Scorponok

Dennis C

I don't have PPF on my 991 TTS. Do I have some chips? Yup. I've decided that I can live with it. If you drive your 911, you'll get stone chips. I've got a few of them on my front bumper cover and in front of my rear wheels. I had one on the hood that was professionally repaired.

I had PPF on the entire front end of my 997 TT. Like others mentioned, I had a few instances where a stone went through the PPF and chipped the paint as well as the PPF. Additionally, the PPF began to look bad after a few years. I ended up selling the car before I replaced the PPF, but it wasn't looking too good.

The PPF on my Audi is "etched" from insects. My wife was on a road trip and drove through huge numbers of bugs, and then didn't have a chance to clean the car for a few days. The bugs permanently etched the PPF and now it looks bad. I've also got PPF on my GMC truck. I've had to have it repaired several times due to bubbles and lifting at the edges.

I'm leaning towards not installing PPF on any cars going forward.

There's no doubt that it's something that car dealerships push now. Many dealers install PPF as soon as cars are on their lot, and they pass that through to the customers. This is hardly a new game though.

Hurricane

I didn't have it on my first 991.1S, had front PPF (mirrors forward, done by previous owner) on my second 991.1S.

I am considering a full PPF on my incoming GTS to protect it from rock chips and scratches.

koala

If I didn't have PPF, I'd only want to drive my car after they've fully cleaned the streets in the spring/early summer and then put it away again the moment new gravel goes down in the late summer/early fall. This means here in Calgary that I might only get 3 months to drive it. With the film, I can live with driving when there is gravel on the roads, so this stretches my driving season out to as long as March - December, depending on how lucky we are with Chinook's.

Scorponok

Hilarious clip but it brings up a valid point ... what are you really protecting? It's pure aesthetics, not prevention against rusting, etc.You're dropping $100k+ for a car and you're spending $2k-$5k every 4 years or so to protect the paint of your "investment"? The car is depreciating (heavily) whether you have PPF or not.

I don't think most people realize it's a hell of a lot cheaper to fix rock chips or even repaint the hood or a panel every few years than to pay to apply, remove and re-apply PPF every 4 or 5 years. If you're documenting why you're fixing the paint here and there ... not a big deal IMO.

The more I think about it, I feel like the only time it makes sense is a PTS car or if you track the car heavily. Otherwise, it's throwing good money after bad. Fix a scratch/ding/chip here and there every few years and be done with it.

Just my thoughts.

chuck911

Park Place Motors in Bellevue used to have this huge annual Porsche event, really just a big party, that attracts well over a hundred Porsches. They move all their other cars off the lot so its full of nothing but Porsches. A friend and I are strolling along just checking out all the different cars. Drivers. Track cars. Rare highly collectible 356. Lotta cars. He says something about how much you can tell about a car, its owner, how its driven, whole bunch of things, just by looking at the car. Well, and knowing what to look for. This ones lowered, which means lowered not set up for handling that results in the car sitting lower, but just lowered. Almost like that game, what is that couple's story? We're doing this on a Garage Queen, really making a game of it, right down to imagining what the owner is like, when someone walks up and says, oh that is so-and-so's car. We both look at each other and all we can do is laugh. Because we nailed it. Absolutely nailed it.

That is all.

BradB

Exactly.

911boy

For me its more about "sandblasting" which makes car look worse and worse each year. My black SQ5 has 40,000 kms on it and hood, bumper and rockers are brutal already. No PPF as its leased.

Daekwan

The most attractive thing to me about paint protection film is that when I buy somebody's used queen, the paint is still in pretty much new condition when I pull the film off

I think its wonderful for what it does but would never pay for it. The pricing just seems outrageous for a vehicle I have no intention of keeping more than five or so years.

Mumbles

Personally I think its worth it. Also by adjusting your driving habits by staying back a bit further from vehicles on the highway helps.

K-A

RONGLOS

So what's your point?

dkmesa

I purchased my car with a subpar wrap job - only half hood, seems in the middle of the bumper, poor coverage on mirror caps, very faded on the headlights. I removed the headlights and have been contemplating getting the rest of it removed and redone. Problem is, the best installer near me will not assume any risk when it comes to removing the old stuff, so he said if paint gets damaged in the process I'm on my own.

Rocket_boy

I have never PPF'd a car and will not do so in the future,....nor would I buy one that has it, period. I've seen first hand too many horror stories regarding it, even more so than horror stores without it. It can still get dinged, torn, scratched,.....it can also peel, yellow, get grit under it, have lines, peel off clear coat when removed, on and on.....

I just take some time and effort to touch up any rock chips along the way (I've gotten a few). My '15 GTS still looks like it rolled off the showroom floor, no film and that's the way I like it. Looks better then most of my friends cars that chose PPF.

For those who don't want to take the time or drive in a sand storm, rock infested landscape it may be a good option.

wareaglescott

I have my front end wrapped and the entire car ceramic coated.
A couple thoughts:
My car has a beautiful shine to it. Visually there is no difference from the wrapped to unwrapped parts. The comments from guys saying they cant get a shine from the part that is wrapped....they must not be using the correct products.
I feel the nose area being so low and sloping is more vulnerable to rock chips that a typical front engine car.