[vividracing]

I can tell you all about clear bra/paint protection film.

I had it installed on my entire car except the roof and trunk lid. Yes, I had the entire front, sides, back and hood PPF'ed. It wasn't cheap either!

Pricing wise, mine was $800 for the entire hood, ~$350 for the entire front and a little less for the entire back, and ~$1200 for EACH side. The price depends on how much material is required, and since the side is one solid body part with a door in the middle, they need PPF in one piece and cut it out to fit.

In the past film would yellow because of poor quality but any reputable shop that's been in business for more than 10 years wouldn't sell film that yellows or they'd be out of business pretty quick. Between the 3 main brands: XPEL, SunTek, and 3M, the best is XPEL because it's self healing apparently. SunTek is a good alternative and nothing wrong with 3M but the others are just better. 3M costs more supposedly.

As far as fitment, any good shop would have software that cuts it to exact fitment with very little gaps in coverage. If you go to a shop, ask them to see an example of their work on a car so you can see the tolerance they allow. If it's too big, ask them about it and that you want better coverage. Avoid "pre-cut" pieces as the gaps are huge. Also ask if they can curl over the edge so there's no lines at the border. My hood and front quarter panels have the edges curled over and it looks like nothing is there at all.

I wouldn't get a partial hood or roof, even though it might save you some money, you'll be punching yourself in the face when a rock hits the hood just above the film and gashes the paint and you have to get it repainted AND buy the film again. Might as well buy the entire hood and protect all of it. The advantage of film is obvious, it protects the paint, but secondly, it keeps it looking new and fresh, NO more micro scratches from washes or detailing, and you don't have to wax it as often because the film preserves the paint underneath, you just have to detail the film. If you do go with the film, you can get it detailed but don't go all out because in order to get the film to stick, they have to clean it with a mix of water and soap of some kind. A slick, waxed surface won't let the film adhere to the paint. The best thing you could do is clay bar the paint, then polish, then sealant wax then go get it filmed.

CQuartz and any expensive detailing job would make it look great, but just like any wax, it's a temporary change. Over time it'll wear out and go back to how it was before and you'll have to do it again, and it doesn't protect the paint. Meanwhile, the film is holding strong and still protecting and making the paint look fresh.

-RyanG