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Anyone have paint protection film installed on their FD? I recently bought a '93 R1 with very low mileage and original paint and was thinking of having PPF installed to lessen the stress of street driving it, and all the associated rock chips, scratches, etc. that come with it.
PPF doesn't seem to be super common on FDs, and I believe there are no pre-cut patterns for the car, so it would have to be laid down manually, which increases the chances of the paint lifting during installation or removal.
If you do have PPF, what areas of the car are protected? Besides the front end, it seems the rocker panels near the wheels are particularly prone to chips from rocks thrown up from the road. There was an FD on BaT a while back that had PPF on the entire front end plus the rocker panels. Anyway, just throwing some ideas around, PPF is NOT cheap, so I'm trying to figure out what degree of protection I would be comfortable with. Curious to hear your experiences with PPF on your FD.
I plan to do my whole front end (hood/bumper/fenders), the rockers likely, mirrors, and a small strip across the roof line above the windshield. This being a lower car, its entirely possible to have a rock hit that high up. There is also a windshield protection of some sort out there, meant more for like high end track cars. Saw a few Porsches and the likes with it, it may be worth looking into.
I was in a similar position with my car (low mile, pristine, original paint R1). I had XPEL Ultimate installed on the front bumper cover, headlight covers, partial hood/fenders, and sideview mirrors. Sadly the clearcoat started to lift on the passenger side mirror cover, the installer stopped immediately but there is a small spot where it lifted. I bought a new one from Mazda as a backup. Just be very careful as the clear coat on these wasn't great 28 years ago and certainly isn't any better now. I'm still glad I had it done as I can drive without worrying about picking up stone chips.
I've been thinking of PPF, but I'm a bit skeptical about how much protection it really offers against things like rock chips & road grit typically encountered when you drive your FD on the highways. I would think a tiny rock or abrasive piece of road grit at 70MPH would penetrate that plastic film just as easily as it would the paint.
Do any of you guys who applied a PPF on an FD have real life examples of getting pelted with debris on the road where the PPF proved itself protecting the paint? Do tears/chips in the PPF layer show up when it happens?
How much does a good PPF cost including the install? I'm going to be getting my car to the bodyshop and paint shop in ~ 2 months, will want to preserve the paintjob as long as i can and will likely doing a ceramic coat after it cures since I will be taking care of the car.
Definitely think this is a good idea since road chips really add on over time
I think the cost varies by region. Big thing is finding an installer that is very skilled and can do it all custom.
If you have original paint I wouldn't expect it to be easy to peel off down the road. The paint jobs on these cars SUCKED when new and 30 years hasn't been kind.
I had my front bumper repainted ages ago and they didn't do a good job with the primer, it rock chipped like CRAZY. That was partially my fault for taking it to a paint shop that was so-so. But I do believe that paint protection film will work very well, that stuff is THICK and will absorb the impact.
When my car finally gets a damn paint job I will be looking into this big time.
How much does a good PPF cost including the install? I'm going to be getting my car to the bodyshop and paint shop in ~ 2 months, will want to preserve the paintjob as long as i can and will likely doing a ceramic coat after it cures since I will be taking care of the car.
Definitely think this is a good idea since road chips really add on over time
IMO, the purpose of PPF is so that a car with original paint doesn't need to be repainted due wear from regular use. If your car has already been repainted, I would consider yourself lucky that you don't have to stress over preserving original paint, and just ceramic coat it then repaint it again when it gets too chipped up. PPF is so expensive that the the cost actually ends up being quite similar. Not to mention that nothing looks better than unwrapped paint, and aftermarket paint is also prone to lifting when you remove the PPF, which defeats the purpose of installing it in the first place. OEM mud guards and not following too close on the highway will also prevent a lot of rock chips.
I have the 3M PPF on my Cayman, installed about 2 weeks after taking delivery back in Sept 2013, so it's been on for 8 years. I had the entire front covered as well as the mirrors and rocker panels. Most of this was custom cut since I didn't want to see seams at the edges. The installer did a very good job overall and the film has held up really well. At 45K miles I have no visible chips thru to the paint where the PPF is in place, which is impressive on a Porsche (they're known for their "chipabilty").
I did take one pretty big hit on the hood that damaged the PPF and left a small ding, so the PPF won’t perform miracles. Haven’t had it PDR’d yet but probably will need to have the PPF redone on the entire panel since it is gouged. So the downside to PPF is you can’t just touch-up a blemish like you can with a paint chip. I do have 3 or 4 other nicks in the PPF. The XPEL product is supposed to be “self healing” but I’m not sure how well that works. I’d probably go with XPEL if I were to do it again.
My FD is at 136K miles so way too late to worry about PPF on it. The front bumper on mine (base NU paint) has been incredible, hardly a mark on it. However, the hood, front fenders and rockers have had many, many touch-ups by me over the years. The DR Colorchip stuff actual works quite well on an FD with a lot of “patina”. Along with the front end I would recommend doing the rockers in front of the rear wheels if you do PPF. That area is super prone to chipping. Also behind the wheels if you don’t have the OEM mud guards.
11-17-21, 07:45 PM
