detansinn

This guy speaks the truth. PPF isn’t a slam dunk for everyone. For me, I am totally okay with a few rock chips — it gives the car character and shows that its enjoyed. I did not want the complexity of the Aventurine Green paint diminished through the application of PPF, but I did go full ceramic to make it easier to clean and reduce the possibility of bugs and bird droppings eating into the finish before I get them cleaned off.

My PPF/ceramic person did try to persuade me to do film until they saw the Aventurine Green in person. They totally understood why I wanted to show off the depth of that paint. After their paint correction and ceramic work, the car looks amazeballs.

It comes down to what you value and what you prioritize. I would say that if you want PPF done right, don’t go with the factory option. Find yourself an excellent local installer. They’re going to do a better job, install a better product, and when the PPF gets damaged or otherwise requires repair, you’ve got someone that can support you.

vman4639

Picked up the car this morning - REALLY like the color, and if I didn't know there was PPF I'd never guess. From every angle it looked great - super glad I went with full PPF - thanks for all the advice.

tgcrun

Stunning color!

Carrera3:16

Not everyone is a good candidate for ppf. My easiest qualifier question to a client, “if you come out and notice a chip, door ding AND chip, etc., will YOU be having a bad day? If the answer is YES, then you’re a great candidate for ppf. This technology, is currently the only defense against impact.

This was definitely me when I bought by first brand New BMW 3-Series back in 2014. I decided to spend about $2,000 to get the full front of the car covered in PPF by one of the best installers in the DC area. But what I noticed is that PPF cannot protect against all Chips/Dents/Dings, etc. especially if you drive on the highway on a daily basis. And with all the other issues (minor of course) mentioned above I decided to have the PPF removed after 1 year. Since then I have done weekly brushless car washes at about $12.00 a wash and I have the car detailed twice a year (so about $1,000 a year total). All chips/dents/dings are covered/filled in every time I have it detailed (I pay extra for this) and the car basically looks as brand new today as it did back in 2014. When I eventually purchase my 992 I am already mentally prepared to not have PPF installed...and to just keep following my current routine.

AKSteve

Does the color of this stuff change as it ages? Like if I get my GT silver 911 wrapped now will it look like metallic urine in 5 years?

sechsgang

Ive fully wrapped my cars for years and no...nothing near yellowing I've ever seen other than from a car that got new bra back in like 2007...yes those yellowed a bit...after 2010-11 ish they had already redeveloped what they needed to, and post that they've only gotten that much better. btw, a car with full PPF on front at MINIMUM is a major value add to most private sales of 997 and up cars.

Aventurine 992

I am waiting for a 911S Aventurine green just for Christmas and I plan a daily use here in Quebec 🇨🇦. I supposed it’s a “no brainer” to use PFF. What do you think?

I have a partial wrap on my black ski boat and the finish is not really nice after 5 summers on water.

carson2

Decided against front PPF on this car, going with ceramic pro on full car/wheels/calipers. Only PPF will be on interior center console black shiney bits... those are Yikes.

jkautz

x2

Aventurine 992

I’m wait my C2S in Aventurine green for Christmas and I planned to use it during the winter season here in Quebec 🇨🇦 except for the snowy and slushy days. We used a lot of sand and small crushed stone on our roads. I’m supposed PPF it’s a “no brainer”?

what do you think?

992Sam

thinking I want to just do the high-risk rock chip spots... i.e. front.. was gonna wrap the whole car but see no reason to since there is no UV protection... I also very much enjoy waxing my car... will I be able to wax a car with PPF?

MoeMistry

most waxes and sealants contain petroleum distillates. It’s recommended to avoid using them on ppf.

most quality nano products, even nano spray sealants, will be a good choice for ppf

Jeff2007911C4S

Used Xpel in 2007 and has not changed color whereas the Porsche film on the rear quarter has yellowed

Detailed Designs

In my experience, any PPF can be removed after any amount of time. The biggest question is will is shred into a bazillion little pieces resulting in a nightmare of a removal? I've recall removing a no-name garbage PPF that a dealer had a vendor install 8 months prior and it did exactly that. The film looked awful after only a few months and the owner ate it and had us replace it with a name-brand film which has held up over the last 4 years very well.

There was a paradigm shift in the quality of the films being produced starting back around 2012. The quality in the film from even 2010 to 2012 was night/day. 3M still has an aggressive adhesive which may require more effort (in general) than other name brands but it will not shred. The other name-brand films perform very well with removal.

The measure of exposure your film has will affect its effective lifespan. A few years ago I created the following article to address the question of how long paint protection film lasts. It's worth a look for anyone that has that question as it's written in a way that even a lay person can grasp the answer.
How long does paint protection film last?

There is no single answer for that but I can offer some things worth considering.

A really good installer may be very fast and efficient (compared to another shop). A really bad installer may be fast as well. Both can also be very slow (for a good installer, I will call this being meticulous and precise).

I know of installers who do solid basic-style installations and can do a full front in a day. For me, I can not do our advanced-style full front in a day without having to cut corners which would take away from the fit/finish that I expect. I'm pretty competent with PPF installation and have been personally installing since 2010. If someone ask me for a super basic installation, I can do a full front in a day and it will be solid....but basic.

I've known of less experienced PPF installers keeping a clients car for an greatly extended period of time purely because they got in over their head. The amount of time that they spent on the installation did not result in a higher caliber job but rather a job that I would consider a 2/10.

Factors that may influence the speed at which a shop can complete an installation could be:
· How basic or complex your coverage and aesthetic needs are. Some requirements private owners may have can require extended stays purely because edges need babysitting before an installer can feel confident that it's at a final resting spot. The further you push film, the harder it can push back and the longer it can take. But really, is it that big of a deal if you have to wait days longer for something that covers/protects better and looks better for the next 2-10 years (from a lease to a longer-term ownership)?
· Are you wanting paint correction prior to PPF being installed? Paint correction greatly complicates any measure of PPF installation because it's a super dusty process which an installer must then decontaminate thoroughly to ensure no debris under the PPF when that step comes.
· Coatings can also complicate a timeline for a PPF installation.
· What standard does your installer have? I'll die on this hill: a higher standard will take an installer longer. You know how your (whoever you are reading this) own standard being lower or higher can drive how long it takes for you to accomplish a task? This is a universal truth regardless of if you write code, cut on human hearts, advise clients in regards to tax/IRS subjects, build homes....or if you install paint protection film. For example, our first 992 we worked on a few weeks ago presented a few challenges to me which extended the cars stay with me. The modified pre-cut we installed looked pretty nice when we finished installing it but lacked the ideal coverage that I wanted. I was torn on if I felt the difference was worth removing the newly installed bumper film for. But my gut told me that it was worth it and so we removed the fully-completed front bumper film and I made more modifications to the pattern which gave my the coverage and looks I would be happy with. It took me longer to do this but the juice is worth the squeeze and my client didn't complain about my approach so it made him happy too. I could have saved a day if I did not remove the film.
· How many experienced installers a professional shop has. For me, there's myself, my lead tech and then 2 other full-timers. With all of that, a relatively basic full-wrap on a 992 would take us 3 or 4 days if left totally uninterrupted. An advanced full-wrap will take 8-10 business days.

When one's spending $2,000 or more on a service for a PPF, detailing or coating service on a car, I believe it's worth contacting a few different facilities and speaking with the person whose standard is the baseline for the shop. They should be able to answer the question of how long it takes based upon the expectations you/they have.

This is a healthy way to view it.

I have had a few PEC delivery projects where they wanted something basic and to be ready the following day. It's not easy on my staff and I as we have to work late to make those projects happen to my standard. If I pick up the car from the PEC in Atlanta at 2 PM (PEC deliveries are ready to leave at 2 PM for a morning session and about 5:30-6 PM for an afternoon session), we can have a basic full-front PPF wrap completed and ready to go around 1 PM the following day. But that consists of a long evening and all hands on deck for that one project until it is gone. But this is very rare and not advised. The reason those that have done this did, is because staying longer than 1 PM the following day was not an option and they refused to drive back out of state without protection. So I made exceptions for them after asking staff if they were okay with a long night before approving the appointment with the owner.

IMHO, a good general rule is a full-front PPF wrap may be ready at mid-day the following day as long as it was delivered to us at 8 AM on the first day. That provides us with a full day and a half. But I typically request to keep a full-front 2 nights as due diligence. A full wrap is not promised by a week as just a few pieces of film being less than acceptable and requiring replacing pushes us beyond a week.

It's a wear and tear layer. And much like every other layer on a car, reactive chemicals can etch into the material. An owner will get out of it what they put in in terms of aesthetics. Leave bug guts on it and they'll etch. Clean them off reasonably quick and they won't. In either case, the paint is protected though.

You can but you should ensure the waxes do not have dyes. And as Moe mentioned, be wary of petroleum-rich products over film. Some "coating sprays" are also rich in silicone's and can cause more headaches than protection so beware of what's going on the film and paint regardless of claims.

Jeff2007911C4S

Film by Xpel has been on my C4S for 11 years with no discoloration. Wax it with painted surfaces - no problems.