MoeMistry

Unfortunately, our industry isn’t standardized and in the past two years or so, has become completely saturated for many reasons

In the long-run, a craft that should be elevated and appreciated, from the installer and the consumer, is becoming a commodity and everyone wants a piece of that car

Installations pictured by OP is fine if your expectations are purely functional. If it’s a dedicated track car and film will be replaced often, this is good protection

However, if the goal is to have a product like ppf enhance AND protect, the process becomes much more involved and requires great skill/passion

Paint correction to one technician can take less than a day and be a few hundred…another may take days and charge thousands

Ceramic coating on wheels may be a “deal clincher” at one shop and done in an hour or two…another shop may spend a full day cleaning, prepping, and coating wheels/wheel wells/calipers

The key is education and understanding enough to make a decision that’s VALUE and finding the shop that aligns with that value

I often read threads about pricing and expectations, and unfortunately, you’re not buying the material or the service itself…you’re buying into the shop/ethos/relationship

To OP, $8k in mainstream market of installers is on the higher side for ppf/ceramic combo. I would want to see the edges of the film a little closer to the edge of the panel…if that was executed, you would have paid a fair price

MoeMistry

Front fender louver vents
How close to the edge can the film get? Is there anyway to tuck the ppf under the vent? The gas cap also isn't tucked, doesn't seem right.

That fender requires a bit of a pull to stretch the material AND sharply tuck into wheel well

With precut kits, it’s a little more challenging to maneuver all the landmarks with precision, unless you make extensions and increase film edge plotted

YES…that panel can be done seamlessly WITHOUT any relief cuts, but only by a skilled installer that understands the geometry of that fender and know how far to push/manipulate the film



Lower front fenders + Side skirts
Can the film be tucked, and potentially avoid the seam at the hard edge at the bottom of the fender? Worried in a year or so the exposed paint will be destroyed from rocks.

Yes…please see note above on fenders

On side skirts, that 90 degree angle is a little challenging on the top corner, but it can be done more seamlessly



A-pillars
Can these be tucked to avoid taking rocks head on? These are already starting to peel and collect dirt.

That’s going to be an area that will be harder to keep clean with exposed edges due to constant headwind

That can be extended and tucked into the gasket…takes lots of time and patience



Side mirrors
Hard to see, but only the top portion is covered with film. Can it be covered with a single sheet of film, or where should I expect a seam?

At minimum, that mirror should be one piece, with a relief cut toward the middle inner portion corner, and should cover to the bottom of the mirror

It’s also possible to do a seamless one-piece cover entire front and slightly going around toward the glass

Odin

The pics from the start in this post seems very wrong to me, leaving large areas of paint and CF unprotected by PPF. 100% of my car’s surface has been covered by PPF an all seams are hidden. No pre cutting of PPF