Paint Protection Film

For those of you who have gotten PPF installed on your Tundra, how much of the truck did you cover in PPF and why?

I'm not sure how helpful it'll be to install PPF on the full hood (vs partial) or full fenders (vs partial). This stuff is expensive!

 

Whole car was $8k and full front was $3k. Lucky they didn’t have openings until late October(use that to walk away) so just went with ceramic for $1.4K. I can paint the front of the car few times before I hit the 8k mark. The guy also told me that the problem with doing just part of the car is that within 2 years the pain color will be different where is cover and where isn’t ( not sure if this was a sale pitch or true)

 

This is true if you live in a sunny area. Also, the stuff doesn’t last that long and it’s an absolute bitch to remove once it starts to harden, yellow and crack. The lifespan of the stuff, differs by manufacturer and weather of course, but is anywhere from 3-5 years according to their various literatures.

 

I dont like it, good for use under fender flares to protect paint rub but on the hood and other areas I would never want it. After a few years it looks like crap, worse than not having it. And it would be a bear to remove, clean everything up, hope removal doesn't damage the paint and then apply more.

I would be more inclined to pay for paint correction and ceramic for protection.

 

I had everything done forward of the bedside fenders, so all four door and everything forward of that, and I also got the gloss black trim piece on the tailgate done since that's where I grab to close it. I had a self healing coating applied to everything not covered in film. It cost me about $4K, but that was an error on their part. The actual cost would be closer to $6-7K. I got it all done because it makes cleaning it a breeze and I didn't want any seems. The warranty is 10 years, some offer a limited lifetime warranty. You really only see yellowing and cracking in the lower quality brands but some of the higher quality brands will cover you if it's under warranty and exhibits premature defects not caused by the owner. It has already saved a deep gouge in my passenger side mirror and the gloss grille surround on my platinum. I run it through a touch free car was once every couple of weeks and that is all it needs to be pristine. Nothing sticks to the stuff. Bird shit, bugs on the grille and leading edge of the hood come right off. You also get some extra gloss which is awesome with my Mag Grey Metallic paint.

 

Just to add, yellowing was common in old ppf because it was made from PVC based film. That is not the case anymore with most PPF out there. Reputable brands are made with aliphatic TPU now which is light stable and ridiculously resistant to UV discoloration. Despite this, most still treat them with additional UV blocking during manufacturing.

 

I went to Sun Control of Minnesota and had 3M paint protection film applied to the front 1/3 of the hood and front fenders along with the painted surfaces on either side of the grill. It was also applied on the door edges and fender areas that are subject to stone chipping. The total price was $600 and the product is warranted for 10 years. I recommend getting the 3M film applied by a certified facility. Not the Toyota dealership.

I forgot to mention that the 3M film is self healing and is also warranted against yellowing. The $600 price tag included tinting the front side windows.

 

First post...thought I'd chime in and say I put a deposit on a TRD Pro last week and plan on getting XPEL PPF. What I usually get done: Full Hood, Full Fenders, Side Mirrors, Bumpers, Headlights, Fog lights, Roofline, A-Pillars, B-Pillars, C-Pillars, Door Cups, Rocker Panels, Door Sills.

I've been adding PPF to my cars for the last ten years, and for me, it is worth the investment. PPF from XPEL (the only brand I use) doesn't yellow and is self-healing and I've had it on cars for more than five years. I only ever ceramic coat my wheels.

 

I probably should have mentioned it at the start but yes I'm looking to go with XPEL for it.

Once I can wrap my head around what makes the most sense, go with PPF and a ceramic coating. Maybe tint the windows also. All XPEL products done at the same shop.

 

+ on the XPEL got best guarantee and quality ,

 

I got a quote to do it and it was around $3k for front, hood, rocker panels, etc and then ceramic on the rest. I’m gonna pass and just keep it clean and shiny like every other vehicle I’ve had. Its a Toyota, not a Lambo. While I dont intend beating it to death, it will absolutely see some off road and some mud time anyway.

 

Ceramic coating and PPF are two different things with a similar purpose. PPF will protect your paint from rock chips and scratches. Ceramic coatings cannot do that. If you aim to protect the paint, go with PPF. If you want wax on steroids go with a ceramic coating.

I typically just wax my car which I find is super easy once XPEL is applied. I like products from Dr. Beasley or Meguiars

 

Professionally applied ceramic coatings are on the way out in the near future. There are much better coatings out now that are not ceramic. They have silicon based self healing coatings now that can self heal light scratches. I have revivify on my rear fenders (only place not covered in PPF). Heat from the sun, a heat gun, or blow dryer to light surface scratches and they disappear. It's not snake oil, I've seen it applied and tested in person. Ceramics don't have that quaility. There are more people coming to market with the self healing coatings now.

https://youtube.com/shorts/L4KFP506LGA?feature=share

 

@TheLordwoulddriveaTundra it's definitely not snake oil, but it's the closest thing I have seen. When it was first claimed it was self-healing, I thought it was nonsense, but it does heal itself.

I live in the mountains of British Columbia, where they tend to place gravel down in the winter...if I didn't place PPF on my cars, they'd get beat up. Not so much with PPF.

 

I have a 2010 white Camry that I had most of the car done with xpel ppf over 10 yrs ago because it saw some gravel roads. Still looks pretty good to me, it has been garage kept for all but a couple of those yrs. I'm sure the stuff they use now is even better.

 

Yes, I know. The film on parts, and ceramic everywhere else was the $3k quote. If it doesnt make it go fast or stop fast, or perform better off road, Im not paying that much for something. lol

 

I started to really pay attention to cars in parking lots and was surprised how many dings and scratches were on doors.

Thinking about skipping the ceramic coat this year in exchange for PPF on all four doors.

If I go this route, what sort of waxes are recommended for DIY installation? Or is that a bad idea? This truck isn't going to get to park in the garage so I'm expecting my fair share of bird droppings...

 

I don't follow. If you go the PPF route, you shouldn't use wax for installation. Your paint coat has to be completely free of any contaminates.

 

Can you explain what we're looking at? Is it damage from removing 3M or a joke maybe?

 

Hate to break it to you, but a lot has changed in 10 years. Modern day films don't do that. Also, that paint peeling off with the film is from your plastic bumper. Paint adherence to metal is much different.

 

This mirrors my experience.

 

This.

 

Sorry, what I mean to say is if I skip the ceramic coating what is a DIY substitute that'll help with the elements.

 

If you're going to diy, you might as well diy a ceramic coat. It's kind of tedious, took pretty much an entire day the last time I did it to a full size truck. But it's worth it done correctly.

 

Go easy on that stuff. It will trap moisture eventually and gather mold along the edges. If you've got a lighter colored vehicle (think white), it'll really get to lookin bad.

I pulled nearly all of it off our Sequoia.