I've heard from one detailer/installer that the LC's sharp angles make it a less than ideal candidate for PPF. My hatred of rock chips, on the other hand, makes me want to do the hood/front fenders. My local PPF specialist recommends Kavaca PPF, in case that's relevant. Thoughts?

 

Take it to a reputable PPF, dealer. Had the hood, lights/frontend area. Backs of side mirrors, rockers L/R and the hips behind the rear wheels. You'll be glad u did. These are the most open area's for chips.

 

@flohmann
“My hatred of rock chips, on the other hand, makes me want to do the hood/front fenders”

Given this strong sentiment I would say do it. It seems that if you have a highly skilled installer using a quality product you should be satisfied and have peace of mind.

 

I had my entire car PPF. There are a few areas where there are seams because the film can't stretch over without, but they are minimal and not noticeable unless you know to look for them. 99.9% of the painted surface is covered.

 

Price! Both of my current cars are completely covered in PPF. That's about $8k-$10k right there. Then you have to remove that PPF anywhere between 4 - 8 years later depending on how lucky you are. That alone costs a lot of money. If I were to do it again, I would only PPF the front bumpers of my cars. Maybe the hood. The issue with partially doing PPF is that the sun can slightly fade paint over time, so if you keep any of your cars outdoors the color may not match once you remove the partial PPF in the future.

 

no PPF$ for me..the factory paint is exquisite and a little love with ceramic coat followed by ceramic detail sprays after washing,,paint looks amazing to me.

 

cost to benefit ratio. Value how the car looks vs how much u want to spend vs how long u plan on keeping it. No right or wrong answer.

 

Entire car done and worth every penny!
Never heard of Kavaca... but if your shop is reputable and they stand by their work and warranty then go for it.

Most shops use templates for cars, though. It is true that there are spots on the LC where the templates are difficult to get right, but a good shop knows how to overcome these spots or can do them freehand instead.

 

@barncobob63 any rock chips to speak of? I likely won't drive mine more than 3k miles/year, but most of those miles will be on freeways, where those pesky little pebbles can do a number on your hood (at least they did to my previous Porsche 911).

 

FYI...I'd stay away from Kavaka. I have one car with Kavaka and one with Xpel. The older car has double the amount of time with Xpel PPF on it and it's never had a scratch or issue that I can see. The Kavaka wrapped one scratches extremely easy, it's yellowing on the edges and I've replaced a few sections over the last 2 years with Xpel. Just realize that many of these shops usually recommend a certain film because that's who they make the most money from. Just about every big shop that I've spoken to or done business with over the years works with Xpel. The only reason my one car has Kavaka on it is because I bought it used with 1500 miles on it and the original owner had it wrapped in Kavaka. It saved me a ton of money, but I don't like the film compared to the Xpel.

 

I’m firmly off the PPF bandwagon. Unorthodox these days but I’ve been there and done it on several cars and I’ve soured on it. Reasons are cost, yellowing, staining, dirt lines on lighter cars, and no benefit on resale. It’s a massively overrated product, imo. I never understood paying thousands of dollars to protect the paint for the next owner. If you simply can’t stand the thought of some rock chips, and there’s no guarantee that a big one won’t go through or tear some PPF, and are willing to pay thousands between application and eventual removal/replacement of the stuff, then go for it. Otherwise save your money and just enjoy your car - worst case scenario is a bumper respray. I just do minor touch ups here and there and wet sand and compound/polish on bigger ones.

I'm all in on a good ceramic coating for paint and wheels. Way better use of money - again, imo.

 

personally I say do the whole car or none at all. Dirt will get on the edges on partial applications. A quality product and installation are the key.....anything less and you will have regrets. I did my whole car with my LC because it is a daily driver. After 3 months I had a large rock bounce off a dump truck 2 lanes over and hit my driver's side door right in the middle. PDR and a new PPF on the door and it was like it never happened. It would have definitely gone through the clearcoat and paint without the PPF. I can't imagine trying to repaint my USB and matching the rest of the car.

 

^^^This. Matching the paint can be a real issue on these cars. See https://pressroom.lexus.com/seven-re...nt-is-amazing/ These colors are not standard PPG colors. And if you get a paint chip, it's not just a matter of matching the color. Chips remove paint, so the surface is no longer smooth. To get it color-matched AND smooth is more than a simple touch-up. A good ceramic coating by itself on good paint looks great, but it provides no paint protection.

 

Ceramic doesn't do a thing to prevent rock chips.

 

I was going to use Xpel when I get mine done next month but the film is now made overseas and my film installer stopped using it. He now uses Suntek with is a bit more $ and thicker than Xpel.