Is PPF worth it?

[JennyMac]

Originally Posted by Redd

I've had Clearguard Nano PPF on my car for 7+ yrs 60k kms now. My opinion...

Worth It
1. Front end protection is definitely worth it. I go on runs with E60 M5s a lot and they kick up A SHIT TON of pebbles. I'm on my 4th windscreen in the last 7 years, mainly due to stone chips, but my front bumper and wing mirrors still look pristine. So, imho, front end and wing mirrors are a must do for PPF.

2. I PPF-ed my CF roof to protect the clearcoat.

3. A good PPF with a proper coating will make the car much easier to clean. It is much more hydrophobic than just coating on paint.

4. Many PPFs have self-healing qualities which are great to automatically repair mild surface hazing and bird poo etching. But it won't fix deeper scratches.

5. A good PPF (emphasis on good) will impart a deeper glossiness to the paint that is addictive to look at. My Clearguard Nano does that.

Not Worth It
1. A cheap PPF will impart a haziness or orange peel texturing effect on the paint that makes the car look like it was poorly painted.

2. Installer skill is important. Poorly installed PPF won't look nice, won't last long (start peeling at the edges), and may even damage your paint underneath the PPF.

3. PPF is still a film, and, like all films, can suffer damage. Bad door dings or scrapes can result in the PPF being cut and permanently damaged. Unlike paint, you cannot polish out scratches or imperfections from a PPF once it's been cut. The cut area will accumulate dirt quickly and look more unsightly than scratches on paint. The only option [...]

Is there a brand you should use and some to stay away from?

[M5Rick]

Better off without it and keep back from vehicles in front to avoid chip marks.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Better off without it and keep back from vehicles in front to avoid chip marks.

IMHO, it is impossible to avoid rock chips by simply keeping back from other vehicles. Eventually it will happen no matter how careful you are.

[GantBoi3]

Going in to shop today to price mine.
I feel it’s worth it. Full front & roof.

I Didn’t quote the rocker panels though.

I mean if we’re spending 100k on car, ppf is a small investment to make sure 7yrs from now (long term owners), it’s still show ready.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

IMHO, it is impossible to avoid rock chips by simply keeping back from other vehicles. Eventually it will happen no matter how careful you are.

If you try you can do it

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

If you try you can do it

Good luck with that!

[nickmaguire]

I plan on keeping mine long term. 7-8 years+, so planning on doing full PPF. I'm lucky to have a friend work at a PPF shop and he's doing it for $3700 USD

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by nickmaguire

I plan on keeping mine long term. 7-8 years+, so planning on doing full PPF. I'm lucky to have a friend work at a PPF shop and he's doing it for $3700 USD

That is a great price for allover PPF!

[nunzo]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

If you try you can do it

I got stuck turning onto a road that was getting milled down for resurfacing. Even taking it at 20mph in a 35, I was still getting pummeled with gravel from the opposite direction of traffic.

That and living in an area that both salts and cinders the roads, nothing short of full PPF will save the paint.

Glad I went with it.

[nunzo]

Originally Posted by wsfrazier

Unpopular opinion but I feel like it's a waste. You're just paying for the next guy to have it. But I don't usually don't keep cars more than 1-2 years so what do I know.

But still, I've had issues with all 3 of my Xpel PPF cars...
- The edges catch dirt, paint to clean
- You still get rock chips on the body through the PPF if it gets hit hard enough, it doesn't make the car invincible
- For the rocks that don't hit hard enough to get through, they still leave damage marks on the PPF
- Damaged PPF looks just as bad as an actual rock chip anyway

So while yeah you might save your actual bumper if you're lucky enough to not get something hard enough to break through the PPF, you're going to see the chips/marks anyway and need to shell out money for re-apply PPF if you want to keep it looking new.

I guess you can argue that paying to replace PPF is still better than using touch up paint, but to me the cost isn't worth it.

We drive on the same roads - my once mint B8 S4's paint was destroyed driving on 79 to Warrandale for 2 years during that construction.


I'm not doing it for the next guy, but rather for my own sanity. I cannot stand rock chips or scratches. My wife's SUV has front PPF, was hit in a parking lot by a red car, and the paint rubbed right off the PPF and left no damage. To repaint a front bumper would have been more than I paid to PPF it.

[nickmaguire]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

That is a great price for allover PPF!

Definitely! and the shop offers a damage warranty + the manufacturer warranty. So once a year, they include a detail and will repair all damage to the PPF at no cost. It's a huge bonus.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by nickmaguire

Definitely! and the shop offers a damage warranty + the manufacturer warranty. So once a year, they include a detail and will repair all damage to the PPF at no cost. It's a huge bonus.

You have a great deal!

Is the PPF you are buying hydrophobic or are you going to put ceramic coating on top of the PPF?

[nickmaguire]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

You have a great deal!

Is the PPF you are buying hydrophobic or are you going to put ceramic coating on top of the PPF?

The film they use has a ceramic coating "built-in" so I'll see how long that lasts for, and then consider doing ceramic on top.

[Grumpy949]

Originally Posted by Firstbmw96

You guys think ppf is worth getting? If so do you recommend just the front or the whole car?

I will never buy a car car with PPF. From personal experience, you will get panel discoloration, My only car with expel thats two years old the ppf just looked like crap with slight yellowing and at removal it pulled the clear off the hood due to the engine heat . Just terrible stuff.
Personally i think its a monkey see monkey do trend.

[dwswager]

It depends on the value of the vehicle, the use case, the cost of the PPF job and your own personal values.

Personally, I'm not neurotic enough about the look of my car to pay the cost for PPF. If it gets bad enough, I will have the paint repaired. If I invest the $5000 cost of PPF at just 6% (stock market has averaged 10% for the last 30 years) I would have over $9,000 in 10 years to put to a new car or new paint job.

A car is meant to be driven. BMW claims to be the ultimate driving machine, not the ultimate stand around looking at it machine. I actually watched a video on YouTube of a guy with a special frozen grey M3 that would not drive the car because he couldn't match the paint if it got a rock chip. My brother in-law has 2 identical Shelby GT-500s with about 2,000 miles combined on them!!!!

I use my stuff, I don't abuse my stuff. Which means if it is 10 years old with 120,000 miles on it is not going to look new. That's ok to me. But it also isn't going to look ragged out and busted. I am not a guy that is going to wash my car every 20 minutes. I don't generally do "appearance" mods. If it doesn't make my car go faster, turn better, stop quicker or in some way enhance the driving experience, I don't care.

[icesalt]

the more important matter is, the PPF will make your car more social, especially for those matte paint cars

[MADBMWX5MC]

^Interesting POV...

[NikMN]

Next owner will thank you for paying to pff their car

[Crusje]

Waste of money. It's a mass produced x5, so who cares? They sell 80k a year and it will still depreciate like a rock. The dealer won't pay you more for it even you trade it in. Dr. Colorchip and regular washing + spray wax/ceramic is good enough.

[pinkjam]

Absolutely. A good friend is offering me an amazing deal at $7000 for the PPF and ceramic coating, plus an additional $500 for ceramic tint. This price is incredibly low, but I've given him a lot of business, and he's giving me a special rate for this car. In the Tampa area, other reputable shops are charging at least $9000 for similar services.

[schnucki_g82]

Originally Posted by Crusje

Waste of money. It's a mass produced x5, so who cares? They sell 80k a year and it will still depreciate like a rock. The dealer won't pay you more for it even you trade it in. Dr. Colorchip and regular washing + spray wax/ceramic is good enough.

This, if you are planning to trade the car at dealerships they will not recognize PPF because is not in the Kelley Blue Book (KBB)

[bosstones]

Personal preference, really. If you're doing it for yourself, that trade space is for you to decide. If not for oneself , I wouldn't spend the cash (e.g. 'maybe' a car would be collectible one day', you're not keeping it long, etc...). As you can see, people have opposing opinions and I don't think lot of people buying a car would care outside of some circles/marques.

My car came w/ near full body PPF. The front wheels like to bully the rear fenders/quarter panels by regularly throwing rocks at them so, I think, the PPF is worth it there. That's not a common problem, though. lol