MikeinAZ

I had posted yesterday that a lot depended on where you live, a lot of states have no dirt and stones like we do in az, Its literally like driving behind a sand blaster here. I went to my buddy's house last night and we were chatting and he had his 2020 Audi S7 in the driveway and I was looking at his hood, no PPF and his entire front hood, bumper and grill had well over 1000 white dots and pits all over it. His car is dark grey. Hés the kind of guy, that doesn't bother him but it's the first thing my eye goes to, no way I could have a car looking like that. If you don't have PPF on the front of your car in AZ, your paint WILL look bad in short order. $1k is a very cheap and easy way to prevent this, we are not talking the occasional little nick here and there you can touch up, the entire front of your car is affected. I envy those who are in places that don't have to worry about this as much but its just different here.

Slare

I started doing it on my cars using pre-cut kits and have gotten good enough at it to be satisfied. Complicated parts like our front bumper are tough, I usually end up with some rough spots but have been able to keep them on the bottom edge where they are not really visible while standing up. This puts your cost around $500 which I'm ok with. I understand the struggle around paying ~$4-5k and don't think I would do that if it was my only option.

I've done 5 or 6 different front end installs now and helped a couple buddies as well. 2 ok people definitely makes the job easier. If I did nothing else on the C8 I would still do at least the headlights..

The problem here in Michigan is we have everything. Tons of trucks and debris on dirty highways, bug season, salt season, bird **** season. With a little bit of bad luck your front end can get trashed in one drive.

C7Me

How much does it cost to repaint the front bumper cover and how often would you have to have it done? It has to be at least $1200, right? That's about the same cost as a front end PPF job.

C8forT

I just installed boat bumpers all around my car, with lots of reflectors.

Revmanii

No PPF here. Struggling with a decision to do Ceramic at close to $2k for car and wheels.

MikeinAZ

Do it yourself, less than $100 for 8 yr coverage. Thx

wrecker3

No PPF here On My 2023 C8 Z51 !!!

edsterC8

I was told you need ceramic coat to install PPF. Also that PPF costs a pretty penny to remove as well

I was considering it but ended up changing my mind. Think I would stick with Dr. Colorchip or do certain areas. I think it bubbles around the racing stripes...

Someone mentioned DIY ceramic. I had mine done at the dealership? What's involved in DIY?

65sohc

Interesting. I have tried Dr. Colorchip on 3 or 4 different cars and it never looked good.

22c8z51

waste of money, as is paying someone to do ceramic. that said, i need to go into the ceramic business, because it seems very easy to separate some from their money.

TD20

i have no ppf… i have like 2 little tiny chips on my hood. 11500 miles now. All good.

Triple Black 88

It's not a matter of if... its when.

Avanti

Never needed it; never had it...never will.

carron

curious how much you paid and what part of the country?

Zormecteon

While doing your own ceramic is easier than paste waxing a car, .. even easier than using liquid wax, as getting either in places is doesn't belong can make it hard to clean up, while ceramic goes on EVEYTHING, .. paint, glass, trim, it's all good, the most important part is the preparation...

Wash
Dry
Clay
Paint Correction. .. This is the time consuming part and requires either a bunch of elbow grease and/or a random orbital polisher. ALL the scratches, halos, and imperfections need to be polished out. ... Actually this step is NOT NECESSARY. But if you apply ceramic over the scratches, there they will remain, visible.
Clean ----- off the polish with a cleaning solution
Apply the Coating
Buff off.. (easier than removing wax!)

So a seven step process.......

One nice thing is that you can do a section at a time if you desire. .. Do a fender, have a beer, take a nap, . do a door, come back tomorrow...

As mentioned above, you CAN take a short cut, .. .Wash and dry the car, clay it and then apply the coating. .. The car will still shine and be protected. If using this approach I would use Griot's 3 in 1 ceramic coating. ... but that's just me. .. Another easy easy product is The Last Coat.
NFI

Michael A

I don't have it. I just polished the car, and was surprised how good the car looked. I am careful not to tailgate.