Originally Posted by ronbauer

Well, to each their own. I plan to keep my car forever, which is why I got a full ppf wrap. Will it save me from everything that could happen? Of course not. However, it will stay much better looking long term because of the wrap. I also paid a lot for a high quality shop to do the work. Wrapped edges on every panel that allows it. You have to really look at the car close to even see the wrap.

This was a dream car for me, so I want to protect it as well as I can.

This stuff has come a long way. One of my uncles bought a new car back in the 70s and had plastic put over all the seats to protect them. It was ugly, and no doubt uncomfortable in cold and hot temps. I swore to never do that kind of thing. IMO, a full ppf wrap is not the same. The beauty of the car and color is still there, and I can be much more confident in driving the car regularly because of the extra protection.

Ron

Originally Posted by Archimedes

Love it or not is personal preference, but you it does look different and you can tell a wrapped car. I’m sure over time you get used to it and don’t notice, but put it next to an unwrapped car and you can see the difference.

Originally Posted by Archimedes

Love it or not is personal preference, but it does look different and you can tell a wrapped car. I’m sure over time you get used to it and don’t notice, but put it next to an unwrapped car and you can see the difference.

Originally Posted by Foggy916

I suggest doing nothing and leaving the paint as is. If you have the $ and it makes you happy, then PPF away. However, here is my experience over the years with owning dozens of sports cars. I have never once installed PPF on any of them and never regretted it. Don't like the look of it either. Yes, I had a couple cars pick up a few small rock chips (primarily front lip area) but nothing too bad. This includes a few of the cars that I tracked a handful of times. I sold most all of my cars private party and a few as trade ins.....never once did a tiny rock chip on the front spoiler impact the resale value or was a concern during the sale. Doing the math, I estimate I saved myself at least $30K over the years. Guess I've just been lucky for the past 30 years of driving. Again, just my experience.

Originally Posted by Jeff Jones

I'm always torn on this topic so it is fun to see others debate this as well. I've owned many different cars over my life and I've never considered ppf on any non-Porsche for some reason, even the really nice ones. That alone tells me something. Regarding the Porsches:

• White 78 SC Targa - I actually had one of those black leather bras at one point but that didn't stay on the car for long...I thought it looked cool (I was young) but it trapped moisture and dirt. Rock chips were considered patina.
• White 87 M491 (Turbo Look) Cab - Never considered ppf although the car was collector quality. Again...driving patina expected on these older cars and original paint is cherished.
• Carmine Red 2016 GTS Targa - At this stage I was very anti-ppf so I skipped it and went ceramic to get a deep glossy look. Car held up great, a few rock chips in expected places never really bothered me. I traded this car into a dealership where any investment in ppf would have been wasted and the rock chips didn't matter at all. Hell, they priced the trade over the phone without seeing the car
• Black 2011 Turbo S - The car came with older ppf which was showing age. Both in discoloration and wear and tear. I paid a **** load of money at the best shop in town to remove it, full paint correction and new ppf plus ceramic coating. Porsche black is a pain in the butt to keep clean and the constant cleaning leads to very visible swirl marks. For my enjoyment of the car and to bring value to me, ppf was worth it here. I'm trading this car into a dealer and the overall condition of the car did have an impact on the trade in value but only because the dealer wants to list the car and isn't just wholesaling it out. I'm still not recovering anywhere near what I put into the detail/ppf.
• White 718 Spyder - The jury is still out. I find white cars much easier to maintain in general and therefore will not get as much value from the ppf. White cars are also most susceptible to the downsides of ppf when it comes to discoloring or dirty edges. If you think a rock chip on the bumper will bother you, wait until your white car looks like it has outlines in black all over it! I will either skip it entirely or do a few high impact areas where I want to be able to be lazy about cleaning up and where they can be totally seamless (yes, that means removing many parts from the car in the process). If done, it will be done at the best shop in town and I will pay accordingly but it will be perfect, anything isn't worth doing.

The forums would have you believe that you won't ever be able to sell your car if it wasn't covered in ppf or if you touched up the paint or had a respray. That might be true if you are trying to maximize every penny of private party resale or with a zero mile collector car. Many of us just trade them in to the dealer for the convenience and tax credit and it really doesn't matter there. Sorry for the long post. My only advice is to make any car related decision entirely about your enjoyment while you own the car and don't waste money worried about the next owner.

Originally Posted by sprocket3

I'll take panty-lines over acne!

Besides the line edges I don't think you can see the quality film on the panels.

Originally Posted by sprocket3

I'll take panty-lines over acne!

Besides the line edges I don't think you can see the quality film on the panels.

Originally Posted by Archimedes

I'm not talking about edges. You can tuck the edges all you like. A PPF panel has additional depth/reflectivity to it that's noticeable, like you added extra layers of clear.

Originally Posted by c1pher

I really think most of the pro-PPF people have never removed PPF. Pulling paint just causes you to repaint anyway. Doesn't happen every time or pulls a large amount of paint, but when it does, you have to re-paint at least a panel and blend it in.