As promised earlier, I wanted to share the results of having Paint Protection Film installed on my Model S. I want to be clear that though both SunTek and TLC Auto Detail have supported TMC as official vendors of this forum, I have absolutely no connection or financial benefit with them.
I paid for the PPF install and another forum member paid for his. I mostly wanted to share what I learned, as I wish someone else had done all this research when I started exploring PPF for my car.
I along with @stallhorn visited just about all the PPF installers in the Washington DC area to find the best installer to install PPF on my Model S and @stallhorn’s Model X. By “best installer,” I’m not implying the cheapest installer but rather the most competent and reasonable detail shop that we could trust to address all our concerns (we had a few!) and offer the PPF install at a reasonable cost.
TL;DR Version: Dave the owner of TLC Auto Detail, addressed all our concerns, was super professional and reasonable in offering us both a fair price for a full wrap of both of our cars with SunTek Ultra Defense. His PPF installer John Perdue performed what is a high-end “bulk wrap” with wrapped edges. He offered complimentary Modesta ceramic coating of our wheels and all the glass. Anyone on the forum can get the same offer by contacting Dave:
If you are looking to have your car protected with PPF in the DC area, go over some of the concerns I have listed below with installers you meet, and I highly recommend that you meet with Dave before deciding where to go. Ultimately go with the shop you are most comfortable with.
If you want to know the details for why we both selected TLC Auto detail, read on…
The PPF Selected
I’ll make a separate post about the reasons for selecting SunTek Ultra Defense but in a nutshell, it is the newest PPF product by SunTek and it is the best/thickest film I could find after months of research. What makes Ultra Defense so special is that it is super thick at 11.5 mils compared to 8 mils for other film I was considering. I wanted to find the thickest film that offers the best protection possible for going through the effort and expense of wrapping my entire car in PPF.
PPF Installer Criteria
Here’s a summary of our experience, what I learned, and why we selected TLC Auto Detail for our PPF installs. Both me and @stallhorn are extremely pleased with how well the PPF installs turned out.
If you shop for PPF you realize how nice everyone is but as soon as you start asking questions, that’s when things take a bit of a turn. Here’s a summary of concerns we had and with every single one of these concerns, TLC Auto Detail went the extra mile to address our concerns.
Potential Paint Damage:
I’ve heard of horror stories of some who have PPF installed only to find that the installer had cut the PPF on the paint causing massive damage to the car so I wanted to make sure that the installer would not damage the paint. One installer in Virginia which I will not name pretty much told us that they can’t guarantee that the paint will not be cut or damaged and in fact they make customers sign a disclaimer absolving them of responsibility if they damage the paint! We balked at absolving someone from damaging the paint when we are installing PPF to protect the paint to begin with.
In comparison, Dave at TLC flat out told us that they will not cut PPF on our paint and furthermore he sent us both an email after the visit promising not only to not damage our cars in any way but agreeing to be responsible for fixing any potential damage if they inadvertently cause any damage.
Whether you select TLC or another installer, have them guarantee in writing that they will not damage or cut your paint while installing PPF and if they do, they will agree to be responsible for fixing the damage.
Safety of the Car/Keep Car Inside:
If you are considering PPF, chances are you are somewhat concerned about keeping your car safe. Many of the PPF install shops are in mix-use areas with warehouses and other commercial businesses so there are heavy trucks and sometime even 18-wheelers navigating a tight parking area. I wanted the car to be kept indoors in the detail shop from drop off to pick up time. Last thing I wanted is to have them leave the car outside and be damaged.
This is an area that just about all the detail shops agreed to do with the exception of one installer in Virginia who point blank said when they are done with the car they will just park it outside, even after I told them I could pick up the car with 30 minutes notice. He then went on to tell me how he has cameras outside so I can use the footage to see who damaged the car (!) You may want to make sure your installer keeps the car indoors until you pick it up.
TLC Detail promised us our cars will be safe inside their detail shop from drop off to pick up time.
Choice of Film:
After months of research I decided on SunTek Ultra Defense, as it is the thickest and newest film I could find. It is super glossy and compliments the finish of the car exceptionally well. While Ultra Defense is made for parts of the car that need the most protection, I wanted the whole car wrapped in Ultra Defense. One installer offered a crazy markup for Ultra Defense and the other kept telling us how we “didn’t need” Ultra Defense and we would be fine with the regular Ultra film when Ultra Defense clearly offers better protection.
When we told Dave at TLC that we would like Ultra Defense, he said it would be a bit tougher to install given the extra thickness and would cost a bit more but that he would be happy to wrap the car in Ultra Defense.
Cost:
Ah, the favorite topic of discussion! This is where some installers who seemed very friendly started acting different when we began discussing the cost. Cot is a necessary discussion to have when PPF installs are so expensive and costs vary widely. Rather than pretend that PPF prices are set in stone, Dave took the time to have a conversation with us. Initially, I wanted to only wrap the front of the car but after discussing options, Dave presented an option that made sense to wrap the entire car. No other installer we met with took the time to understand what we needed and work with us to reach a reasonable cost for the install.
The Results:
And here are the results of the PPF install. The car looked better when I picked it up after the PPF install than it did when Tesla delivered the car. What I love about the way TLC Auto Detail install PPF is that they don’t do any plotter cuts, but everything is bulk wrapped, so it means as much as possible, you have well-protected wrapped edges. Even along the front bumper, there are no ugly seams or cuts. Basically, you can pretty much stand two feet from the car and not know it is fully wrapped.
Dave’s PPF installer John Perdue is a master of the craft.
I was so happy with how well they took care of me that I sent them, ice cream, donuts, and champagne for a job well done and I’ve never done that to anyone I’ve bought something from before!
I paid for the PPF install and another forum member paid for his. I mostly wanted to share what I learned, as I wish someone else had done all this research when I started exploring PPF for my car.
I along with @stallhorn visited just about all the PPF installers in the Washington DC area to find the best installer to install PPF on my Model S and @stallhorn’s Model X. By “best installer,” I’m not implying the cheapest installer but rather the most competent and reasonable detail shop that we could trust to address all our concerns (we had a few!) and offer the PPF install at a reasonable cost.
TL;DR Version: Dave the owner of TLC Auto Detail, addressed all our concerns, was super professional and reasonable in offering us both a fair price for a full wrap of both of our cars with SunTek Ultra Defense. His PPF installer John Perdue performed what is a high-end “bulk wrap” with wrapped edges. He offered complimentary Modesta ceramic coating of our wheels and all the glass. Anyone on the forum can get the same offer by contacting Dave:
TLC AUTO DETAIL
106 Oakgrove Rd. Suite L, Dulles, VA 20166
[email protected]
703.962.7106 | TLC Auto Detail | Auto Detailing for Chantilly, VA
106 Oakgrove Rd. Suite L, Dulles, VA 20166
[email protected]
703.962.7106 | TLC Auto Detail | Auto Detailing for Chantilly, VA
If you are looking to have your car protected with PPF in the DC area, go over some of the concerns I have listed below with installers you meet, and I highly recommend that you meet with Dave before deciding where to go. Ultimately go with the shop you are most comfortable with.
If you want to know the details for why we both selected TLC Auto detail, read on…
The PPF Selected
I’ll make a separate post about the reasons for selecting SunTek Ultra Defense but in a nutshell, it is the newest PPF product by SunTek and it is the best/thickest film I could find after months of research. What makes Ultra Defense so special is that it is super thick at 11.5 mils compared to 8 mils for other film I was considering. I wanted to find the thickest film that offers the best protection possible for going through the effort and expense of wrapping my entire car in PPF.
PPF Installer Criteria
Here’s a summary of our experience, what I learned, and why we selected TLC Auto Detail for our PPF installs. Both me and @stallhorn are extremely pleased with how well the PPF installs turned out.
If you shop for PPF you realize how nice everyone is but as soon as you start asking questions, that’s when things take a bit of a turn. Here’s a summary of concerns we had and with every single one of these concerns, TLC Auto Detail went the extra mile to address our concerns.
Potential Paint Damage:
I’ve heard of horror stories of some who have PPF installed only to find that the installer had cut the PPF on the paint causing massive damage to the car so I wanted to make sure that the installer would not damage the paint. One installer in Virginia which I will not name pretty much told us that they can’t guarantee that the paint will not be cut or damaged and in fact they make customers sign a disclaimer absolving them of responsibility if they damage the paint! We balked at absolving someone from damaging the paint when we are installing PPF to protect the paint to begin with.
In comparison, Dave at TLC flat out told us that they will not cut PPF on our paint and furthermore he sent us both an email after the visit promising not only to not damage our cars in any way but agreeing to be responsible for fixing any potential damage if they inadvertently cause any damage.
Whether you select TLC or another installer, have them guarantee in writing that they will not damage or cut your paint while installing PPF and if they do, they will agree to be responsible for fixing the damage.
Safety of the Car/Keep Car Inside:
If you are considering PPF, chances are you are somewhat concerned about keeping your car safe. Many of the PPF install shops are in mix-use areas with warehouses and other commercial businesses so there are heavy trucks and sometime even 18-wheelers navigating a tight parking area. I wanted the car to be kept indoors in the detail shop from drop off to pick up time. Last thing I wanted is to have them leave the car outside and be damaged.
This is an area that just about all the detail shops agreed to do with the exception of one installer in Virginia who point blank said when they are done with the car they will just park it outside, even after I told them I could pick up the car with 30 minutes notice. He then went on to tell me how he has cameras outside so I can use the footage to see who damaged the car (!) You may want to make sure your installer keeps the car indoors until you pick it up.
TLC Detail promised us our cars will be safe inside their detail shop from drop off to pick up time.
Choice of Film:
After months of research I decided on SunTek Ultra Defense, as it is the thickest and newest film I could find. It is super glossy and compliments the finish of the car exceptionally well. While Ultra Defense is made for parts of the car that need the most protection, I wanted the whole car wrapped in Ultra Defense. One installer offered a crazy markup for Ultra Defense and the other kept telling us how we “didn’t need” Ultra Defense and we would be fine with the regular Ultra film when Ultra Defense clearly offers better protection.
When we told Dave at TLC that we would like Ultra Defense, he said it would be a bit tougher to install given the extra thickness and would cost a bit more but that he would be happy to wrap the car in Ultra Defense.
Cost:
Ah, the favorite topic of discussion! This is where some installers who seemed very friendly started acting different when we began discussing the cost. Cot is a necessary discussion to have when PPF installs are so expensive and costs vary widely. Rather than pretend that PPF prices are set in stone, Dave took the time to have a conversation with us. Initially, I wanted to only wrap the front of the car but after discussing options, Dave presented an option that made sense to wrap the entire car. No other installer we met with took the time to understand what we needed and work with us to reach a reasonable cost for the install.
The Results:
And here are the results of the PPF install. The car looked better when I picked it up after the PPF install than it did when Tesla delivered the car. What I love about the way TLC Auto Detail install PPF is that they don’t do any plotter cuts, but everything is bulk wrapped, so it means as much as possible, you have well-protected wrapped edges. Even along the front bumper, there are no ugly seams or cuts. Basically, you can pretty much stand two feet from the car and not know it is fully wrapped.
Dave’s PPF installer John Perdue is a master of the craft.
I was so happy with how well they took care of me that I sent them, ice cream, donuts, and champagne for a job well done and I’ve never done that to anyone I’ve bought something from before!
