked earlier in this thread I decided against it. The reasons are:

• The edges can curl back and collect dirt. Some say that won't happen if applied correctly, but the photos in this thread and elsewhere say otherwise.
• Cost.
• If you don't do the full car, you will have visible seams. They look a bit like (very straight) scratches to me. Even if you do the full car, you may still have seams.
• If you don't remove bird droppings right away they can permanently damage the film (as shown in the videos).

It seems to me, a car without PPF will look better than one with PPF if well cared for (with ceramic coating etc.).
Now, I understand why you would do it. There obviously are benefits too, but ultimately I decided the drawbacks outweigh them. This post is not meant to take anything away from people who obviously enjoy their PPF protected cars.

I will however do paint correction and ceramic coating. Just like I did with my 8 year old MS. That one was done by Joe at OCDetailing (then in Walnut Creek).

 

[rlsd]

Tesla now offers PPF. I will Tesla do it if the reviews of the work done by Tesla are good if I buy the next car (depending on new FSD hardware and progress).
But I still prefer Tesla produce the cars with multiple layers of quality paint.

 

[DBV1]

I have PPF on my current Model S and doubt I would have it done again.

 

[Sam1]

Tesla now offers PPF. I will Tesla do it if the reviews of the work done by Tesla are good if I buy the next car (depending on new FSD hardware and progress).
But I still prefer Tesla produce the cars with multiple layers of quality paint.

Supposedly it's only offered in a couple of locations because they're subbing out the work to local wrap shops. Tesla was inquiring with one of the shops my friend owns a while back before this was announced.

The problem I see with this, is that are you going to have to deal with the service center usual expectation of hassle and denials for warranty claims because they say it's "within spec"?

No thanks, I'll trust a company that stakes their reputation on quality and service of this specific product.

 

[Dracaris]

In our case the local professional shops are likely to be considerably less expensive than Tesla if you just want a basic clear PPF wrap. If you want more, like satin finish or colors, you'll still want to price compare, but my money says Tesla will be more expensive due to an extra layer of profit extraction vs. going straight to a professional shop.

 

[rlsd]

In our case the local professional shops are likely to be considerably less expensive than Tesla if you just want a basic clear PPF wrap. If you want more, like satin finish or colors, you'll still want to price compare, but my money says Tesla will be more expensive due to an extra layer of profit extraction vs. going straight to a professional shop.

It's a win-win situation for the customers.
Tesla or local shops may lower the price to compete.

 

[Predation]

Supposedly it's only offered in a couple of locations because they're subbing out the work to local wrap shops. Tesla was inquiring with one of the shops my friend owns a while back before this was announced.

The problem I see with this, is that are you going to have to deal with the service center usual expectation of hassle and denials for warranty claims because they say it's "within spec"?

No thanks, I'll trust a company that stakes their reputation on quality and service of this specific product.

Na. they're def doing it in house. There are job postings directly from Tesla

 

[Sam1]

Na. they're def doing it in house. There are job postings directly from Tesla

Maybe they were initially considering subbing it? Not sure why they reached out then.

But in house work is way worse than subbing it to a good company after seeing the quality of patch jobs the service center likes to do....

For example, my last m3p passenger seat that was missing foam on the side bolster. The service center told me they would replace the seat, then they legitimately jammed a bunch of pillow stuffing in it and it looked like a couch cushion and they told me they fixed it to spec. So it took 3 service appointments and me having to argue with the manager just to get the f'n seat replaced on a brand new car.

No thanks on that level of service on a cosmetic wrap that covers the entire car.

 

[esg94]

The real deal is to get a USED car with PPF. Any aftermarket mods, such as this, really does not affect bluebook value. So then you’re not even really paying for it.

 

[bkcyk]

You PPF because you care about keeping your car in tip-top condition and much less about value retention which is silly to fret over. Your Tesla, Taycan, Lucid etc is not the last of anything. It's a first of a new EV tech dawn evolving at warp speed. They will continue to depreciate straight to the bottom.

With 4K miles on my Xpel'ed MSP, I'm extremely satisfied that I have zero stone chips and that I won't ever have to deal with a paint shop to lay a hand on any panel due to said chips. Repainting 1 section is thousands of dollars that'll require multiple blend in areas to do it right. I ain't got no time for that nonsense.\

Good luck!

 

[dmurphy]

You PPF because you care about keeping your car in tip-top condition and much less about value retention which is silly to fret over. Your Tesla, Taycan, Lucid etc is not the last of anything. It's a first of a new EV tech dawn evolving at warp speed. They will continue to depreciate straight to the bottom.

With 4K miles on my Xpel'ed MSP, I'm extremely satisfied that I have zero stone chips and that I won't ever have to deal with a paint shop to lay a hand on any panel due to said chips. Repainting 1 section is thousands of dollars that'll require multiple blend in areas to do it right. I ain't got no time for that nonsense.\

Good luck!

Exactly right! If you install PPF because it’s a look you desire or makes you happy, awesome.

But in no way is it a sane financial decision, dollars and cents wise. That’s a fool’s errand.

But let’s face facts - if we were all making the very best financial decisions, in a total vacuum, we’d all be driving a Chevy Cruze or something.

 

[Dracaris]

In addition to the techology-driven depreciation of our cars, there's always the next round of Tesla price cuts, guaranteed to put you upside down if you financed it. Leasing, you have to walk away at the end so no point adding PPF or even tint - in fact, there's a chance they'll charge you to remove it. If you're buying straight out or financing with a steely determination to keep the car for as long as it takes to either pay it off or get right-side-up on loan to value, then sure go ahead and add PPF and/or tint for looks, ease of cleaning, comfort, and so on. As noted above, though, don't allow yourself to be fooled into believing that PPF will add to or protect value the value of your car. Not likely, when the other drivers of value point so strongly in the other direction. If you want an affordable car that retains value, buy an ICE Toyota that gets great mileage. They're great cars, though they won't be as fun or interesting as these.

 

[rlsd]

PPF and wrap prices from Tesla:

Tesla Starts Offering PPF and Wrap Service in 7 Colors and Clear Option

Tesla explores vehicle customization with their wrap service, hinting at a vibrant future for the unique Cybertruck design

www.notateslaapp.com

Full model 3/Y clear PPF is $5000. It's about the same amount I got quoted by local shops.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

I would never trust the Tesla wrap. Instead, I would rather get a high end reputable PPF film like Xpel or LLumar.