Protective film covering (PPF) pros / cons?

[Snowflee17]

Okay, you want me to focus. Your words "While PPF and ceramic have their positive virtues, they have their limitations." (emphases mine)

The question is, what are you trying to protect? Your vehicle or your pride? If it is your vehicle, the coating adds a wee bit of protection from tiny little particles, but will do nothing for rocks falling from a gravel truck. You mention using a car bra. They offer a bit of protection too, but you can't cover all of the grill opening with one, nor everything else on the car.

If it is pride of ownership, I get that as long as it isn't an OCD thing. If you plan on keeping the vehicle as an investment, I get that too. If it is, you might want to look at this: https://www.mustangspecs.com/mustang-sales-numbers-by-year/

You can read many things into the numbers listed. If nothing else is evident, it is the fact that Mustangs do not hold the mystique they once did, except in the eyes of their owners and some rather rare (numbers made) models.

There are a few exceptions to all of this, and that is specific (limited) colors. Over the years Ford has painted Mustangs with color schemes which defy description, including a couple which looked like the inside of a baby diaper, so they didn't sell well for obvious reasons. However, historically those rare color models have drawn the most monies at auctions especially unrestored one! So what color is yours?

My limited production color is the new Brittany Blue, which I believe will hold value better than a regular factory ordered car!

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[WayneK]

On a dark color car PPF may save the paint but it still looks like a chip so you either live with it looking like that or you put some paint in it like you would if the PPF wasn't there or you pay to have the PPF replaced or patched.

 

[Bear376]

Okay, you want me to focus. Your words "While PPF and ceramic have their positive virtues, they have their limitations." (emphases mine)

The question is, what are you trying to protect? Your vehicle or your pride? If it is your vehicle, the coating adds a wee bit of protection from tiny little particles, but will do nothing for rocks falling from a gravel truck. You mention using a car bra. They offer a bit of protection too, but you can't cover all of the grill opening with one, nor everything else on the car.

If it is pride of ownership, I get that as long as it isn't an OCD thing. If you plan on keeping the vehicle as an investment, I get that too. If it is, you might want to look at this: https://www.mustangspecs.com/mustang-sales-numbers-by-year/

You can read many things into the numbers listed. If nothing else is evident, it is the fact that Mustangs do not hold the mystique they once did, except in the eyes of their owners and some rather rare (numbers made) models.

There are a few exceptions to all of this, and that is specific (limited) colors. Over the years Ford has painted Mustangs with color schemes which defy description, including a couple which looked like the inside of a baby diaper, so they didn't sell well for obvious reasons. However, historically those rare color models have drawn the most monies at auctions especially unrestored one! So what color is yours?

What I am trying to protect is my car from as much damage as possible while on the road. I show my car and every ding and nick is going to be judged. On long trips, I may trailer the car, but that has its own issues and detracts from my pleasure of driving the car. I have experimented with many ways to protect from road damage and found all wanting. PPF is fine for the areas it covers, but older versions can discolor with age and exposure. Bras have netting that keep the bugs out of the grill which is a big plus, however, I have mixed experiences with the Novistretch models. My first did a great job for a couple of years, but got ripped by something. The second one had big gapping holes in it after the first trip. It may have protected the grille from rocks or whatever. A lot of people that show, like the LeBra style and put painters tape down first to prevent contamination scratches.

If I am just driving about, I rely on my ceramic coating to protect what it can. I can touch up most problems later. For long trips, I have found a roll on paste that dries clear. Putting that on areas that have proven to be vulnerable, like windshield pillars and the front edge of the roof, have helped. When I arrive, it just peels off.

 

[Ciulster]

I got full PPF installed car wide. By my dealer for like $1300 CAD. Even the windshield has a layer on it. Cheaper than the ceramic coat was and it is hydrophobic. Helps the dirt and crud just melt off when I wash it which saves on car wash costs and it has saved me from a few rock chips actually.

Had a HUGE one kicked up by a semi nail the windshield first week of ownership and left just a tiny nick in the plastic rather than a chip or crack in the glass. After a few weeks it had "self healed" and you can hardly even see it anymore unless you are looking for it specifically.

Also helps the snow slide off and protects the paint from scratches from my snow brush, so definitely worth it in my case.

 

[Snowflee17]

I got full PPF installed car wide. By my dealer for like $1300 CAD. Even the windshield has a layer on it. Cheaper than the ceramic coat was and it is hydrophobic. Helps the dirt and crud just melt off when I wash it which saves on car wash costs and it has saved me from a few rock chips actually.

Had a HUGE one kicked up by a semi nail the windshield first week of ownership and left just a tiny nick in the plastic rather than a chip or crack in the glass. After a few weeks it had "self healed" and you can hardly even see it anymore unless you are looking for it specifically.

Also helps the snow slide off and protects the paint from scratches from my snow brush, so definitely worth it in my case.

Thanks

 

[Alan Applegate]

As I sort of alluded to, the big stuff is still going to get you. Way back, I bought a 1998 Mercury Mystique Sport with the HO V6 and 5 speed (yes I can drive one!). The next day, the wife and I go to a friend's house for dinner, and on the way, the wind blew a fairly large rock off one of the foot hills along C470 (Lakewood, CO). It hit the hood, smashed the glass, put huge dent in the A pillar right above my wife head! Total bill, about $2,000! (About triple that now) Even a chunk of Coor's ceramic wouldn't have saved the day!

 

[MustangMitch69]

Looking for pros and cons of the protective film covering???

I got Llumar Valor PPF for basically the whole front end of my car: bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors, and A-frame. Costed about $2,500 installed. My car is shadow black, and you can't even tell the PPF is there without getting super close to the car, like within a foot or two, and looking specifically at the edges. I got it mostly to prevent rock damage from long drives on the interstate.

It came with a limited 12-year warranty so that's pretty sweet.

To answer your question though:

Pros - it works.
Cons - it's expensive (at least the good stuff, and installed by a professional).

 

[gthersh]

I've had full PPF on my GT for a few months now. If it weren't for working at a shop that does PPF, I probably would've only had the front done because it is expensive. I decided to go with XPEL Stealth on the body and the roof, lower front bumper, spoiler, and trunk panel (where it says GT) in STEK Demascus Clear.

I love the way it looks and I know for sure that it has protected the paint from damages already. I get a ton of compliments on it and it's much easier to maintain. I wash it about once a month but it still looks pretty good in between. If you can swing the cost and plan on keeping your vehicle for a long time, I would definitely look into it.

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