3M clear plastic to protect from stone chips
02-13-2019, 07:22 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
3M clear plastic to protect from stone chips
Is anyone applying clear plastic stone guard material to side panels of your 718? I had a corvette that came with factory plastic in front of the rear wheel wells. It worked well. I'm not sure what areas are in harm's way on the cayman and it would be better to know now not later. Looking for advice, please.
02-13-2019, 11:54 PM
#2
My dealer offered the clear plastic layer, for a price of course. I took it and am happy with it. It covers all the forward facing exterior, including the front of the mirrors. No side panels though.
02-14-2019, 09:59 AM
#3
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Thread Starter
02-14-2019, 12:25 PM
#4
Most folks here who have PPF installed, cover the rocker panels, the entire front of the car, and the side view mirrors. That's typically going to run you about $3K - $4K for professional installation, regardless if you use 3M or XPEL, or some other high quality brand.
02-15-2019, 01:22 AM
#5
Correct, I had Xpel included at the Porsche Experience Center and the cost was $2,500 for the full coverage. I drive on the road a lot and am very happy with my choice, but it is expensive. Nose bras don't seem to be available these days.
02-24-2019, 07:40 AM
#6
02-24-2019, 10:29 AM
#7
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Thread Starter
Seriously, I was curious on the corvette how successful the factory patches worked. I started feeling roughness [not paint loss] after about 8k miles. By 60k, there was some primer peeking thru the paint below the plastic area at rocker panel height. Too low to repaint, but if I could go back I would extend the factory protection. BTW, the windshield at 60k looked like it had been sandblasted with ex fine grit if the lighting and dirty were reflecting just right.
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02-24-2019, 05:23 PM
#8
Instructor
The question is what environment you drive in. Some areas are likely pretty easy on cars. In AZ where I live if you don't put PPF on every surface that is exposed to air/debris as your driving you are going to end up with a pitted surface quickly. Here most of us just factor PPF as a part of the acquisition cost. Personally I think the 3M product is far behind Xpel in terms of transparency.
02-24-2019, 11:08 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
I had Suntek installed on both our Cayman and Boxster that covers the entire front clip and exterior mirrors. They also have the strip under the doors and around the side intakes covered. I originally had only half the front covered on the Boxster with Xpel and after a year it was very noticeable turning slightly yellow on the white paint. If you decide to PPF your car find the best installer you can find and wrap the entire front end. Don’t just wrap half the front clip. I found the Suntek to be clearer and sleeker than the XPEL. Both are self healing.
02-24-2019, 11:25 PM
#10
Instructor
I had Suntek installed on both our Cayman and Boxster that covers the entire front clip and exterior mirrors. They also have the strip under the doors and around the side intakes covered. I originally had only half the front covered on the Boxster with Xpel and after a year it was very noticeable turning slightly yellow on the white paint. If you decide to PPF your car find the best installer you can find and wrap the entire front end. Don’t just wrap half the front clip. I found the Suntek to be clearer and sleeker than the XPEL. Both are self healing.
Totally agree, never cover just the front part of the hood, fenders etc. To save a few hundred bucks but end up with that terrible seam is silly.