Where to prioritize paint protection film

I got the full hood, front bumper, side mirrors, and door cups with Suntek Reaction. No regrets. One unexpected effect is that the film seems to do a good job repelling dirt. The surfaces that I applied film have stayed very clean. For that reason alone, I'm thinking about going back and getting the rear hatch and bumper done too.

 

I didn't do the fenders or doors. Based on my 14-year R53 ownership experience, almost all my paint chips were on the front bumper and hood. My fenders and doors weren't pristine, but it wasn't enough for me to justify the extra film.

The rear hatch and bumper were always dirty though. Additionally, some of the contaminants seemed to be permanently bonded, but that may have been from the exhaust--not a problem with the SE obviously.

 

Is it then obvious where the PPF was applied because the areas bordering the PPF contrast by getting dirty first?

 

In my area the municipality has to use gravel and sand in the winter because of the -4F and colder winters. I do full front bumper/hood XPEL and wrap around the edges because I dislike getting sandblasted every winter and spring. I really haven't noticed any yellowing because I am not a white car driver.

 

Can we assume that there has been remarkable progress in the film? I've seen countless older cars with degraded film (usually in the front), and it looks shabby. I haven't noticed any problems with chipping on any of my Mini's, starting with the first one in 2003. Is film a solution to a non-existent problem?

 

It'll depend on what you choose. In my case, I had PPF applied either to whole panels (like the bumper and hood) or along existing creases (the door cups), and so you can't tell unless you're looking for it. I also chose the thinner on-road over the thicker off-road film, so it's even less apparent.

I've seen applications where only the first 5-6 inches of the hood are covered. It's less expensive, but the edge is visible and I think it'd get worse over time as dirt gets stuck on the edge.

 

I've also heard that the leading edge of the roof should be protected.

 

Where? In a midwestern state where winters get as cold as -20F and roads are routinely sanded or salted, and the summers can get as hot as 110F. And to make it worse, there are two gravel quarries on roads I frequently travel on, with lots of slow trucks dusting the roads with their loads. The gravel doesn't bother me too much - I've seen very few stone dings in 20 years of driving Minis.

 

We just had Xpel PPF and tint installed on our 2023 SE. Original plan was to cover the full front, rear hatch, rear bumper and the pillars. Since the car is so small, it wasn't much more to do the whole car. The car was also coated with Xpel's fusion ceramic coating. Basically got the same treatment as our 2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. I will say the car is much easier to wash with the PPF and I'm less concerned with slight scratching because of the the self healing nature of the PPF. Xpel has a 10 year warranty against fading, cracking and pealing when installed by an authorized dealer. And Yes, I made a claim with Xpel when the PPF on the rear bumper of our Tesla Model 3 started to lift and dirt was trapped underneath. Xpel replaced the PPF on the entire rear bumper no questions asked. There has been on going road construction near me and the roads have a lot of gravel and other debris, so PPF is something I wanted.

I've previously had cars with only a partial hood and fender PPF wrap. I wouldn't do this again as the edge traps dirt (along with detailing clay if you get too close) and rock damage always seemed to happen to the area not covered by the PPF.

Our SE after PPF and ceramic..

 

I try to pick routes where the traffic (and speed limit) is low, and I don't like to follow other vehicles too closely. The 50mph back road is more fun than the 70mph four-lane.

 

Exactly the conditions I live in. I've owned five MINIs, and always do PPF on the front up to about the hood scoop, plus the door edges. Never had any problems with dings. I'm more worried about rocks hitting the windshield.

 

I too heard rocks hitting the side panels, and my multi-tone roof would be basically impossible to do any paint matching if it chipped, so I was basically at a full body wrap considering I was already going to do full front and hood. It's probably overkill, but I just want the piece of mind after seeing so many rock chips on my old car. Will post pics in a week when it's finished.

 

I’ll be getting my front end protected after my bonnet gets repaired. It looks like the surface of the moon after just 4500 km.

 

I need to schedule that. I'm having PPF applied to the entire car, with the possible exception of the two rear corners of the roof, where mag mount ham antennas will be positioned.

 

I would expect mag mounts work though PPF... and that if you're not worried about abrasion to the paint from the mag mount, you're probably ok on the PPF as well.

The biggest chip I have in my 2015 Cooper S is on the roof between the windshield and the sunroof.
I've never had PPF, but I'd be pretty upset if I paid to do the areas you list and then got pinged good on the roof.