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Greetings everyone! I'm back, and now I'm a vendor for Corvette Forum!
My name is Alan, I'm part owner of American Detail in Houston, TX. We specialize in protecting and customizing all types of vehicles, but corvettes got our business off the ground and I've had several clients suggest that I get on here and start talking about what we do. To be more specific, we do Paint Protection Film (PPF), Ceramic Coating, Window Tint and other miscellaneous things.
Every so often I'll find myself talking to someone who didn't know that these types of services exist, and I always get the usual questions: "Why does it cost so much?" "Can I do it myself in my driveway?" "How do I take care of it?" among others.
Besides expanding my business and getting my name out there, I wanted to share my knowledge on all of this stuff and answer questions.
Down below, you'll see this beautiful Rapid Blue C8 ZO6 in that we just finished up with. Here is everything it received, with prices, in the order it was done:
Full exterior prep detail $225
Full body paint correction (to remove factory swirls marks in the finish) $600
XPEL Ultimate Plus PPF
Full Front (Front Bumper, Hood, Mirrors) $2,195
Rocker Panels / Side Skirts $450
Door Blades (Carbon Flash trim around the side vents) $145
XPEL Prime XR Plus (Window Tint) (Both doors & rear window) $285
Full exterior Ceramic Coating (5yr warranty) $725
The grand total for all of this came out to $4,625, and took 5 full days to complete.
That's a lot of money, and that was just one of 26 cars in my shop at the time that photo was taken. So why are people spending that much to have this stuff done to their cars?
For starters, a huge factor is the experience level of the installers. Especially for PPF. A good PPF installer right now should make well over $100K a year doing what they do. Yes, anyone can install PPF on their car, we will even sell you some film if you prefer to try it yourself, but the difference between that and a professional with 10+ years experience is how the film will look after 10 years on your car. How straight are the edges? Are all the edges still sealed behind the back of each panel? Is there any dust stuck under the film? Can you even tell if the car has PPF on it?
American Detail has a reputation for having some of the best installers in the industry using some of the best products in the industry. Our goal with PPF is to make it as invisible as possible, while installing it in a way that will last you as long as possible. The whole point of PPF is to seal in your car's finish like a time-capsule. Anything that would normally damage your paint will damage the film instead. This film is rated to last for 10 years and it's backed with a warranty the whole time. Whenever you choose to peel it off, your car will literally look the way it did on day one when the film was first installed.
My next post will be about Ceramic Coating, which can be done at any point in a car's life compared to PPF which can only be done on brand-new cars.
I'm here to answer everyone's questions about PPF, Ceramic Coating, Window tint, and anything relating to car care. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Ask Away!
If you are going to keep the car for a long time, YES, it is a must to have. But if you plan to sell within a year of owning it, PPF is a bad investment.
If you have a light color car and don't like dirt and dust lines then be prepared because no installer i have ever seen is able to make a car seamless. Excellent installs but you will have dirt and dust at edges where film can't be tucked.
If i had to do it over i probably would have did temporary track wrap on the front until i went to a local guy and had it done where i can inspect it when it was done.
Right now i have it done through a 3rd party at MM and the job isn't good. Right now MM hasn't answered my emails since monday so i guess i got put on the back burner. I guess live and learn but i wouldn't do it this way if the opportunity is there in the future. I would just take the risk and accept the car unprotected, then send to a local guy.
Btw, i don't necessarily believe it's only miles that contribute to needing PPF or not. But mainly where you live and when you drive.
Around me, there are tons of idiots that feel the need to cruise side by side with you and when they do decide to switch lanes, there could be no cars for 1/2 mile ahead of them in their lane, they will literally switch lanes into your lane about half a car length in front of you as if they're doing it on purpose. When you have SUV's, pickups with those stupid big tires and beat up altimas driven by 19 year old kids from the ghetto doing this, or zig zagging in and out of traffic, you can literally hear the debris hit your car as they're doing this.
To the OP, looks like excellent work and VERY fair prices. I did receive a good job but paid A LOT more than the prices you have. Unfortunately I am not close but if you do quality work at those prices you will always be busy! Congrats and keep up the good work.. Sidenote, with this Z it was my first time having PPF done on a car. I got Xpel ultimate film full front, hood, side skirts and lower area on sides, and then ceramic coasting whole car xpel ceramic coating, xpel ceramic tint windows side and back, paid 7700…. I can’t believe how easy it is to keep the car clean and bugs wipe off so easy… I was skeptical but now I am a believer…. I would recommend getting the ppf and ceramic coating if done at a quality installer, if you can get good prices as well, then, that’s a def win!
Question for the OP. I'm curious as to why you can only do PPF on a brand new car. Wouldn't a thorough paint prep/paint correction suffice on a used car?
How about on a "relatively" new car? (ie: less than a year old/ with maybe only a couple thousand miles?)
Dang those prices are decent...must the low cost of living in TX, if I ever get a Z it will get the full ppf treatment...worth every penny...jmho....lmmafo@ ZOHICK, "altima drivers from the ghetto how do you know they are from the ghetto"....lol
Don’t know how you can do that all for that price? I was quoted $9500 and over from 2 different installers. And there was no paint correction. But they did both say they would tint the windows for free.
PPF is a must even if you only keep the car for a season. At least front clip.
i waited a few weeks after delivery as the shop was fully booked and already had a few small chips in the lower front clip.
you just spent $100+ K on the new ride, this is an inexpensive add on.
In my area, upstate NY, the going prices from reputable installers is about $6K for paint correction (light correction, it will be more if more correction is needed), full Xpel and the Xpel Fusion ceramic coating. The film is only warrantied if you use the Xpel ceramic coating. Add another $1K if you want the windshield protection (this is not recommended for a car that gets driven in the rain on a regular basis as it will eventually get scratched by the wipers) and interior fabric protection (this is probably much like Scotchgarde). The windshield protection will only last a few years and then need to be redone. I talked to some of the top installers in my area and all of the prices were very similar. One piece of advice on your C8 is to make sure they are using a single piece on the rear hatch as the Xpel pattern uses two pieces and has a seam.
PPF over the high risk areas is worth it to me. If I was buying used, the car would be worth more to me than a car without but not in the exact incremental it cost to have it applied - Meaning I'm not paying $6k more for a full PPF car vs not. This all assumes the install was well done with good product etc. I've seen some real terrible jobs and those that were done pretty well but the owner really didn't do much upkeep (dirt lines everywhere). I saw a newer 911 Turbo S that was full PPF but it was entirely from a template. Gaps were wide on the fender lines and around badges etc. It was a white car and basically had dirt at every edge which made it worse.
PPF over the high risk areas is worth it to me. If I was buying used, the car would be worth more to me than a car without but not in the exact incremental it cost to have it applied - Meaning I'm not paying $6k more for a full PPF car vs not. This all assumes the install was well done with good product etc. I've seen some real terrible jobs and those that were done pretty well but the owner really didn't do much upkeep (dirt lines everywhere). I saw a newer 911 Turbo S that was full PPF but it was entirely from a template. Gaps were wide on the fender lines and around badges etc. It was a white car and basically had dirt at every edge which made it worse.
Investment? Not even close, quite the opposite. As someone who had paintwork done 2 times with PPF and ceramic coating installed; it drives the cost of repair up insanely. In fact, it would have been cheaper to just repaint all areas out of pocket before selling car then to install PPF;
Recent cost to repaint a tesla bumper and hood was estimated at $1400 until they had to charge to remove ppf and ceramic, billed 6-8 hours just to clean panels of old adhesive and ceramic residue, then of course the new PPF and ceramic cost just as much as paint work.
Investment wise, it will be cheaper to repaint the bumper for rock chips than it will be to PPF.
My car also has rock chips in the PPF, and many of those chips went through to the paint as well.
Get it if you really want to keep car pristine, but its not an investment and the PPF doesn't last forever either.
I think it comes down to if rock chips and other minor blemishes will hinder your enjoyment of the car. Will you not want to take it to the back roads in fear of getting rock chips? If it doesn't bother you, I wouldn't get it. It's almost like any other modification, you won't get your money back when you sell but will it add to your enjoyment of ownership of the car? I think the radiator grill guards is a similar type of dilemma. Am I going to be worried about rocks damaging my radiators so much that I need to add additional mesh?
I recently sold my 911 Turbo and I heard multiples times that since I didn't have ppf it would hurt my resale and it turned out to be irrelevant and sold it for a great price. I was also told to have the car paint corrected for $1k before selling but I ended up doing some minor polishing and waxing myself even though I was a total novice and it turned out great. The only advice I took was to have the car professional photographed and that is worth it. There seems to be so many worries about ppf, is it done correctly, bad cuts, rocks going through the ppf, dust edges, etc. Personally I'm leaning toward not getting it and saving the $5k and put it toward consumables like tires, etc.
Investment? Not even close, quite the opposite. As someone who had paintwork done 2 times with PPF and ceramic coating installed; it drives the cost of repair up insanely. In fact, it would have been cheaper to just repaint all areas out of pocket before selling car then to install PPF;
Recent cost to repaint a tesla bumper and hood was estimated at $1400 until they had to charge to remove ppf and ceramic, billed 6-8 hours just to clean panels of old adhesive and ceramic residue, then of course the new PPF and ceramic cost just as much as paint work.
Investment wise, it will be cheaper to repaint the bumper for rock chips than it will be to PPF.
My car also has rock chips in the PPF, and many of those chips went through to the paint as well.
Get it if you really want to keep car pristine, but its not an investment and the PPF doesn't last forever either.
Enjoying several cars, I have done it all except paint correction. On one, basic PPF, on another the car is entirely covered, another is waxed, another ceramic. The ceramic has lasted for more than 4 years and the car shines. The car completely covered is so easy to clean and never needs waxing. Etc. Etc. It depends on life style and money. If someone plans to keep a car, a good investment to protect it. If not, the odds are it needs minimum protection.
Investment? Not even close, quite the opposite. As someone who had paintwork done 2 times with PPF and ceramic coating installed; it drives the cost of repair up insanely. In fact, it would have been cheaper to just repaint all areas out of pocket before selling car then to install PPF;
Recent cost to repaint a tesla bumper and hood was estimated at $1400 until they had to charge to remove ppf and ceramic, billed 6-8 hours just to clean panels of old adhesive and ceramic residue, then of course the new PPF and ceramic cost just as much as paint work.
Investment wise, it will be cheaper to repaint the bumper for rock chips than it will be to PPF.
My car also has rock chips in the PPF, and many of those chips went through to the paint as well.
Get it if you really want to keep car pristine, but its not an investment and the PPF doesn't last forever either.
I said it is worth it to me; never said its an investment. The only angle where I would consider it an investment is the value of keeping the car looking good in the near and mid term lifetime of the product - Less need for waxing/polishing/etc. Paintwork is incredibly hit or miss these days so I have no desire to have the car taken a part after some years to get it all resprayed while praying the results come out good.
If you're the type of owner to pull the car out of the garage on Sunday, wash and wax it while grabbing a coffee down the street without seeing a highway....PPF has less value for sure. If you like to actually use the car for more than just the show circuit, then PPF is of more value.
Also...did I say the PPF was perfect and impenetrable? Nope. I know the products limitations and as I expressed in another thread, Appreciate the "education"
Dang those prices are decent...must the low cost of living in TX, if I ever get a Z it will get the full ppf treatment...worth every penny...jmho....lmmafo@ ZOHICK, "altima drivers from the ghetto how do you know they are from the ghetto"....lol
I live in jersey. There are lunatics all over our highways lol.
I'd say for 99% of owners the pre-detail and paint correction in an unnecessary expense. Unless you're using it as a show car, nobody is going to notice it hasn't been paint corrected. The prices quoted are comparable to what I pay at Xpel Dallas. They've done 5 of my vehicles & I'm actually picking up my brand new M2 from them now. I did not do the pre-detail, paint correction or ceramic (which I can do myself). They also give a nice multi-car and repeat customer discount
No but the condition of the paint which will be better than one with no PPF and will fetch a better trade in value/sale for more money than a rocked chipped hooptie...jmho
11-30-2023, 03:39 PM
Is PPF a good investment? Q&A
