What do you recommend for exterior protection? I understand that PPF and ceramic have different functions.
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Protection
- Thread starter Michelle_eriw
- Start date
XLR82XS
D M C
PPF full frontal coverage including mirrors, headlights and extended rocker panels up the "hips" behind the rear doors. You'll thank yourself months and years later. I have some small nibs of damage from road debris on hood and bumper already on one Model 3 (~16K miles) Thankfully self-healing properties of Xpel and STEK take care of the damage that does not penetrate the film.
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
Yeah, PPF for sure. I did full car as installer (by far the highest recommended one in the area) wasn't charging a TON more for full versus partial with paint correction.
You can do ceramic on top and it'll make the car even easier to clean/keep clean for maybe the first 6-12 months- if your installer offers this fairly cheaply as a package (mine did) probably worth it, otherwise just the PPF is fine.
You can do ceramic on top and it'll make the car even easier to clean/keep clean for maybe the first 6-12 months- if your installer offers this fairly cheaply as a package (mine did) probably worth it, otherwise just the PPF is fine.
UncertainTimes
Active Member
Depends what’s important to you. Just realize ceramic does nothing for physical impacts like rock chips on the freeway. Even then PPF isn’t perfect. I spent thousands on XPEL Ultimate on my last car and still ended up with dents and paint chips on the bumper. My car is always dirty anyway so I don’t care as much anymore. Rather save the money for more important things.
also realize if you ever need body work on a part that has PPF you’ll have to redo the PPF and insurance probably will not cover it. Get in to a bad enough fender bender you’ll have to replace bumper anyway.
also realize if you ever need body work on a part that has PPF you’ll have to redo the PPF and insurance probably will not cover it. Get in to a bad enough fender bender you’ll have to replace bumper anyway.
Cost Estimates:
PPF ~$4.5k - $6.5k (full) or ~$1.5k - $2k (front)
Ceramic ~$500-750
Both ~$5k - $7.5k
Neither $0
I say the best value, if you want to "protect" the car at all is do a DIY ceramic coating for ~$50-100 that makes your car easier to clean and call it a day. I can't justify the high cost for these
PPF ~$4.5k - $6.5k (full) or ~$1.5k - $2k (front)
Ceramic ~$500-750
Both ~$5k - $7.5k
Neither $0
I say the best value, if you want to "protect" the car at all is do a DIY ceramic coating for ~$50-100 that makes your car easier to clean and call it a day. I can't justify the high cost for these
I had a bunch of different exotics thru the years and did different variants of this. At the end of the day I concluded that not once in my selling experience did anyone ever ask me if I had PPF or Ceramic, or inspect for rock chips and I lost, or it complicated, a sale. It all seemed like feel good measures and I stopped doing it. I cant recoup the investment and it never impacted me once. Just my 2c.
UncertainTimes
Active Member
Yea the M3 (BMW) I just sold had $3k worth of PPF and ceramic on it. The private dealer didn’t even care. Didn’t even care about the dent on the hood. They sell it on auction anyway. All the detailing purchases are emotional investments. They do nothing for the value of the car.
UncertainTimes
Active Member
Dealers and brokers will only "care" if the paint negatively affects the value. OWNERS care. Spending money on paint protection and paint preservation can only be validated by each specific person. Some people really don't care about keeping their vehicles clean or in as near perfect condition as possible. Some people are very particular about it. If you wash your car once a week and don't allow the interior to get trashed, then you will probably care about protecting the paint. If you rely on mother nature to wash your car a few times a year with rain, then you probably won't feel the value.
If you have your bed box springs and mattress on a beautiful 4 post oak frame and head board and ALWAYS make your bed every morning then you will appreciate getting home and climbing into the bed that is already made and waiting for you.
If you have that same bed on a generic metal frame with hard plastic wheels or laying flat on the ground in you bedroom that you rent, hop out of bed and kick your way through the red solo cups that adorn your floor on your way to your car, then you probably don't care about your bed being made.
Neither is good, better, or bad. It is just a personal preference.
My 2 cents.
If you have your bed box springs and mattress on a beautiful 4 post oak frame and head board and ALWAYS make your bed every morning then you will appreciate getting home and climbing into the bed that is already made and waiting for you.
If you have that same bed on a generic metal frame with hard plastic wheels or laying flat on the ground in you bedroom that you rent, hop out of bed and kick your way through the red solo cups that adorn your floor on your way to your car, then you probably don't care about your bed being made.
Neither is good, better, or bad. It is just a personal preference.
My 2 cents.
Last edited:
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
FWIW it also depends on your driving/location.
When I lived in a suburb with a drive to work that was 10 minutes on mostly local roads, PPF didn't make nearly as much sense (and my previous Lexus did not have it)- after years of ownership the paint still looked just fine.
But when I moved "out in the country" where my drive is 30 minutes on a highway, with no shortage of trucks, the front of same car after a few months looked terrible- so when it was replaced with my Model 3 PPF was a no brainer. 2 years later front still looks perfect doing the same drive.
When I lived in a suburb with a drive to work that was 10 minutes on mostly local roads, PPF didn't make nearly as much sense (and my previous Lexus did not have it)- after years of ownership the paint still looked just fine.
But when I moved "out in the country" where my drive is 30 minutes on a highway, with no shortage of trucks, the front of same car after a few months looked terrible- so when it was replaced with my Model 3 PPF was a no brainer. 2 years later front still looks perfect doing the same drive.
XPEL doesn't change color. It really protects the front well and self heals so you don't get scratches. Keep in mind, Tesla paint is utter GARBAGE. A light touch with my fingernail scratched it. Its one of the worst in the entire industry and any impact will scratch it up. If you are getting any color other than white, the fronts going to look pretty bad after a year.
I’m not saying your car and your film isn’t nice, but I only have my personal experience to go on. In every instance of PPF application I’ve seen, it is noticeably different. With respect, that picture is so saturated that I can’t make out any details one way or the other. Maybe it’s just the iPad I’m viewing it on.
UncertainTimes
Active Member
Are you sure you’ve seen the new generation of PPF (XPEL Ultimate, Suntek, Clearguard Nano)? The stuff you see applied at dealerships or factory is crap. It is very hard to tell if done properly and with no visible seams.
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