I don’t have the time to protect my cars as much as I’d like, nor trust in family members not to accidentally scratch my car (don’t make me show pictures), sometimes parking outside in the elements. What are you guys paying for full PPF on a car? I’ll probably add ceramic on top, but that’s a much easier job for any decent detailer to do. Thanks.

 

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‘Was quoted about $6.5k for my coupe, but ended up just having the full front end, mirrors and A pillars all the back done for $3k. May do the rest and carbon roof later.

 

Unfortunately, my main concern is zippers from purses or rivets on golf bags (I can only guess as I couldn’t do this if I tried) scratching the doors and fenders, so the whole thing needs to be done. (“It wasn’t me.” I park so far to the side that you can get a third car in the middle, so I truly don’t get it. Family rules! The front and rear are, oddly, the least of my concerns.) What’s the expected life on the film? A few years? I can live with that, as it just hurts my soul seeing scratches through the clear coat on something I go really out of my way to avoid. I’ve gotten over it on cars that they’ve already done a number on, but on pristine paint I get flashbacks to when the last one looked that way. And the last one. And …

 

I did the whole car in PPF. Matt PPF on all the white parts and gloss PPF on all the black parts. Even the lights and carbon door sills are PPFed. Also did a full Ceramic inside and out. 10k for the works.

 

What’s the expected lifespan on that? Was there a warranty for the film?

 

Expect to pay around 2-3K for full front PPF.
6-7K for pull body PPF.
1-1.5k for ceramic.

I did full body Expel film for 6.5k. I did my own ceramic coating.
Film warranty is usually 10 years. Call some shops around for quote.

 

I got a 10 year warranty on both the ppf and ceramic coating.

 

Interesting. I thought ceramic had a much shorter life before needing reapplication.

 

2-3 years max for ceramic coating.
I do mine every year. Partly why I didn’t want them to do it.

 

That’s more in line with what I’d thought.

 

I have my entire car XPEL ppfed with ceramic on top. My car is coming to 3 years old and the ppf looks as good as it was on day 1 with one big caveat: my car is garaged and indoor parked when not in use. My ppf is warrantied for 10 years but parked outside in the sun 24/7, I am not sure it will make it that long. Parked indoors however, it looks to me like it could last 20 years. Surface looks perfect and not a single peeled edge anywhere

The ceramic coat is coming to 3 years old as well and it's wearing off some. It still looks good when cleaned, retaining that wet/glossy look like when it was fresh, but I notice rain doesnt bead off the body like it used to, and the way the surface feels when I run my fingers across it is not as glasslike as before. I will be reapplying the ceramic coat in a few months time. I would advise a coating refresh every 3 year as a rough estimate (2 years if outdoor parked) and you should be happy

 

I paid about 6.5k for everything.

Full car PPF: Front bumper, headlights, fenders, mirrors, carbon roof, trunk (with rear active wing), rear bumper, doors, doorsills, lower rockers, rear quarters, tail lights

XPEL Ultimate - it's what I've used on all of my vehicles for quite some time.

 

It sounds like we both have the same psychological disfunctions? I learned many years ago that I just can't have everything I want in life. Black cars are by far my favorite, they look so much better than any other color on a nice vehicle. Unfortunately I also learned that black only looks great when it's clean and flawless and any dirt or scratches stand out much worse than any other color. The more careful I am, the worse things would go for my black vehicles. Even on a car that I kept garaged and never parked in a public, somehow I would still find new issues every time I would wash it.
About 10 years ago I finally decided the black paint just wasn't worth the stress it caused me. Since then I have been exploring things like bright red, or pearl white. Any time I see a black car that looks good, I just remind myself how much stress black paint can cause. I have looked into the PPF, and it just doesn't make sense to me. It's very expensive, I have seen plenty of examples of it fading out, and looking terrible. I wonder what the paint looks like after an old wrap has been removed? 10 year warranty? I bet there is some fine print if you try to make a claim on it? My guess is that they prorate the price over 10 years, and won't just redo the entire vehicle if it starts to fade after 9 years? I don't keep many vehicles for 10 years anyway, usually the paint still looks great after 4-5 years, when I am ready to replace a vehicle anyway.
If your vehicle is constantly getting deep scratches in certain areas, then PPF could definitely save you some grief, it's probably not worth doing the entire vehicle. The best solution would be getting a clear layer of PPF done on both sides and from the rocker panel up to the bottom of the windows. I would guess you could get that done for just $2500. Obviously the specific price is going to depend on the market your in and the quality of the product you purchase is going to effect what you end up paying.

 

If you know you’re not going to keep the car for more than 5 years, then it’s not worth the price. Even 10 years, I’m not sure anyone would want to spend 6-8k for full body PPF if you know you won’t be in love with the vehicle anymore. It’s very difficult to say I’ll keep the vehicle forever though. That’s what I thought with the GSF. But after 2.5years, I traded in with full body PPF that I got nothing for. But at least the next owner can enjoy a prestine car and hope he/she appreciates.
I had the half hood PPF on my ‘15 GS350 for 7 years and peeled it off after noticing the yellow(on a white car) and the paint under it looks just fine. With today’s PPF, it allows for UVA and UVB to penetrate so the paint stays consistent with the rest of the car that does not have PPF. So I’m not worried about the paint underneath when it’s time to replace the PPF.
To me, the 6.5k I spent on full body PPF on the LC500 is well worth against the sad feeling I get when my kids side swipe their toys on the car lol. Or the relatives decide to caress the cars when they come over.
With PPF and ceramic coating, cleaning it is worry free. I rarely take the car out when the weather is bad. It only collects dust and pollen. Wiping it down with a damp cloth and drying it is much more enjoyable when you know if you’ve made a few fine scratches from the wiping, you can take a heat gun and heal the PPF back to its original form.
Of course, YMMV. But spending 6-7K on an important vehicle such as LC500 is really not that much for the extra peace of mind.

 

Depends on the brand and how many coats. Plus if you apply a topper every 2nd wash it lasts indefinitely. Hi quality toppers are just spray on and wipe off. There is a HUGE difference between retail and professional ceramic coats and also a huge difference between various professional brands as well. My car has 3 coats and a sacrificial light 4th. I also use a topper every second wash and only use neutral PH soap in the foam cannon for washing. Modern high quality PPFs also have UV protection so if you do a partial after many years when you rip it out your ppfed panels will not be sun bleached but the others will ... unless you do a full ceramic of course. Then everything is UV protected. I don't cheap out with my cars ... they all have ceramic and the ones I like to protect like the Bentley, LC, and AMG GT get a full PPF as well.

P.S. ... If you don't do a mat finish PPF do not go with xpel or other brands due to them all having orange peel ... use STEK. It has no orange peel on gloss. Mat has no orange peel issues. Also paint correction is a MUST if you are doing gloss. Of course if you don't care about a showroom finish and just want to protect against scratches then anything goes. My advise though is if you are going to spend the money anyways best to do it right and get a showroom finish for many years.