LOL His damage didn't happen at Walmart (not sure where that came from), in fact one location was an upscale grocery store and he doesn't park up front but usually further away from most of the traffic. While you haven't noticed door dings and such on your car I think it's important for the OP to consider stuff like that happens often enough as well. Plenty of people to attest to it. Most people go shopping or dining and park in lots or garages - albeit not so much probably with covid these days. I do think if you are only going to do a limited PPF the front of the car would be priority.
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PPF/Paint Protection Advice. Partial or Full?
- Thread starter CCC17
- Start date
LOL His damage didn't happen at Walmart (not sure where that came from), in fact one location was an upscale grocery store and he doesn't park up front but usually further away from most of the traffic. While you haven't noticed door dings and such on your car I think it's important for the OP to consider stuff like that happens often enough as well. Plenty of people to attest to it. Most people go shopping or dining and park in lots or garages - albeit not so much probably with covid these days. I do think if you are only going to do a limited PPF the front of the car would be priority.
I put front PPF and full ceramic on my M3 as soon as it arrived. The place that did it was literally next door to the Tesla shop so I had no chips when I rolled in ten minutes after delivery. Waiting the extra three days for my new car was agony!
Full ceramic is definitely the way to go. It makes washing so much easier. I had a set of scratches in my rear quarter panel (hit an open mailbox) repaired and repainted. You wouldn’t believe the difference washing this area compared to those with the ceramic still intact.
Maybe a full wrap would have saved my quarter panel, but it was just too much $$$ for me.
Here in Canada (at least Ontario), Tesla is including the mud flaps to address the issues with paint being striped off the rocker panels. I had requested the delivery center not install (as well as not install front licence plate holder ) which of course they did (left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing). So I left them on for the drive home. The temperature that day was 2 deg C and it hadn't snowed for at least 2 days so there wasn't recent salt/sand applied to the roads. The distance home was about 100 km (60 mi) on mostly major roads that were mostly dry. When I got home, I uninstalled the mud flaps in preparation for PPF install and attached are pictures showing all the dirt/grit collected on the back side of the mud flap (side against painted rocker panel).
Any vibration in the mudflaps will just grind this collected dirt into the rocker panel paint. I do not recommended mud flaps unless you install an additional layer of protection (PPF and possibly double sided tape) between the painted surface and mud flap
Fernand
Active Member
On the one hand OP's car is red. That suggests a frame of mind. But on the other hand OP is getting a SR+ Model 3, not a long range Y, not an S, not an X, let alone a Roadster. That suggests limits in the bank account. OP says it's his first new car, and he's excited. But he's driving a lot, he'll get over it. A lot of contradictions. The "soft Tesla paint" is a myth, the plastic film installers say that about Lexus too. A plastic couch cover is overpriced, doesn't shine like waxed/treated paint, and it tears and peels soon enough. I'd vote for a clear bra for Canadian rocks. An $80 cover if you can't garage it. A DIY ceramic coating can be done by a young man with half a brain for under $100, and just enjoy the shiny paint. And the wonderful car.
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Hi Everyone, I'm picking up my new Tesla M3 next week in Burbank Ca. I'm sooo excited! I'd like to take it straight to an installer from the dealer for a partial PPF and Ceramic Coat. If any of you are familiar with the area do you have experience with any of the local auto detailers? Thanks!
joebruin77
Active Member
Congrats on your new car. I had my Xpel PPF installed at Sticker City in Sherman Oaks and have been extremely happy with their work.
I was lucky to get a get a PPF where the topcoat is Ceramic. Best of both worlds. $1750 for front, pillars and mirrors.
Better than 3M or XPEL at less cost. Can't remember the name right now. Will check.
I have PPF on my rocker panels, rear bumper, and everything forward of A pillar. Looks great. I’ve had two incidents of damage to the car by what looks to have been a weak attempt to key my car, or perhaps a backpack or someone rubbing their bejeweled jeans against the rear door. I was able to sand out the scratch with wetl/dry sandpaper and rubbing and polishing compound. It was pretty deep, and about eight inches long. It’s not visible unless you really know where to look.
Recently i found a another scratch and maybe a very minor dent, about 2” long total. Looks like a shopping cart did it. I think I’ll be able to rub this one out too, but have not pursued it yet.
Would PPF have prevented these? I’m pretty paranoid of door dings. one thing I LOVED about my BMW i3 was that the body panels were made of plastic. You literally could not dent them. Scratches in the paint, yes. Dents no. Wish my Tesla had plastic body panels.
Recently i found a another scratch and maybe a very minor dent, about 2” long total. Looks like a shopping cart did it. I think I’ll be able to rub this one out too, but have not pursued it yet.
Would PPF have prevented these? I’m pretty paranoid of door dings. one thing I LOVED about my BMW i3 was that the body panels were made of plastic. You literally could not dent them. Scratches in the paint, yes. Dents no. Wish my Tesla had plastic body panels.
My main concern is rocks thrown from trucks and my PPF has done well in preventing such damage, unless of course it is a bolder. Also 'love bugs" in FL and many other bugs across the country EAT right through the paint when squashed on your front or hood requiring a repaint. PPF protects from them.
Just got the name of my PPF which has a nice coat of ceramic on top for less cost than 3M or XPEL. It's STEK DynoSheild
DYNOshield Hydrophobic Paint Protection Film | STEK USA
DYNOshield Specifications
DYNOshield paint protection film is warrantied for 10 Years against delamination, yellowing, bubbling and cracking.
Just got the name of my PPF which has a nice coat of ceramic on top for less cost than 3M or XPEL. It's STEK DynoSheild
DYNOshield Hydrophobic Paint Protection Film | STEK USA
DYNOshield Specifications
- Glossy Finish
- Hydrophobic (Advanced water-repelling properties)
- Anti-Contamination (Easy to remove contaminants)
- Stain Resistant
- Fast Recovery Self - Healing (by heat or hot water)
DYNOshield paint protection film is warrantied for 10 Years against delamination, yellowing, bubbling and cracking.
I hear you. A few days just before we returned my wife's i3, someone parked right beside us and swung her door open hitting the fender. I was inside the car and the thud it made was pretty strong. Inspected the fender and not a mark on it.
Be careful. I was told not to have the car wrapped until the paint had cured. Something about the paint needing to breath. Gas out. Who knows? Say two weeks from the factory dependent on your delivery location and I waited a few weeks more without washing. Then took it in for the PPF
joebruin77
Active Member
PPF will absolutely help protect your car from door dings. The clear coat on your tesla may be at most 2 mil's thick. PPF is at least 8 mils thick with some newer PPF's on the market at 10+ mils. So PPF is at least 4-5 times as thick as your clear coat. With smaller dings, the PPF will absorb the hit and self heal with no problem. With really strong dings, the PPF might get torn or punctured, but that still helps protect the paint. I had a major door ding (saw it happen with my own eyes, 8yo girl opened up her car door next to me right into my right fender). In this incident, I thought for sure I would need to repaint the fender. Turns out even though the PPF was torn, the paint underneath was not even scratched. All I had to do was replace the PPF. That cost $150 total and was covered by the other driver's insurance. Plus the whole repalcement took about an hour, as opposed to 2-3 days at the body shop having the fender repainted.
TomServo
Active Member
Our new Y is about to be delivered, already know I’m doing a “partial” high threat area coverage as I did on my 2020 (bumper, hood, fenders, lower doors and door edges) but have a question re the front fenders. Instead of doing the whole fender can PPF just be installed on the flat surface adjacent to the hood?
joebruin77
Active Member
I think a competent installer could do that, but I personally would not do this for two reasons. First, if I understand what you have in mind, the lower part of the fender would not be covered by PPF. The parts of the car that are closest to the ground are most susceptible to rock chips, so I think it would be best to cover the entire fender. Second, anytime you only cover part of a panel, there is a risk and likelihood that over time, dirt will accumulate along the edge of the PPF. For example, this is why I would never recommend doing half a hood as opposed to the entire hood. By covering the entire panel, all the edges are tucked away and you won't have an unsightly dirt line running across your panel.
ColoradoMike
Member
We always PPF/ tint our vehicles. I took delivery of our M3LR on Saturday and it has been at our PPF/tint person since Monday evening. I pick it up this evening.
We had the entire front, headlights, splash areas, A pillars, door edges, and the handles. We also had all glass surfaces tinted XPEL Prime XR Plus (to include the entire windshield).
Not inexpensive but well worth it for us.
We had the entire front, headlights, splash areas, A pillars, door edges, and the handles. We also had all glass surfaces tinted XPEL Prime XR Plus (to include the entire windshield).
Not inexpensive but well worth it for us.
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