Scruff Vette

I am considering getting a paint protection film package applied to my new Stingray. Front facia into the hood, partial on front fenders, mirrors & door cups, etc. I have read the glowing reviews and realize the importance of material choice and installer. My car will be used for travel and normal everyday use with the exception of winter months. Cost is not a big factor, but I do wish to keep the car looking as good as possible for as long as possible.

I am interested in hearing the negative experiences and from those who did it (or know of those who did) and regretted it. Are there members who had it installed and came to the conclusion of "never again"?

RichinCincy

I have it, I love it, find a good installer!!! I don't know how many 'bad' experiences you'll hear about, I've only heard a couple and they were due to poor installation.

C8Jake

SunTek PPFC entire car

ZEEEE06

I didn't get the paint protection on my 2016 Stingray. When I traded it in on a new Z06, it had a few nicks in the front but the dealer never even looked at the car. It would have been money wasted.

vetteLT193

You can see the line on all of them in my experience plus many have reported cut lines in the paint so I'd go to a natural seam in the car's body to avoid both.

Bui

You can see the lines because its VERY difficult to perfectly tuck the PPF under every panel. I'm too OCD about lines (and catching dirt/dust/etc) over time and browning on the edges. Also, risk of bubbles or peeling (improper application) is a possibility.

For resale, it makes no difference, the dealership is NEVER going to buy back your car in "perfect" condition.... And the the condition below that, a couple of small chips will still pass. Unless you want it for your own sake, I say its a waste of money.

AKKutz

I was looking into it, but after some passing trucks lug took a nick out of the front fascia, I decided against it!

Emerald Eagle

Xpel front and side kit
I debated on what to do until a big dirt clod dropped off a 4x4 and put a scratch in the nose.
I have the car to drive and no thoughts of ever trading so it was a good move.

robert miller

Plus need to make sure the prep work is really done good and all the crap in the paint is buffed out and marks gone. If not it will show even worse with the film on the car.

I was at a corvette expo show last year was going to get it done the full car. It was a great price from a dealer had are was a dealer on xpel & 3M and a few others. Well I sign up he told me to come back this time. I got there they were just done with a guys c6 z06 car and it looked like crap, looked like just washed the car and then put the film onto the car.

I didn't get my car done from that guy but got a shop to do it about a month ago and love the job he did..

graj6

If you're doing a panel, do the whole panel. The edges are easy enough to clean, any half-decent hand wash place will clean it well enough that you won't have dirt accumulating.

If you have a ceramic/nano coating on top of it, even better and easier to clean the edges.

Also, this is why installer selection matters - mine has been known to keep going back to a car and fixing issues and I'd rather have to clean dirt on edges (assuming there are any exposed) than paint, wet sand and compound rock chips in a car.

The only real reason I can see is the price it adds. I don't think you're gonna get it back on resale but as a prospective used car buyer, I'd be looking at a car with XPEL over it and a coating and I'd be thinking "This is someone who cared for the car, not someone who simply drove it like he stole it."

Larry/car

As mentioned, a few stone blemishes do not mean anything at trade in time. If you do a portion of the front guaranteed a stone will miss the protection. The cost of the protection will offset the price of a touchup. Remember deprecation, ongoing and virtually the same if the car is perfect or not. I plan on trading every three years, blemishes go with the car. From experience, the newness of the car starts to fade in three years.

Glen e

2 things after watching the forums for years on paint film and doing it once:

if you're going to trade in 3-4 years and you haven't absolutely completely beat up the car, the paint film doesn't matter.

the quality of the film job is directly proportional to the expertise of the installer. A bad installer can really mess this up.

Monkey D. Luffy

tyan8926

I've always had white Corvettes; Artic White, Polo White, etc. Had a C6 done, really good job. Then a few years later on a road trip a flying rock tore the film. The film did the job and protected the paint. Then I had that section of film replaced. Suddenly all the rest of the film looked yellowed in the sunlight so I traded the car in after dark.

dvilin

n8dogg

I have seen them fade as well. Not all film and installation are equal. Some films are more noticeable than others. I've also seen specs of dirt under the film, looks like dirt in the paint. It's also expensive. You can repaint a bumper cover for the price of having it clear filmed. It also takes away from some of the enjoyment of owning a Corvette. You can't polish and wax it like paint. You also need to be careful about what products you use on it. But it is nice to have that peace of mind, especially if you like to drive your car and put some mileage on her. What I tell customers - If you plan on going on long trips, not a bad idea. If you like to just go to cruise nights, get ice cream and wash and wax the car, then it might not be for you.

Ceramic coating is something you should also look into. Cquartz is a great product. Goes on similar to wax, just gotta be really careful about the drying time. It's a ceramic coating that has a depth that is measurable like a clear coat. It might not offer as much protection as clear film, but it does protect the paint especially against bug pitting, small stones, dirt and debris. Not to mention it lasts 2-4 years depending on the car's use.

joeybsyc

The first time you hear that rock hit the front end on the highway and get out to find a big nick in your bumper you'll wish you had it. The darker the color the more important it is, as it'll completely eliminate "road rash". Its so nice to not have to worry about chips anymore that it's worth it to me.

Vetteman Jack

I have Xpel installed on my DD - full front end, fenders, and up on the roof to the sunroof. Been on there a little over a year and no chips. Clarity is very good too. To me, it was worth the expense but I plan on keeping the car a long time too.

Foosh

It's simple.

If rock chips and road rash don't bother you very much, it's not worth it. If that kind of thing does bother you, and you're willing and able to spend $1-2K to prevent such damage, there is no downside.

Mike Campbell

My buddy had his done with XPEL & I was leaning towards getting it done too. However he told me it did protect from stones but he had some gashes now which were too big to heal themselves. He also said, and he lives in PA too, that he's had bird poop that had eaten mulberries & stained it (he has a white car like me) and couldn't remove the stains. If you have a dark car these things are probably non-issues. Just a heads up.