Radmd74

Wondering if OP made a final decision on PPF versus ride with patina? I am sure any of us are in the same boat.

crw

The key to a good PPF is correct prep, quality material, and a good installer.

I have PPF on my hood, headlights, and bumper.

They used 3M - still looks new going on 12 years.

needmoregarage

We did not do PPF and likely will not. When I posted we had just bought the car. It has about 3000 more miles now. With driving only local roads (very little on highways), we find our particular usage results in very little patina. It does not go on long trips as we both prefer the comfort and safety of modern cars under those circumstances. We did update the suspension last year which made a huge difference in ride and handling. But we still prefer to use it for local day trips.

Thanks for the info

Radmd74

[QUOTE=needmoregarage;18070512]We did not do PPF and likely will not. When I posted we had just bought the car. It has about 3000 more miles now. With driving only local roads (very little on highways), we find our particular usage results in very little patina. It does not go on long trips as we both prefer the comfort and safety of modern cars under those circumstances. We did update the suspension last year which made a huge difference in ride and handling. But we still prefer to use it for local day trips.

Thanks for the info[/QUOTE


*** appreciate this update. Always nice to get followup. Did the fact that PPF and possible paint issues in the future if it needed to be peeled off deter you from getting the PPF or just decided to go and live with the patina as it comes? Just thinking through a similar thought process.

Radmd74

** glad to hear. Being that my hood and driver front fender had a respray and has the tiniest chips on the hood. Most of the chipping is on the front bumper which I am planning to respray and PPF the front end (hood, bumper mirrors, both front fenders). Did you end up getting the hood and bumper resprayed then added the PPF or just PPF those areas with the patina?

crw

The car was about 12 years old when I bought it.

At 20,000 miles or so, it had only 1 tiny chip that the previous owner had touched up. There was no need for a respray.

Unless your paint shop used a heated cure, I would wait a minimum of 30 days to put PPF on a respray. I leanred that the hard way.

needmoregarage

It was mostly that we determined with minimal highway driving the risk for “rash” is quite low. We are also not sure how long we’ll keep it so wrapping it doesn’t make sense, It’ll likely only gain a couple thousand miles each season - again, keeping risk very low.

boomboomthump

Not that I foresee much rain driving but just curious, any feedback on wipers being used on windshield film? Does it create any visible marks in the film?

Hadn't really given this consideration but since my glass is brand new, I'm thinking about this now.

needmoregarage

we’ve had clearplex windshield film on several cars. It’s currently on my 718 GT4. The wipers work normally and don’t mark the film unless they have grit. I use washer fluid if the windshield isn’t wet enough. The biggest issue is cleaning the film. We use a product made for aviation windshields and it works great. If your squeegee or cloth has dirt, it will likely scratch the film. But with a bit of care, it’s easy to keep it clear and clean. I don’t think regular glass cleaner is recommended due to ammonia, but I’m sure you can get that info from clearplex or your local installer.

I keep a dedicated kit in the car in a small plastic zip bag with a can of the cleaner, a clean microfiber, and special reusable cloths we buy also recommended for aviation windscreens.

On my last GT4 I made the mistake of using a squeegee that wasn’t clean, and put minor scratches in the film. It didn’t bother me at all but my husband gets annoyed with stuff like that. He hardly ever drove it so it wasn’t a big deal.

MoeMistry

You’re good to go installing ppf on most vehicles IMHO, and your 993 would benefit greatly from it

just find an installer who’s very skilled in that generation…the fenders are tricky, but a great installer should be able to do a very clean installation in one piece

also, consider Exoshield instead of clearplex…clearer and more durable from our experience of installing both

goos luck and let us know how it turns out

needmoregarage

Thanks for weighing in Moe^

I do plan on trying Exoshield for the next windshield. I’ve heard good things. Clearplex is okay but has imperfections.

boomboomthump

Thanks. Will do a bit more research on it.

INTMD8

I know my opinion is not a popular one but I do not like the look of PPF. (you can't tell!) Well, maybe you can't.

Do not like the (minute as it is) distortion of vision with film on the windshield.

Would rather fill chips occasionally and polish the paint/eventually respray and even replace the windshield than have the car covered in film.

needmoregarage

^I understand your perspective. I had a very unpopular opinion about the suspension. I didn’t want to lower the car. I liked the factory, original “rally” stance. And I like the natural, original look of the paint. For me there is a lot of charm and value in a highly original car of this age.

It’s a case of personal preference. And all these changes can be reversed (suspension, PPF, wheels…).

Our friend spent easily $12k on his complete paint correction, full PPF, ceramic coating on everything including wheels. Its almost too glossy.

We have put a LOT of money into our 993 since buying it. Much was maintenance (like suspension). Im not ready to sink another $10k into PPF when we drive it so little and aren’t certain how long we’ll keep it. I also think it looks great exactly as is. They are truly beautiful cars that are lovely to behold whether in motion, or in the garage.

mike cap

Boom,
Installed Clearplex on my new front ws about ten years ago. Actually had my PPF guy come to my house garage and do it. Came out great and you can barely see it’s there.

Easy to clean with warm soapy water to flush the dirt and bugs away then I’ll use a quality cleaner like Sprayaway for a final cleaning. Small scratches can be polished out by hand with the Clearplex polish or a good quality plastic polish used on instrument faces. I use both when needed.

Highly recommend the Clearplex - mine has taken some stone hits that would have chipped the ws but just left little divots in the coating. Plus no more of the famous 993 ws sandblasting effect.

No issues with wipers in the rain at all. Water sheets off normally.

On sunny days if you wear polarized sunglasses in the cabin you may get some halo effect viewing through the ws. Not a big deal at all.

So overall I’d do the Clearplex on any 993 ws. It will extend the ws life and we all know what a PITA they are to replace.