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Why pay for PPF & ceramic coating when you can just repaint?

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On a Ferrari PPF is important because the next buyer will be picky. On a Toaster (Tesla) is doesn’t matter. Most people will trade their car or sell it an online buyer. Neither cares if you have some chips. These are transportation appliances and they don’t need to be preserved for the next buyer. Use them and enjoy them. Save your money. If chips bother you on a Tesla, then get the Xpel installed and enjoy. Buy it’s not going to pay for itself in the end. You can respray the front bumper for under $1,000. PPF will cost more than that. In most cases, you’re not going to recondition a Tesla before trading it. Let the dealer do it.
 
I understand some have said that with repainting, there’s the risk that the color may not match. This is a genuine concern and one I’m familiar with after having some of my previous cars painted, usually after a minor/major accident. New cars are already hard to match if repainting is needed, but older cars with years of oxidation and road abuse can be even harder.

But then I thought, the paint colors from what I’ve seen out in the wild, fresh from the SC lot are already not matching, so future buyers of second hand Teslas probably won’t mind anyway… :) I’m half joking and half crying on the inside that I’m paying over $60K for mismatched paint from Factory… LoL.
 
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Owned both a 3 and Y and you are right. PPF for the front bumper/headlights cost me 650 and I did ceramic coat myself.

In my opinion ceramic coat is totally worth it (especially if you wash your own car) on any car whether doing it yourself of paying. Cleaning my car while it is ceramic coated is such a breeze. The water just beads off.

PPF is questionable - You do get a lot of bugs and yes there will be rock chips overtime so that that is negligible.
 
In reality, yes it would be less expensive to repaint areas damaged by rock chips than it would cost to PPF the car... but you will never actually get around to repainting it and will just live with the chips. You will be just as happy to live with the chips and keep the money in your pocket while convincing yourself that you will get around to fixing the chips later. If you pay for the PPF what you are doing is paying to not lie to yourself :D

Keith
 
First, that is incorrect. Perceived quality is the quality of a product/service according to the customer's perception. It's a subjective criteria and isn't based on the actual or objective quality. This is how high-end products work, it's all based on perception not actuality. High end audio anyone? I got some magic rocks that will knock your ear lobes off, etc etc. Paying more doesn't equate to getting more, not always.

On topic what you described as far as tucked edges, etc that is all standard. I got all that for less than half what some paid here. What is the difference then? The material is Xpel, warrantied for life, the installer is Xpel certified installer. What else makes a 8K job so special? Anyways, if anyone wants to pay more more power to them. It's just that they are making it sound like you HAVE to pay that much to get a good install, which I find to be BS.
Yes, magic rocks that improve audio quality could only provide a "perceived" quality difference, as opposed to an "actual" discernable or measurable quality difference. You are saying exactly what I have described, that there is no real difference in quality.

I'm glad if you had actually gotten a proper PPF install for half the price of what it normally costs around the country nowadays, but in order to claim that he wasted his money on "perceived quality" and "money flex", you'd have to show where he could have realistically gotten the same or better quality installation.
 
On a Ferrari PPF is important because the next buyer will be picky. On a Toaster (Tesla) is doesn’t matter. Most people will trade their car or sell it an online buyer. Neither cares if you have some chips. These are transportation appliances and they don’t need to be preserved for the next buyer. Use them and enjoy them. Save your money. If chips bother you on a Tesla, then get the Xpel installed and enjoy. Buy it’s not going to pay for itself in the end. You can respray the front bumper for under $1,000. PPF will cost more than that. In most cases, you’re not going to recondition a Tesla before trading it. Let the dealer do it.

This is a great perspective. PPF and ceramic coating seem to be more for your own ownership and usage experience than for resale value.
 
I opted to not get it done on my STI and I was sorry as hell after 5 years. The front end looks like it has been thru a warzone, I beat myself up for not doing the PPF. I then did it on our Legacy and that car was perfect. When I sold it we got more than market years before this craziness. I actually had dealers contact me to buy that Legacy GT, apparently it was a highly sought after Subie. On the wife's Tribeca I had the PPF installed again. Part of it went yellow a few years later, and it was replaced under warranty. I don't remember what product it was even, not that it matters now. The Tribeca we sold again for over market value and I'm sure it did not hurt to have PPF on it since the paint under it is immaculate. We sold the Tribeca and got a MYP. PPF was one of the first things I did to it.
Did you just do the front? I’m on the fence to either PTEK matte the whole MYP when it comes or just do a clear bra in the front for about 1/3 the cost of a full PPF in matte finish.
 
Yes. My 2011 Honda Pilot has PPF on the lower corner of the rear doors. It has looked bad for years and black around the edges. Now it is flaking off in pieces, but I can't peel it off.
This is because you have a partial PPF wrap. When only a portion of a panel is wrapped, the line of where the PPF ends becomes more visible over time through discoloration and as the ridge of raised PPF attracts dirt. I would never recommend getting a partial as is sometimes offered for the hood. Either wrap the full front or the entire body. The quality of PPF itself also makes a difference for how well it will last over time.

You could find reputable body shops to repaint the vehicle for a similar price!
A point I haven't seen anyone raise yet is how PPF isn't to have your car look good at a single time; it's to MAINTAIN your car. If you repaint your car and do nothing else to protect it, it's only a matter of time before you acquire more damage yet again.
 
When I get my Cybertruck, I'll protect it with two coats of ceramic, plus PPF, and always wash with the two-bucket method.

j/k, I'm gonna wash it with sand and gravel lol
I thought the whole point of the Cybertruck exterior is not having to worry about the finish because of the the hardened stainless steel?

 
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When I get my Cybertruck, I'll protect it with two coats of ceramic, plus PPF, and always wash with the two-bucket method.

j/k, I'm gonna wash it with sand and gravel lol

I thought the whole point of the Cybertruck exterior is not having to worry about the finish because of the the hardened stainless steel?

You are correct. I was not serious.

 
what's your process on washing now that PPF has been installed? I usually have a guy come and wash it for me but I can't do that every week and would like to mix in a personal wash every now and then.

Washing is the same. Pre-wash with a foam spray to lift dirt off the car, then do a contact wash with 2 bucket method. Use ph neutral shampoo. Towel dry in one direction.
 
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what's your process on washing now that PPF has been installed? I usually have a guy come and wash it for me but I can't do that every week and would like to mix in a personal wash every now and then.
Washing is the same. Pre-wash with a foam spray to lift dirt off the car, then do a contact wash with 2 bucket method. Use ph neutral shampoo. Towel dry in one direction.
I even skip the pre-wash with a foam cannon. Two buckets with a microfiber mitt and a wheel woolie works great. Most soaps are pH balanced, my favorite being Chemical Guys. Dry using plush microfiber towels on the body and shorter fiber towels for the windows. A pressure washer or high pressure hose attachment would help in knocking off built up dirt before applying soap, but since I wash it every week, my car is never dirty enough to need it. I've also tried drying with a leaf blower, but I didn't find it to be any more efficient than using towels.

Even with PPF, I avoid automatic carwashes. I'm sure the film will protect from any swirls, but the potential trim discoloration isn't worth the risk. I think doing it by hand results in a more thorough wash, anyway.