Is there anyone got rock chips less than a week from your ES 350 purchase? My ES 350 F Sport is 7 days old and just noticed two rock chips on it.

 

With the way that most cars are now designed with steeply sloping hoods and with the larger areas of painted surfaces on the bumpers, valence panels, etc., it is inevitable that stones and other debris are going to be kicked up into those area, and they are going to chip the paint.

And what makes matters worse is that, with most of today's very beautiful vehicle color choices, touching up even small stone chips and getting even close to an acceptable color match that doesn't make the touch up stick out like a sore thumb is virtually impossible.

That is the reason why many choose to spend more money to get the front portions of their cars covered with paint protection film. A paint protection film package with quality material and that has good coverage is not cheap, but it does afford excellent protection.

 

Yep. And you can expect more. That's why Paint Protection Film is worth the investment. I recommend a full front and mirror 3M protection, not just the bra.

 

I got a quote from a highly reputable outfit, where I got my tinting done. They indicated that a 'partial hood' is $325. And full kit including hood, fenders, and back of mirrors is $995.
Does that seem like reasonable? Not sure I can bite off almost $1000 for this. So having to give it lots of though. If I got a chip, I'm not sure that I would try to touch it up, because it might look worse. But I wonder if there's a clear touch sealant to keep from progressing, that would not stand out.

 

The $995 price quoted is probably a very fair price, depending on what product they would be using and what the warranty is on that product. Most of the companies that make the films now have multiple grades of their films, and the warranties against tearing, yellowing, etc. can vary from as little as 3 years to as much as 10 years.

For comparison purposes, on my 2017 ES, the film package that I got included the full bumper, full hood, full front fenders, mirrors, door handle cups, and door edges. I paid $1200 for that package with the best grade of XPEL film with a 10 year warranty. Trim shops in the area were typically charging anywhere from $2000 to $2500 for similar packages.



The question is not if you get a chip. Instead it is when you get a chip.

 

I had film applied to the front half of my car. Ran me $1,500, so I’d say your price is a good one- or at least better than what I paid. The application was great. Can’t tell the film is there unless you look very close. Did the headlight lenses also. My detailer did say it was a challenging job. Cars with gentle curves are easy to wrap. The ES350 has a lot of sharp angles.

 

I've found that the best way to get the best price on a paint protection film package is to include it as a part of negotiations at the time you are buying the car. The way to do it is, first, to negotiate the price on the car, itself. You would bring the paint protection film into the negotiations only after you have arrived at a price for that you are willing to pay for the car. Then, before agreeing to the deal, you would tell the dealer that you will buy the car if they will include the paint protection film package at a significantly discounted price. At the point, the dealer is not going to be willing to lose a sale over the price of the paint protection film package. Typically, paint protection film is a very high mark-up item, but, if you negotiate the price for the film after negotiating everything else and before you agree to the deal, the dealer is likely to sell you the paint protection film at a price that has minimal profit for the dealer. Of course, all of this is contingent on the dealer (or the installer who works with the dealer) using high quality film with a good warranty.

Another advantage of doing it this way is that you will have the film on your car when you drive it out of the lot and before you have had a chance to pick up your first stone chip.

 

I think aftermarket is better in that you can specify 3M self-healing protection that is a higher quality that what the dealer applies. Plus, the dealer usually applies only a bra and not full hood and mirror treatment. While $1000 (which is an excellent price) might seem like a big hit, fixing a few rock chips can cost you more than that. You can't usually just do a dab of touchup paint like you could on the older cars. Getting a good paint match is a 3-step process and needs to be done by a pro or high performing DIYer. Just think of it as part of the cost of the car. It'll pay for itself in no time.

 

In most cases, the dealers do not install paint protection film themselves. Instead, they subcontract that out to someone who will do paint protection film for multiple dealers in a particular area.

If, when you buy a car, you make getting the paint protection film at a good price the last item in your negotiations, the dealer is likely to be willing to sell it to you for essentially what it has to pay the subcontractor, and what the dealer pays the subcontractor will be substantially less than what you would have to pay if you got the work done by that subcontractor without the leverage of it being a part of the deal to buy the car from the dealer. And those subcontractors use the same materials from 3M, EXPEL, etc. that any high quality installer would use.

As I explained in a previous post, I got my paint protection film package at the time I bought the car. It included the full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, mirrors, door handle cups, and door edges. It was done with the top-rated XPEL film. It came with a 10 year warranty, and I paid about half of what I would have had to pay had I had the work done in the after market.

 

We just finished a custom wrap on our ES , Sun Tec PPF . Self healing technology, 10 year warranty . The installer even wrapped the chrome around the grill opening.

Ive had a clear bra on my 2006 GS 430 since new and its saved the front end from our SoCal freeway sand blast . Its not cheap but worth the investment if your fussy about your cars appearance.

 

I picked up two chips on the drive home the day I bought it, since then I installed a film that covers my bumper, part of the hood and mirrors. I paid $700 for the kit installed, the film they used was 3M.

 

I got a chip on my way home from the dealership

My 2016 Honda Accord looks like it's gone to hell and back from all the chips on the front end... I think it gives the car character

I don't keep cars long enough to invest in any exterior items. That being said I know for a fact I will be getting the protective film on my next car just to avoid looking at those chips on a luxury vehicle. I'll just have the dealership work it into the deal.