Hey all

As our cars all reach the 10 year point, I am curious if anyone here has recently replaced PPF that was installed early in the car’s life.

I believe the PO of my car had this done early, but no receipt to verify exact date. It is a half-coverage film that only goes part way up the hood and front fenders. It is in good shape (no tears) but the line halfway up the hood bothers me as it is visible.

For the 5 years I have owned the car it has been fully garage kept so excessive heat / solar exposure is not a major concern, as I am confident the PO was keeping it in similar storage.

Any issues with removal that I should be aware of or consider before having it done? My hope is that with factory paint, there should be no issue of paint lifting with the wrap… I would have a professional shop do this as well as install fresh, full front coverage PPF.

 

Please keep us up-to-date, I am in the same boat.

 

Yes, I have had my PPF replaced, in some places twice now. Not sure of the question but the installer and preference / experience is most important.

Longer story:
I began with the front clip + rockers and then later long after had a different installer replace the film due to it thr first job being so poor.. Happy second installer's work I had him also complete the rest of the car to help protect from time on track.

First was Expel, second was Suntec that then covered the entire car. For whatever reason, the Suntec film yellowed across the back 2/3rds of the car so it was replaced within their warranty process. Since my car is white, the discoloration overtime was easily noticeable between different panels. The installer worked with Suntec where the warranty covered replacement. The most recent work was completed late last year. Thr installer used a steamer during removal if I recall correctly. With patience and being careful all came off without any damage to the paint. Then he prepared the surface to ensure all adhesive was gone before reapplying.

Since you said it is only half the hood, I would expect some "paint correcting" or polishing would be required to even out the paint from what was protected vs what was not. Since my care included whole panels, I don't have experience in this aspect except the basic concept. 911s normally have this done on their rear arches before the wheels so should be straight forward My prior 911 for example did have it replaced as well.

If you are asking about ability to remove and replace, this can be done but choose your installer carefully. My first person was not a good choice but the second person who has done my whole car came highly recommended and I saw his work before using him.

 

Somewhat click-bait-ish but interesting nevertheless.

 

TL;DR: It almost always comes down to the professional you choose.

I agree it's all about carefully selecting an experienced professional. You want someone who removes and installs PPF every day. The adhesives on films installed over the past 10 years aren’t as difficult to remove as those from the decade before, but things can still go wrong (see Matt's OG videos).

I had a Suntek track PPF package on my GT4 removed and replaced after 8.5 years. Most films are warranted for 10 years, but I didn’t want to push it and my installer recommended around 8 years to be safe. I’d rather increase the odds of a smooth removal and reinstallation. Everything went fine.

 

Any shops recommended in so cal (LA, OC, IE) area for PPF removal?
I am looking to get it done soon.
Thank you

 

Envious Detailing in Orange, CA. Have been a customer with multiple vehicles for almost 15 years. Here's a reel of when they redid the PPF last year.

Instagram

View this post on Instagram

 

I haven’t watched the whole video yet (saw a clip on social media last week) but this partially inspired this post. Not sure if video addresses, but some people were saying PTS paint jobs tend to be more delicate and caused these issues. Seems like an odd excuse and not sure it’s one I believe, but that’s the internet for ya.

 

I had mine replaced in 2024. Applied Xpel when new in 2015, so it was about 9 years.

Conceptually it’s no problem for a good shop, but it takes time to clean up the car after removal and to not rush.

 

I believe the area on Matt's GT3 where the paint pulled off with the PPF was on the plastic rocker panel in front of the passenger side rear wheel opening. And think he said he suspected the problem rocker had been repainted prior to him owning the car or knew for sure it had been repainted.

 

I replaced the PPF on my car a couple months ago and had some clear coat come off the front bumper which then had to get resprayed. No other issues and actually some spots that looked like were deep enough to penetrate the PPF and nick the paint came out. Replaced with Expel, don't know the previous PPF but it was pre-cut vs. wrapped around the edges.

 

I suspect when I pull my PPF off of the front bumper and rocker panels I will experience some similar pull-off of clear coat. That's OK though, I plan to do a re-spray of those plastic parts if needed to restore the finish after anything that went clear through the PPF (track days at COTA in the rain are the worst). Even with PPF, for track days I would apply Xpel Track Wrap over the PPF on any high-impact areas. But still, a few things (small stones I suspect) made their way through on the front bumper cover and edges of side intakes behind the doors. And of course, a Porsche dealer damaged one of my rocker panels putting it on a lift (awesome, right?). They replaced it and did an excellent job of matching the paint at their certified Porsche body shop. But I'll be surprised if that rocker gives up its PPF with zero evidence of removal.

 

Ironic because the guy super tortures himself. He wouldn’t put PPF on his first GT3 because he doesn’t like how it looks/feels but then wanted to sell the car because it got a paint chip. Now he succumbs to PPF but it pulled the paint on the repainted part (super common ).

ppf is sort of a necessary evil. My dailies don’t have it though.

 

If original paint, there should be no issues if removed correctly. Porsche does a great and consistent quality paint job

Just make sure installer is familiar with your Porsche and experienced in removal. Ask if something does happen, perhaps to headlight or paint, how will it be addressed

working with a quality paint shop in case paint does lift, is just as important as the ppf installer 👌

 

Just had the PPF reinstalled on my 2016 last summer. It was original PPF, so 10 years old.

The installer warned me in advance, depending on how hard it was, he may have to charge additional labor for the removal. Ended up being standard, to the degree he didn’t even charge me for the removal.

Could not be happier with the job that they did for the new application. They removed the old, applied any paint chip/correction necessary, installed the new PPF, polished and then wheels-off ceramic coated everything inside and out. Anybody looking for that service in the northeast Florida area, I’m happy to recommend who did mine.

my 10 year old car looks brand new fresh out of the factory