Why PPF?

[Daekwan]

I personally think paying for 'professional' PPF, wraps, ceramic coats is throwing away money. At the end of the day you will never get a dime of it back, your car will be worth exactly as much as it was without that stuff when you go sell/trade/replace it.. and if rocks or debris really beat up your front bumper/hood/mirrors that badly it would still be cheaper to pay a good body shop to respray it. That said I did go ahead and knock out some of the DIY paint protection stuff that was cheap & very reasonable. On my Y, I'd added the $40 Tesla PPF kit for the rear doors, $50 RPM splash guards (mud flaps) around all 4 wheels and put on a coat of Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid (which I still cant believe only cost $14 because it is freaking amazing.. absolutely nothing sticks to my paint): https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-53409-Solutions-Coating-16/dp/B07XYPS3PS/

But I'll go off on another tangent here. IMO people get a shiny new Tesla and immediately just end up itching to spend money. And the crazy thing is many of these people had like a Honda Civic before they got a Tesla. I mean look at the amount of people who understand clearly what FSD does right now and will still pay $10K for FSD like its nothing. *sugar* I've seen people buying FSD on leased Teslas lol!! There's something about the logic of already paying so much for a Tesla.. that it seems like many people (myself included) are quick to say "****-it" when it comes to something else lol. So yeah.. $60K Tesla + $5K PPF + $2K window tint = incredibly popular around these communities. Most of the people doing it have made up their mind they already want to do this before they ever get the car. I guess that's what happens when you've ordered the car and been checking that VIN assignment or delivery date over & over for a few months lol.

About the only other thing I can compare this too is people buying Apple products. We all know someone who got a new iPhone.. then a week later the Apple Watch.. then not even month later now have a Macbook. Its like one this get a taste of that Apple.. they cant wait to get another. Hey I'm guilty of that one too!

 

[pookguy]

I might just do the front bumper, but I just did some ceramic coat myself. As someone who will swap cars after 2-3 years, I stopped really doing these type of mods cause you really don't see an ROI to it when you sell or trade. I rather do suspension or wheels, but as others say it's personal preference. If you have the $$ to do it all or will keep it for a long long time, go for it!

 

[acarney]

double that at least around here

Are you serious? PPF must be like $12k then for the whole car in your area!! That's INSANE!

 

[bdwalters]

I'm a little OCD, so paint damage drives me crazy. I have PPF on my Miata on the front bumper, hood, and side mirrors. I agree that the ROI on it is probably not good. I did this on the Miata because I plan on keeping it for a long time and I want it to look good. My last Miata had a bumper that looked sandblasted after just a few years. If you turn cars over a lot, I think it makes little sense to get this done. If you don't mind a few paint chips, it's probably not worth doing. I also don't think it's worth doing the whole car. Some areas are much more prone to damage than others, so you have leverage there. When my Tesla comes in, I'll probably cover the same areas as on the Miata, although I may pass on the hood this time depending on the quote.

 

[eleven24]

I personally think paying for 'professional' PPF, wraps, ceramic coats is throwing away money. At the end of the day you will never get a dime of it back, your car will be worth exactly as much as it was without that stuff when you go sell/trade/replace it.. and if rocks or debris really beat up your front bumper/hood/mirrors that badly it would still be cheaper to pay a good body shop to respray it. That said I did go ahead and knock out some of the DIY paint protection stuff that was cheap & very reasonable. On my Y, I'd added the $40 Tesla PPF kit for the rear doors, $50 RPM splash guards (mud flaps) around all 4 wheels and put on a coat of Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid (which I still cant believe only cost $14 because it is freaking amazing.. absolutely nothing sticks to my paint): https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-53409-Solutions-Coating-16/dp/B07XYPS3PS/

But I'll go off on another tangent here. IMO people get a shiny new Tesla and immediately just end up itching to spend money. And the crazy thing is many of these people had like a Honda Civic before they got a Tesla. I mean look at the amount of people who understand clearly what FSD does right now and will still pay $10K for FSD like its nothing. *sugar* I've seen people buying FSD on leased Teslas lol!! There's something about the logic of already paying so much for a Tesla.. that it seems like many people (myself included) are quick to say "****-it" when it comes to something else lol. So yeah.. $60K Tesla + $5K PPF + $2K window tint = incredibly popular around these communities. Most of the people doing it have made up their mind they already want to do this before they ever get the car. I guess that's what happens when you've ordered the car and been checking that VIN assignment or delivery date over & over for a few months lol.

About the only other thing I can compare this too is people buying Apple products. We all know someone who got a new iPhone.. then a week later the Apple Watch.. then not even month later now have a Macbook. Its like one this get a taste of that Apple.. they cant wait to get another. Hey I'm guilty of that one too!

Perhaps for many this is their first "luxury" car and therefore the belief that all of that protection is a requirement. The other vehicle in our garage is my wife's BMW X5M. I wouldn't consider PPF on that, and it's far more in the luxury class than my soon to be Tesla Model Y. Instead I put Gtechniq's CSL, the prosumer version of Crystal Serum Ultra ceramic coating on the X5M. Adams UV Ceramic coating went on the Raptor. Yes, I went through the whole decontamination, clay bar, polish and paint prep beforehand. Both vehicles cost $400 worth of supplies and a weekend to complete. A year later and both are still incredibly retaining their hydrophobic properties - CSL probably more so than the Adam's. Then again, the Raptor is usually not in the garage.

The price for a full PPF here in the Northeast is around $8k for the Tesla. That's the difference between the Long Range and the Performance model. It's almost the difference between a standard BMW and an M-Class BMW.

If I'm spending money on a vehicle, I'm opting for performance or performance upgrades (such as the Model Y suspension). If I'm concerned about resale value, investing $8k today will yield a far greater return than a chip free Model Y in 4-6 years.

 

[whisperingshad]

Are you serious? PPF must be like $12k then for the whole car in your area!! That's INSANE!

like 8-10k

 

[acarney]

like 8-10k

From what I've seen vinyl is usually half as much as PPF or maybe even a little less. I thought they usually could do a vinyl install in one day, maybe two days. PPF usually seems to take a week or more for a full car. I just always thought it to be a much easier and more forgiving install and thus a lot less expense on the labor side of things. Maybe down in your area they're just priced close to the same because of demand?

 

[Daekwan]

Perhaps for many this is their first "luxury" car and therefore the belief that all of that protection is a requirement. The other vehicle in our garage is my wife's BMW X5M. I wouldn't consider PPF on that, and it's far more in the luxury class than my soon to be Tesla Model Y. Instead I put Gtechniq's CSL, the prosumer version of Crystal Serum Ultra ceramic coating on the X5M. Adams UV Ceramic coating went on the Raptor. Yes, I went through the whole decontamination, clay bar, polish and paint prep beforehand. Both vehicles cost $400 worth of supplies and a weekend to complete. A year later and both are still incredibly retaining their hydrophobic properties - CSL probably more so than the Adam's. Then again, the Raptor is usually not in the garage.

The price for a full PPF here in the Northeast is around $8k for the Tesla. That's the difference between the Long Range and the Performance model. It's almost the difference between a standard BMW and an M-Class BMW.

If I'm spending money on a vehicle, I'm opting for performance or performance upgrades (such as the Model Y suspension). If I'm concerned about resale value, investing $8k today will yield a far greater return than a chip free Model Y in 4-6 years.

Thats what's most puzzling to me. People who buy an LR and put $5-8K in wraps, PPF and ceramic coats on it. Hell if you are going to spend that much money on cosmetic stuff with virtually not ROI.. why not spend that money instead on a Performance. Its a tangible product and will actually be worth something when you get rid of it.

 

[acarney]

Perhaps for many this is their first "luxury" car and therefore the belief that all of that protection is a requirement. The other vehicle in our garage is my wife's BMW X5M. I wouldn't consider PPF on that, and it's far more in the luxury class than my soon to be Tesla Model Y. Instead I put Gtechniq's CSL, the prosumer version of Crystal Serum Ultra ceramic coating on the X5M. Adams UV Ceramic coating went on the Raptor. Yes, I went through the whole decontamination, clay bar, polish and paint prep beforehand. Both vehicles cost $400 worth of supplies and a weekend to complete. A year later and both are still incredibly retaining their hydrophobic properties - CSL probably more so than the Adam's. Then again, the Raptor is usually not in the garage.

The price for a full PPF here in the Northeast is around $8k for the Tesla. That's the difference between the Long Range and the Performance model. It's almost the difference between a standard BMW and an M-Class BMW.

If I'm spending money on a vehicle, I'm opting for performance or performance upgrades (such as the Model Y suspension). If I'm concerned about resale value, investing $8k today will yield a far greater return than a chip free Model Y in 4-6 years.

I think you're right about luxury. The Tesla was the first car I bought brand new, and "direct' from the factory. My color pick and everything. It certainly gives more of a "custom" ownership rather than picking something off the lot you know someone else has test driven and has been sitting outside for days or weeks (or longer) and already has been washed a bunch of times (and likely has faint swirl marks already). There was a lot of pride on keeping it "perfect and brand new" because it was [tesla] perfect the day I got it. Swirls and such also do bug me a lot. Combined I wanted the look of paint correction but long term, lock in that perfect paint somehow. PPF seemed to make sense for my everyday enjoyment, not a way to improve resale value by saving the paint or anything.

That's a really interesting point about the Performance. I was looking at the Performance version and wanted that 3.5 seconds so bad but it was hard for me to justify the extra cost and "stretch" my budget (that I set in my mind) for the $8k more for the Performance.... yet I had already got a quote for ~$7200 worth of tint and PPF over a month or two before my car was set to be delivered. I could have abandoned the detail work and called up the Tesla store to switch to a Performance version, possibly even getting delivery a little early. Out of pocket cost would have been almost the same, but in my mind a $60k car wasn't something I should be buying... when a $50k car seemed ok. The Uber's also was something that turned me away from the Performance. Being in the PNW and taking delivery in late Oct I knew I would have to get those tires off within a month or two before freezing temps and that meant another couple thousand for a 3rd party set of tires and wheels (~$3k from TSportline) or maybe $1500 to $2000 for Gemini's from someone selling theirs *IF* I was lucky and timing worked out. However, I did budget for a second set of winter wheels (which ironically I spent about $2500 on), but didn't actually buy them until January when the xIce SNOW tires came in stock.

Finally, I got sucked into the FSD world and dropped $8k on it before it increased to $10k. The hype was so strong. It was stronger than me wanting 3.5 seconds zero to sixty. The idea of having a feature with self driving on city streets (even if I have to still be paying attention) was (is) so strong that the idea won out on an actual shipping product, the Performance version).

It's amazing how the brain works. $60k top end Performance seems too much and irresponsible for me to buy at this stage in my life. Spending $8k on tint and PPF is an "investment" in taking care of an expensive item and improving my enjoyment of sitting inside it in high summer heat. Then FSD was a splurge, but felt like a "value" since the price was going up a week or two later and I would have kicked myself if I bought it later...

Oh crap, I forgot that I recently bought acceleration boost.... no excuse for that one there, just decided to throw away some more money (but holy cow I love the extra speed!)

So my $53,290 Model Y was $70,490 when it was all said and done... oh boy, I feel like I have some deep reflecting I need to do now... a new Model S Long Range Plus started at $70,620 just a couple weeks before I took delivery.... I could have been in a white on black Model S for the price I ended up paying now.... 100kWh battery instead of 75kWh and ~3.6 second 0 to 60.... oh I think I made a horrible decision...

Edit: Guys, anyone have a 2020 Model S Long Range Plus with a build date between June and Oct 2020 at 10k miles or less that they want to trade for a October 2020 Model Y LR blue/white with FSD, full PPF + tint, and acceleration boost... has less than 3k miles

 

[eleven24]

I think you're right about luxury. The Tesla was the first car I bought brand new, and "direct' from the factory. My color pick and everything. It certainly gives more of a "custom" ownership rather than picking something off the lot you know someone else has test driven and has been sitting outside for days or weeks (or longer) and already has been washed a bunch of times (and likely has faint swirl marks already). There was a lot of pride on keeping it "perfect and brand new" because it was [tesla] perfect the day I got it. Swirls and such also do bug me a lot. Combined I wanted the look of paint correction but long term, lock in that perfect paint somehow. PPF seemed to make sense for my everyday enjoyment, not a way to improve resale value by saving the paint or anything.

That's a really interesting point about the Performance. I was looking at the Performance version and wanted that 3.5 seconds so bad but it was hard for me to justify the extra cost and "stretch" my budget (that I set in my mind) for the $8k more for the Performance.... yet I had already got a quote for ~$7200 worth of tint and PPF over a month or two before my car was set to be delivered. I could have abandoned the detail work and called up the Tesla store to switch to a Performance version, possibly even getting delivery a little early. Out of pocket cost would have been almost the same, but in my mind a $60k car wasn't something I should be buying... when a $50k car seemed ok. The Uber's also was something that turned me away from the Performance. Being in the PNW and taking delivery in late Oct I knew I would have to get those tires off within a month or two before freezing temps and that meant another couple thousand for a 3rd party set of tires and wheels (~$3k from TSportline) or maybe $1500 to $2000 for Gemini's from someone selling theirs *IF* I was lucky and timing worked out. However, I did budget for a second set of winter wheels (which ironically I spent about $2500 on), but didn't actually buy them until January when the xIce SNOW tires came in stock.

Finally, I got sucked into the FSD world and dropped $8k on it before it increased to $10k. The hype was so strong. It was stronger than me wanting 3.5 seconds zero to sixty. The idea of having a feature with self driving on city streets (even if I have to still be paying attention) was (is) so strong that the idea won out on an actual shipping product, the Performance version).

It's amazing how the brain works. $60k top end Performance seems too much and irresponsible for me to buy at this stage in my life. Spending $8k on tint and PPF is an "investment" in taking care of an expensive item and improving my enjoyment of sitting inside it in high summer heat. Then FSD was a splurge, but felt like a "value" since the price was going up a week or two later and I would have kicked myself if I bought it later...

Oh crap, I forgot that I recently bought acceleration boost.... no excuse for that one there, just decided to throw away some more money (but holy cow I love the extra speed!)

So my $53,290 Model Y was $70,490 when it was all said and done... oh boy, I feel like I have some deep reflecting I need to do now... a new Model S Long Range Plus started at $70,620 just a couple weeks before I took delivery.... I could have been in a white on black Model S for the price I ended up paying now.... 100kWh battery instead of 75kWh and ~3.6 second 0 to 60.... oh I think I made a horrible decision...

Edit: Guys, anyone have a 2020 Model S Long Range Plus with a build date between June and Oct 2020 at 10k miles or less that they want to trade for a October 2020 Model Y LR blue/white with FSD, full PPF + tint, and acceleration boost... has less than 3k miles

Might be the best reply to any post on any forum I've ever made. But yeah, I get it. My first new car was a BMW 328i that I ordered at the dealer AND got to follow the assembly process in Munich. Then followed the boat bringing it across the ocean. Every morning I'd check the GPS location and update it on my Google Earth map. Told the dealer not to wash or prep it bc I was convinced by BMW enthusiasts in the BMW forums that rail dust from the train it would go on would create swirls in my Black Sapphire Metallic paint.

I think the problem is that in order to occupy the time between order and delivery, one reads message boards, reddit, and falls asleep to YouTube Model Y videos.... then wakes up adding another "must purchase" to the list.

As for your mistake.... IF you got the Model S, you still would've PPF'ed and everything. Then you'd be talking about how you could've gotten the plaid.

It never ends.

 

[whisperingshad]

Thats what's most puzzling to me. People who buy an LR and put $5-8K in wraps, PPF and ceramic coats on it. Hell if you are going to spend that much money on cosmetic stuff with virtually not ROI.. why not spend that money instead on a Performance. Its a tangible product and will actually be worth something when you get rid of it.

i agree but would say why not Model S

 

[PNWLeccy]

For me, accessories/mods are a plus when buying a used vehicles but they don't add much resale value. If I was looking at 2 cars, same specs, miles, price, etc. and one of them had PPF, I would go for that one. But if the car w/ PPF was priced higher, I would probably only be willing to pay 10-20% of the value of that accessory since I wouldn't have paid the full price for it myself. I believe car trims (LR,P) will keep their value much more than accessories and I would be willing to pay 70-80% of the value for the upgrade.

If you keep your cars forever, want them protected, and are more particular about paint damage then you're likely doing a different value calculation than a used car buyer is doing.

For example, I would expect resale values to be roughly (theoretical typical numbers for example/don't take into account current inflated used car market):

Model	New Cost	Resale
2021 MYLR	$53k	~$50k
2021 MYLR + Full PPF	$61k ($53k + ~$8k)	~$51.5k
2021 MYP	$61k	~$56.5k

This is all based on how I value these things and everyone is different. But from my perspective, even though your total cost would be roughly the same for MYLR+PPF or a MYP, I would value the MYP 9-10% higher

 

[whisperingshad]

I think if I keep this long enough to worry about paint(10+ years), I'll just pay and get it re-painted with good paint lol

 

[acarney]

As for your mistake.... IF you got the Model S, you still would've PPF'ed and everything. Then you'd be talking about how you could've gotten the plaid.

It never ends.

At some point I run out of money.... so I probably wouldn't have been able to go past the S cost... I honestly shouldn't have bought the $2k acceleration boost but I paid some other bills down and was like "meh...."

 

[dailo]

Ceramic, especially if you DIY, is worth it I think because of how much easier it makes it to clean your car. If your car gets hit with a rock or what not, while it might not damage your paint it will probably leave a tear in your PPF so you still need to decide if you can live with that or spend the money to have that piece replaced.

 

[Mulkogi]

interesting post by JD power How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car?

after all sounds like a full body repaint would cost somewhere close or even cheaper than a wrap around ppf install. Of course it will vary depending on state and paint quality but I think it all comes down to each one to their own.

I personally like to do everything myself so I chose full front end expel ppf and tint. Total cost about $800 for materials.

 

[WattsHappening]

How bad do rock chips bother you? And how often do you want to re-paint?

Without PPF, you're going to get rock chips, no doubt about that. And as others have pointed out, the Model Y has a very large painted front end area. So, is that going to bother you? If not, no need for PPF. If it's going to bother you, then ask yourself how often you are going to repaint. While repainting sounds good in theory, I have a hard time believing folks are going to repaint regularly. So after a couple of rock chips (within the first few months)? Or wait a couple of years for them to build up? And then repaint, only to have new rock chips start showing up immediately? And during this time, the existing rock chips would be very irksome.

For me, repainting isn't a good option. And rock chips bug me. So I've had PPF added to the front end on both of our Model 3s. Front end, full hood, rockers, rear-view mirrors. No visible lines anywhere. PPF has saved our paint probably dozens of times. I can see small indentations, and even a couple of slight tears when bigger rocks hit. But the paint underneath is still perfect.

One of the cars, the installer added a strip right under the trunk opening. Love that as it protects the paint from loading and unloading the trunk. The other installed thin strips on all door edges. Don't like that as much as the line is visible and we are careful to not ding our doors when opening. One area I would add is the area below the doors between the front and rear wheels. That area gets beat up easily.

We will most definitely be adding PPF when we buy a Model Y.

 

[acarney]

I’ll also add this, if you just repaint before selling it… then YOU lived with rock chips for months or maybe years to then just spend a bunch of money to make it look perfect for SOMEONE ELSE? I mean at that point, why wash your car or complain if assembly quality is good or not. Heck, sounds like they could forget a trim piece somewhere and it wouldn’t be a big deal because “it’s just a car.”

 

[Daekwan]

I’ll also add this, if you just repaint before selling it… then YOU lived with rock chips for months or maybe years to then just spend a bunch of money to make it look perfect for SOMEONE ELSE? I mean at that point, why wash your car or complain if assembly quality is good or not. Heck, sounds like they could forget a trim piece somewhere and it wouldn’t be a big deal because “it’s just a car.”

Quick question. Do you PPF, wrap, ceramic coat or repaint every car you buy.. or was it just for your Tesla?

I personally haven’t did it for any car and never plan too. And I take great care of my vehicles to include hand washing only and doing all the detail work myself. If it’s DIY and reasonable in cost & functionality.. I’ll do it as part of routine maintenance. After all take care of your car is part of the ownership experience.

But when it comes to the whole rock chip thing is way overplayed. Touch up paint has been around as long as I can remember driving. If you live in area where your cars front end gets beat up badly.. then you will know it. Previous cars would have suffered from this. IMO most people in the Tesla community spending crazy money on paint protection is simply because everybody else is doing it.

 

[Exelion]

Repaint vs. PPF?

Let's take for instance just the front bumper.

-PPF'ing just the front bumper is going to be around $500.00. Quality repainting the front bumper costs lot more than that here. I was hit with $1,500 for each of two different cars. Yes, they're not Teslas, but I don't imagine they'd be $1,000 less cost if I brought the MY in. Maybe its cheaper where you live. Point is, you have to pay for quality. I've seen $500.00 front bumper paint jobs. They will *do*, but its a dice roll for both the laborer and the customer.

-I would agree that Tesla paint is a little subpar (maybe slightly better than one-day paint & body). Mine has an orange-peel waviness to the pattern rather than perfectly smooth. A good paint job would make for better paint job, but now the front bumper looks different than the rest of the car. Front, nice, rest of car, not-so-nice. I don't want to ask a body shop to paint a car really nice, but with flaws to match the rest of the car.

-You would have to look at a front end that's constantly collecting rock chips. Without a massive grill, it's going to be quite the collection. And that's something to look at every time you wash the car. Or walk by it. Or when someone else looks at it. It's going to get ugly.

-Its no longer original paint. If you go sell the car, the new buyer is going to wonder if you have an unreported accident, even if you never did (and the carfax is clean). Basically, they have to trust you enough to also buy your story with the condition of a repainted bumper.

I used to be in the same boat of the majority who probably just leave the bumper alone. But after seeing a Model 3 in a parking lot with literally thousands of chips, I decided to get PPF right away. Been happy ever since, especially when washing the car.