PPF - Page 2 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

I am contemplating whether to PPF my GT3. It has 2500 miles, I am hoping to go to the Nurburgring next year and this has got me thinking about getting it PPF'd. I know nothing about it so was hoping I could learn from those who have done it. Are there better films than others? How much of the car would you get done? And roughly how much should I expect to pay? Cheers

c.£4 to £5k for whole body. If you get it done TELL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY!

Regardless whether you go for the full car or not, At the very least get the rear quarter panels done as they suffer horribly from road rash. They do come with some as standard but it’s nowhere near big enough!

Digester Man said: I am contemplating whether to PPF my GT3. It has 2500 miles, I am hoping to go to the Nurburgring next year and this has got me thinking about getting it PPF'd. I know nothing about it so was hoping I could learn from those who have done it. Are there better films than others? How much of the car would you get done? And roughly how much should I expect to pay? Cheers If it genuinely is chip / rash free, which will be very hard to have achieved, poss get the front and rear arches £2k, but you can get a lot of repainting done for £5k

Digester Man said: I am contemplating whether to PPF my GT3. It has 2500 miles, I am hoping to go to the Nurburgring next year and this has got me thinking about getting it PPF'd. I know nothing about it so was hoping I could learn from those who have done it. Are there better films than others? How much of the car would you get done? And roughly how much should I expect to pay? Cheers . Topaz film on last car seemed better for clarity versus other films on previous cars but having subsequently seen some variable quality application work by them, for my current car I went with a local installer whose quality I could better validate - and who did a very good job on a full ppf on an SRS. Within reason I think it is more important to use the right installer than which film.

Digester Man said: I am contemplating whether to PPF my GT3. It has 2500 miles, I am hoping to go to the Nurburgring next year and this has got me thinking about getting it PPF'd. I know nothing about it so was hoping I could learn from those who have done it. Are there better films than others? How much of the car would you get done? And roughly how much should I expect to pay? Cheers Worth looking at the bodywork section on here, I think it’s covered in a thread about a F355. I have full Xpel PPF on my 992 and don’t think it was worth the 5k price tag. It has negligible effect on the rear arch rash and I still get stone chips which are more difficult to treat. The self healing is a myth and as someone else stated much depends on the installer. The only upside is that bird droppings and dead insects don’t penetrate the clearcoat. Personally I would save your money, a good quality detail and wax is money better spent.

I had ppf done on my 991.2 and added the clear shark fins on top of the xpel ppf on the rear arches to give more protection. Expensive, but no stones have gone through the ppf on the rear arches, so if you can afford it, I would do it.

I have topaz on my 2022 black GT3. It still marks if you get a chip, and obviously you`re stuck with that mark. I was happy my car had it when I purchased it and it was done from new. I had the car at 5800 miles. I had the shark fins replaced at topaz (£190) that was just another sheet put on top of the whole 1/4 section. It is a cracking job and very neat. Would I have paid £6k nope!, but having it was and is a bonus.

IIRC, the installer will offer to reapply the factory stone protection for the rear arches on top of the PPF for this reason.

PPF is not something I would do, I've had two cars that were previously PPF'd by previous owners and to get it off was a pain and it looked awful, coloured jerky and dreadful edges. It costs a lot of money and no one wants to do it. Both cars look awful and whilst the paint was eventually good underneath, perhaps missing the odd stone chip they were not 'impact fee' and it was devils job to clean all the glue off. I bought a 40k miles 997 and had the front bumper resprayed, not because of stone chips but because of clumsy parking it cost £700. I had a few other minor blemishes and marks and all have come out with a polish or a bit of careful work with Chipex £5-6k for a full wrap is IMO daft. It always looks worse than waxed paint, nearly always has obvious edges that pick up dirt and ARE as obvious as a stone chip and it changes the colour and always yellows. I recently sold a 991.1 GT3 with 11k miles and it was perfect other than one stone chip. It hadn't been around the ring and only around Silverstone, so mostly road use. Many show cars used to fit a 'bra' that looked stupid and was for paranoid owners IMO, PPF reminds me of this. The only car I had a bit of pebble dashing on was my 964 RS that I did many track days with and went around the ring many times. Back then £500 and it was mint again I saw this recently in a dealer and my opinion might or might not match others opinions on the value

Personally, I would always get my car's PPF'd and have done so on various 911's, Aston's, Bentley's, an R8 and on my latest car an AMG GT. With the amount of debris on the roads nowadays and with many of my cars being quite low to the ground they are more likely than not to be chipped by flying debris- and that is with me driving a fair way behind the cars in front of me. I use Jules Sturgess Automotive for the PPF and Cambridge Autogleam for my detailing, both of whom are at the same location just outside of Cambridge, and both do an excellent job. Jules has templates (and can create them for the really rare cars ( Bugatti, Mercedes Mclaren SLR etc)) for nearly all the cars that exist and it is virtually impossible to see that PPF has been fitted. He always ensures that no edges are seen. The full PPF wrap on my AMG GT was £5500, which included over £800 VAT.

JohnnyUK said: c.£4 to £5k for whole body. If you get it done TELL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY! Actually check with them first , my insurers will not cover a ppf car at all .

A lot of different opinions on this one. My car is white - would that be another reason against PPF? Would it be less noticeable if it was a dark colour - and more likely to look yellow/dirty on a white car? I am just a bit concerned that I could have a great trip to the Ring and then feel disappointed if I come home with road rash. Suppose its hard to win!

The yellowing issue is, allegedly, not a problem anymore. I understand that the majority come with 10-year warranties too for this very reason. Just to add, all my cars also have PPF. The very first was a VentureShield product (long been absorbed by one of the bigger boys now) that was one of the earlier generation films and which still looked brand new 20yrs on up until i had a knock on the front bumper and it needed to come off. Edited by Popolou on Thursday 18th December 12:56

I went for it on my car this year. The front bumper/chin seemed susepdable to rash so I planned to get that sprayed and PPF'd. This extended to the performance kit (I think) which is full front, sills and rear arches. I had a fair bit of paint done first to remove any imperfections so ended up doing the doors as well. It's a Targa so no roof to do. Great job and car looks better than new. A bit too soon to talk about longevity but my view was worth doing on a car I plan to keep. ETA - It is XPEL that was used on my car and with Admiral it was £10 or something to add an "Exterior decorative change" Edited by Maxus on Thursday 18th December 13:12

Adrian-9iafn said: PPF is not something I would do, I've had two cars that were previously PPF'd by previous owners and to get it off was a pain and it looked awful, coloured jerky and dreadful edges. It costs a lot of money and no one wants to do it. Both cars look awful and whilst the paint was eventually good underneath, perhaps missing the odd stone chip they were not 'impact fee' and it was devils job to clean all the glue off. I bought a 40k miles 997 and had the front bumper resprayed, not because of stone chips but because of clumsy parking it cost £700. I had a few other minor blemishes and marks and all have come out with a polish or a bit of careful work with Chipex £5-6k for a full wrap is IMO daft. It always looks worse than waxed paint, nearly always has obvious edges that pick up dirt and ARE as obvious as a stone chip and it changes the colour and always yellows. I recently sold a 991.1 GT3 with 11k miles and it was perfect other than one stone chip. It hadn't been around the ring and only around Silverstone, so mostly road use. Many show cars used to fit a 'bra' that looked stupid and was for paranoid owners IMO, PPF reminds me of this. The only car I had a bit of pebble dashing on was my 964 RS that I did many track days with and went around the ring many times. Back then £500 and it was mint again I saw this recently in a dealer and my opinion might or might not match others opinions on the value my Topaz PPF looks loads better than that The only thing I don`t like is when you towel dry it off and when you apply rapid detailers it isn`t the same as doing paint. It takes longer to get right and more passes

It’s a good question and you have got a healthy range of opinions already which is great. My experience leads me to say no. I’ve had cars with and without ppf and the cons outweigh the pros. As mentioned you can still see the little dings and chips in the ppf and the self healing is not effective in my experience with it. Also you get the dirt slowly but surely accumulating in the exposed edges if any are left. Finally the most irritating aspect for me was that the blood from insects would leave faint brown marks in the film which slowly darken with time. My cars with ppf were brightly coloured but I went to see a less than one year old black Porsche with ppf and the bonnet looked really poor with the little chips very noticeable against the dark background. I also think on balance that the appearance of ppf film is not as nice as a highly polished or ceramic coated car. As said it’s a really good opinion based question, I hope you come up with the right solution for you but most of all enjoy driving that lovely car of yours.

sardis said: It s a good question and you have got a healthy range of opinions already which is great. My experience leads me to say no. I ve had cars with and without ppf and the cons outweigh the pros. As mentioned you can still see the little dings and chips in the ppf and the self healing is not effective in my experience with it. Also you get the dirt slowly but surely accumulating in the exposed edges if any are left. Finally the most irritating aspect for me was that the blood from insects would leave faint brown marks in the film which slowly darken with time. My cars with ppf were brightly coloured but I went to see a less than one year old black Porsche with ppf and the bonnet looked really poor with the little chips very noticeable against the dark background. I also think on balance that the appearance of ppf film is not as nice as a highly polished or ceramic coated car. As said it s a really good opinion based question, I hope you come up with the right solution for you but most of all enjoy driving that lovely car of yours. Don’t get us all started on ceramic coatings!!! A body shop specialist I know insists that PPF and ceramic coatings are one big con, I’m never quite sure how seriously to take him, but tend to agree on PPF now that I’ve invested, not worth the money.

Blue62 said: Don t get us all started on ceramic coatings!!! A body shop specialist I know insists that PPF and ceramic coatings are one big con, I m never quite sure how seriously to take him, but tend to agree on PPF now that I ve invested, not worth the money. I think when a full body cost £2k some 10 years ago they made sense but whatever happened in the years since to bring it to where it is now is utterly bonkers.

Blue62 said: sardis said: It s a good question and you have got a healthy range of opinions already which is great. My experience leads me to say no. I ve had cars with and without ppf and the cons outweigh the pros. As mentioned you can still see the little dings and chips in the ppf and the self healing is not effective in my experience with it. Also you get the dirt slowly but surely accumulating in the exposed edges if any are left. Finally the most irritating aspect for me was that the blood from insects would leave faint brown marks in the film which slowly darken with time. My cars with ppf were brightly coloured but I went to see a less than one year old black Porsche with ppf and the bonnet looked really poor with the little chips very noticeable against the dark background. I also think on balance that the appearance of ppf film is not as nice as a highly polished or ceramic coated car. As said it s a really good opinion based question, I hope you come up with the right solution for you but most of all enjoy driving that lovely car of yours. Don t get us all started on ceramic coatings!!! A body shop specialist I know insists that PPF and ceramic coatings are one big con, I m never quite sure how seriously to take him, but tend to agree on PPF now that I ve invested, not worth the money. Depends on your use, I had cars where the bug etch without ceramic coating was shocking after prolonged high speed EU trips in the warm weather, had to replace the hole front end after a drive back from Morocco. So for me, PPF and Ceramic Coating is a no brainer, but as I say, very much depends on your use case, anything from nothing/ceramic coating/ppf/ppf and certamic coating as I say depends on your use of cars. And of course a body shop would say PPF is a waste of time, doing him out of business!!

993rsr said: Depends on your use, I had cars where the bug etch without ceramic coating was shocking after prolonged high speed EU trips in the warm weather, had to replace the hole front end after a drive back from Morocco. So for me, PPF and Ceramic Coating is a no brainer, but as I say, very much depends on your use case, anything from nothing/ceramic coating/ppf/ppf and certamic coating as I say depends on your use of cars. And of course a body shop would say PPF is a waste of time, doing him out of business!! I certainly agree that the PPF on my black car hasn’t suffered with insect residue, but quite why PPF would do a body shop out of business is beyond me, it doesn’t protect from accident damage or deep scratches and in both those instances is more work for said body shop.

Blue62 said: 993rsr said: Depends on your use, I had cars where the bug etch without ceramic coating was shocking after prolonged high speed EU trips in the warm weather, had to replace the hole front end after a drive back from Morocco. So for me, PPF and Ceramic Coating is a no brainer, but as I say, very much depends on your use case, anything from nothing/ceramic coating/ppf/ppf and certamic coating as I say depends on your use of cars. And of course a body shop would say PPF is a waste of time, doing him out of business!! I certainly agree that the PPF on my black car hasn t suffered with insect residue, but quite why PPF would do a body shop out of business is beyond me, it doesn t protect from accident damage or deep scratches and in both those instances is more work for said body shop. PPF is pretty resiliant against knocks and scratches that would ordinarilly require paintwork if you want to avoid the smart repair bodgers. Especially some of the newer thicker films like Suntek Ultra Defense.,

I think PPF is a no brainer. I've had it done on every car I've bought in the last 15 years. Most places that apply it will use either XPEL or Suntec and the quality of the job is down in 100% down to the outfit you use. I fully accept there are some horrendous ones out there, but equally there are some excellent, albeit very small places. Re pricing I'm paying 2400 for a full car. If you're paying any more you're being ripped off. The film isn't that expensive, the pricing is mainly labour. Just ensure they use a plotter to cut the sheets and don't do it on the car. I'd steer clear of anyone that doesn't have a plotter and just buys the pre cut kits. It's the pre cut kits that tend not to fit properly and leave the very visible exposed edges as in the pics on this thread.

993rsr said: PPF is pretty resiliant against knocks and scratches that would ordinarilly require paintwork if you want to avoid the smart repair bodgers. Especially some of the newer thicker films like Suntek Ultra Defense., Sure.

991.1 GT3 , did not PPF and I did regret it 991.2 GT3 , I did PPF and it kept it in pristine condition, for me, correct decision. 992 3RS , imo, an absolute must to apply full PPF, the aero vacuums all sorts of crap from the road, I had 10mm PPF put on the front bumper. All the 3 GT's above are solid white. I always use Refined Detail at Henfield, a good PPF install is absolute paramount Edit - I would always have PPF Edited by throt on Friday 19th December 09:18

I don't PPF my cars but, having considered it in the past, it does seem to down to the film you choose and who applies it. A good job is great. A poor one a nightmare, not least because it is far more of liability when selling than stone chips.

"Actually check with them first , my insurers will not cover a ppf car at all" The various insurance companies I have used in the past all did, as does Admiral , my latest insurer. But, as has been previously mentioned, you do need to tell them and for Admiral the fitting of PPF is classed as an exterior decorative item. Edited by Hereandthere on Friday 19th December 09:49

Hereandthere said: "Actually check with them first , my insurers will not cover a ppf car at all" The various insurance companies I have used in the past all did, as does Admiral , my latest insurer. But, as has been previously mentioned, you do need to tell them and for Admiral the fitting of PPF is classed as an exterior decorative item. Edited by Hereandthere on Friday 19th December 09:49 I’m aware some do ,mine don’t hence the post .

How much of the car should I do, if it's going to see some track time. Front end, wing mirrors and rear quarters, or will that start to look daft?

Digester Man said: How much of the car should I do, if it's going to see some track time. Front end, wing mirrors and rear quarters, or will that start to look daft? I always do: Front bumper, bonnet, front wings, mirrors, a-pillar, leading edge of roof, in front of the rear wheel arches, behind rear wheel. Always found that more than enough, but all those areas get impacted. Expel is decent film. I’ve had a half brick fall off the back of a truck in front of me on the motorway. Hit the front PU. Looked like it had torn through the PPF, but when we removed it there wasn’t a mark on the paintwork. Just applied a new piece. If you are on track, or do any kind of convoy driving (we do a few trips a year to Scotland etc in close convoy at speed) PPF is a must for me. I also had the windscreen done this time round. It’s already saved me a few times from needing a replacement screen. This pic gives a good idea of how much stuff gets flicked up down the rear arches.

jackwood said: I always do: Front bumper, bonnet, front wings, mirrors, a-pillar, leading edge of roof, in front of the rear wheel arches, behind rear wheel. Always found that more than enough, but all those areas get impacted. Expel is decent film. I ve had a half brick fall off the back of a truck in front of me on the motorway. Hit the front PU. Looked like it had torn through the PPF, but when we removed it there wasn t a mark on the paintwork. Just applied a new piece. If you are on track, or do any kind of convoy driving (we do a few trips a year to Scotland etc in close convoy at speed) PPF is a must for me. I also had the windscreen done this time round. It s already saved me a few times from needing a replacement screen. This pic gives a good idea of how much stuff gets flicked up down the rear arches. Would you mind sharing who you use for the PPF? Thank you.

JulierPass said: I think PPF is a no brainer. I've had it done on every car I've bought in the last 15 years. Most places that apply it will use either XPEL or Suntec and the quality of the job is down in 100% down to the outfit you use. I fully accept there are some horrendous ones out there, but equally there are some excellent, albeit very small places. Re pricing I'm paying 2400 for a full car. If you're paying any more you're being ripped off. The film isn't that expensive, the pricing is mainly labour. Just ensure they use a plotter to cut the sheets and don't do it on the car. I'd steer clear of anyone that doesn't have a plotter and just buys the pre cut kits. It's the pre cut kits that tend not to fit properly and leave the very visible exposed edges as in the pics on this thread. Where do you ppf your car for £2400?

neverlifted said: Would you mind sharing who you use for the PPF? Thank you. No problem. I’ve used Invisifilm in the North West for the last 10 years.

The cost of it doesn’t make sense in my eyes. £6k for a whole car blows my mind. The profit must be massive. I’d love to know the margin

"The cost of it doesn’t make sense in my eyes. £6k for a whole car blows my mind. The profit must be massive. I’d love to know the margin" Don't forget that includes VAT at 20% and a full PPF fitting, especially with all the add-ons that cars now have, can easily take more than a week

Nuttcase said: Where do you ppf your car for £2400? Chris @ Daintons Detail in Reading. I've bee using him for years so he does look after me, but he is much cheaper than anyone else I've ever come across. He can sort car transport as well to get new cars collected from dealers.

JulierPass said: Chris @ Daintons Detail in Reading. I've bee using him for years so he does look after me, but he is much cheaper than anyone else I've ever come across. He can sort car transport as well to get new cars collected from dealers. Thank you!

Hereandthere said: "Actually check with them first , my insurers will not cover a ppf car at all" The various insurance companies I have used in the past all did, as does Admiral , my latest insurer. But, as has been previously mentioned, you do need to tell them and for Admiral the fitting of PPF is classed as an exterior decorative item. Edited by Hereandthere on Friday 19th December 09:49 Yup - spot on.