Did you decide no on paint protection film?
 

I am having a hard time deciding to spend on PPF.

My 911 on order will be garaged and used mostly on the weekends.
I do not plan on taking it to the track.

Did you decide no on paint protection film?
If so could you share your reasoning?

any insight appreciated.

thanks

I am not in the paint protection camp. I actually do not like the stuff and took it off the Aston Martin the prior owner had put on. I enjoy a deep, rich paint finish and use Swissvax on my car - you can't get that sheen over film. A few paint nicks here and there don't bother me - shows the car is driven as intended.

Speaking from someone who never has had cars with PPF prior to picking up my 911, it always seemed a bit nonsensical to me. Essentially you are wrapping your car in zip-lock bag with some self healing properties. Not to mention you will eventually have to remove it... and then likely wrap it again.

However, after viewing some examples locally that were slightly used to see if it actually makes a difference, it most certainly does. I literally viewed two 2017 non-metallic 911s side by side and it was noticeable to say the least. The one with PPF looked brand new - and yet had nearly double the mileage. I think I’m fairly certain I made an audible groan after the viewing as I couldn’t (or just didn’t want to) stomach the additional cost.

Look into it. It’s definitely not for everyone. If I were leasing, I wouldn’t bother.

I got PPF for the first time.

Irrational reason(s): This is my first new Porsche, and I felt motivated to keep it pristine as long as possible. And even for the drive home from PEC Atlanta I wanted to mitigate rock chips (or at least fear of rock chips).

Rational reason(s): This is not my first Porsche, and I like to both drive as much as possible and keep cars as long as possible. My Boxster accumulated many miles, and quite a bit of road rash. I tried different methods for spot painting, and resisting having the front re-sprayed, but still lived with a car that bothered me every time I got close. And I looked at lots of cars with PPF, and while the film itself can look "experienced", in general, the cars with PPF looked better to me, compared to unprotected paint with the same miles.

It has to be related to the conditions you drive in. Gritted roads in cold areas etc. Where I live there is no point in spoiling a deep rich carnuba shine with a plastic film, but if I lived in e.g. Colorado I would for sure cover it.

I got a big rock chip on my hood the first day I had my car, just driving it home from the dealer. Same thing happened to a friend of mine driving his home from the dealer. I'm not sure if the paint is just a lot worse these days, but PPF seems to be necessary.

I feel like it's too expensive for what it is (let alone the challenge of finding a top notch installer), but it really depends on how anal you are about paint and maybe how concerned you are about resale.

My sense is the minimum recommended PPF to not look ghetto (due to partial coverage or difference in finish) is full front and mirrors. The car is low so that it tends to be a rock magnet. The last car I had with a low front lip spoiler and steep hood (not a 911) looked like garbage after 8k miles.
Another area I absolutely know will get hammered is the outer rim of paint located inside the rear sections of the wheel wells. I think I will add strips of ppf there as well. I don't think I can stomach spending more that $1500-1800 on top of the initial cost of the vehicle, but its possible to get this done by a good shop if you do some research.

As others have mentioned, the challenge is to find a good installer. Or, have the car painted in an easy to maintain color, like white.

In the long run its worth it to me for the lack of rock chips etc... If I was switching cars every couple of years, I probably wouldn't care. With PFF, despite having to replace it every 5 or so years, the paint will stay relatively perfect.

My opinion has changed recently. I have the full front wrap on mine and about a year ago, I took a rock to the hood, went right through my Xpel wrap and through the paint to the aluminum. I had the wrap removed (yes, this costs money), the nick sanded smooth, some black paint and clear coat dabbed in the hole, and re-wrapped with 3M Ultimate (yes, more money). This past fall (yes, only about 6 or 7 months later), I took a few more rock hits, one that went through the 3M ppf, again to the aluminum (this one actually put a small visible dent in the hood) and two more smaller rock hits severely scratching the ppf beyond its healing abilities.

So, this time, because of the dent and the to-the-metal gouge combination, I will need to once again remove the ppf, have the hood repaired and painted and this time, I will not bother to ppf it again. If I will have to periodically get the hood repaired and painted, why go to the extra cost to add ppf, and again pay to have it removed each time. The benefit that I once believed in has now failed me twice. I realize ppf will not stop every rock hit, but with the luck I have had, I no longer see the benefit of the ppf.

I've had Xpel on my last three cars - two BMWs and now a 911. It kept the first BMW's front end pristine for 13 years, so I continued using it.

Extra bonus - I cleverly scraped the first BMW's front bumper cover against a yellow-painted curb in an airport parking garage. A few years later, when it was time to sell the car, I took the PPF off the bumper cover, and the remaining yellow paint went with the film, leaving the bumper cover clean and clear.