PPF cost/quote help

[BuLL]

Good morning guys, I did some searching over the last couple days but didn’t quite find the info I was looking for.... I wanted to see if anyone could help me work through the expected costs or what would be considered a “good deal” in regards to having Xpel PPF applied to the front bumper, partial hood, and fender/door area to protect against rock chips, etc for the R.

The Xpel kit online is about $250-350ish? And doesn’t seem like you can pick/choose specific pieces that I’ve found...

Does anyone mind sharing what they were quoted or paid for a similar job? I have a good friend that will likely get the business...but wanted to poll the forum.

Included a pic of the new baby... lol

thanks for any input!

-KD

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[gaara46]

congrats on the car! i remember you had been waiting for some time. enjoy!

 

[BuLL]

congrats on the car! i remember you had been waiting for some time. enjoy!

thank you very much. It was about a 3-4 month wait in all...but well worth it for the right price, deal, etc! I’m knee deep in the honeymoon phase at the moment haha Appreciate it ??

 

[ians]

I will do the whole front end instead of partial hood. The line will looks ugly for the partial PPF. I paid $2k Cdn for full front end PPF on my FK8

 

[BuLL]

I will do the whole front end instead of partial hood. The line will looks ugly for the partial PPF. I paid $2k Cdn for full front end PPF on my FK8

thanks for the tip. i was curious about the partial hood... wasn’t sure if it was VERY noticeable. Thank you for the info.

 

[BoozerC22]

I agree going for the full front PPF. I paid $2.5k for mine in SoCal.

 

[CanadaCivic]

Since your car is white, any dirt build up on the PPF seams or any discoloring at all of the film will be extremely noticeable. At the very least, do your entire hood as that will be the most noticeable with a partial. Even Xpel Ultimate is known to discolor ever so slightly, and on a white car it will stand out like a sore thumb.

PPF itself is cheap, but paint prep is EXTREMELY important, and it takes skill to apply the film properly, which is what you are really paying for.

Pricing wise, I know in CAD so it shouldn't be much different except in USD, so this is a guideline only obviously:

For a partial front (bumper, half hood, mirrors) expect around $600 CAD / $500 USD retail

Full hood, bumper, mirrors, head/fog lights, and A pillars expect to pay around $1000 CAD / $750 USD

Full hood, bumper, fenders, mirrors, head/fog lights, A pillars, partial roof around $1400 CAD / $1100 USD

Entire vehicle wrap expect to pay around $3,500 USD, in my experience this price varies wildly shop-to-shop as much as $2000. I got an amazing deal but I paid around $4,000 CAD for my full wrap in Xpel Ultimate Plus. Some shops quoted me as high as $6,000 CAD which was outrageous, so get lots of quotes.

All of these prices are usually somewhat negotiable when you actually choose a shop (at least in Canada they are), so the above would be full retail.

Ask what the shop does for prep - that is so important. They should be doing a full iron/tar decontamination, clay bar, and at least a stage 1 polish before film application. If the car is brand new and white it may not need the polish, but that is case-by-case.

If you do go with a full wrap, I prefer shops that use kits rather than ones that use generic sheets of film and cut them on the car with a razor blade - even the most skilled guys can make mistakes, and that blade will go right through your paint so you cannot buff it out (you won't notice it until the film comes off either). You might get 1% more coverage, but not worth the risk IMHO.

I suggest putting a ceramic coating on top of the film as well for extra chemical resistance, ease of cleaning, and hydrophobic properties. It does not negatively affect the film in any way. With the films like Xpel, just be extra careful with bugs/bug guts - the films are very stain resistant but they can still stain, so try to stay on top of the bugs with some quick detail spray and a microfiber or a pressure washer. Also try to avoid automatic washes, if you can use the pressure washer wand yourself, you can control the pressure and be careful to stay away from the edges of the film so they don't lift.

 

[BuLL]

Since your car is white, any dirt build up on the PPF seams or any discoloring at all of the film will be extremely noticeable. At the very least, do your entire hood as that will be the most noticeable with a partial. Even Xpel Ultimate is known to discolor ever so slightly, and on a white car it will stand out like a sore thumb.

PPF itself is cheap, but paint prep is EXTREMELY important, and it takes skill to apply the film properly, which is what you are really paying for.

Pricing wise, I know in CAD so it shouldn't be much different except in USD, so this is a guideline only obviously:

For a partial front (bumper, half hood, mirrors) expect around $600 CAD / $500 USD retail

Full hood, bumper, mirrors, head/fog lights, and A pillars expect to pay around $1000 CAD / $750 USD

Full hood, bumper, fenders, mirrors, head/fog lights, A pillars, partial roof around $1400 CAD / $1100 USD

Entire vehicle wrap expect to pay around $3,500 USD, in my experience this price varies wildly shop-to-shop as much as $2000. I got an amazing deal but I paid around $4,000 CAD for my full wrap in Xpel Ultimate Plus. Some shops quoted me as high as $6,000 CAD which was outrageous, so get lots of quotes.

All of these prices are usually somewhat negotiable when you actually choose a shop (at least in Canada they are), so the above would be full retail.

Ask what the shop does for prep - that is so important. They should be doing a full iron/tar decontamination, clay bar, and at least a stage 1 polish before film application. If the car is brand new and white it may not need the polish, but that is case-by-case.

If you do go with a full wrap, I prefer shops that use kits rather than ones that use generic sheets of film and cut them on the car with a razor blade - even the most skilled guys can make mistakes, and that blade will go right through your paint so you cannot buff it out (you won't notice it until the film comes off either). You might get 1% more coverage, but not worth the risk IMHO.

I suggest putting a ceramic coating on top of the film as well for extra chemical resistance, ease of cleaning, and hydrophobic properties. It does not negatively affect the film in any way. With the films like Xpel, just be extra careful with bugs/bug guts - the films are very stain resistant but they can still stain, so try to stay on top of the bugs with some quick detail spray and a microfiber or a pressure washer. Also try to avoid automatic washes, if you can use the pressure washer wand yourself, you can control the pressure and be careful to stay away from the edges of the film so they don't lift.

this could be the most legendary reply of all time. Dude, thank you.

I actually just found out I have agood friend that has a shop and does Vinyl, PPF, etc.

He’s pricing me out a kit and will give me a break for his labor/prep.

I really appreciate the information @CanadaCivic

 

[Hotrhompson]

I did ceramic and a full front clip PPF and paid $2250.

The front end is curvy and the edges of the ppf can hold some grime if whoever does it doesn't do their due diligence.

 

[CanadaCivic]

this could be the most legendary reply of all time. Dude, thank you.

I actually just found out I have agood friend that has a shop and does Vinyl, PPF, etc.

He’s pricing me out a kit and will give me a break for his labor/prep.

I really appreciate the information @CanadaCivic

You're very welcome my friend, I'm glad it helped and I hope the pricing information turns out to be accurate in the USA. Sounds like you have a buddy who can do it for you so I'm sure you'll be getting a fair price regardless.

As for a ceramic coating, since you already are paying for film, I wouldn't suggest paying another ~$1000 for that. The paint prep is most of the labor anyway, the 'professional' coatings themselves are very inexpensive. The over-the-counter products have also got VERY good over the last couple of years, and since you already will have PPF (or partial), it's less of an issue. I really like the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions products. They have a new chemist and they are really putting out some good products lately compared to before when they were more of a value brand like ArmorAll. They have a spray ceramic coating as a base coat and ceramic based wet wax (just spray it on the car before you dry it) as well as a ceramic based quick detailing product for maintenance. It should last you 6-12 months, has extremely good chemical resistance according to objective testing, and is cheap and easy to re-apply when needed. It also has the same UV inhibitors in it as your vehicle's paint, so it helps there too. There are tons of good products out there though, that is just one I like for balancing performance, cost, and ease of application.

 

[BuLL]

You're very welcome my friend, I'm glad it helped and I hope the pricing information turns out to be accurate in the USA. Sounds like you have a buddy who can do it for you so I'm sure you'll be getting a fair price regardless.

As for a ceramic coating, since you already are paying for film, I wouldn't suggest paying another ~$1000 for that. The paint prep is most of the labor anyway, the 'professional' coatings themselves are very inexpensive. The over-the-counter products have also got VERY good over the last couple of years, and since you already will have PPF (or partial), it's less of an issue. I really like the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions products. They have a new chemist and they are really putting out some good products lately compared to before when they were more of a value brand like ArmorAll. They have a spray ceramic coating as a base coat and ceramic based wet wax (just spray it on the car before you dry it) as well as a ceramic based quick detailing product for maintenance. It should last you 6-12 months, has extremely good chemical resistance according to objective testing, and is cheap and easy to re-apply when needed. It also has the same UV inhibitors in it as your vehicle's paint, so it helps there too. There are tons of good products out there though, that is just one I like for balancing performance, cost, and ease of application.

appreciate the tips. I’ve always detailed my cars over the years (like a maniac) and the couple quotes I got on ceramic RAZY. I’ll likely stick to your suggestion and use an “off the rack” hybrid ceramic.
My primary concern was the “danger zones” with rocks, etc.... so feels good to be taking that stress away.

I’ll definitely take a look @ the turtle wax product for sure.... I was leaning chemical guys or Meguirs hybrid ceramic.... and I know I know... the detailers will frown on that I’m sure...but I’m confident I could get a professional product that isn’t too finicky and handle the job for 1/10th the cost. I have every damn product under the sun these days (fml) and have ceramic coated a few items... we’ll see. Gonna knock out the PPF and go from there...

Thanks again!

 

[metal_driver]

All good advice above. I have heard from multiple detailers and appliers that the front of the Type R is a bit of a bear to apply pdf to. Something to keep in mind as we get quotes that are a bit higher for this car..

 

[CanadaCivic]

All good advice above. I have heard from multiple detailers and appliers that the front of the Type R is a bit of a bear to apply pdf to. Something to keep in mind as we get quotes that are a bit higher for this car..

I've seen the cutout schematics for PPF on the Type R and it is indeed ridiculous how many individual pieces there are if you want everything covered. They needed my car for 3 days to do a full wrap on the entire car properly.

 

[AlphaDigital]

For 3M half PPF I was quoted $800 and the full was $1500 The half included front bumper, headlights, half the hood, door handle area, door edges, and the rear bumper portion under the license plate.

 

[CanadaCivic]

For 3M half PPF I was quoted $800 and the full was $1500 The half included front bumper, headlights, half the hood, door handle area, door edges, and the rear bumper portion under the license plate.

That sounds very expensive to me, especially if it's actually just cheap 3M and not something like XPEL Ultimate Plus, the 3M films are quite a bit worse in comparison and have shorter warranty against staining and discoloration.

Where I live, some of the shops try to give you cheap film when doing accident repairs. For example the insurance company will pay them for an XPEL Ultimate replacement on the affected area(s), and they will put on the cheapest 3M they can find and pocket the difference. Most customers will never know either.

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