Need Advice on PPF and Car Washing for the Unwashed

[annieland]

So, I'm going to be real honest here. And I've read every relevant thread multiple times over. So I thought I'd consolidate my concerns into one post..

This is my first car over $50k MSRP. Waited my whole life for a luxury vehicle, and pulled the trigger on a very equipped 4S due to arrive somewhere between next week and October. I always start out all careful with my cars, buying nice cleaning products, and then let it all go to pot. Raised 3 kids (plus carpools) in an Odyssey and then a Pilot and... yeah, I gave up. But, I don't want to F up this car!! Only detailing I ever got was the Odyssey like 10 years ago and I was underwhelmed and never bothered again, even though I meant to.

Our Tesla X and jet owning/piloting friends own the local popular car wash chain so we have a membership there. It's good, but swirls abound. So far I've scheduled XPel PPF for the front, doors and headlights ($4k or something, I didn't even write it down). They say an auto car wash is fine. But now I'm thinking, what about what isn't covered? Maybe I should see what a full custom wrap will cost.

Considering I'm so lazy with just pulling out a dustbuster and seat wipe, I gotta be realistic that I shouldn't aim for the stars on what my husband and I will promise to do in this area. Yes, my dad would be out there with the soap and turtle wax in the driveway nearly every weekend when I was a kid, and I'd like to do the buff off and see it shine, but that's where it ended.

I was looking at those low PSI pressure washers that shoot out foam... maybe a no-rinse wash from XPel. Something that is not super labor intensive but doable if I can make it fun. We have a real pressure washer, but ugh, so big and loud. Should I really go with the exorbitant full PPF & Ceramic expense? Find a good detailer and just go regularly? Suck it up and go to the brushless car wash (no touchless around here)?

TLDR: I'm a cheap slob but want a sparkling car at all times. Help me find a middle ground!

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[RAHRCR]

People like you can get the most benefit out of PPF. You can take it through any car wash and neglect it if you choose. Sure the PPF (regardless of brand) will get beat up but your paint will still be protected. Once the paint wear and tear becomes too much for you, you can remove and replace the pieces that you can no longer tolerate.

 

[WuffvonTrips]

I'm firmly in that demographic with you, so I'm in no position to give advice. For comparison, I have PPF front and on doors, ceramic all over, and the car is only washed by myself- with buckets and low pressure hose- infrequently.

 

[annieland]

People like you can get the most benefit out of PPF. You can take it through any car wash and neglect it if you choose. Sure the PPF (regardless of brand) will get beat up but your paint will still be protected. Once the paint wear and tear becomes too much for you, you can remove and replace the pieces that you can no longer tolerate.

I'm firmly in that demographic with you, so I'm in no position to give advice. For comparison, I have PPF front and on doors, ceramic all over, and the car is only washed by myself- with buckets and low pressure hose- infrequently.

I think you both give excellent, equivalent advice. Thank you! If I do the partial PPF and go auto I'm still exposing myself to swirls and stuff. And we live in the suburban upper midwest, with horrible roads, salt and filth on the streets all the time, and I'm always stuck behind some dirt hauler spraying pebbles on me from behind.

The ceramic makes it way easier to clean (even infrequently), but then to maintain what I desire I better commit to doing it myself, pay someone, or go home. Wait, I forgot - endlessly nag my husband to do it. To do full PPF plus Ceramic and I may as well just hire a garage boy to clean it twice a week.

I'm gonna call my PPF place tomorrow and see what a full PPF would cost. So far they're giving me price according to template, piece by piece, and it was just going cha-ching cha-ching in my head (not that I was expecting this to be inexpensive or anything). Do full sheet wraps cost even more than if they just put on every piece from the template? Do you guys negotiate this stuff? Ugh.

 

[WuffvonTrips]

UK seems to be £3500-£5000 (variation possibly due in part to relative regional prosperity) for full PPF.
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/uk-cost-of-full-ppf.13569/
I'd never had any dealings with PPF but was happy to accept the menu pricing of the guys I used, they do a lot of work for customers of the local Porsche dealerships.

 

[Sarah's dog chariot]

So, I'm going to be real honest here. And I've read every relevant thread multiple times over. So I thought I'd consolidate my concerns into one post..

This is my first car over $50k MSRP. Waited my whole life for a luxury vehicle, and pulled the trigger on a very equipped 4S due to arrive somewhere between next week and October. I always start out all careful with my cars, buying nice cleaning products, and then let it all go to pot. Raised 3 kids (plus carpools) in an Odyssey and then a Pilot and... yeah, I gave up. But, I don't want to F up this car!! Only detailing I ever got was the Odyssey like 10 years ago and I was underwhelmed and never bothered again, even though I meant to.

Our Tesla X and jet owning/piloting friends own the local popular car wash chain so we have a membership there. It's good, but swirls abound. So far I've scheduled XPel PPF for the front, doors and headlights ($4k or something, I didn't even write it down). They say an auto car wash is fine. But now I'm thinking, what about what isn't covered? Maybe I should see what a full custom wrap will cost.

Considering I'm so lazy with just pulling out a dustbuster and seat wipe, I gotta be realistic that I shouldn't aim for the stars on what my husband and I will promise to do in this area. Yes, my dad would be out there with the soap and turtle wax in the driveway nearly every weekend when I was a kid, and I'd like to do the buff off and see it shine, but that's where it ended.

I was looking at those low PSI pressure washers that shoot out foam... maybe a no-rinse wash from XPel. Something that is not super labor intensive but doable if I can make it fun. We have a real pressure washer, but ugh, so big and loud. Should I really go with the exorbitant full PPF & Ceramic expense? Find a good detailer and just go regularly? Suck it up and go to the brushless car wash (no touchless around here)?

TLDR: I'm a cheap slob but want a sparkling car at all times. Help me find a middle ground!

I can't give any good advice here as know zero about PPF... BUT just wanted to hop on not o say that you crack me up. You sound amazing and if I lived in the US would deffo have you in my gal tribe. Your post made me laugh . I hope you get to decide soon Annie XX

 

[annieland]

I'm firmly in that demographic with you, so I'm in no position to give advice. For comparison, I have PPF front and on doors, ceramic all over, and the car is only washed by myself- with buckets and low pressure hose- infrequently.

Now, what if you took it through an automatic car wash with the flappy non-brush things? Would the paint start to get swirled up? Really understanding ceramic (especially from unbiased sources) is difficult, as to what extent it protects paint. Like, okay the pebbles that fall on my hood, PPF for sure. But if I just had ceramic over the rest (like yours), would a car wash be the kiss of death? Would you shudder at the thought of one, or just rather enjoy doing it yourself?

Considering my friends own the car washes, both drive TESLAS (red), and are obsessive about the looks of their cars, I'm toying with asking them for input. But I don't wanna be like, "So, I guess if your Tesla paint can withstand your car wash every day, I should have no concerns about my Porsche, right?"

Yeah, I said it.

 

[RAHRCR]

I think you both give excellent, equivalent advice. Thank you! If I do the partial PPF and go auto I'm still exposing myself to swirls and stuff. And we live in the suburban upper midwest, with horrible roads, salt and filth on the streets all the time, and I'm always stuck behind some dirt hauler spraying pebbles on me from behind.

The ceramic makes it way easier to clean (even infrequently), but then to maintain what I desire I better commit to doing it myself, pay someone, or go home. Wait, I forgot - endlessly nag my husband to do it. To do full PPF plus Ceramic and I may as well just hire a garage boy to clean it twice a week.

I'm gonna call my PPF place tomorrow and see what a full PPF would cost. So far they're giving me price according to template, piece by piece, and it was just going cha-ching cha-ching in my head (not that I was expecting this to be inexpensive or anything). Do full sheet wraps cost even more than if they just put on every piece from the template? Do you guys negotiate this stuff? Ugh.

Yes you can negotiate but the best detailers wont give much. Personally, I think you are ahead of the game because you are thinking this through rationally….I consciously made the irrational decision to protect everything no matter the cost and I maintain it weekly. The price I paid for my own sanity…..plus I like detailing,

 

[annieland]

I can't give any good advice here as know zero about PPF... BUT just wanted to hop on not o say that you crack me up. You sound amazing and if I lived in the US would deffo have you in my gal tribe. Your post made me laugh . I hope you get to decide soon Annie XX

Not gonna lie, I saw (and laughed with) your posts, and since you've been warmly received I figured maybe I could get comfortable. I'm a native New Yorker, but fully get British humor so yeah, we'd have fun I'm sure!! Thanks sweetie .

 

[diononiz]

Now, what if you took it through an automatic car wash with the flappy non-brush things? Would the paint start to get swirled up? Really understanding ceramic (especially from unbiased sources) is difficult, as to what extent it protects paint. Like, okay the pebbles that fall on my hood, PPF for sure. But if I just had ceramic over the rest (like yours), would a car wash be the kiss of death? Would you shudder at the thought of one, or just rather enjoy doing it yourself?

Considering my friends own the car washes, both drive TESLAS (red), and are obsessive about the looks of their cars, I'm toying with asking them for input. But I don't wanna be like, "So, I guess if your Tesla paint can withstand your car wash every day, I should have no concerns about my Porsche, right?"

Yeah, I said it.

Your questions are very commonly asked so you should feel ashamed by asking. Here is what it boils down to. If you want complete protection and don't want to worry about the automatic car washes, then get your entire car covered in PFF. I have used Xpel on my Porsches and always been happy with the result. For me, since I do all my washes at home and don't mind some additional do yourself care, I went with the full front with PFF and the rest ceramic coated with Gtechnique CSL ane EXO (doing it myself) The advantge of ceramic coat is it will look very shiny with a lot of "pop". You can bring it to the occasional car wash but it will still get swirl marks over time if you are not careful. Hope this helps.

 

[annieland]

Yes you can negotiate but the best detailers wont give much. Personally, I think you are ahead of the game because you are thinking this through rationally….I consciously made the irrational decision to protect everything no matter the cost and I maintain it weekly. The price I paid for my own sanity…..plus I like detailing,

I so appreciate your posts, especially in all the other threads I've read! You know your own "crazy" and are respectful of those who can't go in that direction. I am the same way with other stuff I am super into and particular about. Honestly, I actually do have OCD and am practicing stopping my habit of going full perfection on everything vs. total abandonment if not "perfect." So yeah, that's why I'm giving this a lot of thought because I DO want to be responsible, yet at the same time not drive myself crazy into misery where I can't just enjoy the car.

 

[RAHRCR]

I so appreciate your posts, especially in all the other threads I've read! You know your own "crazy" and are respectful of those who can't go in that direction. I am the same way with other stuff I am super into and particular about. Honestly, I actually do have OCD and am practicing stopping my habit of going full perfection on everything vs. total abandonment if not "perfect." So yeah, that's why I'm giving this a lot of thought because I DO want to be responsible, yet at the same time not drive myself crazy into misery where I can't just enjoy the car.

Thanks for the feedback. Looking forward to you getting your car as you are sure to offer a unique perspective on ownership.

 

[diononiz]

 

[diononiz]

This is a video of my 992 Carrer S with a full front PFF (bumper, front side and hood) and ceramic coating (Gtechnique CSL and EXOv4) on the rest. Here is what it boils down to, If you want the best protection and don't want to worry about where you wash your car, then get your entire car covered with PFF. You can bring it to any car wash you want. After a few years, the PFF may need a quick polish to restore any lost shine but for the most part, it will look great.

I have used Xpel pff on all of my Porsches and have always been happy with the results. If you don't mind washing it at home (with the occasional carwash) then go the hybrid PFF / Ceramic route. The ceramic coating is shinier and has more "pop" to it. The problem is if you take your ceramic coated car to the drive through car washes, you will develop swirls over time.

I haven't put the ceramic coating on my Taycan turbo yet but will post after it is done

Hope this helps.

 

[mokre]

I went with partial PPF on my 2020 4s and have been really happy with it; the car has a ceramic coat from PFS (a shop local to me.) I always try and remember to ask the dealer to not wash my car. I do it myself usually at a self-serve car wash because I live in an apartment complex and don't have a spigot I can use to hook up a hose.

In general this has served me pretty well, but I recently got two nice big stone chips midway up the A-pillar.. and wish I had at least covered that part with PPF too. I had full PPF on my BMW i8, which was actually really nice because I didn't think much about stone chips after that, and didn't worry much about people trying to key the car either.

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