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I had an issue with my hood - feeling like it was not quite symmetrical. So I took my car in to a body shop to get an opinion. First I want to say this: anytime so called techs or mechanics go near your car, there is the possibility that your car /paint /ppf could get screwed up. Most of these shops and techs just don't give a crap about these cars. If there is the possibility of avoiding them and living with whatever issue you are facing then avoid them. You could very well come out worse than when you started. If I could go back and never have gotten an opinion from this place I would.
Anyways one of the techs puts their hands all over my car. They were trying to feel the hood and how it sits on the car. But I guess they had rings on. I'm really not sure what happened. But I get home and there are about 5 new chips in my ppf film, exactly in the place where the car was being examined. I know for a fact the chips were not there the night before, nor just before they looked at the car , as on both occasions I spent a long time staring at the hood and this area. And they could not have all come off the road on my way home. Not that many chips on just one 30 minute drive, and certainly not in the exact place the car was being examined.
I can replace the film but its going to cost quite a bit. One chip is on the hood and the other 4 or 5 are on fender, so the hood piece and fender piece would have to be replaced. I tried heat - hot water and a hair dryer, and it will not self heal.
Is there no one we can trust to work on these cars, and care for them the way we would? I'm not sure I care what happens to this car anymore. I've tried to keep it looking good, and it seems hopeless.
I try to find a good Indy shop, unless it is warranty work, but no matter I always say that I used to go to XXX and they did not seem to care and caused XXX so I am trying to find a new place, with the hope that they treat the car better than they might normally do. But I agree that it is hard to find a place over the years that truly gives a crap.
OP, a lot of your threads here are pretty obsessive about your car's cosmetic condition. Those nicks look like the kind of thing that you'll get more of as you drive your car. Same with seat wear (although I couldn't even see the scuff that was bothering you in the pic). I would try to just drive and enjoy your car. It's going to wear as you rack up the miles. The seat will start to show wear, the front will get nicks and stone chips, etc. Don't let it get you down. The only alternative is to not drive it, and that would be sad.
What the OP is experiencing many of us have gone through it at some point with our cars. We can be OCD about these things (GUILTY!).
But sh#t happens no matter what we do to avoid it.
One moron mechanic used the fender on my nearly new Mercury Capri (first new car, a first gen, that should date me) as the fulcrum for his wrench, a nice dent, a repainted fender that never matched. And other incidents in all the cars I've owned. You can't avoid normal wear and tear and certainly can't avoid stupidity. That Capri was cursed, it rusted badly on the inside of the trunk lid (garaged and washed/waxed regularly) and it had crankshaft bearing failures that Ford admitted to after I dumped the car for internal engine noise, would have required an engine teardown.
I would wait, drive the car for a while, accumulate some more nicks and scratches and in a year or so, then treat yourself with some new film.
The film is doing what it was paid to do - protect the paint. Lucky you had it. As far as your comment about it being "hopeless", you will enjoy the car a whole lot more if you don't fret about every little thing. And that's why you bought the car to begin with right - to enjoy? I was like you in the beginning and could point out every little imperfection, but now when I see something it bothers me for about 10 minutes and then just move on. Just remember, nobody is going to care about your car more than you, so unless you plan to do all the car maintenance yourself, things like this are going to happen - unfortunately.
So how is the hood/ frunk liner issue now? Looks better in the pictures.
I learned a long time ago that no one will treat your car like you would. Once my cars are out of warranty, I do all of my maintenance, and most of my repairs. When I had track cars, I knew I could count on my suspension and brakes to work as they should (I once had a dealer install a brake pad flipped around). I document everything with pictures, and have never had an issue when I go to sell my cars. I think most buyers realize that my cars are better maintained than any dealer could.
All that said, nicks and chips happen, and after many years of suffering through them, eventually they don't hurt as bad. Enjoy your car and realize that it still looks perfect to most people.
Oh, BTW, I don't think I would use bug and tar remover on PPF.
Unfortunately the outer self-healing layer is only about half a mil thick and is good mostly for surface scratches. If damage penetrates down to the base polyurethane, as it appears to have here, then self-healing won't work.
While you are probably the only person that will ever notice these, it might be worth checking with your installer and see if they'll make you a deal on a repair. My installer repaired damaged PPF on my mirror for free after somebody gouged it with the butt of their car door... but I understand that was a much smaller job.
10-25-2018, 09:41 PM
Body shop puts several chips in my ppf
