MoeMistry

There are many factors at play when considering ppf

1. Are you a good candidate for film? If you were to notice a chip, dent, scrape in the paint, would you have a bad day? If answer is yes, you’re a good candidate. Truth is, many of the wear/tear circumstances can be prevented if ppf is applied. For those wanting peace of mind, think of ppf as a bulletproof vest

2. seeing edges is simply an installation style that can be remedied by asking your installer to wrap the edges. Have your installer walk you through what is being installed, where, and what’s the finished look.

Many don’t know, but wrapped edges can add 2-3x to the time of an installation; so expect to pay for that the more you want wrapped around

3. film discoloring or losing gloss and brilliance depends on the film, the care, and the elements. FYI, Suntek, XPEL, STEK, etc., all have many different films. You won’t believe how many times I ask a potential client what film they were quoted, or if a few years have passed and they redo their ppf with us, they don’t know what previous installer has installed

Ask specifically what film you’re getting. NOT all films will have self-healing and long-term performance as the priority. So just asking which film, being told Suntek, ask WHICH Suntek.

as for discoloration, ALL films will slightly discolor over time and there is no film out there that isn’t slightly off-white out of the box

however, the technology is getting better, and better. To our knowledge, Suntek Reaction is by far the smoothest film we’ve seen and it just arrived a few weeks ago in marketplace. As the bar is raised with each new generation of film, so are the real-life experiences

take great care of film by applying a ceramic coating, washing often based on your driving, and garage as much as possible

the steps above will prolong the lifespan of the film

and remember, no film and no installation will ever take the place of the beauty/brilliance of paint. However, with the right film, right installation, the delta becomes smaller

hope this helps

c1pher

I agree with all this.

Go Bruins

On my Targa 4 build, with expected early September delivery to PEC-LA, I've ordered the factory PPF. I know it's more expensive, but getting it at the factory is appealing, and I only want to do the parts done on that factory job. My detailer will be doing a ceramic coating on the Targa shortly after delivery. Questions:

1. Am I stupid for doing this? A couple of local dealers are in the same price range.
2. Will my brand new Targa 4 need paint correction right away? If so, how can that be? It's brand new with a Porsche paint job!
3. Has anyone here ordered the factory PPF? If so, what's the verdict? Do you see the edges and how is it holding up?
4. I'm concerned about a PPF dealer taking the car apart (removing the lights and other items on and around the front, to install the PPF). That's another reason I want to go the factory route. Is this a legitimate concern?

Dr. G

This is something I would consider. The paint on most modern Porsches is relatively soft. If you're an enthusiast and take great care of your car it can look great for a long time. Next time you're on the road, check out Cayennes, Macans, and some other Porsches' finishes that may not be cared for the way we might. A well maintained Porsche finish looks great, but I find that the paint will dull faster than some other marques if it's not being cared for properly. Even clean modern Porsches can look dull if the car isn't looked after during washing.

If you're going to have the paint corrected on a metallic color (makes a tremendous difference on the depth of the metallic in Porsche colors) and then covered in PPF, the color will most likely have more depth to it with the film on over time if, again, you're not staying on top of the finish without the film. Yes, the PPF has it's own set of quirks when it comes to care, but I think the tradeoffs are worth it.

FWIW, my friend has a Singer that he actually drives and it has had film on it since it was new. The shine looks amazing in person.

Go Bruins

Dr. G:

Thanks, and good advice. As for your black 911, was it the jet metallic or the base black? I only ask because I've heard (Nick Murray) that the base black does not hold up well and is of poor quality.

On your factory PPF, was it of good quality, and has it held up?

Daft Chief

This is a great analysis. Though, let's assume the film will discolor; that's fine, the film can be replaced. However, if you PPF the front only and then ceramic coat the whole vehicle, is it possible that the paint will age at different rates?
Said another way: When you remove the film after 10 years, are you left with a slightly faded car with a less faded front end (because it was PPFd?)

That's my main concern in forgoing full PPF in favor of partial PPF.

c1pher

Thoughts on this?

Maverick787

6 years just PPF a few abrasions, but nothing you will freak out over.

Hormazd Dalal

Maybe for a light color and PPF. But for a dark color and ceramic coat, he is wrong! My GT silver is partially Ceramic coated and partially Stek PPF. Why on earth would one not correct the paint the entire car? OK. Maybe for an Escalade but not my 992.

AlterZgo

In the video, he did use a dark color car (black) for the demo. The reason he explains for not PPFing first is because it takes a layer of clear coat off the car and if you are going to PPF the whole car, and the PPF'd parts won't show any swirls, there's no point in removing a thin layer of clear coat. I suppose if you're going to PPF just part of the car it may make sense to paint correct the whole car so that the PPFd and non-PPF'd parts will look swirl free. However, after a few months or a year or more, the non PPFd parts of the car will start to get swirls and you're back to square one.

This is not the only video I've seen where the PPF installer shows how well PPF hides those microscratches and swirls. The dude was basically doing it as a PSA to tell people don't get ripped off by PPF installers and detailers who insist paint correcting is a must before installing PPF.

ipse dixit

In red.

Daft Chief

Watch this, start at 21:21:

1. Factory is more expensive than most high-quality PPF installers. I would ONLY select this option if I were doing a PEC or European delivery and didn't want to drive "unprotected." I'd still rip it off when home and have my shop redo it.
2. Factory likely contracts the work out anyway and it isn't consistent.
3. It's absolutely worth it to have front facia PPF because these cars are practically pebble scoops they are so low and angled.

Also realize that many many people know how to read shop manuals and take the car apart. If you need body work, the car doesn't go back to the factory... you would find the highest rated local shop who will do a great job taking the car apart with care and putting it back together with great attention to detail.

My PPF shop actually has a professional from a local body shop do all their panel removal. I trust them more than any dealer or factory.

And another vote for the body shop experts: when my Tesla had panel gaps that were "within spec" the local body shop was able to shimmy everything around to a Porsche-level of precision.

c1pher

He explained why in the video. He actually demonstrated on a black vehicle. Why remove layers of clear coat when you’re going to cover up the scratches with PPF and hide the paint defects?

MoeMistry

after watching that video, as informative as it was, there are some points that need further clarification

true paint correction uses a paint meter to measure the paint prior to correction AND after correction to understand what the technician is doing to the paint

a typical Porsche has paint thickness around 100-130 microns…and that varies up and down based on the generation.

even the heaviest handed paint correction which would be compounding AND polishing to remove deep defects would remove around 2-5 microns

applying a ceramic coating would sometimes put back most, if not all, of that material removed

if applying film, the gentleman in the video is correct…you won’t SEE the defects if you put ppf over it, but it’s personal choice…to me, and it may be a poor analogy, but I wouldn’t put on a proper suit for an evening event without a proper shower after a day at the office

is paint correction a necessity that would reduce the performance of the film, not likely.

is the end result of performing a paint correction generally the same as forgoing that option, yes assuming there aren’t deep scratches which CAN be seen under the film

is it personal taste to have a near perfect finish to protect, and the paint is frozen in time and will most likely not need paint correction ever again, absolutely!

I hope this helps and it comes down to the personal choice of the owner.

Those that opt for paint correction get a pleasure and satisfaction from the efforts taken to achieve the results that many will never see or appreciate

westcoastj

Sounds like my dad. His dream car was a Porsche and he saved his whole life for one. He was finally able to buy a new 2002 Carrera 4S in manual for his 50th birthday. I know for some people Porsches are garage queens, but this became my dad's daily driver. Drove it all year round in the rain and snow and would take it for road trips. He also never let me drive it even once, lol. Now I'm on the waitlist for a 992 C2S, my first Porsche, which should hopefully arrive in time for my 40th birthday!