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I hear the argument made that oh it's a daily driver so I got PPF. To me the opposite is true. It's track cars that really need PPF. A track day will produce exponentially more road rash per mile than a daily driven mile. There's a reason many PPF installers offer a "track pack" PPF, and not a "commute to work pack" PPF.
A daily driver to me is a car you can drive without worrying too much about a door ding or a chip or getting rained on or hitting a pothole. My C2 is spec'ed as a daily, I'm not getting PPF. My current daily, an Audi S6, has no PPF and still has no road rash that I have ever noticed after 2 years, but then again I don't get down on my hands and knees and look for it. When I hand wash my car I like to feel the paint with my hands, not a plastic sheet, and I'm not saving it for the next guy. I had a M2 Comp that I bought (barely) used and drove for a year and had been wrapped by the previous owner, the only flaw when I sold it was a tear in the PPF from a rock, can't imagine it looked any better than a chip in the same spot, and about as expensive (if not more) to fix the PPF than fix a chip.
PPF for a shop is like unnecessary C-section for hospitals in third world countries. It’s been a golden ticket. The clear bra of the 2000s is now marketed as a must have for your precious ride. So silly.
No PPF for me. Don't want an expensive wearable that I will need to replace in 5 or so years. A paint chip here or there will not affect my experience with the car as it is not a concourse car-just a fun car driven in good weather.
No PPF for me. Don't want an expensive wearable that I will need to replace in 5 or so years. A paint chip here or there will not affect my experience with the car as it is not a concourse car-just a fun car driven in good weather.
An expensive wearable - never heard of PPF described that way before....
I first considered PPF 20 or so years ago when I got my second MINI. Lots of folks in the community were getting PPF on the front of their MINIs, and I had managed to accumulate a small collection of rock chips on the bonnet of the MINI I had at the time. What stopped me back then was the realization that the ONLY person who noticed those rock chips was me, and only when I was examining the car up close. The vast majority of the folks who saw my car went "Oh look, a MINI!" and not "Look at all those rock chips."
As I've been waiting for my T I've been hearing the Siren Song of PPF again...
Come join us!!!!!
Your car will never age!!!!
It'll look beautiful forever!!!
Shiny and pretty for life!!!!
Never worry about scratches again!!!!
You'll love it!!!!
And I almost decided to do it. This is far and away the most expensive car I have ever owned and likely will ever own. I do want it to look amazing. Every time I look at it, I just want to stand there and go DAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN!!!!! as I marvel at how incredible it looks.
Which is why I'm going to get it ceramic coated after I get it home. But I'm not going to do PPF, because I know just like 20 years ago even without PPF, folks are going to look at my car and go "Hey look, a Porsche!" and not "Look at all those rock chips!" I know that unless I'm up close and personal with my car that likely won't ever be driven on a track in anger that I likely won't even notice the collection of rock chips that I manage to acquire.
I'm not criticizing anybody who puts PPF on their car. Or anybody who sings the PPF Siren Song, but for me on my car - I'm not bothering with PPF.
My 2017 Targa 4S has full body PPF and it defended not only against chips but also and unknown chemical. See the photos. In retrospect I think the source was a trash truck with an open rear section that I was trapped behind on a 2 lane road for about 8 miles. Nothing was on the windshield so I did not suspect there was an issue. Went home and back to the garage did not discover the problem until the next day. Took to a shop to get it cleaned and they reported the PPF was etched and the only option was to replace. Although the worst is on the frunk lid all parts of the car was involved. Without the PPF they estimated the damage to the paint would require a respray. Yes a freak occurrence but my incoming 23 Targa 4S will get the same full body PPF.
Or it is possible the plastic was more vulnerable to the chemical than your paint would have been, in which case your PPF cost you x 2. Not a criticism, just saying a thin sheet of plastic may not have a lot of chemical robustness compared to painted metal and your experience may actually point out another reason for not getting PPF. Either way that's a beautiful car, glad you're enjoying it.
Last edited by remington; Mar 19, 2023 at 02:27 PM.
I PPF sports cars. Not daily drivers. Sports cars I hand wash. Daily drivers I run through the auto car wash. With a sports car I'm constantly going to be looking at the chips and imperfections. With a daily driver, I let go of that stuff and don't worry about where I'm parking (to a certain extent). Also, for those of you like me that live in the salt belt (mid-west, north-east), I've found having one car that you care less about is very good for your mental health. Many of my friends have found this too.
Why do I PPF? I really don't like rock chips. Do I like seams getting dirty? No, but when I see a seam that is dirty, mentally I think to myself "I could remove this at any point and have rock chip free paint". With a rock chip I think "best case I need to order Dr Colorchip and see, if I'm lucky, a 90% improvement or worst case, I need to get it repainted". The repaint negativity is mostly because finding really good quality paintwork is challenging. Having rock chip free paint and also original paint is a benefit when it comes to resale but these are further back in my mind. The depreciation hit is probably going to be what two PPF jobs will cost, $5k. But I do like that PPF absorbs rock chips better, whereas paint simply chips.
Let me say the negatives of PPF. It does require replacement after 5 years (+/- a couple years). It's expensive. It can pull paint, specifically on a repaint, on factory paint, pretty much no chance of it happening. On a white car, even with modern films, you're going to notice a slight color difference over time as it absorbs contaminants. Like anything, it isn't maintenance free.
I have PPF'd my last 3 cars and I will do so on the GTS...
I hate rock chips and they 100% happen over time. Touch up paint is noticeable.
Knowing I have PPF means I don't worry about driving the car ever. I don't worry about a road with gravel, I don't worry about following a truck.
Good PPF is very hard to see on the car and seams, if properly done, are not an issue. And the car does not need to be taken apart.
Good PPF will self heal... swirls, scratches and dings disappear with sun/heat.
You can put a ceramic coating on the PPF and it gives you the best of both worlds.
I don't PPF for the next owner, I PPF because I like knowing that I won't have to worry about chips, swirls, marring, bird droppings, etc. And I don't worry about the PPF either... if it's a good one, it will self heal and be as or more resistant to any sort of staining/damage than the paint itself. Especially if you ceramic coat it.
I also like PPF on the doors... it has saved me several times in parking lots when some dummy next to me opens their door too far. Unless it's hard enough to dent the door, the PPF will ensure small door dings are a non-issue.
I arrived five minutes ago. Ten minutes ago a motorcycle cut me off in the Macan and despite slamming on the brakes and horn, he managed to graze my car with his pedal. Luckily, he scratched over PPF and the paint didn't damage. Last year I had an employee drop me off at the airport in my car. Pulling into my garage to return the car, he scratched the fender against the garage door (vertical). About a 2" scrape on the PPF that didn't damage the paint. Lastly, I bought a 2010 GT3 with 11k miles a few months ago. The car is near concourse condition except for the fact that it's littered with rock chips all the way to the wing. Obviously the owner didn't get the price that he could've had the car's paint condition matched the mileage and the rest of the car. I saw it as an opportunity to get a good deal and do a color change with a wrap but... bonehead move on the part of the previous owner for not getting PPF.
All it takes is a semi ahead of you on the highway dropping gravel and there goes your paint. I'd rather have PPF insurance. Mine has paid off thrice.
I arrived five minutes ago. Ten minutes ago a motorcycle cut me off in the Macan and despite slamming on the brakes and horn, he managed to graze my car with his pedal. Luckily, he scratched over PPF and the paint didn't damage. Last year I had an employee drop me off at the airport in my car. Pulling into my garage to return the car, he scratched the fender against the garage door (vertical). About a 2" scrape on the PPF that didn't damage the paint. Lastly, I bought a 2010 GT3 with 11k miles a few months ago. The car is near concourse condition except for the fact that it's littered with rock chips all the way to the wing. Obviously the owner didn't get the price that he could've had the car's paint condition matched the mileage and the rest of the car. I saw it as an opportunity to get a good deal and do a color change with a wrap but... bonehead move on the part of the previous owner for not getting PPF.
All it takes is a semi ahead of you on the highway dropping gravel and there goes your paint. I'd rather have PPF insurance. Mine has paid off thrice.
PPF is a must if you lead a James Bond lifestyle! 😀
All it takes is a semi ahead of you on the highway dropping gravel and there goes your paint. I'd rather have PPF insurance. Mine has paid off thrice.
Happens all the time on the freeways here in California at all hours.
In fact, when I drove my GT3 down I-680 for 50 miles to my PPF appointment at 5:00 AM, I got hit with some pebble "spray" and received two rock chips on my new windshield.
I couldnt imagine driving around without my Clear Guard Alpha PPF.
All it takes is a semi ahead of you on the highway dropping gravel and there goes your paint. I'd rather have PPF insurance. Mine has paid off thrice.
My car got smacked right in the nose by an entire airborne sheet of particle board on the highway in Texas. Had it not been for the PPF, I would have been a majorly scratched front bumper. But instead, it just scuffed the PPF. A little heat and polish took care of all but a little rough patch that I'm leaving alone until the film actually gets torn.
Happens all the time on the freeways here in Californiaeverywhere and at all hours.
Fixed that for you.
Originally Posted by Diablo Dude
In fact, when I drove my GT3 down I-680 for 50 miles to my PPF appointment at 5:00 AM, I got hit with some pebble "spray" and received two rock chips on my new windshield.
I couldnt imagine driving around without my Clear Guard Alpha PPF.
Utterly frustrating, I'm sure. I now PPF my windshields too. Last time I visited my folks in Tucson, on the drive from PHX, my rental got completely sprayed with gravel. Perhaps it got dropped hours before I drove by because you couldn't tell who was dropping it but it was all over the road and every car was kicking up for 2-3 miles. Glad it wasn't my car. What do you do? You can't just pull over and wait it out. When products like PPF exist, I think it's crazy not to put it on anything but an econo box.
No PPF for me. Don't want an expensive wearable that I will need to replace in 5 or so years. A paint chip here or there will not affect my experience with the car as it is not a concourse car-just a fun car driven in good weather.
Depending on where you drive you'll end up with sandblasted bumper, mirrors and hood. ........ask me how I know. I fought PPF for ever but after the first couple of chips on my first 911 I'm a convert. Lots of guys love that "lived in & driven hard look" look. I get it. To each his own.
