DIY Paint Protection Film

[Geosh]

Has anyone who isn’t professionally trained bought a pre-cut PPF kit from anywhere and installed it themselves with good results? Looking to see if there is a cheaper option than having a shop do it for me. If so, any good shops for kits would be appreciated. Looking to do the front bumper and the front edge of the hood.

I’ve installed vinyl stripes and hood blackouts with good results, but experience is still limited.

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[Roadsign]

What color is your car and how picky are you about details? The darker the color the more it will show install flaws. If you've done vinyl, the hood and fenders are not too bad depending on how much coverage. Figure any flat (or not too much curve) panel is good for diy. Most of the time it's better to let an experienced installer do a panel like the bumper or any full panel. Quite a few installers will warranty lifting and other issues and it's usually beneficial to just pay up front and get a pro install.

 

[Geosh]

What color is your car and how picky are you about details? The darker the color the more it will show install flaws. If you've done vinyl, the hood and fenders are not too bad depending on how much coverage. Figure any flat (or not too much curve) panel is good for diy. Most of the time it's better to let an experienced installer do a panel like the bumper or any full panel. Quite a few installers will warranty lifting and other issues and it's usually beneficial to just pay up front and get a pro install.

My car is white. I agree the warranty route would be potentially helpful, but just trying to weigh the costs vs benefit.

I’ve done my own ceramic coatings and learned to properly detail (and do paint correction) on my cars, because I value knowing how to do things like that myself. Plus, it saves me money...if I assume my time is “free.” Just curious how hard it actually is, or if it is more just time consuming and requiring an attention to detail

 

[Roadsign]

A good bit of it is taking your time and attention to detail. You start needing experience once the film needs to be stretched and to what degree. The kits I've looked at for the Mustang don't show to be overly difficult. Keeping the film on the panel and the adhesive wet in the areas not being worked on can be a pita on vertical surfaces. Watch some install videos on Mustangs and see if it's something your comfortable doing. Sounds like you won't have a problem with the detail and will probably figure the rest out as you go. Do you have a climate controlled area to do the install? If so that will be a big help.

 

[Roadsign]

Also, white will be the most forgiving hiding installation flaws but if you were not aware it will also be the most challenging for film maintenance. Meaning, the film will "yellow" more noticeably on white paint. Claims from film companies that their product won't yellow simply are not true. All films will yellow so research which companies have good warranties and good reputations for honoring that warranty. I'm not trying to discourage you. I have film on my cars and think it's a good investment. Just trying to share accurate information.

 

[Geosh]

Also, white will be the most forgiving hiding installation flaws but if you were not aware it will also be the most challenging for film maintenance. Meaning, the film will "yellow" more noticeably on white paint. Claims from film companies that their product won't yellow simply are not true. All films will yellow so research which companies have good warranties and good reputations for honoring that warranty. I'm not trying to discourage you. I have film on my cars and think it's a good investment. Just trying to share accurate information.

That is actually a point I didn’t think about. I’m in AZ and the sun is brutal here.

Thanks for the feedback. Got a bit more to think about now.

 

[ice445]

That is actually a point I didn’t think about. I’m in AZ and the sun is brutal here.

Thanks for the feedback. Got a bit more to think about now.

As someone in your shoes in the state north if you, I've been thinking about this too. This paint chips super easy though, so its that or yellowing after a year or two.

 

[Roadsign]

I would think about the yellowing more as a shopping guide on who's film to use and not as deciding to use the product at all. There are companies that warranty yellow film and have good customer service.

 

[Geosh]

I would think about the yellowing more as a shopping guide on who's film to use and not as deciding to use the product at all. There are companies that warranty yellow film and have good customer service.

Yeah, I was thinking of it more as finding a shop that would warranty that, or looking for film that stands up to it. We have so many rocks in the road, I need something or the bumper is going to get peppered.

 

[Elp_jc]

I wish I could do that myself too, but with my anal standards, no way . Not sure how much the material costs, but it can't be more than $200 maximum for full hood and fenders, no? And those guys charging 2 grand, they're making more than specialist doctors, just for a few hours. I could repaint the bumper 2 or 3 times with that money, and it's not a Bentley, so decided to leave it alone.

 

[m3incorp]

Hood, fenders, and strike zones from the rear wheels may be doable, but the minute you include the front bumper, you are going to need some experience. Paint correction can be done by the average person also, but that means buying an orbiter and the other necessities. I'm not in the detail business and have detail plenty of my own cars...it just depends on what you expect from the results.

There is always the pros and cons for PPF, just like with everything else we do to these cars. Some choose to not change a single thing from the way Ford built it and some change a lot of things.....different strokes for different folks.

 

[m3incorp]

The problem with being so anal, is most would not think a repainted bumper matches the rest of the car. Not that this true, but being anal does that to people. It's darn if you do and darn if you don't. Don't forget the work put into correcting any flaws that are already in the paint.

I wish I could do that myself too, but with my anal standards, no way . Not sure how much the material costs, but it can't be more than $200 maximum for full hood and fenders, no? And those guys charging 2 grand, they're making more than specialist doctors, just for a few hours. I could repaint the bumper 2 or 3 times with that money, and it's not a Bentley, so decided to leave it alone.

 

[BimmerDriver]

I did this once myself on a Corvette C5. Bought the kit, using a hair drier to help shrink the plastic. What I excel in anal retentiveness I lack in patience. Doing a good job requires patience. So, yes, it turned out like crap, and after a weekend I tore it off. It was that bad.

Other observations from cars that I've had this on (professionally installed):
- yes this stuff does yellow, but it takes years, not months.
- it does protect against rocks and large bugs, but it's not going to save you from everything
- it is not always "self healing" so you can end up with tears and blemishes
- if you leave it on too long, it can be nearly impossible to remove, as it will break apart when you try to peel it. A coworker had it on his Z car, and when he tried to remove it himself it took off some paint. He hired it out, and I think it was a 6 hour job, just for the front clip.
- You're not going to get the shine and reflectivity of a well polished paint job from plastic. Regardless of how nice the paint underneath is, it's not totally transparent.
- If it's not perfectly installed, the edges can lift and trap dirt, which just looks like crap.

 

[Bushranger]

I did mine by myself, I could not get low cost large sheets like you can in the US. I used the cheap Chinese stuff. I did a perfect job on the fenders and hood front ( 2 feet wide strip) and almost perfect on the doors ( removed the side mirrors and door handles) and rear side panels behind the doors. I even did the hips which required a strip over the doors back to the front where the top sill joins back up with the hood ( a very awkward shape). I did not want any joins.. One hip was average the other side was good. Plenty of patience, I am retired, one panel per day. If you stuff a peice up just remove it and try again the next day. A friend would help with the front bumper as some stretching is needed, Do the bumper after you have done a few other panels. Cost me $200 for a $3,000 job. Did it 3 years ago and will re do in a few months. All sections still look good,ie no peeling but I want to redo it before it starts to look sad. Just wash it in soapy water and my car shines as good as new. If you are a DIY person then do it.. No body notices my clear wrap. Not even me haha. My car has no stone chips or scratches. I removed a section last year just to see how easy it was to remove. It came off OK with a heat gun and some mineral spirits. If you don't have the time then get it done professionally. It took me a month especially stripping the doors and trying to reinsert the door handles after I stuffed it up (long story).

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