PPF & Vinyl Pros and Cons

[OptAdam]

Hello everyone,

I am doing a little bit of research and wondering what your personal experiences have been with PPF and/or Vinyl. What have your personally experienced as positives and negatives for both? Would you do it again?

 

[Naonak]

Con? Cost... that's about it. Everything else is pro.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. All of my expensive cars are getting full PPF going forward. I use to do just the front, but I put a full PPF on my MX in Xpel Stealth. I will be doing that to all my cars in the future.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Is it permanent? If removed, does it take the paint with it? Does it “yellow “ over time?

 

[armanslr]

If cost is not a concern then PPF all the way. Vinyl does not protect your paint anywhere near as well as PPF. Vinyl is a temporary 2-3 year color change. Top PPF will last 10 years and protect your paint substantially.

When it comes to PPF it is all about the installer. Find a great installer, who wraps edges and does a custom job if you can. I had my Porsche wrapped at Glistening Perfection in Costa Mesa, Moe is one of the top installers in the Country and did a phenomenal job.

I'm having my Tesla wrapped @ Concours with Doug. PPF is not cheap at all, but if you are the type of person who loves your car and wants to keep it at its best, go with a PPF. I'd also recommend a ceramic coating on top, it will making cleaning the car a breeze.

If your only going to keep the car for a few years and trade it in, then at the least I'd wrap the front bumpers mirrors and hoods. Cost is minimal and it will keep the car looking great.

Is it permanent? If removed, does it take the paint with it? Does it “yellow “ over time?

It does not take the paint with it. Good PPFs have 10 year warranties now, and the technology is so much better now then 5-10 years ago when films would crack and yellow over time.

 

[logan]

I've vinyl wrapped most of my cars. No cons unless you use a bad installer who scratches up your paint. Despite not being as thick as PPF, there still is a decent amount of paint protection. Obviously less than actual PPF, but still.

I won't spend the money on full PPF on a car less than $150k, but that's just me. If you have a weekly detailing and take care of your car I don't believe the "insurance" aspect of it is worth it. Even if it saves you from a few scratches, getting those fixed would still be way cheaper than full PPF.

 

[Naekuh]

I got both so the best of both worlds.

Car is PPF entirely, from front to back, and added Ceramic Coating on top.
Then all my silver is vinyled with chrome delete.

Your also missing the most important aspect of PPF vs Vinyl.
Most PPF have self healing properties... meaning if you scratch it to a light degree, it can heal by applying warm water over it, or leaving it in the sun for a bit.

Vinyl, you scratch that, its GG, you need to reapply that section.
Of course if someone takes a key to your car, you'll wish you had PPF over Vinyl because again, PPF is a lot thicker and was intended to protect you from even small pebbles as you drive on the highway.