Paint Protective Film Revisited

[MyTwoCents]

I know I saw a thread in the past about this - but I wanted to get some fresh opinions. I am leaning toward getting a PPF (Clear Bra) applied professionally after I take delivery. I believe it will cost between $1,000 and $2,000 depending on if I go for the “front only” or the “full hood”. One of my nephews has worked at a body repair shop for years, and he highly recommends that I have it done, and at a reputable company. (He recommended a specific one for me)

For those of you who have had PPF applied:

• Did you do the front package or the full hood?
• If you have bonnet stripes, did the PPF apply okay over the stripes?
• Has your PPF held up well?

I was linked this thread via email updates so I can give a little insight.

I have a Tesla Model S, not a Mini, so the prices would vary. However, they vary upon location anyway. I had the pleasure of purchasing my second Tesla (in the Midwest) and had both PPF'd. First was in the PNW so I could compare prices and can talk towards the protection factor.

Granted, the Model S is much larger in body size, the Midwest gave a much better "rate" in terms of application. I am a "car guy" and a DIY detailer (see www.reddit.com/r/autodetailing for a nice rabbit hole in caring for your car) so I know what I was getting into.

I had my entire car wrapped plus had ceramic IR/UV 85% tint put on all the glass for just under ~$4400.

In terms of WHERE to get it done, I would first find the film and use their installers. The two predominant films are Xpel and 3M.
You can see more here:
https://www.xpel.com/shop/paint-protection-film
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/post-factory-installation-us/paint-protection-film/

I went with the Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF and Prime XR Plus tint. These were personal choices but you would be fine with 3M as well.
My reasoning is the warranty (which included a 10-year road award by the installer).

I would shy away from some of the no name PPFs, but that is just me.

 

[GvilleGuy]

I was linked this thread via email updates so I can give a little insight.

I have a Tesla Model S, not a Mini, so the prices would vary. However, they vary upon location anyway. I had the pleasure of purchasing my second Tesla (in the Midwest) and had both PPF'd. First was in the PNW so I could compare prices and can talk towards the protection factor.

Granted, the Model S is much larger in body size, the Midwest gave a much better "rate" in terms of application. I am a "car guy" and a DIY detailer (see www.reddit.com/r/autodetailing for a nice rabbit hole in caring for your car) so I know what I was getting into.

I had my entire car wrapped plus had ceramic IR/UV 85% tint put on all the glass for just under ~$4400.

In terms of WHERE to get it done, I would first find the film and use their installers. The two predominant films are Xpel and 3M.
You can see more here:
https://www.xpel.com/shop/paint-protection-film
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/post-factory-installation-us/paint-protection-film/

I went with the Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF and Prime XR Plus tint. These were personal choices but you would be fine with 3M as well.
My reasoning is the warranty (which included a 10-year road award by the installer).

I would shy away from some of the no name PPFs, but that is just me.

Thanks for this! The dealer I am working with uses XPEL. I like the 10-year warranty. Do you happen to know if PPF is rated to handle an auto car wash? I would be unlikely to take my Mini through one, since hand washing will be easy given its size. However, I should know for sure whether it affects the XPEL warranty.

 

[MyTwoCents]

Thanks for this! The dealer I am working with uses XPEL. I like the 10-year warranty. Do you happen to know if PPF is rated to handle an auto car wash? I would be unlikely to take my Mini through one, since hand washing will be easy given its size. However, I should know for sure whether it affects the XPEL warranty.

As far as “rating” goes, it is fine. However, usually they are bad for cars. If you were to use one, I would opt for a brushless, but even then... they are likely to have an extreme pH to get the “kick” in cleaning power. I will use a brushless in my area every now and then (and use their monthly subscription in the winter for my ease) and just do a good decon when things warm back up. The bristles mar paint. Look up close at cars and you can see spiderwebbing with a flashlight. If that doesn’t matter to you, I’d say you’re ok.

It all comes down to personal preference.

 

[GvilleGuy]

As far as “rating” goes, it is fine. However, usually they are bad for cars. If you were to use one, I would opt for a brushless, but even then... they are likely to have an extreme pH to get the “kick” in cleaning power. I will use a brushless in my area every now and then (and use their monthly subscription in the winter for my ease) and just do a good decon when things warm back up. The bristles mar paint. Look up close at cars and you can see spiderwebbing with a flashlight. If that doesn’t matter to you, I’d say you’re ok.

It all comes down to personal preference.

Thanks! My bigger and older SUVs, we run them through the wash. My shiny new Mini - I will hand wash!

 

[MyTwoCents]

Thanks! My bigger and older SUVs, we run them through the wash. My shiny new Mini - I will hand wash!

I would say if you used brushless, you would be fine. I do it with both my PPF Teslas in the winter (for the road salt) and haven’t had issues.

Xpel advertises as self-healing and I can say it still looks pretty damn good. I would venture to guess a regular car wash may be fine but I personally wouldn’t risk it.

I don’t know the dynamics of the Mini, but in mine, there tends to be rocks kick up around the rear wheel (both in front and behind). I would recommend looking into this as well as if you’re unable to do a full install, they may offer a rocker panel/rear quarter for rocks

 

[MichaelC]

At the risk of pulling this thread slightly off-topic...

As far as “rating” goes, it is fine. However, usually they are bad for cars. If you were to use one, I would opt for a brushless, but even then... they are likely to have an extreme pH to get the “kick” in cleaning power.

Note that the extreme pH soaps used by brushless carwashes means you should not use them if you get ceramic coating applied. Ceramic coating requires pH-neutral cleaners to retain its effectiveness.

During the winter months, I go to the local "pay-n-spray" and use only the "rinse" option in the bay when I need to remove any heavy grime/salt build-up. If my MINI is really dirty, I will go at a very low traffic time with my own soap in a foamer - rinse, foam, wait for the foam to work, rinse again, then go home. (I have a garage, so it can safely air-dry there and not turn into an ice sculpture.)

 

[MyTwoCents]

At the risk of pulling this thread slightly off-topic...



Note that the extreme pH soaps used by brushless carwashes means you should not use them if you get ceramic coating applied. Ceramic coating requires pH-neutral cleaners to retain its effectiveness.

During the winter months, I go to the local "pay-n-spray" and use only the "rinse" option in the bay when I need to remove any heavy grime/salt build-up. If my MINI is really dirty, I will go at a very low traffic time with my own soap in a foamer - rinse, foam, wait for the foam to work, rinse again, then go home. (I have a garage, so it can safely air-dry there and not turn into an ice sculpture.)

Well put, Michael. I wasn’t going to muddy the waters but you hit the nail on the head.

Also, I would say it goes without saying, if you plan on trading the car in... don’t waste your money on doing all of the above as the money spent will not be returned on trade-in. You’d be best selling your car private party to someone that would appreciate the effort and care you put into your car.

 

[GvilleGuy]

Now my greatest challenge is: I am unable to schedule an XPEL install because XPEL has not yet issued the templates for the 2022 Mini model year! My local XPEL dealer (very highly rated) is contacting XPEL to see when they might expect them.

 

[MichaelC]

I guess they are unable/unwilling to perform custom installation? I had XPEL PPF installed on my '21 SE, and the shop did custom application for the SE-specific "nose cone". (The shop I used does a lot of custom vinyl work in addition to tinting, PPF, and ceramic coating so was not a big deal for them.)

I would not expect XPEL to invest in templates for the 2020/21 SE given the relatively low volume of them, but since the 2022 SE is much closer to ICE cars, they probably will make those templates eventually.

 

[GvilleGuy]

I guess they are unable/unwilling to perform custom installation? I had XPEL PPF installed on my '21 SE, and the shop did custom application for the SE-specific "nose cone". (The shop I used does a lot of custom vinyl work in addition to tinting, PPF, and ceramic coating so was not a big deal for them.)

I would not expect XPEL to invest in templates for the 2020/21 SE given the relatively low volume of them, but since the 2022 SE is much closer to ICE cars, they probably will make those templates eventually.

Yep - this shop does all kinds of tint, PPF, and ceramics - but they have not mentioned being able to do it custom yet. We'll see.