To wrap or not?
 

I'm not sure about wrapping the front of a new black C7 Stingray. It will never be a daily driver. I'm fussy, but understand dings and scratches will happen no matter what.

Any advice for me?

Assuming you are taking about XPEL....it is a great deterrent to road rash and chips albeit a bit pricey.

I did full Xpel Stealth with ceramic coat. Easiest car to keep clean I've even owned. Would not own a black (or dark color) car again without Xpel and ceramic. Wasted too many hours of my life doing full details of my cars every weekend.

I did my due diligence on wrap, or not, based on an estimated miles/risk-exposure, expected time cost value analysis. I determined that a $5,500.00 full body wrap of my new C7, may potentially cost me up to approx. $30,000.00 in lost opportunity cost over 20 or so years of car ownership. You can guess whether I wrapped it, or not......:D

..

I don't necessarily believe dings and scratches will happen no matter what. It has a lot to do with how and where you drive your C7. Your risk of damage increases significantly if it's daily driver as you pretty much have to drive it wherever and under whatever conditions your day takes you, as opposed to choosing where you drive. If you stay off Interstate highways as much as possible, leave plenty of distance behind trucks/trailers etc and drive slowly on gravel roads/parking lots your risk is reduced. Add splash guards and skirts, again your risk is reduced.

My 2017 GS hasn't been wrapped. I strongly considered it even though it's not a daily driver, however after quite a bit of research, inspecting many wrap jobs and speaking with manufacturers/installers at Carlisle I just couldn't justify the cost of Xpel. So far my decision has paid off as I have NO damage. If I do run into bad luck, then I figure I can do quite a bit of paint repair for what Xpel cost.

This is where I'm at with this question myself.

If it is a daily driver, Paint Protection Film is a must. I went back and forth on getting Xpel, and then I took a big rock to the bumper. After getting it fixed, I immediately got Xpel. It does have a big upfront cost, but I think it outweighs multiple paint jobs, as well as the time associated with those repairs. As others have mentioned, cleaning is effortless and it just provides a greater sense of comfort when driving.

It was a simple decision for me - I wanted the extra protection for the paint that Xpel gives. Yes, it is expensive, but so was the car.

My Z06 is black and had it fully wrapped with Suntex. If I would not have got black I would not had it wrapped. But I plan on driving it a lot and not have to deal with scratches and swirl marks. If you plan on keeping it a long time I think it is worth it.

I considered it when I first got it. However quickly changed my mind. Decided it’s just another car to me and our others aren’t wrapped. One can do a lot of paint repairs for the cost of a good wrap.

For me it comes down to this: How picky are you about fixing occasional paint chips? I am too picky about chips--I have been known to spend a couple hours on one chip. So on all of our cars we have been adding some type of protection. Personally, I am very happy with just the front bumper, partial hood, and partial fender (something like this) On our red, grey and black cars this has been great, and you just cannot see the seam. On white cars it's a little tougher. I have had 3M, Ventureshield, Xpel, and Suntek so far . . .

I agree with other's here that is really depends on where and how you drive. I had my 2019 GS wrapped from windshield forward (hood, front fascia, mirrors, headlamps, full front fenders, rockers, splitters, and lower parts of both doors just above the rockers (below the body line on the doors). Xpel Ultimate $3200. For me the $3200 was well worth at least the mental "peace of mind". I will probably only drive the Vette 5k annually, but I live in metro DC (lousy roads) and will drive it to Florida (luv bugs) and back home to metro NYC (3rd world roads). I plan to keep the Vette for life.
My daily driver Acura also has clear bra (dealer installed not sure what version). I drive that car 30k annually. That Acura currently has 145k on it. Their are some battle scars on the clear bra from major stone/rock hits, but overall it has saved the front end (and headlamps) from the "sandblasted" look other cars I have had without clear bra. The Acura still looks showroom new.
At the very least I would consider having your front fascia, rockers, and headlamps wrapped. And the Xpel does make cleaning (especially) bugs a lot easier.
My Corvette Xpel installer (Detail Authority - Fairfax Virginia) is a genuine perfectionist and it is absolutely amazing how you really cannot even detect the Xpel clear bra.
Ed

I 100% wrap all my cars and SUV's, but it really depends on where you live and drive, the roads I have to drive on generally suck, or I am at the Jersey shore, where sand wants to blast your paint away, or I am in upstate NY, where not all roads are really paved, you may have different road conditions where you live and drive. I need plastic protection where I am. :)

I did both wrap and ceramic coat because I expect to keep mine for a long time. Not sure if I would do both again. Maintenance is a lot easier. I only was every two weeks or so

:iagree: Exactly how I feel, on my third Vette since 2008 and have had one chip that was easily repaired with drcolorchip. Owners spend thousands on clear wrap then worry about how to take car of the wrap and protect it from damage and on and on it goes.

I decided against it because I didn’t daily drive it. It’s good stuff just very expensive.

I got Xpel and love it, totally worth the cost. I did the full front and am glad I did it. For the notion I won't get it wrapped and will just repaint, well you'll still have rock chips before and after. PPF definitely worth it!!

Pretty easy decision. I hate rock chips and wrap the front end of all my vehicles. If you don’t care about the rock chips that you WILL get, then don’t bother with the wrap.

My C5 has 106k miles, no wrap & no chips. Had the car in the desert for 2 winters driving on gravel roads.

Wrap is a no brainer ..Wrap it and forget it. Who wants to mess around with touch up paint that you will never be satified with the gooy results..