Loose Gravel Destroyed my PPF….
#106
I have a 992 on order and have a gravel driveway. How can I minimize the paint or PPF getting scratched or dinged, or pitted? Can I avoid it by going slow? I will have my whole car wrapped, but should I get the mudguards for the front tires, that I have seen on different forums?
#107
I've had similar "loose gravel" experiences with my GT Silver 2017 C2S which came to me CPO from the same dealer who originally sold the car then received it as a trade-in, with unknown brand PPF full front coverage except A-pillars and roof front edge, headlights and mirror caps covered, full rocker panel coverage, replacement of the OEM hip shields with much larger panels of PPF that extend to the mid-point of the arc of the rear fender wells, and more PPF along the front [leading] edges of the back half of the rear fenders and under the rear quarter panels [adjacent the black plastic outlets of the intercoolers]. I've often had no other options but to drive on very recently applied "chip and seal" pavement on roads in SW Pennsylvania, and occasionally on totally unpaved roads there and in SE Ohio. Freshly applied and rolled Chip & Seal "pavement" with its hot asphalt glue and a layer of crushed limestone slag from the Ohio Valley steel mills has many sharp edged rocks of about 3/4" and somewhat smaller that are certain to be pulled and kicked up by sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires! I've also found that carbon fiber pieces from previous race cars on Mid-Ohio are very sharp, and so are the talons of various birds of prey that seem to collide with my car, even within city limits and when I am not exceeding the posted speed limits. I'm grateful for the protection that PPF has provided, but don't baby my car; it's a driver!
I also had XPEL PPF applied almost 10 years ago to my 2011 Brilliant Black Audi S4, and it's held up quite well. The biggest problem has been a slight amount of shrinkage of the film around the compound curved lower portions of the front bumper cover which includes a molded in splitter. I covered the compound contoured headlamps and fog lamps myself using a kit from Weather Tech which was made of significantly thicker film; that has also held up very well and zero damage to those lamps despite interstate driving and winter driving. Ohio uses rock salt on its highways, and some times that chunky salt literally includes small pebbles.
My biggest problem has been windshield damage. How effective is the protective film for windshields? Best brand opinions? Can windshield protective film be [easily] user installed. I've had to replace the Porsche windshield once due to rock damage and I've repaired the Audi windshield myself using one of the available kits from LocTite et al. I took my previous BMW with a rock damaged windshield to SafeLite for repair and their repair was no better than my DIY. Both stopped the isolated small bullseye shape crack from spreading but both were/are visible somewhat when the incident light is at the right angle.
I also had XPEL PPF applied almost 10 years ago to my 2011 Brilliant Black Audi S4, and it's held up quite well. The biggest problem has been a slight amount of shrinkage of the film around the compound curved lower portions of the front bumper cover which includes a molded in splitter. I covered the compound contoured headlamps and fog lamps myself using a kit from Weather Tech which was made of significantly thicker film; that has also held up very well and zero damage to those lamps despite interstate driving and winter driving. Ohio uses rock salt on its highways, and some times that chunky salt literally includes small pebbles.
My biggest problem has been windshield damage. How effective is the protective film for windshields? Best brand opinions? Can windshield protective film be [easily] user installed. I've had to replace the Porsche windshield once due to rock damage and I've repaired the Audi windshield myself using one of the available kits from LocTite et al. I took my previous BMW with a rock damaged windshield to SafeLite for repair and their repair was no better than my DIY. Both stopped the isolated small bullseye shape crack from spreading but both were/are visible somewhat when the incident light is at the right angle.
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Vernin (06-26-2023)
#108
thank you, I would like to do that, but where I live is a bit strange, we share an access way with 3 homes, and a few fields and all of our driveways are fine sand, gravel, and hard-packed dirt. even if we had our entire separate driveway paved we would still have a dirt, accessway to the main road. My family has asked if our neighbors would be willing to pave it, but they have declined pooling money to pave the access way
#109
I've had similar "loose gravel" experiences with my GT Silver 2017 C2S which came to me CPO from the same dealer who originally sold the car then received it as a trade-in, with unknown brand PPF full front coverage except A-pillars and roof front edge, headlights and mirror caps covered, full rocker panel coverage, replacement of the OEM hip shields with much larger panels of PPF that extend to the mid-point of the arc of the rear fender wells, and more PPF along the front [leading] edges of the back half of the rear fenders and under the rear quarter panels [adjacent the black plastic outlets of the intercoolers]. I've often had no other options but to drive on very recently applied "chip and seal" pavement on roads in SW Pennsylvania, and occasionally on totally unpaved roads there and in SE Ohio. Freshly applied and rolled Chip & Seal "pavement" with its hot asphalt glue and a layer of crushed limestone slag from the Ohio Valley steel mills has many sharp edged rocks of about 3/4" and somewhat smaller that are certain to be pulled and kicked up by sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires! I've also found that carbon fiber pieces from previous race cars on Mid-Ohio are very sharp, and so are the talons of various birds of prey that seem to collide with my car, even within city limits and when I am not exceeding the posted speed limits. I'm grateful for the protection that PPF has provided, but don't baby my car; it's a driver!
I also had XPEL PPF applied almost 10 years ago to my 2011 Brilliant Black Audi S4, and it's held up quite well. The biggest problem has been a slight amount of shrinkage of the film around the compound curved lower portions of the front bumper cover which includes a molded in splitter. I covered the compound contoured headlamps and fog lamps myself using a kit from Weather Tech which was made of significantly thicker film; that has also held up very well and zero damage to those lamps despite interstate driving and winter driving. Ohio uses rock salt on its highways, and some times that chunky salt literally includes small pebbles.
My biggest problem has been windshield damage. How effective is the protective film for windshields? Best brand opinions? Can windshield protective film be [easily] user installed. I've had to replace the Porsche windshield once due to rock damage and I've repaired the Audi windshield myself using one of the available kits from LocTite et al. I took my previous BMW with a rock damaged windshield to SafeLite for repair and their repair was no better than my DIY. Both stopped the isolated small bullseye shape crack from spreading but both were/are visible somewhat when the incident light is at the right angle.
I also had XPEL PPF applied almost 10 years ago to my 2011 Brilliant Black Audi S4, and it's held up quite well. The biggest problem has been a slight amount of shrinkage of the film around the compound curved lower portions of the front bumper cover which includes a molded in splitter. I covered the compound contoured headlamps and fog lamps myself using a kit from Weather Tech which was made of significantly thicker film; that has also held up very well and zero damage to those lamps despite interstate driving and winter driving. Ohio uses rock salt on its highways, and some times that chunky salt literally includes small pebbles.
My biggest problem has been windshield damage. How effective is the protective film for windshields? Best brand opinions? Can windshield protective film be [easily] user installed. I've had to replace the Porsche windshield once due to rock damage and I've repaired the Audi windshield myself using one of the available kits from LocTite et al. I took my previous BMW with a rock damaged windshield to SafeLite for repair and their repair was no better than my DIY. Both stopped the isolated small bullseye shape crack from spreading but both were/are visible somewhat when the incident light is at the right angle.
I am in a similar boat, I have been wondering what the best window protector is.
#110
I have a 992 on order and have a gravel driveway. How can I minimize the paint or PPF getting scratched or dinged, or pitted? Can I avoid it by going slow? I will have my whole car wrapped, but should I get the mudguards for the front tires, that I have seen on different forums?
You can definitely avoid pitting by going slow. The pitting is coming from the front tires throwing road debris to that area. At speed they are like little projectiles. At low speed the threat is minimal.
If you’re going to have the car wrapped anyway, do a 2nd layer on top of of the first layer just like the factory piece in shape but extending it all the way to the bottom for better coverage. It’s so easy to replace PPF when it’s on top of another layer. It’s a wear item. Get it replaced when it starts to look ****ty.
#111
Hi Vernin,
You can definitely avoid pitting by going slow. The pitting is coming from the front tires throwing road debris to that area. At speed they are like little projectiles. At low speed the threat is minimal.
If you’re going to have the car wrapped anyway, do a 2nd layer on top of of the first layer just like the factory piece in shape but extending it all the way to the bottom for better coverage. It’s so easy to replace PPF when it’s on top of another layer. It’s a wear item. Get it replaced when it starts to look ****ty.
You can definitely avoid pitting by going slow. The pitting is coming from the front tires throwing road debris to that area. At speed they are like little projectiles. At low speed the threat is minimal.
If you’re going to have the car wrapped anyway, do a 2nd layer on top of of the first layer just like the factory piece in shape but extending it all the way to the bottom for better coverage. It’s so easy to replace PPF when it’s on top of another layer. It’s a wear item. Get it replaced when it starts to look ****ty.
#112
My biggest problem has been windshield damage. How effective is the protective film for windshields? Best brand opinions? Can windshield protective film be [easily] user installed. I've had to replace the Porsche windshield once due to rock damage and I've repaired the Audi windshield myself using one of the available kits from LocTite et al. I took my previous BMW with a rock damaged windshield to SafeLite for repair and their repair was no better than my DIY. Both stopped the isolated small bullseye shape crack from spreading but both were/are visible somewhat when the incident light is at the right angle.
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Vernin (06-26-2023)
#113
#114
#116
#117
problem with black bras is they don’t allow UV through, consequently paint under will stay original as the rest of the car ages and slightly gets a lighter color
modern ppf, depending on manufacturer, allows UV to penetrate aging at same rate as panels without ppf
the black bra affect is minor if garaged and seldom driven, but for a daily driver, the process can happen more rapidly
The other issue is dirt gets trapped under the bra, and the wind while driving/buffeting creates micro-marring at contact points
The black bra however does provide superior impact resistance to modern clear bra/ppf, however, it leaves much to be desired when it comes to convenience and aesthetics
modern ppf, depending on manufacturer, allows UV to penetrate aging at same rate as panels without ppf
the black bra affect is minor if garaged and seldom driven, but for a daily driver, the process can happen more rapidly
The other issue is dirt gets trapped under the bra, and the wind while driving/buffeting creates micro-marring at contact points
The black bra however does provide superior impact resistance to modern clear bra/ppf, however, it leaves much to be desired when it comes to convenience and aesthetics
The following users liked this post:
Vernin (06-27-2023)
#119
#120