PPF Worth It? What package?

[FormulaR1T]

So what‘s the verdict? Is PPF worth it? There’s a local shop that I’ve seen do a few Rivians. They have packages for Full Body, Full Front End, or Partial Front coverage. Is it worth it and what package? This is the shop I was looking at. Thanks in advance for any advice.
https://www.prestigeautodetailnw.com/paint-protection-film/

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[Fmc]

I did the front bumper and headlights on my own. I tried to do the rearview mirrors but my skills are sub-par. Just for cleaning bugs off the front, the ppf is well worth it.
https://abstractocean.com/products/bumper-clear-protection-film-ppf-for-rivian-r1t-r1s

 

[Cavalryscout18]

I did full front plus 2 front doors. I drive a lot of highway so wanted to protect the flat front. When I started going off-road with it, I realized that any branches hitting the sides would glance off the front fenders and doors but would dig into the back doors and back so I had to do the rest of the vehicle to avoid uneven pin-stripes. I guess it depends on use case. If only driving on highway, then protect the front. If off-roading, then consider more protection as needed.

 

[RivianNE]

Would 100% recommend, especially if you are planning outdoor adventures with the car. Did the full PPF, was pricey, but every branch hitting the sides makes me forget the price more and more. If you are not planning to drive off road, I would suggest the full front for highway driving.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

depends on your objectives.

1) If your objective is to preserve resale and appearance then yes its worth it
2) If you expect to recover the cost of PPF installation at resale then its not worth it.

From a strictly financial perspective it isn't worth it. A full PPF or even a full front PPF will cost between $3,000 and $7,000+. You will never recover that cost on resale. Now, if your like me and have a bit of OCD then it is probably worth it. Also, if you drive off road it will protect your vehicle from pinstriping.

Only you can decide if you feel the costs and benefits and worth it for you.

 

[Rivian Owner]

I purchased TWraps front end protection, including 1/2 the hood, the full flat front including the LED light bars and headlights, the door handles, door sills, and mirrors. I had never done PPF before. The headlights were a dream, went on without any issues. I had some trouble with areas where there are lots of curves (putting a flat sheet on a curved surface - no bueno) so the charge door I got some wrinkles in.

I learned just how soft the plastic becomes when you heat it up a little. On the charge door I snagged the plastic with my fingernail as I ran my hand over the plastic. The squeegee that TW sends with their PPF kits is about the best thing to use on the heated plastic, again, learned the hard way. The great thing is TWraps has worked closely with me to help me get it installed and they will replace the pieces I had trouble getting right! BTW TWraps is a sponsor of this website. It has taken some time to get everything installed, but the cost was well under $1000. The biggest thing if you are going to try to do it yourself is to have plenty of spray bottles for wetting everything, and work in as clean an environment as you can because the PPF will trap dust and dirt under the film.

The funny thing is, I only did 1/2 the hood, so naturally when my wife went to the store and parked under a tree, the birds crapped on the 1/2 that doesn't have PPF, and not a dropping on the PPF protected paint!

 

[Redline]

For me, it was not worth it, thus I just did a full ceramic coating for ease of washing and not having to wax/coat it by hand.

I'm not keeping this past warranty, and no matter how good of a PPF job, in 5-7 years, you can really start to tell it has PPF.

 

[twraps]

So what‘s the verdict? Is PPF worth it? There’s a local shop that I’ve seen do a few Rivians. They have packages for Full Body, Full Front End, or Partial Front coverage. Is it worth it and what package? This is the shop I was looking at. Thanks in advance for any advice.
https://www.prestigeautodetailnw.com/paint-protection-film/

Check this out:
https://twraps.com/collections/rivian-r1#fullwraps

We offer install too, if you are in the Bay Area.

 

[CrazyOne]

I did the front bumper and headlights on my own. I tried to do the rearview mirrors but my skills are sub-par. Just for cleaning bugs off the front, the ppf is well worth it.
https://abstractocean.com/products/bumper-clear-protection-film-ppf-for-rivian-r1t-r1s

I did the same + hood and tailgate.

 

[superfluid]

Would 100% recommend, especially if you are planning outdoor adventures with the car. Did the full PPF, was pricey, but every branch hitting the sides makes me forget the price more and more. If you are not planning to drive off road, I would suggest the full front for highway driving.

My answer is the same. Pricey but each branch or door impact increases the value.

I accidentally scraped my front passenger fender against the garage door frame which left a big slash of white paint on the PPF. Came out with hot water and a Magic Eraser. Not sure that would have happened without the PPF.

I off-road so full wrap was the way to go.

 

[bigsky]

So what‘s the verdict? Is PPF worth it? There’s a local shop that I’ve seen do a few Rivians. They have packages for Full Body, Full Front End, or Partial Front coverage. Is it worth it and what package? This is the shop I was looking at. Thanks in advance for any advice.
https://www.prestigeautodetailnw.com/paint-protection-film/

I have had PPF installed on my two Teslas and now my Rivian. Three years in, PPF is clearly for the discerning automobile owner. If you care not about what your vehicle looks like; it is just a tool, and could not care less about damage to the body such as grime on paint, scratches, etc., PPF IS NOT for you.

I prefer for my rides to look clean, nice, brand-new like forever, shiny, and even shinier than on day one. PPF makes that happen, and it is a lot easier to maintain all that. More importantly, PPF protects my vehicles paint and finish against environmental wear like paint chipping, bird droppings, etc.

It is not an expense that you will recover should you want to sell your vehicle down the road. I myself don't care. Not interested in selling either of my EVs, and even if I ever did, I still would have had PPF installed on them.

Also worth noting that good PPF is not cheap. Sure, you perhaps can do it yourself or have it done by a high-volume company whose only interest may be to rush through as many cars daily by merely covering dirt with a plastic dressing.

A real PPF installer, as done on my rides, does more than just a superficial cleaning. A real PPF installer does painstaking prep work going over every square inch of the vehicle paint, trim, etc. doing a great deal more than superficial cleaning. Heck, my Rivian professional installer even did paint correction work on my brand-new Rivian, hardly driven. He actually had installed PPF on the frunk and took it off because he noticed a small spot that needed more paint correction work and reapplied the PPF. That is why a good PPF is so expensive. Remember, you get what you pay for applies here. The full PPF on my R1S cost well north of $10k. Well worth it to me.

The result: Your car doesn’t just look detailed; it feels rejuvenated, resembling the new car state, even better than that, rather than a superficially dressed-up vehicle.

I used XPEL 10-mil (thicker than your typical PPF) on my Rivian and one of my Teslas. Then Opti-Coat Pro+ ceramic coating on top of it. It is a full PPF install on each. And it is not applied on paint only. My PPF installer actually mentioned that there is a "hell of a lot of trim" to PPF on the R1S. Paint panels, mirrors, headlights, light bar, fog lights, A-pillars, B-pillars, the chrome strip along the top of the windows. Every single shiny surface on my R1S got the PPF-ceramic treatment.

My three-year old Tesla, still not one paint ding or damage of any kind. It still looks so mighty shiny. It is so easy to clean (do not even use car detergents, only a bucket of water with PPF cleaning solution). Road grime, bird droppings come right off with minimal effort. And there is no elbow grease needed in terms of waxing my cars at all. The finish is guaranteed for at least 7 years; PPF damage will get replaced free for life. All that is what you pay for.

So if that matters to you, look into it; otherwise, forget that PPF even exists, who cares.

 

[Ggunn9]

I did the front bumper and headlights on my own. I tried to do the rearview mirrors but my skills are sub-par. Just for cleaning bugs off the front, the ppf is well worth it.
https://abstractocean.com/products/bumper-clear-protection-film-ppf-for-rivian-r1t-r1s

I purchased a kit as well. I plan to do the flat front. I may do the light bar and headlights with a tint.

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