[Lucky1]

Recently was quoted around $2,200 each to have the front end of my 991.1 and Z4MR paint protected using XPEL. To do the whole car was around $7,400.


I'm rather ignorant on this subject so would appreciate some assistance. What are the pros and cons of having the front end paint protected vs wrapping the whole car? And would it be more cost effective to just do nothing and repaint the car as it gets older?


Any help educating me is appreciated.

[overcoil]

I was always afraid of having my paint scratched during an install. I'd seen some poor installs that when the film failed and subsequently removed it looked as though blade marks were placed in the paint during install.

[Our03z4]

Wrap would be the way to go. If you like the currently color then I would just do ceramic coating, helps with small scratches and such, also protects the clear coat. I saw the xpel at a booth and couldn't believe how much it seemed to attract dust and the price was nuts.

[edspecR]

Pros of paint protection film: preserves original oem paint with a physical 4-8 mil barrier. UV protection as well as from rocks, dings and chips. High gloss, high clarity (unless you get matte ppf of course). Most top brands last over 10 years. Can be done in portions so you don't have to pay for the entire car
Cons: expensive, risk of trapping particles under a clear barrier, risk of pulling compromised (non-oem) paint upon removal. If only partial ppf (ie just the front) then rest of the car will need to be detailed often accordingly to match. If wrapped partially, you'll notice dust and dirty will tend to collect on the exposed edges/seams. A full wrap will do the same, but the installer should be able to hide the edges from view

I hope that answered some of your questions. As for cost in the long run, I've pulled off ppf from 15+ yr old cars that had it from the dealer leaving near-mint paint underneath (before reapplying new ppf ). If you do nothing to your paint after 15 years you'll need a respray which, on top of however much a quality respray might be, will impact your resale value for the worse. Ceramic coatings are great too, but you'll be reapplying that every 2 years or so, while also negating the option of ppf or wrap as adhesive films won't stick to ceramic coatings.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by edspecR

Pros of paint protection film: preserves original oem paint with a physical 4-8 mil barrier. UV protection as well as from rocks, dings and chips. High gloss, high clarity (unless you get matte ppf of course). Most top brands last over 10 years. Can be done in portions so you don't have to pay for the entire car
Cons: expensive, risk of trapping particles under a clear barrier, risk of pulling compromised (non-oem) paint upon removal. If only partial ppf (ie just the front) then rest of the car will need to be detailed often accordingly to match. If wrapped partially, you'll notice dust and dirty will tend to collect on the exposed edges/seams. A full wrap will do the same, but the installer should be able to hide the edges from view

I hope that answered some of your questions. As for cost in the long run, I've pulled off ppf from 15+ yr old cars that had it from the dealer leaving near-mint paint underneath (before reapplying new ppf ). If you do nothing to your paint after 15 years you'll need a respray which, on top of however much a quality respray might be, will impact your resale value for the worse. Ceramic coatings are great too, but you'll be reapplying that every 2 years or so, while also negating the option of ppf or wrap as adhesive films won't stick to ceramic coatings.

Thanks! Why is resale value impacted with a quality paint respray? Better than original paint in used condition? I don't typically have garage queens.

[MADBMWX5MC]

I've had XPEL on two vehicles thus far; love the thing. Easy to clean and maintain. Yes, a bit expensive, but I have seen first hand how a front end looks all chewed up by bugs and rock chips and I hate it. No to mention that bird poop is merciless on your clear coat.

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

Wrap would be the way to go. If you like the currently color then I would just do ceramic coating, helps with small scratches and such, also protects the clear coat. I saw the xpel at a booth and couldn't believe how much it seemed to attract dust and the price was nuts.

This is actually a false narrative. Ceramic coating does not help with scratches in any way whatsoever and it does not protect the clear coat any more than a $5 bottle of wax from the auto parts store does.

The main and really only benefit of ceramic coating is to eliminate the need for waxing your car - it is essentially a semi-permanent wax. It does not provide any protection against scratches or paint wear.

The only effective treatment at reducing scratches or rock chips is a PPF.

Originally Posted by Lucky1

Thanks! Why is resale value impacted with a quality paint respray? Better than original paint in used condition? I don't typically have garage queens.

It shouldn't impact the value, but it does, and usually by a significant amount. The unfortunate reality is that as soon as someone sees a repaint, they automatically assume it was in an accident. In addition, a decent eye can spot a repaint, no matter how good, in seconds.

Personally, I think a quality respray of a bumper that was impacted by rock chips is a plus and makes an older car look nice and fresh, but the reality is that most consumers don't feel the same way.

[quick]

I personally will never buy a car even if it had only a painted bumper or in need of one. I would rather pay more if the car had a PPF though

[ppointer]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

Recently was quoted around $2,200 each to have the front end of my 991.1 and Z4MR paint protected using XPEL. To do the whole car was around $7,400.


I'm rather ignorant on this subject so would appreciate some assistance. What are the pros and cons of having the front end paint protected vs wrapping the whole car? And would it be more cost effective to just do nothing and repaint the car as it gets older?


Any help educating me is appreciated.

I've been putting 3M on all my cars since 2007. In fact, I still have the first one I had done in 2007. I never paid more than $600 to cover the bumper, partial hood and mirrors. Cannot say the XPEL is worth the extra money but the 3M have been awesome through the years.

[zx10guy]

I've had the situation where I trusted a friend who owned a detail shop in putting on PPF on my brand new Ducati. The install looked horrible and when I looked closely, saw clear razor blade marks in the pristine paint. Had to get the affected sections of the bike repainted. Pretty much ended the friendship.

When I had to have the front end of my 135i rebuilt from hitting a deer, I inquired about the cost of PPF on my car. Was floored by the estimate I got. It was cheaper to have the front end repainted again if needed. Because the car no longer has full factory paint, I dropped the PPF idea. I wasn't thinking at the time but would have had the PPF done before taking delivery of my car from the dealership or would have had it applied shortly after taking my car home.

What I have done is used the clear film on the headlight lens on my cars. The cost to do just the headlights was reasonable.

[New2Roundel]

After years of fussing with paint on my cars, I went with both PPF and ceramic coating when we bought the Jeep. Being black and high up, I thought it would attract a lot of bugs, rocks, road grime, etc. And if the paint got chipped, it would be a lot easier to see on a black vehicle than something lighter colored. So I bit the bullet and had the front end (bumper, hood, fenders, and mirror caps) covered with Xpel and Modesta ceramic coating.

I've had the vehicle 4 months since the protective coatings were installed and it's been great. Everything just comes off with water and i haven't noted any issues with chips/nicks on the front end. To note, supposedly Xpel also has self-healing properties, which is nice as well for any small spots that could be damaged by something nasty hitting the front. I find that the ceramic provides a little protection against light scratches from washing it as well. Black is definitely a huge pain to maintain and it's still not easy now, but it's definitely easier.

[Humdizzle]

that sounds a bit too expensive, but maybe that's CDN dollars. my 458 was 3000 for bumper, hood, fenders, skirts, and mirrors. basically the front half of the car. My f30 335 was 700 for the bumper.

If you're doing any sort of daily driving or winter driving ppf is the way to go. Ceramic isn't going to save you from a big rock chipping your paint.

I wouldn't touch a resprayed/repainted car with a 10 foot pole. Shops hardly get the paint to match 100%. Cars are sprayed with premade paint at the factory and its all done in one go with a single batch of paint.

One persons Silverstone or sakhir orange may differ very slightly from anothers if you swap body panels.

[justalexio]

Well damn these prices are quite a bit higher than our shops prices. We're in SoCal but if anybody needs any ppf work done on their vehicles let me know. We've got good prices.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Run Silent

This is actually a false narrative. Ceramic coating does not help with scratches in any way whatsoever and it does not protect the clear coat any more than a $5 bottle of wax from the auto parts store does.

The main and really only benefit of ceramic coating is to eliminate the need for waxing your car - it is essentially a semi-permanent wax. It does not provide any protection against scratches or paint wear.

The only effective treatment at reducing scratches or rock chips is a PPF.

True! But then again... wax/sealant/ceramic coating all offer some small level or protection as well. So while it's not nearly as strong a PPF it does still offer something.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

True! But then again... wax/sealant/ceramic coating all offer some small level or protection as well. So while it's not nearly as strong a PPF it does still offer something.

Car is in the shop getting the front end PPF'd. They're going to:

-wash and decontaminate the paint of the entire car
-fill in rock chips
-paint correction
-polish
-XPEL PPF film on the entire front and mirrors
-XPEL ceramic coating to finish

Will take a couple of days. Can't wait. Cost a pretty penny but most of my cars are forever cars.

[jkoral]

Just got some quotes from a highly rated top shop that deals with a lot of much higher end cars than mine. I see a lot of new cars come in for both xpel and ceramic, which I would do if I had a *special* car.

xpel $995 to $1995 (depending on partial hood/fenders up to full hood/fenders).

ceramic $995 to $1795 (based on number of coats and length of warranty, 2, 5 or lifetime). All assuming 1-step paint correction for a new car.

I'm leaning towards getting their mid-grade ceramic (for a decidedly non-BMW, non-special car).

[omasou]

I only PPF the front bumper and headlights. I personally, do not and will not wrap more.

I also prefer installers that use bulk material and custom fit and obviously do not cut the paint.

I am never using XPEL again. The edges lift. Yeah, tell me it's an installation issue and I'll tell you after 3X it isn't.

[Redd]

I wrote this post on my experience with PPF a few months back:

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1564660

Hope u find the info useful.

[quick]

Anyone in and around KY willing to help me install the PPF on my X5M?

Thanks

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Run Silent

It shouldn't impact the value, but it does, and usually by a significant amount.

Significant enough to eat a $7,000 up front charge? On a car that's worth $30K? We're not talking about exotics that's worth several hundred thousand here.

Um, no. If I had to sell any of my cars in the garage right now, I'd pony up for a $2,000 repaint of the bumper and blending of the front fender and hood and done. Otherwise I'm enjoying the crap out of it and not worrying about protecting the paint for the NEXT owner.

[DPelletier]

PPF is the way to go IMO. .....keeps the car looking great, stops me from worrying and protects your resale value. I've had half a dozen cars done, some for up to 16 years with zero issues. I've done my F type and my Z4 goes in next week. ....and unless you are paying a huge premium, a repaint is nowhere near as good as the factory finish.

2 cents,
Dave

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Significant enough to eat a $7,000 up front charge? On a car that's worth $30K? We're not talking about exotics that's worth several hundred thousand here.

Um, no. If I had to sell any of my cars in the garage right now, I'd pony up for a $2,000 repaint of the bumper and blending of the front fender and hood and done. Otherwise I'm enjoying the crap out of it and not worrying about protecting the paint for the NEXT owner.

Do you use exponents to calculate prices for everything you buy? 7 grand???



Even the best shops in the country only charge between $800 - $1,000 to do a custom front clip PPF install. Perhaps $1,500 - $2,000 or so to do everything in front of the doors and windshield.

Most places will charge around $500 - $600 to do the front bumper and a small section of the front of the hood, which is really anyone needs on a car that isn't an exotic.

So yes, this cost would likely be less than the reduction in value due to a repaint. In addition, it keeps the car looking great for you during ownership as well, not just for the next owner.

Good grief.