PPF regrets?

[Genau]

If you don't mind me asking, what shop did you use? We will pick up a Carmine Red 4S in a few weeks and want to do the full front PPF, but my wife also wants interior protection. We are in Alexandria

I would DM you, but the shop I use is booked solid through August.

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[BTR12]

I would DM you, but the shop I use is booked solid through August.

Thanks. Not inspired by the shops I've spoken with. I feel strongly about getting the PPF as soon as we can - it was pretty solid on the Panamera. Feel free to DM if you have any other suggestions

 

[dickp]

Thanks. Not inspired by the shops I've spoken with. I feel strongly about getting the PPF as soon as we can - it was pretty solid on the Panamera. Feel free to DM if you have any other suggestions

These guys are good and I am going to have them do my Taycan - however they are in Richmond - https://www.capitalautobahnd.com/

 

[Vim Schrotnock]

I can't recommend Xpel plus CeramicPro coating highly enough. I had a marble sized rock hit my hood and nearly went through the PPF, but it was a simple PPF replace for a few hundred $'s. If I had not had PPF, it would have been a repair and repaint, and while it may have been around the same cost, or even cheaper, it is a repaint. I've had the experience of bringing a car in for trade, with some repainted panels, and they pick that up right away. Repainted panels can significantly deduct from the resale price of the car, and of course repainting is never exactly the same as the original. If I'm paying this kind of money for a car, spending a bit more to keep it looking absolutely pristine with the original paint is a priority.

I'm assuming a 'good white carbonara wax' is simply a standard high quality carnauba wax. I've had 30+ years experience with carnauba wax, and I strongly prefer the PPF. I definitely don't miss the hours of working the wax into the car, only to repeat in a few weeks. The best wax applied by a professional may give you a slightly better look to the car, (but I don't have a comparison here) - as long as you don't drive it. As soon as you start accumulating any kind of dust/dirt on the finish, PPF+Ceramic wins hands down. The ability to repel water and dirt is just amazing. I'm able to simply rinse my car clean every week with hot water and microfiber drying and it looks like it's just been waxed by a pro. Every few weeks I wash it, and it's the easiest car to wash I've ever owned - the dirt just wipes off, and best of all - NO WAXING NEEDED - EVER!!! I've spent hundreds of hours laboring with waxes on my cars, and I've never had a car that looks this good for this long.

I can't speak to the films that incorporate ceramic, but I feel good about my Xpel with a refresh of Ceramic Pro every year for $100. Basically if you want your car looking it's best pretty much all the time, definitely get PPF and Ceramic.

 

[XLR82XS]

Well said @Vim Schrotnock. I can't tell people enough how great it is. Some are just stubborn or don't care.

 

[Vim Schrotnock]

Just to add another experience with PPF in a shopping center parking lot. I was waiting in my car and saw a woman with a shopping cart that I knew was going to be trouble coming towards me. Sure enough, when she let go of the cart to open her trunk, the cart picked up the wind/incline and rolled towards me and thunked into my left front fender. Probably would have been a chip/scratch with just paint, but with the PPF, it just bounced off, no mark whatsoever.

 

[Vim Schrotnock]

And one more experience with PPF/Ceramic! I washed my car on Saturday after my 1300 mi trip to MD, and drove it briefly in a drizzle on Sunday. Monday were storms throughout the day and the car stayed parked outside the entire day, with two home-work round trips. Today (Tuesday evening), I took this picture before I left work. I have not touched the car with anything - no rinse, no detail, no wiping. I just cannot believe how the PPF/Ceramic repels dirt and maintains a clean appearance even after three days including a day of heavy rain.

 

[Fedex77]

That seems like a reasonable quote. Where is the installer located?

Sacramento CA

I was mistaken though, the ceramic product is XPEL on top of XPEL PPF

 

[DGT]

Or could ask also if anyone got front PPF and then wished they got full body coverage. I’ve been quoted about $2.5K front while $6K total body not including ceramic.

I have done full front end PPF followed by ceramic on 5 Porsches now (about $2,000 for PPF/$1,900 for ceramic - Crystal Serum Ultra). No problems long term with the PPF and no regrets for not getting full body PPF - including on 2 different 911s. Beyond front end the main risk area is in front of rear wheel/fender, which is covered by factory PPF and can be replaced easily as needed. Still some risk with that approach of course, but it has worked for me. Key variable is the quality of your installer and detailer.

 

[UroDoc]

So ... I have front end PPF and whole car ceramic and this happened!
Any advice on how to address this? Products you recommend?

 

[Arno]

So ... I have front end PPF and whole car ceramic and this happened!
Any advice on how to address this? Products you recommend?

Looks like someone keyed your car. Hopefully it did not go through the PPF (?). If it did, it might be possible to polish or rub the surface without need for a paint job. I doubt you could make a claim on this, as it looks too severe for what PPF is suppose to handle.

My PPF from STEK is quite thick, and can handle stone chips and scratches (so is XPEL). However if someone deliberately want to key the car, it would possibly damage the PPF so it would need to be replaced, but still protect the original paint so one can avoid repaint.

I have already calculated that I will probably have to change some parts of PPF over time, due to injuries. In any case, it is still cheaper than the alternative without PPF. Whats more important to me, is to protect the original factory paint during my ownership.

 

[Mook]

Don't know if this helps, but thought I would share that I am getting XPEL on my Taycan Turbo S and no ceramic coating. Reasons are (1) preserve paint and prevent chips, (2) makes me feel good I am protecting this car, (3) can treat with Ceramic at any time by myself, and (4) Like driving a shiny, defect free car. Not looking for ROI or I would not have bought a Taycan! Like a wise man once said, "Sometimes you just got to do what makes you feel good".

 

[Evpower]

Don't know if this helps, but thought I would share that I am getting XPEL on my Taycan Turbo S and no ceramic coating. Reasons are (1) preserve paint and prevent chips, (2) makes me feel good I am protecting this car, (3) can treat with Ceramic at any time by myself, and (4) Like driving a shiny, defect free car. Not looking for ROI or I would not have bought a Taycan! Like a wise man once said, "Sometimes you just got to do what makes you feel good".

Well said. My sentiments exactly.

 

[Tsingtao]

Don't know if this helps, but thought I would share that I am getting XPEL on my Taycan Turbo S and no ceramic coating. Reasons are (1) preserve paint and prevent chips, (2) makes me feel good I am protecting this car, (3) can treat with Ceramic at any time by myself, and (4) Like driving a shiny, defect free car. Not looking for ROI or I would not have bought a Taycan! Like a wise man once said, "Sometimes you just got to do what makes you feel good".

I did just the opposite: ceramic but no PPF because driving a shiny car makes me feel so good, and because I am so afraid of somebody taking the car apart to install PPF!

 

[Mook]

Looks great Tsingtao - well done. FYI, they do not take anything apart on the Full Front install - think that is true for the full body install also, but you should check with the installer. They should also wrap edges - that is most crucial. With the new computer cutting technology for the templates, the fit seems to be done quite well. Will post pics of this only if someone is interested.

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