PPF and Ceramic Coat consensus?

[Mufasa]

front PPF is a must if you plan on DDing it and are particular about paint chips. 40k miles later and my hood is flawless.

If the front end has a decent amount of chips from DD'ing it would you go about filling and respraying before doing PPF? Or would using the OEM touch up kit suffice.

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[AlphaDigital]

You ideally would want to respray it, let it cure, and then PPF it, otherwise you are putting protection over something that has flaws and its going to stay that way until you remove it and fix it.

 

[chomdh]

The PPF that ive seen is precut, so theyre not going through the entire front end and cutting it all along the edges. Most of the precuts including mine, go within a few cm's of the edge of the panel and you cant tell unless youre looking really close.

Thanks. I’ll ask the local installer for more details.

 

[ez12a]

Thanks. I’ll ask the local installer for more details.

yeah, when i got my civic wrapped the first time in early 2018 they had to cut it custom while wrapping it.

After a minor fender bender late 2019 I had to get the bumper and lights re-wrapped and at that point they could pre-cut it with a plotter/computer.

If the front end has a decent amount of chips from DD'ing it would you go about filling and respraying before doing PPF? Or would using the OEM touch up kit suffice.

Ditto what was said earlier, should probably restore the front end before PPFing it, otherwise you'd just be protecting an already damaged surface.

 

[jcfishel]

I made an appt for full front PPF at tvpauto.com on my way home from the dealership. This included the bumper, fenders, hood and mirror caps. I then added the side skirts too after seeing how many times my feet hit them getting in/out of the car. All FK8 pieces were precut, but due to the complexity of the front bumper the GM was the only person in the shop qualified to perform the install on my car. You can definitely see the seams up close, but it does not detract from the overall appearance.

While it was there, I also added the 5 year "Silver" Ceramic Pro package for the whole car + wheels. Grand total was around $3k out the door.

This was my first car I ever did this on, but I have been very impressed with both the quality of the installation and the ease of cleaning. I would not hesitate to do this on my next car!

 

[tacofest]

I made an appt for full front PPF at tvpauto.com on my way home from the dealership. This included the bumper, fenders, hood and mirror caps. I then added the side skirts too after seeing how many times my feet hit them getting in/out of the car. All FK8 pieces were precut, but due to the complexity of the front bumper the GM was the only person in the shop qualified to perform the install on my car. You can definitely see the seams up close, but it does not detract from the overall appearance.

While it was there, I also added the 5 year "Silver" Ceramic Pro package for the whole car + wheels. Grand total was around $3k out the door.

This was my first car I ever did this on, but I have been very impressed with both the quality of the installation and the ease of cleaning. I would not hesitate to do this on my next car!

What PPF did you get? XPEL?

 

[jcfishel]

What PPF did you get? XPEL?

3M Xpel Car Paint Protection Film in Raleigh - TVP Auto

Yes.

 

[tacofest]

3M Xpel Car Paint Protection Film in Raleigh - TVP Auto

Yes.

Thanks. Can you see the edges/outlines of the film up close on places they didnt wrap corners or edges? Looking to get the same XPEL.

 

[jcfishel]

yes you can see the seams, but only in some very specific areas. Things like the long edges of the hood were wrapped and folded over, no seam. The front corners of the hood have a very small semi circle void right at the tip. Sections like the hood scoop you can see the edge. The bumper near the side vents you can see the seam and each vent is a separate piece. If you have a 20-21 than the hockey sticks on the front vents are a separate piece. When you go to the shop, just have them show you what the precut sections look like and you'll get an idea where the seams will be.

 

[chomdh]

yes you can see the seams, but only in some very specific areas. Things like the long edges of the hood were wrapped and folded over, no seam. The front corners of the hood have a very small semi circle void right at the tip. Sections like the hood scoop you can see the edge. The bumper near the side vents you can see the seam and each vent is a separate piece. If you have a 20-21 than the hockey sticks on the front vents are a separate piece. When you go to the shop, just have them show you what the precut sections look like and you'll get an idea where the seams will be.

Thanks for the additional detail!

Gloss black grille is a separate piece? What about the glossy black “frame” around the fake vents where the hockey sticks are?

 

[jcfishel]

it's really hard to explain. basically anything that can be disassembled or has too sharp of a edge/corner is a separate piece. best thing to do is go to your local PPF shop and have them show you the template they will cut out.

 

[ianmerriman]

I do PPF and Ceramic on every car now. It makes them easier to keep looking like new. When I bought my 2019 Type R about 2 months ago, it was already done, which was a big deal for me. Saved me $3,000 or so for other mods.

 

[jcfishel]

Saved me $3,000 or so for other mods.

Agree. I had plans for all sorts of mods after I bought my car but the PPF wiped out that budget overnight. $3k is a pretty big chunk of cash to drop (in addition to a down payment) when buying a new car. I tried to get the dealership to work the PPF into the financing, some dealerships will do that, but they declined.

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