Full PPF vs. Front PPF only

[rpgrigsby]

I can't find the answer to this, so forgive me if I ask a repeated question. I've never had PPf on a car. But I want to treat my new XB7 the right way. Is getting a full PPF worth the added cost, and what is a fair price for the entire car with a high-end PPF system? Versus front only and ceramic or graphene everywhere else. I'm looking at a Carbon Black metallic and ready to make an offer. Thanks guys!!

[Mech Spec]

You're looking at 8k ish for a full vehicle ppf vs like 2k for the front.

Whether 8k is worth it to you is dependent on how well you care for your car basically. If you keep it clean and know how to wash then it's probably not worth it. But if you DGAF then ppf away.

[silvermanor]

Hard question to answer. It's up to what you want and value and what your budget is. I did full ppf because i drive in the winter on the track and I am very picky. My car is 3 years old and it doesn't have a scratch on it despite it being used in extreme conditions. The CF roof on these cars is pretty unforgiving to repair too so I definitely wanted if protected.

[NSXR]

For a black car I'd get the entire thing done, it's part of the price of admission.

However, you could get what's called the "track pack", which are the high impact areas (front bumper, hood, fenders, behind the wheels, rocker panels, side mirrors, and a strip above the windshield), and you should be fine for most things.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by rpgrigsby

I can't find the answer to this, so forgive me if I ask a repeated question. I've never had PPf on a car. But I want to treat my new XB7 the right way. Is getting a full PPF worth the added cost, and what is a fair price for the entire car with a high-end PPF system?

Define "worth it"?
Quality full-body PPF will run you $7-10K. Per application (PPF film has a finite lifespan before it needs to be removed and re-applied).

How long do you plan to own the truck?
How do you plan to maintain it?
How do you plan to drive it?
How anal are you about small paint chips?

To me, full-PPF is crazy on any daily driver.
If you buy a truly unique or special vehicle ($250+K) that is normally parked in a garage and you want to keep perfect all the time, then maybe PPF it. Otherwise, not so much.

Originally Posted by rpgrigsby

Versus front only and ceramic or graphene everywhere else.

Graphene is not a replacement for PPF, it is a complementary product.
You could (should?) graphene/ceramic coat the paint, as well as coat PPF.

If you know you drive over gravel roads all year around, and have experienced excessive paint chips on your previous cars that really bother you - then PPF may be a consideration. Assuming you are comfortable replacing the damaged PPF panels semi-annually, or as needed. The whole PPF "self-healing" advertisement is laregly B.S. for real-world rock hits.

Other than that:

[Phizzzle]

I recommend a full front PPF on an XB7. We got this on our X5 and it's already doing its job by taking the hits from rocks. Full body PPF is overkill and will probably mute the original color of your car. Won't really protect against door dings, probably would do well against keys, bags, etc. though if you park near other people.

[Portimao Blue M440ix]

Definitely full front ppf. If its in your budget then do the whole car I'd say. My budget only allowed full front ppf on my m440ix so I did the most important area. For my car total cost was about $1800-2000 full front and $3000 for the rest of the car.

I didn't do any professional ceramic coating because I like to apply a ceramic spray every time I wash.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by NSXR

For a black car I'd get the entire thing done, it's part of the price of admission.

However, you could get what's called the "track pack", which are the high impact areas (front bumper, hood, fenders, behind the wheels, rocker panels, side mirrors, and a strip above the windshield), and you should be fine for most things.

I typically get the track package which is about half the full PPF package. I paid $3500 for my Macan and $3800 for my Bronco Raptor. The only reason I got a full wrap on my M850i is because it’s black and swirls and scratches show up so much easier. That cost me $6500. Honestly the track package is perfect and covers all the high impact areas. All my other cars less my Super Duty have had the track package on them including my 911.

The thing to remember is that whatever you spend you have to be comfortable with since it really won’t factor into resale other than the paint will look better than if it didn’t have a wrap. However, no dealer ever asked if I had a wrap on a car.

[Emily172013]

I did just the front. That's most of the car that's subject to small flying rocks. Remember, PPF isn't a cure all. Any rock a quarter inch in diameter or so will do damage. I think the best protection is not following too closely.

[Westside Guy]

I did allover PPF mainly because I park outdoors but in the OP's case, front PPF should be ok. If he only does the front he should make sure to cover the A pillars, side mirror caps, rocker panels and of course the headlights.

[ipilcher]

Ask yourself if you can prevent random kids, spouses, etc. from leaning on your car or otherwise dragging dirt across the paint. There's your answer.

[BroDoze]

PPF + good Ceramic is a thing of beauty when it’s comes to washing the car, too.
Having full PPF makes this the full car. Tons of benefits to having full-car PPF.

This is especially important for frozen paint. I did it on my frozen G87. I really wish I had done this on another couple of my vehicles where I only did full front.

I’ve got an 11yr old car with full front and the PPF looks brand new - like the day I had it done. Lumar PPF is the best. It looks the best and lasts the longest.

I’m only doing full-car PPF from now on, on cars I care about looking brand new throughout my time of ownership.

We also have a vehicle “role” that gets abused and no PPF could save it from door dings and other crap. That vehicle only gets partial front. That would be the wife’s daily. Doesn’t matter what she does, she always gets dings n crap in that car - the past 3 vehicles. That’s when you don’t want full car PPF - when you know a vehicle will constantly be getting trashed. The do-all family hauler dailys are generally beyond what full-car PPF can save. Just do full or partial front on those.

[fw10ring]

For those that know about this stuff, can you please evaluate this quote from a local installer?


Thank you for contacting us regarding ceramic coating and PPF for your Z4. We can do a full front with Ceramic Pro PPF 8mil 12yr warranty self healing film(bumper, headlights, hood, fenders and mirror caps) $1800 and a 7 year Ceramic Pro ION ceramic coating to full exterior paint, PPF, plastics, windows and wheel faces $900.

It is $75 per wheel to remove and coat complete barrels and the calipers. You are looking at $3000 total for PPF, ceramic coating with wheels off and calipers. We will coat the soft top and a hard top if you have one included. We have Textile for the soft top material.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by BroDoze

This is especially important for frozen paint. I did it on my frozen G87. I really wish I had done this on another couple of my vehicles where I only did full front.

IMHO, full Stealth PPF is extremely important for any frozen paint color as BMW does not offer touchup paint for them and you will definitely regret not doing it once you start to see some rock chips!

[Zig613]

Originally Posted by fw10ring

For those that know about this stuff, can you please evaluate this quote from a local installer?


Thank you for contacting us regarding ceramic coating and PPF for your Z4. We can do a full front with Ceramic Pro PPF 8mil 12yr warranty self healing film(bumper, headlights, hood, fenders and mirror caps) $1800 and a 7 year Ceramic Pro ION ceramic coating to full exterior paint, PPF, plastics, windows and wheel faces $900.

It is $75 per wheel to remove and coat complete barrels and the calipers. You are looking at $3000 total for PPF, ceramic coating with wheels off and calipers. We will coat the soft top and a hard top if you have one included. We have Textile for the soft top material.

The shop has provided you with quotes for three different services…

The price for ppf for the full front = $1,800. The ppf is made by Ceramic Pro.

To apply ceramic coating to the entire car (over the ppf, wheels and painted surfaces not covered by ppf) = $900. Ceramic coating is Ceramic Pro Ion.

To ceramic coat full wheels while off the car plus calipers = $300 ($75 per wheel)

This all adds up to $3,000

[BroDoze]

Applying a good ceramic coat is pretty easy if you’re not a complete dumb dumb.

It’s a way to take the sting out of it all. Doing the PPF is the hard part and can take 2-3 people on certain panels.
Ceramic coating is an easy thing for somebody to do in their own garage. No garage? Probably a no-go.

Paint correction is a bit of a learning curve and most PPF shops do some sort of paint correction before they do some or all of your car PPF.

[silvermanor]

Originally Posted by Zig613

The shop has provided you with quotes for three different services…

The price for ppf for the full front = $1,800. The ppf is made by Ceramic Pro.

To apply ceramic coating to the entire car (over the ppf, wheels and painted surfaces not covered by ppf) = $900. Ceramic coating is Ceramic Pro Ion.

To ceramic coat full wheels while off the car plus calipers = $300 ($75 per wheel)

This all adds up to $3,000

You should get a PPF with ceramic infused in it. Can't believe people still get PPF and ceramic on top of it. This isn't 2012.

[Zig613]

Originally Posted by silvermanor

You should get a PPF with ceramic infused in it. Can't believe people still get PPF and ceramic on top of it. This isn't 2012.

On my new Z4 I had Xpel Fusion installed on the front of the car. It has ceramic coating infused into the ppf. It is relatively newer product and time will tell how long the coating lasts.

[silvermanor]

Originally Posted by Zig613

On my new Z4 I had Xpel Fusion installed on the front of the car. It has ceramic coating infused into the ppf. It is relatively newer product and time will tell how long the coating lasts.

It was new for xpel but the rest of the industry was doing it like 7 years ago. It holds up as good or better than a traditional ceramic coating in my experience.

[Carbontrims]

For any carbon fiber parts - PPF without any compromises. It has to be UV protection foil.

For metal parts - it’s not a remedy. PPF doesn’t protect from scraches (made by the supermarket carts, for instance). Or flying elements.

It protects the clear coat which is polishable and repairable.

PPF is always better than no PPF, but usually people expect too much from it