DIY Paint Protection Film install

fenix-silver

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Wanted to protect the most vulnerable areas of my new Si straight away and was looking into PPF. Called around to a few shops and it looked like it would run me $1K+, which was kind of tough to swallow. I mean, it's "still" just a cheap economy car. So I started looking into DIY and after reading and watching some videos, it seemed like this was something I could handle. Looked around for pre-cut PPF and came across a few companies that offered it at reasonable prices. Both were willing to customize their normal packages to provide only the pieces I wanted. Due to the cost of the front bumper piece and the fact that it looked like that piece would be a huge PITA to install, I forgo the bumper. I decided if the front bumper ever got bad enough, it's not too bad to get that resprayed.

So, I ended up with a Suntek Ultra kit that included the front 1/3 of the hood, the front portion of the front fenders, the a-pillars, the front part of the roof, the side view mirrors, the door handle cups, the top of the rear bumper, and the door edges. Installation went pretty well! The hardest parts were the mirrors due to needing to really stretch the film to cover the rounded shape. Also, the handle cups are kind of tough due to having to work under the handles. The large size of the hood piece wasn't too bad, although I did make a few mistakes. The hood piece also included wrapped edges, which are a bit difficult since you need to keep going back over the edges to keep them stuck down. It's not a professional quality install as there are a few small bubbles (I've been told those should slowly disappear) and a couple places where a piece of dust got trapped, but from more than a few feet away, none of that is noticeable. I would not hesitate to install PPF again. I kind of enjoyed it, other than those darn mirror pieces.
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Paint Protection Film install IMG_20190311_172925
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Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Paint Protection Film install IMG_20190311_173020
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Paint Protection Film install IMG_20190311_173029
Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Paint Protection Film install IMG_20190311_173041
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Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Paint Protection Film install IMG_20190311_173056
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Honda Civic 10th gen DIY Paint Protection Film install IMG_20190311_173417
 
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NHCivicGuy

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Great job! I haven't heard of this brand before but it looks pretty promising with some of the reviews. Do you mind sharing where you purchased your kit? I was contemplating doing a PPF on mine myself, including the headlights after my retrofit.
 
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fenix-silver

fenix-silver

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Great job! I haven't heard of this brand before but it looks pretty promising with some of the reviews. Do you mind sharing where you purchased your kit? I was contemplating doing a PPF on mine myself, including the headlights after my retrofit.
Suntek Ultra (I said Ultimate, but fixed) gets good reviews as being reasonably priced, easy to work with, and still top notch quality. The Ultra is self healing and is topcoated. I've heard that the 3M stuff isn't as easy to work with, but I'm sure there's not much difference. https://www.servoppf.com is who I ultimately went with. Their website has had some issues on occasion. Easy to work with. If you go with them, tell them IG @r_wamps sent you. Regardless of who you go with, be explicit about which film pieces you need. For instance, with some kits the wide narrow piece in front of the hood is included w/ the bumper kit and in others it is included w/ the hood kit.
 

NHCivicGuy

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Suntek Ultra (I said Ultimate, but fixed) gets good reviews as being reasonably priced, easy to work with, and still top notch quality. The Ultra is self healing and is topcoated. I've heard that the 3M stuff isn't as easy to work with, but I'm sure there's not much difference. https://www.servoppf.com is who I ultimately went with. Their website has had some issues on occasion. Easy to work with. If you go with them, tell them IG @r_wamps sent you. Regardless of who you go with, be explicit about which film pieces you need. For instance, with some kits the wide narrow piece in front of the hood is included w/ the bumper kit and in others it is included w/ the hood kit.
Awesome, I see them on eBay and it even looks like they include the headlights too. What was your process for installing? Did you mix a certain percentage spray bottle or have a particular special squeegee tool? I know some have a sweet mix for the perfect install.
 
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fenix-silver

fenix-silver

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Awesome, I see them on eBay and it even looks like they include the headlights too. What was your process for installing? Did you mix a certain percentage spray bottle or have a particular special squeegee tool? I know some have a sweet mix for the perfect install.
You'll probably get the best price and exactly what you want by contacting them directly. They send a 3M rubber squeegee with your purchase. Besides that, get 2 quality spray bottles. You'll be spraying a lot, so don't get something cheap. I found some nice bottles for like $4 at Lowes. In one bottle I mixed a few drops of dish detergent w/ distilled water (slip solution). In the other I think it was around 10% solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol to 90% distilled water (tack solution). I know I read about some special solutions, like some sort of gel, but I don't see the need.

Start w/ a perfectly cleaned car washed w/ dish detergent to REMOVE all wax. I did a quick clay bar, but as I only had 100 miles on my car at this point, the panels were pretty spotless. Spray a panel w/ the slip solution. With wetted fingers, start removing the PPF from the backing. As you remove it, spray the backside w/ the slip solution. I only needed help from my wife for the hood piece. Lay the PPF on the body panel and slide it into place. Some pieces you want to start from an edge; some, like the hood, you want to start from the center. Spray the top side of the film w/ slip solution (you really never want to use the squeegee on a dry piece of the PPF as you can leave marks). With overlapping strokes (this is really important), use the squeegee to squeeze all of the solution out. If you mess up or need to realign something, just pull the film up, apply more slip, and have another go. The stuff is pretty resilient. Keep an eye out for dust or dirt particles.

For pieces that require stretching or where you need to keep one end firmly in place, after putting the film down, lift the edge you want to start from and spray some tack solution. Squeegee that edge down and now it should be pretty darn stuck fast (you can still pull it if needed). Now you'll be able to stretch or manipulate the film to fit the panel without it sliding around on you. The suggestion is to not grab hold of the film to stretch it but to use your palms to push and slide it as needed, although for the mirror pieces I found I had to grab hold of it to do the stretching. (Oh, and I think it's easier to apply the film when it's warmer. I applied in probably 40 degree temps and I think I would have had a better experience with it in the summer.) When you finish up a panel, you might find that some edges don't want to stay stuck. Wrap the squeegee in a paper towel and work the squeegee towards the edge of the film. As the solution gets worked towards the edge, it will get absorbed by the towel instead of getting sucked back under the film. Tack solution is handy here as well. Be patient and don't rush and it should turn out pretty well. If you are into DIY, this is something I think pretty much anyone can do, at least for the more basic panels. I look at my bumper and contemplate trying to do it, but I think the bumper piece itself is like $200. Also, there are some good videos on YT that you should watch to get some visuals of how to use the squeegee.
 


jasonklor

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You'll probably get the best price and exactly what you want by contacting them directly. They send a 3M rubber squeegee with your purchase. Besides that, get 2 quality spray bottles. You'll be spraying a lot, so don't get something cheap. I found some nice bottles for like $4 at Lowes. In one bottle I mixed a few drops of dish detergent w/ distilled water (slip solution). In the other I think it was around 10% solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol to 90% distilled water (tack solution). I know I read about some special solutions, like some sort of gel, but I don't see the need.

Start w/ a perfectly cleaned car washed w/ dish detergent to REMOVE all wax. I did a quick clay bar, but as I only had 100 miles on my car at this point, the panels were pretty spotless. Spray a panel w/ the slip solution. With wetted fingers, start removing the PPF from the backing. As you remove it, spray the backside w/ the slip solution. I only needed help from my wife for the hood piece. Lay the PPF on the body panel and slide it into place. Some pieces you want to start from an edge; some, like the hood, you want to start from the center. Spray the top side of the film w/ slip solution (you really never want to use the squeegee on a dry piece of the PPF as you can leave marks). With overlapping strokes (this is really important), use the squeegee to squeeze all of the solution out. If you mess up or need to realign something, just pull the film up, apply more slip, and have another go. The stuff is pretty resilient. Keep an eye out for dust or dirt particles.

For pieces that require stretching or where you need to keep one end firmly in place, after putting the film down, lift the edge you want to start from and spray some tack solution. Squeegee that edge down and now it should be pretty darn stuck fast (you can still pull it if needed). Now you'll be able to stretch or manipulate the film to fit the panel without it sliding around on you. The suggestion is to not grab hold of the film to stretch it but to use your palms to push and slide it as needed, although for the mirror pieces I found I had to grab hold of it to do the stretching. (Oh, and I think it's easier to apply the film when it's warmer. I applied in probably 40 degree temps and I think I would have had a better experience with it in the summer.) When you finish up a panel, you might find that some edges don't want to stay stuck. Wrap the squeegee in a paper towel and work the squeegee towards the edge of the film. As the solution gets worked towards the edge, it will get absorbed by the towel instead of getting sucked back under the film. Tack solution is handy here as well. Be patient and don't rush and it should turn out pretty well. If you are into DIY, this is something I think pretty much anyone can do, at least for the more basic panels. I look at my bumper and contemplate trying to do it, but I think the bumper piece itself is like $200. Also, there are some good videos on YT that you should watch to get some visuals of how to use the squeegee.
Very impressive! I think I might try and give this a go as well. Great write up and great job! The bubbles that you were referring to, have they gone away?
 
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fenix-silver

fenix-silver

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Very impressive! I think I might try and give this a go as well. Great write up and great job! The bubbles that you were referring to, have they gone away?
Yeah, pretty much. There are a few under the door handle cup pieces, but those don't bother me at all. The hood looks pretty darn good. The a-pillars and front roof piece are pretty much perfect. The only imperfections are due to my screw ups (mostly from trying to force bubbles out when there was no more slip solution under the film or on top...DON'T TRY!!...pull the film and re-wet it, or just let it go if the bubbles are small).
 

jasonklor

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Yeah, pretty much. There are a few under the door handle cup pieces, but those don't bother me at all. The hood looks pretty darn good. The a-pillars and front roof piece are pretty much perfect. The only imperfections are due to my screw ups (mostly from trying to force bubbles out when there was no more slip solution under the film or on top...DON'T TRY!!...pull the film and re-wet it, or just let it go if the bubbles are small).
Awesome, thanks for the pointers!
 

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Yeah, pretty much. There are a few under the door handle cup pieces, but those don't bother me at all. The hood looks pretty darn good. The a-pillars and front roof piece are pretty much perfect. The only imperfections are due to my screw ups (mostly from trying to force bubbles out when there was no more slip solution under the film or on top...DON'T TRY!!...pull the film and re-wet it, or just let it go if the bubbles are small).
can you polish or wax the car with the PPF?
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