bigskyGT3

With the quality of paint these days and the amount of gravel on my roads after winter, PPF is a must. I cant tell its on the car and it is easier to maintain (paint swirls etc).

jackmac

robmypro

I don't like PPF either and my reasons include:

1. Every PPF job I have ever seen yellows. And every time I was told the new stuff doesn't yellow anymore. On a white car I was not going to chance it.
2. I am not a fan of guys with razor blades messing with my car, or taking it apart.
3. PPF is not cheap. I was quoted $7k to do the entire car.
4. PPF does not last forever. In 5-7 years I expect you would want to have it redone.
5. There are plenty of stories of guys with PPF getting a chip in the paint from a rock. It doesn't stop all damage.
6. I do not care for how the car looks with the film on. The way the light hits it is not nearly as good as naked paint. It also shows finger prints.
7. The risk of getting a poor job is not insignificant. Lots of horror stories out there.
8. I don't like seeing clear firm seams. That stuff would bother me.
9. Some guys were told that PPF does not de-laminate the headlights. Some of them were not happy to find out it had.

At some point I will just respray the front. The cost will probably be less than PPF and I get to enjoy the car in all its glory. Having said all that, I can also see why people do it. It just isn't for me.

jackmac

Thanks Rob for the explanation.
Jack

binky

A rock chip. Not a big deal. Drive the car and worry about it when you sell the car.

RDM2418

I wrap all my cars. The xpel folks that Porsche North Houston uses are good. But I do it before I pick up the car.

At this point, just wait, drive, enjoy, and if you want to paint it later, do it. Ferrari of Houston used to paint the front clip of any car they had traded in with stone chips (before everyone did the xpel).

I think 7k to do the car is high. I usually pay around 5k. They have a kit for most cars that come precut. If you have a good installer, I don't think it's an issue. That's why I use the Porsche North Houston guys, if there's an issue, they'll (PNH) will fix it.

robmypro

No problem Jack. One caveat. I do mostly (99%) street driving. If you are going to track your car a lot, or drive with buddies who are going to kick up rocks, PPF the front makes a ton of sense. But for what I do, I am fine without it.

qbix

What do I risk if decide to have it resprayed? It's plain white and new car so the colour should still match well or not?

0to60

The front end angle of any 911 mandates clear bra on entire front end at a minimum. On a normal car, the front bumper only takes the abuse. On a 911 the entire from end takes abuse. For what these cars cost, a 2K investment to wrap the front end is a no brainer. The PPF has come a long way these days, no yellowing and the ability to polish out scratches and swirl marks.

robmypro

qbix

I think that if I decide to respray then I would do PPF for the bumper and the hood.
I need to take some time and see if that little foker still bothers me.

CYKBC

I'm down with regular, 3m quality front end kits at $700 total installed. I'm not down with these $7K+ whole car jobs made of unobtanium plastic. it's just another attempt by businesses to add margin to a commodified item. the less a stranger messes with my ride, the better.

and just like life, sht happens. all the time. just gotta let it go as time heals.

8enny8lack

Sir, I disagree, and your metaphor is silly.

I can understand the list of reasons from the other guy above, but I think the PPF becomes more necessary depending on where you drive and what conditions you find yourself in. CA highways are pretty gritty, and the mountain roads often have a lot of stones and sediment, so for me PPF is almost required, or the front of my car will quickly go beyond a "nice patina" and go straight to "bro, your car looks fkt".

Also, I think that the matte finish xpel stuff gets around some of the stated issues w PPF, and if you ever get sick of it and take it off, you have your stock glossy paint back.

Lazyflatfoot

If it's just a chip, get Dr. Color Chip. With a little practice and patience you won't notice it.

Chris3963

If a buyer runs a paint meter over it, they will instantly be able to tell that it has been repaint...and, at that point, most savvy buyers will walk away. They will not walk away from a chip.