Joined
·
518 Posts
seems like it's better to just pay the markup and ignore all the dealer bs they try to justify it with. worse off otherwise
Anyone NOT PPFing??
21 - 40 of 64 Posts
Read my mind. They did a decent job with the window tint though.
Joined
·
518 Posts
i'll keep that in mind when i pick mine up this weekend (with the damn included markup of that type of shit)
I won’t be doing any PPF on mine. I try to keep my vehicles clean, and they get waxed once or twice a year, but that’s about it for the exterior. Too each their own, but i didn’t but mine to be a garage queen or an investment.
I typically spend my money on being fanatical about the mechanical or functional side of things. Good fluids, and changed on my own schedule (which is more proactive than the recommended intervals). New parts when i think the originals have served their time (plus gives an opportunity for upgrade without throwing away a “good” part). And then just desired stuff, sound deadening (maybe), wheels, whatever ya know.
I typically spend my money on being fanatical about the mechanical or functional side of things. Good fluids, and changed on my own schedule (which is more proactive than the recommended intervals). New parts when i think the originals have served their time (plus gives an opportunity for upgrade without throwing away a “good” part). And then just desired stuff, sound deadening (maybe), wheels, whatever ya know.
FWIW, I had PPF on my WRX and got into a small fender bender. Insurance covered the cost to reapply the PPF on top of the damage. Obviously YMMV.
I also waited to do ppf for about a month after i got the car and the installer had to fill and correct around 30 small chips before putting on the film. it was January in PA and I had a 20 min commute on the highway...
I am still on the fence though for the GRC. maintaining the ppf was kind of a pain and I rarely drive highway now. We have had a telluride for about 18 months now that i did a DIY spray ceramic and it still looks fantastic.
I also waited to do ppf for about a month after i got the car and the installer had to fill and correct around 30 small chips before putting on the film. it was January in PA and I had a 20 min commute on the highway...
I am still on the fence though for the GRC. maintaining the ppf was kind of a pain and I rarely drive highway now. We have had a telluride for about 18 months now that i did a DIY spray ceramic and it still looks fantastic.
Joined
·
29 Posts
Being very lucky financially but also much much older than most of you I’ve PPF most of my high end cars, mostly Porsche’s but not BMW’s or less costly cars.
Why? And this is the point that seems to elude many of the responses you have received. Buyers of used BMW, Chevy, Ford and certainly Toyota do not expect PPF and do expect rock chips. Buyers of Porsche, Ferrari etc will greatly downgrade a car without PPF and reduce resale value. There is no financial return in PPFing your GR. I didn’t mine but my Porsches have it.
I do however ceramic coat all my cars, not because it offers any physical protection but as I mentioned I’m older and don’t want to spend my days polishing and waxing the cars. I make sure to ceramic coat the wheels as brake dust adheres less and very easy to rinse off.
The GR is a great little car meant to provide pleasure when driving, have fun in it.
Coming from the Mazda Miata community the ND has been a horror story with rock chips on the hood. Yes it sits lower, but the GR as some say is just a corolla and not in need of protection. I agree, but i will be PPF my car asap after i close on it. I plan on keeping it for a bit ( as the warranty for Expel is 10 years) and being its black car i do not like seeing swirls in the paint, nor do i like chips. So for me its worth it. The last car i had Expel on was my 2008 black Mazda Speeds and it did great, no chips, but i did hate the line going down the middle of the hood, so this time doing the full hood on the GR. Folks mention the GR is not a expensive car......well to me it is even a old fart like me..and if its a nice car, does not matter if its GR or CTR or BMW i would put Expel on it going forward...This call will NOT be a garage queen and intend to use it a lot so the added protection makes sense to me...But i do respect the folks who will not do it...
Joined
·
29 Posts
There is nothing wrong with PPFing the GR if you can afford it. To many on this forum, younger buyers with young incomes paying $2 to $3 grand more is a major investment when they have already stretched to get into this car. My point was that PPFing was not necessary to protect the resale value of the car as in some other makes.
I've also had insurance cover PPF on an accident in the past. I bought the car with a shitty half-ppf job on the hood, but they didn't even question the cost when I had the full front clip quoted by a high end local shop.
I'm an old fart and for me it's less about what the absolute cost is and more about having a hard time seeing what the value of PPF is. PPF is a sacrificial piece of plastic that is going to alter the appearance of the paint, be less maintainable, need to be replaced in 5-10 years, and cost more or less the same as just repainting. Maybe if you're planning to sell the car within 5 years and the resale value will be $3k higher because the car has PPF it is worth it but I'm skeptical.
As an aside, I kind of feel the same way about wraps. Lot's of people seem to love them because they're the new tech, but unless you're racing the car and need to change livery every 3 weeks it seems like repainting instead would almost always be more sensible.
Joined
·
466 Posts
I honestly wondered if the PPF would start to literally fall apart after a few years of being on the car from either the sun, weather or rocks etc. It probably would look like shit if it started to detoriate. And also an added bonus of more micro plastic pieces falling into the environment is also fun too!
Joined
·
36 Posts
So I did full front Xpel and ceramic on the rest of my black 2017 FK8. DD, some track days, many autoXs. 5 winters.
Properly installed PPF is invisible and looks exactly like the ceramic coated paint. Dirt and debris mostly just rinses off. I hand cleaned my car and after 5.5 yrs there were no swirl marks and one small chip on the door. It makes the car really easy to wash and keep looking like new.
2 years ago someone asked me at a gas station if the car was brand new.
When I traded it in 3 weeks ago it was covered in grey winter road grime. Seemed to impress the tradein guy that it had PPF/ceramic. I got a bit more than I thought they would offer so maybe it helped.
GRC is also black. And black is bitch to maintain.
So YES, I will do PPF and ceramic. For the chip protection and for ease of maintenance.
Properly installed PPF is invisible and looks exactly like the ceramic coated paint. Dirt and debris mostly just rinses off. I hand cleaned my car and after 5.5 yrs there were no swirl marks and one small chip on the door. It makes the car really easy to wash and keep looking like new.
2 years ago someone asked me at a gas station if the car was brand new.
When I traded it in 3 weeks ago it was covered in grey winter road grime. Seemed to impress the tradein guy that it had PPF/ceramic. I got a bit more than I thought they would offer so maybe it helped.
GRC is also black. And black is bitch to maintain.
So YES, I will do PPF and ceramic. For the chip protection and for ease of maintenance.
Joined
·
87 Posts
I've done paint protection film on many of my cars and to me it's well worth it, if the price is right.
Owned my Porsche for 11 years and after 50,000 miles not a single mark.
I had ppf put on my Veloster N, full Hood, full fenders, bumper, mirror caps and full roof all for only $1,600 Canadian.
If I had to pay $3,000 then maybe not.
Best thing to do is call around, pricing can vary substantially.
PS if you're going to ppf the hood do the full hood, don't do half because you can see the line, looks horrible.
Also ask your installer to wrap all the edges.
Owned my Porsche for 11 years and after 50,000 miles not a single mark.
I had ppf put on my Veloster N, full Hood, full fenders, bumper, mirror caps and full roof all for only $1,600 Canadian.
If I had to pay $3,000 then maybe not.
Best thing to do is call around, pricing can vary substantially.
PS if you're going to ppf the hood do the full hood, don't do half because you can see the line, looks horrible.
Also ask your installer to wrap all the edges.
I'm in the ppf camp. If it's going on a track and it's not already a shit box, PPF for sure.
Though I do understand not doing it in areas where it's more pricey, it's a value based thing and for $3k I start to see the value of it diminish. But personally here in UT, $1500 got me full PPF on the hood, fenders, headlights, mirrors, bumper, and rear fender flares. That's worth it to me and I'm sure it will be valuable to whoever buys it from me in the future.
Though I do understand not doing it in areas where it's more pricey, it's a value based thing and for $3k I start to see the value of it diminish. But personally here in UT, $1500 got me full PPF on the hood, fenders, headlights, mirrors, bumper, and rear fender flares. That's worth it to me and I'm sure it will be valuable to whoever buys it from me in the future.
I barely even wash my cars, I definitely won't be doing full PPF but I might do the A pillars and roof if they're steel. Purely because they're the only bits that you can't unbolt from the car and if a chip there results in rust it's a pain. I'm pretty sure the roof is aluminum and I'm assuming the pillars are too though.
Joined
·
518 Posts
same. i wash my cars MAYBE once a year lmao. it drives people crazy. i just can't find myself to care
21 - 40 of 64 Posts
