Originally Posted by brandonblt2 (Post 2202486)

I would do it before you get to many stone chips. I am personally kicking myself for not doing it seeing as I have sooo many stone chips from only 25k miles from rural and highway driving. The paint on these cars is so thin and crappy. I will probably end up repainting the whole front in 3 to 4 years

Originally Posted by CatDaddysBBQ (Post 2202752)

This. I am in the same boat.

Originally Posted by MarMcc91 (Post 2202782)

That's also the issue, i bought mine used so there are already chips :/ They aren't very visible though, I only get bothered when I am detailing my car. Should I get it painted first? and how long the they last?

Originally Posted by vividracing (Post 2202844)

I had my BRZ fully filmed except for the roof and trunk lid. When I can afford it I will cover them, too. Yes, the entire front, entire hood, entire side, and rear bumper.

It gets costly when you do large pieces. The largest being the entire side of the car as it uses one giant piece the height of the door and the length from behind the rear wheel to the front of the door.

But considering my car is a Galaxy Blue which is now a discontinued color, keeping it looking fresh is my top priority. The very same day I bought my car I had the entire front bumper covered. Essentially the paint on the front bumper has never been exposed to air since in my possession. The hood is still flawless as it was the 2nd thing I had done, and there are no scratches or imperfections in the paint as a result.

Your best bet is to get it repainted, then wait a few days to cure then have it filmed, if you care about appearance. Any chips pre-existing in the paint will still show under the film and if you're OCD enough it'll drive you nuts with the bumpiness.

PPF should last for as long as you have the car, or a big enough rock tears a gash in the film, that happened to me where something big enough hit the film and tore a hole in it about 1/2" around. I feared the worst, having to repaint it but when I had the film replaced, I discovered that there was no damage AT ALL! I was shocked to say the least. The film cost about $350 to replace, a fully repainted front bumper with install is more like $800.

If you have any questions about film, feel free to ask, I know pretty much everything considering I spent well over $2000 for my car. Lol

-RyanG

Originally Posted by brandonblt2 (Post 2202999)

$800 for bumper repaint seems pretty high I had my rear bumper repainted for a little over 400 and reinstalled

Originally Posted by vividracing (Post 2202844)

I had my BRZ fully filmed except for the roof and trunk lid. When I can afford it I will cover them, too. Yes, the entire front, entire hood, entire side, and rear bumper.

It gets costly when you do large pieces. The largest being the entire side of the car as it uses one giant piece the height of the door and the length from behind the rear wheel to the front of the door.

But considering my car is a Galaxy Blue which is now a discontinued color, keeping it looking fresh is my top priority. The very same day I bought my car I had the entire front bumper covered. Essentially the paint on the front bumper has never been exposed to air since in my possession. The hood is still flawless as it was the 2nd thing I had done, and there are no scratches or imperfections in the paint as a result.

Your best bet is to get it repainted, then wait a few days to cure then have it filmed, if you care about appearance. Any chips pre-existing in the paint will still show under the film and if you're OCD enough it'll drive you nuts with the bumpiness.

PPF should last for as long as you have the car, or a big enough rock tears a gash in the film, that happened to me where something big enough hit the film and tore a hole in it about 1/2" around. I feared the worst, having to repaint it but when I had the film replaced, I discovered that there was no damage AT ALL! I was shocked to say the least. The film cost about $350 to replace, a fully repainted front bumper with install is more like $800.

If you have any questions about film, feel free to ask, I know pretty much everything considering I spent well over $2000 for my car. Lol

-RyanG

Originally Posted by MastasmurF (Post 2203066)

I do have a question about when it comes to detailing. My car had a clear bra along with the side mirrors, around the door seals and handles installed from the dealer. Outside of regular washing I haven't put much into polishing or waxing. I about to drop some money on some equipment and supplies to do this. However, do I just avoid those areas that have the clear coat all together?

Originally Posted by MastasmurF (Post 2203066)

I do have a question about when it comes to detailing. My car had a clear bra along with the side mirrors, around the door seals and handles installed from the dealer. Outside of regular washing I haven't put much into polishing or waxing. I about to drop some money on some equipment and supplies to do this. However, do I just avoid those areas that have the clear coat all together?