PPF worth it? Installer recommendations in Austin?

[Tarz825]

Hi.. do you recommend a garage for PPF ? any recommendation ? is Xpel worth the cost ?

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[dbroush7]

Hi.. do you recommend a garage for PPF ? any recommendation ? is Xpel worth the cost ?

I'm in Austin, too. Haven't done it yet but after doing some research and checking with people I know, I plan on going with Silverstone Auto Spa. First, I have to do a little paint correction and some PDR to one small ding in my hood that I picked up on a road trip. After that, finally I will get the front end and hood done.

https://www.silverstoneautospa.com/

 

[Skye]

Disclosure: I've had PPF installed across my car.

I do believe PPF is worthwhile. Since owning my car, I've caught spots in the PPF, five, six times a year, where something has hit the surface and bounced off. A dirt mark is left where the strike has occurred.

How many of those strikes would have been enough to chip the surface? IDK. It's satisfying to say zero thus far. I'll be keeping Skye for a long time. While an age-related patina is OK, surfaces marked with chips is not. Modern paints are often applied thin and are quite easy to chip.

I think a minimum PPF project should involved all forward-facing areas: the front third of the car, the A-pillars, first foot of the roofline, rocker panel area and behind the wheels.

Many shops will offer packages of coverage. Most places cut their materials using plotters, so you can have things done a little at a time, if necessary.

Seek out a shop that uses clean areas and control. The detailer I used applies it in a paint booth. No one in or out while the materials are being applied. Tour their shop. Look at their tools, materials and what they're currently working on.

Ask about warranties for parts and labor. There are different thicknesses of PPF, in "mils" or thousandths of an inch. Eight+ to 10 mil would be fine for the street and highway while someone tracking or going off-road all the time might want something thicker. The major brand names I've seen are covered for 10 years against issues or defects.

Discuss your interest with someone at those shops, chat about options and products. Anyone offering something at a really low price, it's best to avoid. Seek out a local place that has a good rep and clean BBB file, not a national chain. One possible is listed above. Talk to others, at car shows. Study their cars and discuss who they went with.

If you do have PPF applied, be prepared to have that removed and refreshed about the 10 year mark. The material is not made to stay on the surface forever, no matter how well it looks. Earlier generations (like gen 1) of PPF would yellow, but the current products do not. PPF which has cracked or faded has either not been cared for or has been on that surface way longer than the expected service life.

Care and upkeep is pretty simple, but there are a few things to stay away from.

PPF heals in the Sun and with heat. One shouldn't wash a hot car anyway, but don't manhandle the PPF when it's hot. Use it like a car, but don't rub the surface with any pressure in the heat of the day.

I don't use automated car washes. If not for the brushes, the near constant contamination from all the other cars going through, and the alkaline liquids used.

If using a wand in a bay or at home, watch the pressure and distances. Many wand setups I've seen are more foam and modest pressure, not blasting the surface with something that might cause damage.

Decontamination cleaners are made to cleanse the PPF. I use one a few times a year. It's a soap made for that purpose. Otherwise, I use a common maintenance soap for all kinds of finishes. PPF can also be sealed, to protect from the elements. Using these products is no different than detailing a vehicle using soap or wax.

https://gyeonusa.com/products/q2m-b...aaWimcXrZAT2e3mALftSJYSDzcG9WkO0aAgF-EALw_wcB

https://gyeonusa.com/collections/ppf-wash-maintain/products/q2m-ppf-wash

https://gyeonusa.com/collections/ppf-wash-maintain/products/q2m-ppf-maintain-redefined

 

[dusman59]

Skye hits it perfectly. If your keeping your car for a long period of time its worth it. If your into keeping a car super nice it is worth it.

 

[dbroush7]

Disclosure: I've had PPF installed across my car.

I do believe PPF is worthwhile. Since owning my car, I've caught spots in the PPF, five, six times a year, where something has hit the surface and bounced off. A dirt mark is left where the strike has occurred.

How many of those strikes would have been enough to chip the surface? IDK. It's satisfying to say zero thus far. I'll be keeping Skye for a long time. While an age-related patina is OK, surfaces marked with chips is not. Modern paints are often applied thin and are quite easy to chip.

I think a minimum PPF project should involved all forward-facing areas: the front third of the car, the A-pillars, first foot of the roofline, rocker panel area and behind the wheels.

Many shops will offer packages of coverage. Most places cut their materials using plotters, so you can have things done a little at a time, if necessary.

Seek out a shop that uses clean areas and control. The detailer I used applies it in a paint booth. No one in or out while the materials are being applied. Tour their shop. Look at their tools, materials and what they're currently working on.

Ask about warranties for parts and labor. There are different thicknesses of PPF, in "mils" or thousandths of an inch. Eight+ to 10 mil would be fine for the street and highway while someone tracking or going off-road all the time might want something thicker. The major brand names I've seen are covered for 10 years against issues or defects.

Discuss your interest with someone at those shops, chat about options and products. Anyone offering something at a really low price, it's best to avoid. Seek out a local place that has a good rep and clean BBB file, not a national chain. One possible is listed above. Talk to others, at car shows. Study their cars and discuss who they went with.

If you do have PPF applied, be prepared to have that removed and refreshed about the 10 year mark. The material is not made to stay on the surface forever, no matter how well it looks. Earlier generations (like gen 1) of PPF would yellow, but the current products do not. PPF which has cracked or faded has either not been cared for or has been on that surface way longer than the expected service life.

Care and upkeep is pretty simple, but there are a few things to stay away from.

PPF heals in the Sun and with heat. One shouldn't wash a hot car anyway, but don't manhandle the PPF when it's hot. Use it like a car, but don't rub the surface with any pressure in the heat of the day.

I don't use automated car washes. If not for the brushes, the near constant contamination from all the other cars going through, and the alkaline liquids used.

If using a wand in a bay or at home, watch the pressure and distances. Many wand setups I've seen are more foam and modest pressure, not blasting the surface with something that might cause damage.

Decontamination cleaners are made to cleanse the PPF. I use one a few times a year. It's a soap made for that purpose. Otherwise, I use a common maintenance soap for all kinds of finishes. PPF can also be sealed, to protect from the elements. Using these products is no different than detailing a vehicle using soap or wax.

https://gyeonusa.com/products/q2m-b...aaWimcXrZAT2e3mALftSJYSDzcG9WkO0aAgF-EALw_wcB

https://gyeonusa.com/collections/ppf-wash-maintain/products/q2m-ppf-wash

https://gyeonusa.com/collections/ppf-wash-maintain/products/q2m-ppf-maintain-redefined

This is such a phenomenally helpful post. Thank you!

 

[Pdaddy1280]

This is such a phenomenally helpful post. Thank you!

Agreed. That was much more helpful than I could possibly have been.

I got PPF and ceramic from Apex Auto shield back in March and was very happy with their prices and customer service is off the charts. If you decide to give them a call, ask for Andrew. Good luck.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

I think a minimum PPF project should involved all forward-facing areas: the front third of the car, the A-pillars, first foot of the roofline, rocker panel area and behind the wheels.

Did you do in front of the rear tires, where the fender bulges out? Maybe it is because I have the Dark Horse handling package, but it seems to me a lot of dirt and rubber pieces (and I guess rocks and other road debris) goes there, flung all the way from the front tires. On 911 Porsche's, I see the same thing.

 

[Skye]

Did you do in front of the rear tires, where the fender bulges out?

Yes. I'm fortunate in that my budget allowed for complete PPF coverage. Setting that example aside...

From behind the front tire to in front of the rear tire, I could see a strip of PPF being installed there, the length of the rocker area. The height of the PPF could be what that person was comfortable with. A foot? And then a like strip from behind the rear tire to the end of the panel.

Another option would be to install PPF behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel, large enough bits the client would be happy with. Special sections only. The full length of the rocker panel seems better though. Before installing some front flaps, I was noticing water and debris spray all along the rocker's path. And one piece would appear better, give better coverage.

Any stripes involved are yet another variable. I consider my factory rocker stripes as sacrificial layer. They are not protected. I expect to have them removed and replaced when the PPF gets refreshed around the 10 year mark. One can have the stripes PPF'd as well, but I didn't feel the money spent would be worth it.

Finally, some fender flaps. The factory rear flap on my car was working fine at preventing most things from being kicked up behind. But up front, the factory wheel arc flares were lacking in some places and aspects; they were not wide enough. I recently installed some front flaps from ZL1 Add-Ons. The stripes were looking OK, but I realized with no protection, they'd need to be replaced sooner than expected. The front and rear flaps are keeping things from getting chewed up at the most stressed areas: right behind the wheels.

So...a layered defense. Flaps take the worst of anything the road has to offer, with PPF taking on whatever makes it past.

All this gets to the discussion with the installer. While I've given some ideas, a detailer with experience probably has several more, from placement to thickness of the PPF. They could also do a few quotes for comparison, between plotter-cut panel coverage from templates to custom section jobs.

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