Risk vs reward

[harrell51]

I have seen several cars with the clear bra on them after 3 to 4 years it looks terrible. So is the reward worth the long term reward.?

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[FUNX650]

I have seen several cars with the clear bra on them after 3 to 4 years it looks terrible. So is the reward worth the long term reward.?

IMHO:
A clear-bra (Paint Protection Film---PPF) is well worth both the short-term,
and long term rewards it will offer.

All a person has to do is follow the PPF-manufacturers' recommended/proper
maintenance program during the PPF's expected service life.

It's a "Best Practice" to do so.
From the photo you provided it appears that: Some do...Some don't.

:)

Bob

[twobucket]

depends on what brand/type u get. some come with 10 year warranty and better quality than you've shown.

[greatwhitenorth]

I see tons of these clear bras and can gaurentee you 98.62% of people do NOT follow proper care procedures and they end up looking terrible. These bad looking films I would assume lower the value of the vehicle as the average customer is not capable/willing to remove or replace the film and just sees it as an ugly area of their car

[bsmith0404]

IMO, the worst part is when the edges start to lift a little and dirt and debris get trapped under them. I've seen so many that are like that.

The biggest benefits I see from them, road rash on the front bumper is greatly reduces as well as fingernail scratches under door hadles. Another ares I think is great if they held up better are door edges, but just about every one I see that has the door edges protected is starting to lift.

[RaskyR1]

I have seen several cars with the clear bra on them after 3 to 4 years it looks terrible. So is the reward worth the long term reward.?

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A lot of factors come into play so I don't believe it's a simple yes or no answer. The majority of films I see come into my shop look like compete garbage, but I do have a few clients who's film still looks pretty good at the 2-3 year mark.

Some of the major factors (IMO):

1. Installer
2. Miles driven
3. Type of roads driven on (highway or city)
4. Garaged or stored outdoors
5. Region
6. Do you like to or tend tailgate the ca in front of you
6. Film manufacturer


Personally I'm not a fan of PPF. The cost is very expensive, they still need to be replaced around the 5yr mark on average, unless you apply film to the whole panel you will have noticeable lines and pitting/chipping in unprotected areas. However, the worst problem IMO is the lack of quality/skilled installers and the use of pre-cut films. This is the kind of garbage I see come in on brand new cars!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/2012%20Sonata/resized_IMG_7208.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/2012%20Sonata/resized_IMG_7208.jpg.html)

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/2012%20Sonata/resized_IMG_7201.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/2012%20Sonata/resized_IMG_7201.jpg.html)

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/2012%20Sonata/resized_IMG_7199.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/2012%20Sonata/resized_IMG_7199.jpg.html)

This car came directly from the installer and here is how swirled up it was...before and after I corrected it.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/2012%20Sonata/20120218-_MG_6405.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/2012%20Sonata/20120218-_MG_6405.jpg.html)


Brand new S4.....great install guys!!!
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/IMG_5060.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/IMG_5060.jpg.html)

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/IMG_5062.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/IMG_5062.jpg.html)



Here is pitting of the film after less than 2 years on a black A5
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/2009%20A5/20110828-_MG_5281.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/2009%20A5/20110828-_MG_5281.jpg.html)

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/2009%20A5/20110828-_MG_5279.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/2009%20A5/20110828-_MG_5279.jpg.html)

PPF door edge guards are nothing but dirt collectors IMO and a pain to polish around.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/C63/C63-4.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/C63/C63-4.jpg.html)




Rasky

[spardavr4]

Xpel Ultimate. Never looked back.

[blizzbb]

I am considering Xpel Ultimate partial hood/fenders/maybe bumper, but since I didn't get it straight away from the dealership, I already have a few tiny rock chips on hood and bumper. Brand new car - BOO F#!@#!

From my understanding, putting the film on over touch-ups adds the risk of later ruining my paint anyway if the film ever has to be removed, via pulling paint in that area. (I have an email to Xpel with questions about this...local installers have given me a variety of conflicting answers on the subject.)

What would be the point of getting the chips touched up to satisfactory condition, covering them with PPF, and then in ~ 10 years when the film is potentially removed, tearing up the paint anyway? Then you have a 10-year-old car that needs a respray. :confused:

(Would have been a no brainer for me if everything was still in pristine condition - the paint is PEARL WHITE aka impossible to simply/perfectly repair.)

Risk vs. Reward of putting film over an already damaged suface??

:feedback:

[hernandez.art13]

Someone should do a side by side comparison of

clear bra vs coating (opti coat)

[RaskyR1]

Someone should do a side by side comparison of

clear bra vs coating (opti coat)


Why? A coating will do nothing to stop rock chips or pitting...

[casvg5]

Someone should do a side by side comparison of

clear bra vs coating (opti coat)

Why?

[blizzbb]

Even though I didn't receive any feedback on my quandary below, I thought you might be interested in the response directly from Xpel:

While all brands of paint protection film are highly unlikely to damage factory paint, there is about a 1% chance that damage could occur upon removal. XPEL is less likely to cause damage than most other brands of film, due to a less aggressive adhesive. While paint damage is not covered under the film warranty, this is often covered under the auto manufacturer’s warranty, as it is due to faulty paint. Of the tens of thousands of installs that occur each year, we might hear of half a dozen cases in which paint or clear coat may be damaged, usually occurring on repainted vehicles.


Existing rock chips will weaken the finish of the vehicle and could cause damage that otherwise would not happen with an undamaged finish.


Touch up paint will come off with the film, no matter what.

Essentially, you really don’t have anything to worry about if you have undamaged OEM paint!


Regards,


Jeff Phillips

Account Representative

In light of this I will NOT be applying film over my touched up hood. I don't want to end up with a bigger problem than what I started with.


... since I didn't get it straight away from the dealership, I already have a few tiny rock chips on hood and bumper. Brand new car - BOO F#!@#!

From my understanding, putting the film on over touch-ups adds the risk of later ruining my paint anyway if the film ever has to be removed, via pulling paint in that area. (I have an email to Xpel with questions about this...local installers have given me a variety of conflicting answers on the subject.)

What would be the point of getting the chips touched up to satisfactory condition, covering them with PPF, and then in ~ 10 years when the film is potentially removed, tearing up the paint anyway? Then you have a 10-year-old car that needs a respray. :confused:

Risk vs. Reward of putting film over an already damaged suface??

Feed back please