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My 991.2 is 11 months old with about 6500 miles and I wrapped the entire front clip when I bought it. The car has spent the last eight months in Colorado and the front wrap shows several divots where it fended off flying stones. My windshield also has a number of small chips and there's even a small chip at the leading edge of the roof.
Based on this, I think I'd be very unhappy if I hadn't wrapped the car. But Colorado is a tough environment and I'd recommend talking to other people where you live.
Yeah. Around here the "sand" the highway departments lay down in the winter ranges up to 1/4 inch. I appreciate not sliding off the road, but the piles of gravel that line the roads in spring (and summer) are deadly to paint and glass.
After having my last 2 cars partially filmed, I've decided that I'm not going to do it this time with my TTS. At least not for now. Even though they work great, there are some little things that still bug me about them and imo, the whole thing is getting out of control. So far now, I'm just going with a paint correction and nano coat.
If anything the prices have certainly gotten out of control. Quotes are rolling in and its ~$4000.00-$5000.00 to wrap the whole car then ceramic coat it.
^ True, that and the level of OCD that is rising around these. I mean, step back as an outsider looking in and watch the conversations around this! At what point will full underbody and interior wraps be offered and have us completely convinced that they're must haves?
I'm in favor of the benefits of films. But the cost of doing this every 3-4 years in my case is getting old. That and getting the work done can be a 2+ week process around here. One local member here had his 911 at the shop for a month. Then having to address wear and tear on the film, or fixing a bubble or blemish, is another days long process. Just tired of dealing with the cost and hassle.
If you don't wrap you will need to be ok with paint chips. On the bumper, hood, lights and top. They won't be noticeable from afar but you will certainly notice them washing the car and up close. For me I decided not to wrap then, once I knew I would hold onto it for several years, I wrapped. That and I couldn't stand the paint chips
If I were to do it all over again, with a car I knew I would keep for several years, I would do a full wrap and ceramic coating right off the bat.
^ True, that and the level of OCD that is rising around these. I mean, step back as an outsider looking in and watch the conversations around this! At what point will full underbody and interior wraps be offered and have us completely convinced that they're must haves?
I'm in favor of the benefits of films. But the cost of doing this every 3-4 years in my case is getting old. That and getting the work done can be a 2+ week process around here. One local member here had his 911 at the shop for a month. Then having to address wear and tear on the film, or fixing a bubble or blemish, is another days long process. Just tired of dealing with the cost and hassle.
Quit changing cars so frequently and the cost/benefits will be more than worth the hassle !
In the meantime, when we go for drives you'll lead the pack so that I'm not blasting rocks at you.
I did my entire car and I am very happy with it. It is not perfect(what is) but I like not having to worry about chips. I hate chips. As an added bonus You can do fast washes and don't have to be **** about introducing swirls, which also I hate.
991.1 C4S (black), 2013 and 34k miles, going strong:
Had my full hood and front fenders and doors wrapped with Suntek and they remain flawless.
The rear "hips" do get chipped up no matter what (they had been ceramic coated with Kamikaze). I had yearly details and coatings done.
Because the car is black and I am super OCD about my paint, I decided to get the few paint chips touched up and the entire car wrapped, done few weeks ago (photos below). Looking back, I would have saved money simply doing full body PPF from the get go. and I wouldn't have touched up areas. Esoteric in Columbus Ohio did all my work (and did a really great job, as always).
So PPF in general, especially full body:
Value for money: terrible -- you will never get your money back in resale or residual value. Unless you are talking about a collector car.
So where's the value? It's what others have echoed here -- peace of mind, no stone chips, easy stress-free car washing without creating swirls, etc. I found that water spots would form and etch on the engine cover slats and ducktail almost immediately after getting wet because of the heat from the engine.
That being said, PPF film is not permanent -- a big stone could punch a hole in the film (which has happened to my hood), but the paint remained perfect underneath it. Replacement of even one piece is not cheap. I actually had someone back into my car in a giant parallel parking spot (the gap between my vehicle and the SUV in front of me was large enough to park a mini cooper, no exaggeration), and while it left a 1 foot long elliptical "scuff" in the PPF film at first, it amazingly healed itself after being washed with warm water and has literally 100% resolved. Not even one visible scratch or imperfection, even in bright sunlight. I am shocked - iit's like it never happened.
Repainting your car is very expensive, difficult, often resulting in color mismatches, holograms etc. I would avoid repainting if at all possible. And a respray could actually significantly drop the resale on your car if the buyer takes a paint-meter and finds each body panel is a different depth.
Recent photos after completion of wrapping the rear half of my car, even decklid and ducktail, rebadged with meteor-grey metallic finished emblems! Car definitely feels refreshed:
Had my full hood and front fenders and doors wrapped with Suntek and they remain flawless.
The rear "hips" do get chipped up no matter what (they had been ceramic coated with Kamikaze). I had yearly details and coatings done.
Because the car is black and I am super OCD about my paint, I decided to get the few paint chips touched up and the entire car wrapped, done few weeks ago (photos below). Looking back, I would have saved money simply doing full body PPF from the get go. and I wouldn't have touched up areas. Esoteric in Columbus Ohio did all my work (and did a really great job, as always).
So PPF in general, especially full body:
Value for money: terrible -- you will never get your money back in resale or residual value. Unless you are talking about a collector car.
So where's the value? It's what others have echoed here -- peace of mind, no stone chips, easy stress-free car washing without creating swirls, etc. I found that water spots would form and etch on the engine cover slats and ducktail almost immediately after getting wet because of the heat from the engine.
That being said, PPF film is not permanent -- a big stone could punch a hole in the film (which has happened to my hood), but the paint remained perfect underneath it. Replacement of even one piece is not cheap. I actually had someone back into my car in a giant parallel parking spot (the gap between my vehicle and the SUV in front of me was large enough to park a mini cooper, no exaggeration), and while it left a 1 foot long elliptical "scuff" in the PPF film at first, it amazingly healed itself after being washed with warm water and has literally 100% resolved. Not even one visible scratch or imperfection, even in bright sunlight. I am shocked - iit's like it never happened.
Repainting your car is very expensive, difficult, often resulting in color mismatches, holograms etc. I would avoid repainting if at all possible. And a respray could actually significantly drop the resale on your car if the buyer takes a paint-meter and finds each body panel is a different depth.
Recent photos after completion of wrapping the rear half of my car, even decklid and ducktail, rebadged with meteor-grey metallic finished emblems! Car definitely feels refreshed
Thats what I was really wondering about. The "hips". If they are getting chipped up then I have no choice but to wrap the whole car. Which is curious, my narrow body car doesnt get chips on the hips.
Chips. On. The. Hips.
Originally Posted by dhirm5
Commando here on my .2 GTS. Considered it, but it would be too much of a shame to obscure the remarkable depth of Porsche paint - esp in Agate gray.
I stopped putting cases on my iPhones a couple years ago as well.
It is indeed liberating - to echo @Rambler_13's thought.
I've seen non-widebody cars with rash on the hips too. It's just how it goes. The front tires sling. Stock wheels, no spacers. It's the only downside of having such a great wide shape.
Did the whole car when I had my RS, was pretty expensive. All of the stone chip film damage was front bumper and bonnet, a couple on the front wings so my new GTS just has the front done inc mirrors.. hopefully will be ok.
I see stuff like this all the time. Full front install on a 991 shouldn't take one guy more than two hours. My targa took less than four hours to wrap the whole thing and obscure the remarkable depth of graphite blue
I had mine done with what they called a “track pack” which included the hips. Porsche put a small bit of PPF there but although it’s a nice gesture, it too small to be of much use.
If you go to a established PPF installer, they will have seen how well various set ups do with particular use cases and be able to advise.
07-06-2017 | 07:56 PM
