PPF...Is It Worth It?

[kaj]

I put PPF on high-risk areas (fronts of rear quarter panels, sideskirts, etc). I don't like how it looks when the car is covered.
I guess if you are saving the car for the next owner and don't mind having it all removed before selling the car (assuming you are doing it to keep the paint nice) or.. if the new owner doesn't mind having the PPF with (I assume again) it's bit of damage and it's possible dullness/etc, then it would be worth the $$$$.

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[Mhj]

How much are you guys typically spending for just high risk areas? How do you go about ensuring the job is done correctly since you keep seeing how these butchered jobs that the shop is not willing to remedy.

Loads of questions, I know but I like to make very informed decisions. Thanks for your help.

 

[Insomniac]

Don't tail gate people, stay away from trucks. That being said, the front of my vehicles always have had ppf. This was my Mustang with 42k miles and three years later. Supra has 1200 miles though.

Richard

 

[GMsuperfan]

My apologies if this has been discussed to adnaseum. I am getting ready to take delivery of my order in a few month so I'm debating PPF. I hear the normal arguments about protecting the paint especially with Supra's notorious weak paint job. Lately though I'm hearing loads of other arguments. Most notably, this video:



His arguments are that rock chips are going to happen regardless and you would have to replace the PPF in order to get that pristine look. You can also maintain a pristine look with paint touch of which is substantially cheaper. Plus there's also the risk of damaging the paint itself when replacing PPF.

Then you also come across botched jobs where the paint is actually scratched while the PPF is being applied after paying thousands of dollars for it. https://www.supramkv.com/threads/avoid-top-guard-in-miami.13635/

I was quoted $3600 by a fairly reputable job here for
Full Front End Package
Rocker Panels & Lower Doors
Rear Wheel Impact Area

So with the fear of the cost, botched jobs, damage to the PPF itself after rock chips, difficulty of maintenance and the replacement issues I'm beginning to wonder if this is really the best option especially since the resale will not be affected at all.

What do you guys think?

This has been covered extensively and it’s completely subjective. I do it on my performance cars beacuase 1) i drive them (hard) 2) I don’t often keep them forever and when i sell them, I get top dollar for them because folks don’t have to worry about painting the hood or font of the car. We also have a lot of road debris on the highways here where i live, I’m not sure why but they do not clean up the shoulders and roads here very well. Another point….IMO, today’s tri-stage metallic colors are very hard to work with and lay down, non-factory paint never looks as good. I got the front 1/4 of the car done for roughly $2,500. That included bumper, lights, hood, mirrors, a-pillars, and about a 12“ strip on the front of the roof.

 

[kaj]

How much are you guys typically spending for just high risk areas? How do you go about ensuring the job is done correctly since you keep seeing how these butchered jobs that the shop is not willing to remedy.

Loads of questions, I know but I like to make very informed decisions. Thanks for your help.

I think I paid $800 for fronts of rear quarters and side skirts.
I trust the shop. I don't have time to micro manage

 

[Mason]

If this car was more expensive or exclusive then I’d invest in ppf. But on an entry level sports car at this price range I don’t see it making sense.

I wouldn’t personally pay 10% or a vehicles value on paint protection. You could replace entire body panels before you sell for less money

 

[Khysor]

I was quoted 6.5k for the entire car. Didn’t go for it since I was diagnosed with being poor. I was expecting 3k for the PPF. Just send it.

 

[Insomniac]

I was quoted 6.5k for the entire car. Didn’t go for it since I was diagnosed with being poor. I was expecting 3k for the PPF. Just send it.

I hate that diagnosis.

Richard

 

[kaj]

I was quoted 6.5k for the entire car. Didn’t go for it since I was diagnosed with being poor. I was expecting 3k for the PPF. Just send it.

I could get a NICE paint job for $6,500.

 

[BMWAF]

It sounds like PPF has become popular and is now super expensive? I PPF'd the front of my daily driver 12 years (and nearly 200,000km) ago and the car still looks great. I'll definitely be PPFing the Supra when it finally arrives.. ignore the spastics on YouTube.

My ancient car has maybe one or two chips but it doesn't look anywhere near its age. And back in 2008, getting the front done only cost me around $700AUD which was maybe the equivalent of $500USD at the time.

If you like to keep your car for a while and keep it looking new, PPF FTW.

 

[FLtrackdays]

I have the dreaded matte phantom paint and wouldn’t do any ppf if I wasn’t going to track her. I’ve been quoted $1400 from a well know high end installer for the front & rocker panels. And just because the abuse from tracking is the only reason I’m getting it done. My other track cars got completely peppered with rocks, tires debris, and I just don’t feel like messing with paint if my wife starts complaining about it. So yeah, to each his own 4 sure….

 

[FuzzyRev]

I'm living in the middle of it all. I ONLY do PPF on the high-risk areas, like front bumper cover and fenders (behind the front wheel on these cars), and just maybe the mirror caps. I prefer to leave the hood raw so I can enjoy hand-waxing it with the rest of the car, and know that I could always have it resprayed years down the line if it were truly bad enough.

 

[pandaman]

You could replace entire body panels before you sell for less money

And they'll arrive in Q3, 2026.

I did PPF on the front, mirrors, and side rear fenders area. That rear gets a ton of hits from road.

 

[GMsuperfan]

If this car was more expensive or exclusive then I’d invest in ppf. But on an entry level sports car at this price range I don’t see it making sense.

I wouldn’t personally pay 10% or a vehicles value on paint protection. You could replace entire body panels before you sell for less money

Not to call you out on your ignorance on this post but yeah, you sound ridiculous. 1) $60k for a 2 seat sports car (that is hardly practical for anything but 6 bags of groceries, track use, and spirited drives on the weekends) is not what i'd consider a cheap entry-level sports car. You already have the GR86 and others covering the sub-$35k segment. 2) Everyone in the late 90's probably had the same exact opinion of the MKIV Supra....now where are they? Toyota is making specific colors and packages limited, so i'm not sure i agree with you that this car is not exclusive, the cost, availability, and practicality alone prohibits many folks. Has inflation gotten to people so much that $60K is now a cheap car? If so, i'm out in left field i guess.

Also, most people are paying $60K out the door these days, $3K in PPF is 5%. People spend way more than that on wraps and half of those look like garbage so yeah, i don't think spending 5% or less to protect an investment is bad, and often you can pass that cost on to the next buyer if they value paint quality, but to each his own.

 

[Andrew4Supra]

I prefer to leave the hood raw so I can enjoy hand-waxing it with the rest of the car.

~ my entire Supra is in ppf and I still wax it often. therapeutic.

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