Is PPF worth the financial cost?

[gd_r1t]

I'm a bit worried about inviting a controversial topic. So go easy on me

Strictly from a financial cost calculation standpoint, is PPF worth the investment?

Considerations:

• How much on average does a scratch or rock chip cost to repair the paint?
• What happens when PPF is damaged with a scratch? Does it require reapplication of a portion of the PPF? (and if so, what's the cost?)

Btw, I definitely appreciate that there's value in the peace of mind provided by PPF. But I'm mainly curious on the financial case to be made.

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[waitingforrivian]

One more concern is what happens when PPF is damaged with scratch? Without PPF, we could just use a touch-up paint, but with PPF it seems we would need to go to a shop to reapply a portion of the PPF, right?

 

[manitou202]

Unless it's a collectable car like a Porsche or Ferrari, the PPF will not be worth the financial cost. Meaning you will never get a return on the investment when you go to sell your truck.

Is it nice for a piece of mind? Absolutely! Especially in a state like Colorado which uses gravel on the roads all winter.

 

[COdogman]

I do think the *relatively* low cost to do the front only Xpel deal Rivian offered is probably worthwhile and I plan to do it. Colorado is very hard on paint and windshields. Living in DC like the OP, you might not need it at all. And I really don't see the point of ever doing the full body PPF unless it's purely a cosmetic decision and you want a satin look, etc...

 

[Gator42]

I’ve done both the partial and the full wraps. I had XPel on my Porsche and instead of chips you get little nics in the film that don’t smooth out with heat. Many shops recommend ceramic over film so if you want pristine you’re in for replacement cost of PPF and ceramic…

…and oh yah, I still got a few paint chips underneath from impacts to the PPF. Would they have been more noticeable without the PPF? I suppose…

If you have a garage queen bubble wrap and driving in perfect conditions is the best way to go…

 

[moosehead]

Same road rash experience confirmed in CO, especially driving the high country regularly. As COdogman noted above, windshields also get replaced pretty much every 3-5 years from it.

In my case, PPF lets you get after it whether snow, OR, or gear and still keep the rig looking good and preserved for resale.

If you are concerned about the cost, the TWRAPS stuff is damn good and very low cost if you don’t mind DIY.

 

[Arky]

Frankly I think PPF is something that will never pay off - maybe a front wrap only but even that's dubious unless you can do it yourself for parts cost.

People daily drive cars and they get nicked, dinged, etc. Most people just trade their car to a dealer for average pricing and particularly clean examples won't stand out. Most people buying used cars also don't really care, major things can be fixed but minor nicks are expected. Now if you're buying some fancy limited edition car or a garage queen it will help because they're abused less and traded between much more discerning buyers, but that's not really a normal daily driver car. If you're wrapping it understand you're doing it because you don't want to see your baby scratched, but no one else is going to care as much as you.

That said I'm probably doing the front of mine (either through a recommended provider or by myself) just because my poor Subaru is chipped to hell after a few years driving CO highways and up I70, and I expect the same to happen to this. It doesn't affect the car in any significant way I just hate seeing every new random chip from all the crap on our roads and enough traffic to throw it all in your face.

 

[nukem384]

Same topic in the Tesla community, so this will apply. Just my 2 cents. Not really worth it unless you really baby your car and can't stand to see dings on it.

 

[Mcfly Rivian]

I second the twraps comment. They offer a 5 pc front bumper package that I installed on my truck. If you've done wet decal application it's very similar.

 

[bd5400]

I second the twraps comment. They offer a 5 pc front bumper package that I installed on my truck. If you've done wet decal application it's very similar.

Just to add to this, there is also a headlight package. You can also get a piece for the vertical part of the hood edge and I believe you can get a piece that’s just for the center of the front between the headlights, instead of the five piece kit.

I’ll also note that headlights are a very easy install. The 5 piece kit less so, especially if you’re a perfectionist. It’s a little obvious where each piece abuts the adjacent piece. If seams will drive you crazy, I’d recommend just going for the large center piece between the headlights, the headlight kit, and the hood edge piece. I have the five piece kit and may be pulling off the left and right pieces that wrap around the front of the car.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Im a little confused as to how it could possibly be justified cost wise. Do you mean will a wrapped car retain a higher resale value? The answer to that is probably not, or at least not to a degree that will come close to the installation cost. From my perspective you should consider a wrap to be a luxury good.

If you're the sort of person who wants your car looking a certain way, getting PPF on it and ceramic on it after a paint correct will get your paint looking right. You can tell the difference in appearance between a car that's been ceramic coated and a car that has not. With PPF your car will look nicer for longer. IF the cost of that is worth it to you then do it, if not I wouldn't. I would not consider any sort of financial payback though if you want to be safe.

 

[mabowden]

For me, the front wrap is worth it.

I drive the 30 miles one way on 91 in socal and there are TONS of rock trucks on that freeway. My vw gti's front bumper is totally pitted. I'd gladly spend the money to have the front clip Xpel'd with the rivian deal.

 

[ironpig]

I did a front wrap on my truck because the big painted front looks nice but I considered it a total luxury expense. I have never paid for PPF before, only window tint, but my tint guy gave me a good deal on the front wrap so I'm trying it for the first time ever on any of my cars.

We had sports cars and 4x4s for may decades without PPF and we never worried about it. If a car got really damage by rocks, we repainted it. Or we just weren't bothered by it because cars are never perfect after they leave the factory floor.

Nobody pays more for a car because it has PPF. But if it keeps your car looking nice, maybe that helps it hold value longer but there's no way to justify the cost as a good investment because there is no return on it.

 

[bkswede]

Im a little confused as to how it could possibly be justified cost wise. Do you mean will a wrapped car retain a higher resale value? The answer to that is probably not, or at least not to a degree that will come close to the installation cost. From my perspective you should consider a wrap to be a luxury good.

If you're the sort of person who wants your car looking a certain way, getting PPF on it and ceramic on it after a paint correct will get your paint looking right. You can tell the difference in appearance between a car that's been ceramic coated and a car that has not. With PPF your car will look nicer for longer. IF the cost of that is worth it to you then do it, if not I wouldn't. I would not consider any sort of financial payback though if you want to be safe.

I completely agree with this… I have PPF on my X5 M50 (almost full coverage) and my ZL1 (full front, mirrors, rockers and behind rear wheels), and have ceramic coated both… I can’t justify the cost if ROI is measured solely in dollars… for me, my ROI includes the fact that the vehicle looks so much better for a longer period of time and is much easier to clean with the ceramic coating (both of which are very important to me, more so than any cash ROI I might get upon subsequent sale, because I tend to keep my vehicles for a long time and am pretty meticulous on upkeep)…

 

[RealBillNye]

Unless it's a collectable car like a Porsche or Ferrari, the PPF will not be worth the financial cost. Meaning you will never get a return on the investment when you go to sell your truck.

Is it nice for a piece of mind? Absolutely! Especially in a state like Colorado which uses gravel on the roads all winter.

I thought that Colorado relied on deicer? That was something that I was looking forward to compared to Oregon that just turns the road red with pumice in the winter.

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