Regrets not getting PPF?

[J_Maher_AMG]

I would of done the entire car in hindsight. Though arguably I couldnt afford it.

Definitely a big investment man, and I can imagine for most people that it isn't an easy thought to stomach after paying so much for the car. I had always planned to do it from the start so had the price factored into my head already, and paid $6000 cash for XPEL Ultimate. This was an out of province job, and I had a couple minor issues with a few areas peeling, but the installer literally flew out to me and came to my garage with film to fix/redo the trouble areas which was top notch service

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[CANTWN4LSN]

Really appreciate all the input with broad range of opinions. All my previous vehicles have been to be used up and I always figured God's reason for rain is to wash cars. The GT350 seems, well, different and I might appreciate keeping its looks up. Not of fan of spending hours cleaning and waxing, would rather fish, golf, camp, etc. so easier care favors covering. Cost wise combo of partial Xpel and Opticoat vs repaint is probably a wash over 5-7 years and the car will look better with the former for that length of time. So altho it seems like a lot upfront, seems to make sense.

 

[Next Phase]

I have paint protection on almost every vehicle....Xpel in the HC and Suntek on the R and the wife's Durango. The paint on the Mustang is absolutely horrible...and if you look at it funny you get a rock chip.

I think it's mandatory to do at least the front bumper and rear view mirrors. I also did my entire hood and front quarters. Thinking of doing the black roof as I know if I don't, it will get rock chips right above the windshield.

Other vehicles can get away without PPF, but not the Shelby.

 

[derand]

My AG R is getting PPF right now. What did you do about the stripes?

To me, the options were:
1) Don't PPF over them
2) PPF over them, with (hopefully) invisible seams and piece-by-piece with matte finish
3) PPF over them without seams and see the bumps
4) Remove the stripes, PPF the entire car seamless, and reapply the stripes.

Which way did you go, or is there a 5th or more options?

The other way that we do it is to clear coat the top of the car then PPF the car nice smooth finish if they are not matte.

 

[Varekai]

The front of this car is particularly bad for chips. Mine looks like it has been sand blasted if you get up close. At least you cant tell from greater than about 4 feet.

Yeah that pretty much sums mine up.

 

[stshoo]

Mine had:

Bumper
Full hood
Mirrors
Rockers

I just put my order in for another car and will probably do the the 1st 3 for sure and maybe add the rear quarters as I have a few chips there on the current car.

I had cquartz done over the entire car. If you get up close, you can see a pocket between the stripe edge and film, but at normal distance it's not noticeable.

I'd love to do the whole car, but 4-6k could be spent on alot of other stuff for the car.

 

[GTP]

Here is a pie chart of my TCO expenses (less the car itself).
I spent almost as much on Exterior Appearance as on mods.

$2435 of exterior appearance was spent on clear film alone.
$2400 of the mods was for the wheels/tires alone.
The pie chart totals $10,183 presently. Year and a half of ownership.
Don't know whether I should be proud or ashamed.

 

[gumbygto]

I'm considering ppf for mine but am concerned about the long term effect of the film on the paint. Has anyone had any long term experience with ppf? Did any issues develop with the paint after it was taken off or redone?

 

[CANTWN4LSN]

Here is a pie chart of my TCO expenses (less the car itself).
I spent almost as much on Exterior Appearance as on mods.

$2435 of exterior appearance was spent on clear film alone.
$2400 of the mods was for the wheels/tires alone.
The pie chart totals $10,183 presently. Year and a half of ownership.
Don't know whether I should be proud or ashamed.

Proud for enjoying your car, ashamed for letting us see you anal side.

 

[Cfirekirch]

For me its do I spend the 2K on...

PPF? Cat back exhaust? Second day racing school? extended warranty?

dilemma here, lol

 

[Mspeedster]

I'm considering ppf for mine but am concerned about the long term effect of the film on the paint. Has anyone had any long term experience with ppf? Did any issues develop with the paint after it was taken off or redone?

Leave it on for too long and there can be issues during removal. It can be a real pain to take off cleanly, coming of in pieces and leaving a lot of residue. Clear coat lifting can happen (it shouldn't if the paint job is good) during removal and it can lift the stripes off too.

None of the above is specific to the GT350, as our cars are too new to know about the long term effects. But I've seen or read about cases of what I mentioned on cars who's PPF was left on for 8 or more years. However, PPF technology keeps improving, so the stuff that was available 10 years ago isn't as good as the current PPFs on the market today.

 

[GTP]

For me its do I spend the 2K on...

PPF? Cat back exhaust? Second day racing school? extended warranty?

dilemma here, lol

Yeah, I feel ya.

The thing is, if you DO go with PPF, then the sooner it's installed the better. Which may mean delaying some of the other fun mods.

 

[honeybadger]

For me its do I spend the 2K on...

PPF? Cat back exhaust? Second day racing school? extended warranty?

dilemma here, lol

Do you plan to track your car? If so, driver mods for sure.

 

[Cfirekirch]

Do you plan to track your car? If so, driver mods for sure.

I do plan to track it, but not regularly. With the ppf I just can't get over getting only 5ish years out of it for that amount of $$.

 

[gtaindetail]

I am still on the fence with getting it done. It is quite a sizable investment up front, and I've had several reputable shops tell me to plan on replacing it in 5 years, maybe a few more depending on use and care, but it's certainly not a permanent solution. I know Xpel has a 10 year warranty, but that doesn't mean its going to look good in 10 years. So is 2k or more worth only a few years of protection and then pay again to have it redone? Or do you just deal with chips and dings as they come? I don't know. I need to get an idea on how its going to look over my ott stripes, and if removing it will damage them. Then I'll decide if I'm going to do the full front clip or just rear impact areas. Appreciate your guys' insights.

As long as you're using a top coated film there is no reason it won't look as good in 5 years as it does on day one. Now, that will require some maintenance and a lack of perforations, but the film itself shouldn't change color, texture, etc as long as you keep it clean.

As for removal down the road, properly applied ppf should not be difficult to remove. Older films were more difficult because at the time installers were using a lot more alcohol applying the films, thus melting the adhesive.

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