PPF full wrap - Who's done it?

[willimusk]

OK, so how many of you good people have done a full wrap of your BRZ/FR-S/86 with paint protection film?

My BRZ is on the way and I'm trying to decide how much protection it needs, since I plan to keep it for a very long time. As a reasonable man, I begin thinking just the front bumper. Then I look at a pic of the front end and say: oh, need protection on those other high-impact spots sticking out--bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors. Then I imagine gravel kicking up against the rocker panels and rear quarter panels, so, yeah, oughta cover those. And what about about the red minivan scraping my rear bumper in the parking lot at Trader Joe's, leaving a strawberry on my crystal white pearl rump? Don't want that! By this point, it's like, hey, wrap the whole sucker and be done with it! But that's big bucks, especially on a $30K car, and seems, well, insane. And completely reasonable! There lies the rub, as it were.

How many have slid down this slope to perdition and opted for the full wrap? Has it been it worth it? Any regrets? I welcome all arguments for and against!

[86geek]

while you're at it get your new BRZ ceramic coated.

[willimusk]

It'll get that, too, whatever the PPF coverage turns our to be!

[Wes]

Just put bubble wrap around your while car when you're out, or just keep it in the garage and not drive it, it'll your best protection LOL

but seriously, just clear bra the front lol. no point in doing the whole car, thats a waste, just vinyl wrap it if the paint goes to hell

[Crashdummy]

I have the bumper, full hood, 1/2 fenders, mirrors, A-pillars and above the windshield wrapped in Xpel Ultimate.
I see the most bugs on the bumper, a-pillars and above the roof, so you can bet that gets blasted the most with road crap when driving.

[FRSKEV]

I believe there's a few cars fully wrapped in PPF at least 3 or 4, I'm one of them. I've only seen them post on random threads so they would be hard to find.

[Frisco]

I thought long and hard about this, but in the end it just didn't make sense for me. My new BRZ will be a low mile car, no freeway commuting, so I don't expect to encounter a ton of road debris. It will be garaged. PPF is just too expensive and I can't justify the cost. Maybe I'm waiting to see how yours turns out, Bill!

I do enjoy the ceramic coating, though!

CJ

[willimusk]

Originally Posted by Frisco

I thought long and hard about this, but in the end it just didn't make sense for me. My new BRZ will be a low mile car, no freeway commuting, so I don't expect to encounter a ton of road debris. It will be garaged. PPF is just too expensive and I can't justify the cost. Maybe I'm waiting to see how yours turns out, Bill!

I do enjoy the ceramic coating, though!

CJ

I hear you. I've been back and forth in my mind, but I'm going for it. The only question is how much coverage. The wife and I will go road tripping around the state and beyond, so it makes sense to me to defend against our aging highway infrastructure. And I plan to keep this car for many years to come. Might as well have it look pristine. PPF is pricey, sure, but the car itself is a relative bargain, IMO, so that helps rationalize the cost.

[KalbiCool88]

A lot of people may not have addressed this, but I feel like it should be noted. If you do get PPF and you get a dent or two, it's a pain in the ass to remedy. I have full front end PPF and I got a dent on my hood from a large rock hitting my car on the freeway. I had a PDR guy work on my car, but forgotten to mention that I had PPF. The end result was the dent was gone, but now I have these circular rings imprinted on the film due to his use of suction cups. Now maybe the PDR guy would've gone at it a different way or maybe he would've refused to do the job altogether, but it's something that you might want to think about especially for door panels and fenders that may get dinged/dented if you park the car publicly or in a lot.

[willimusk]

That's an interesting point that I've never considered. Do you have regrets about getting the PPF?

[FRSKEV]

@KalbiCool88 you should have told him about the film on your car, I'm sure he would have used a different method. I think they use the suctions cups to hold a light to see the dent better when working on it.

Best thing I ever did, but I might be biased. Full car PPF

[tobin]

I would rather pay for a new paint job in the future than full PPF upfront.

[Pat]

The OEM paint isn't all that great. I don't see that much value in protecting it. Don't get me wrong, one should care for it (i.e. wash, wax, etc.). But as tobin said, maybe just consider a respray or wrap if it gets bad enough. These aren't exactly collector cars.

[FRSKEV]

That's the thing everyone says that but they don't realize how much an actual real and good paint job costs and most importantly how much easier repainted panels chip compared to OEM factory paint job. Probably 3-4x easier and faster. Not to mention variables like paint match, quality prep, etc.

I only say this because with my experience (5 years working at an auto body shop and now about 6 years installing PPF) I think it's the best option to protect your paint. It's not for everyone because it's "costly" but I would recommend doing the entire front end and the rocker panel area.