Paint Protection Film

glenimp617 · 22 Mar 2019 at 10:37

Has anyone had their front covered in PPF? I'm collecting my new car next week and thinking of having it done, especially since cars these days have such thin and generally crap paint.

any ideas on costs? I'm only thinking about the front bumper, half bonnet and maybe wings/mirrors (oh, and any gloss black plastic trim parts)

Burned_Alive · 22 Mar 2019 at 11:18

It's not cheap and will depend on the car, but you're probably looking at somewhere around the £1/1.5k mark from quotes i've had.

Homer-Simpson · 22 Mar 2019 at 12:36

I've got Suntek Ultra on mine, full front end (wings/bumper/bonnet), A pillars, side skirts and part of the rear bumper (by the boot opening). I had it put on as soon as I bought it and it's done the job perfectly for 2 years (so far). I can't remember exactly how much it was but it was at the lower end of what @Burned_Alive said for the film (I had a ceramic coating also put on at the same time for the areas where the PPF wasn't installed at extra cost).

I'd recommend speaking to the any installer to understand how they would apply it to your vehicle. Some cars already have patterns for them, some can be great and others not too good. The installer I used also had a plotter for creating/printing patterns on site, some installers just order in the templates. I'd also ask whether the film would be visible (most templates have additional film so it wraps round the corners etc so you can't see the edges). Your installer shouldn't have any issues showing you examples of their work. The company I used was fantastic, showed me lots of options, gave me costs for different types of film and talked me through the whole process. They were actually working on a number of cars so they could show me them at various stages.

After seeing the results a number of friends/family have also had their new cars fitted with the film. All of them have been very happy with the service and the result.

Cookeh · 22 Mar 2019 at 12:40

Burned_Alive said:
It's not cheap and will depend on the car, but you're probably looking at somewhere around the £1/1.5k mark from quotes i've had.

This. Up to £2.5k when you start adding sills etc in.

mikeh501 · 22 Mar 2019 at 19:59

had reep midlands do mine. highly recommended. bumper only is 500, track pack as they call it is 1.5k this is bumper, bonnet, wings, mirror caps, sills, rear arches, front of roof.

Diagro · 23 Mar 2019 at 12:10

Your basically wrapping the car in a clear vinyl.

So any decent car wrapper is who you want.

The ones that are cut to size are not really good. You want over the edge coverage.

glenimp617 · 23 Mar 2019 at 12:33

Thanks everyone, definately food for thought

mikeh501 · 23 Mar 2019 at 13:23

Diagro said:
Your basically wrapping the car in a clear vinyl.

So any decent car wrapper is who you want.

The ones that are cut to size are not really good. You want over the edge coverage.

Wrapping and ppf are very different, and all the good fitters use pre cut templates.

Diagro · 23 Mar 2019 at 22:20

mikeh501 said:
Wrapping and ppf are very different, and all the good fitters use pre cut templates.

No it really isn't.
It's a clear vinyl.
You apply it the same way as non clear vinyl.

Simple really...

Oh and they use pre cut templates as the most likely lack the skill required to use uncut vinyl.

mikeh501 · 24 Mar 2019 at 07:42

I think your mis informed or at the least out of date tbh.

Go phone reep or topaz and see what they say, or even just google it! And watch some vids. Fitment is completely different, product is different, templates are now the best way and have been for a while.

/end

Diagro · 24 Mar 2019 at 09:20

mikeh501 said:
I think your mis informed or at the least out of date tbh.

Go phone reep or topaz and see what they say, or even just google it! And watch some vids. Fitment is completely different, product is different, templates are now the best way and have been for a while.

/end

Let's agree to disagree.

It's vinyl, simple as that

Burned_Alive · 25 Mar 2019 at 08:09

Diagro said:
Let's agree to disagree.

It's vinyl, simple as that

PPF is applied wet and Vinyl is applied dry. I don't know a single decent PPF fitter that would cut PPF on the car. They template the cars first and then cut the material on a plotter in the most material efficient pattern.

Diagro · 25 Mar 2019 at 11:12

Burned_Alive said:
PPF is applied wet and Vinyl is applied dry. I don't know a single decent PPF fitter that would cut PPF on the car. They template the cars first and then cut the material on a plotter in the most material efficient pattern.

Vinyl can be applied wet too..

Burned_Alive · 25 Mar 2019 at 11:29

Diagro said:
Vinyl can be applied wet too..

It can be, but no professional installer would do a wet application.

Diagro · 25 Mar 2019 at 16:33

Burned_Alive said:
It can be, but no professional installer would do a wet application.

What makes you say that?

Lots of people I know on that industry do it...

mikeh501 · 25 Mar 2019 at 17:50

Reality distortion field engaged! Lol

Diagro · 25 Mar 2019 at 22:27

Anyway. If you have the cash to stump up for the really high end films, then it's a no brainer.

Some self heal which is awesome.

Six6siX · 26 Mar 2019 at 14:31

I have my front end done in self healing PFF. Bonnet, bumper, front splitter, wings, mirrors and headlights. Depending on the panels and how much you want to spend, the roof (for the front facing edge) and A-pillars and sills could be worth looking at. Self healing is great - especially for a car that sits low to the road and seems to be a magnet for stone chips.

Parts of mine were done in pre-cut template by the previous owner but the bits I had redone recently were edge-less (which I think looks much better).

There also seems to be a few places offering paint protection spray (PPS) too.