Bought a brand new Armada and shopped around for PPF as I wanted to give it a whirl in order to protect the bumpers and hood.
Never done PPF before, so I did some shopping and found an installer with an excellent online reputation (mostly window tinting) and having been in business for 20+ years.
Also got tint done at the same time.
Less than 40 miles on the vehicle when I took it in for the work. During the inspection we both agreed there's zero faults in the paint.
I've never done PPF before as I'm pretty meticulous with regular wash and wax, but figured since this would be a commuter, it might be worth the investment to save the bumper/fenders/hood/mirrors.
And I was doing this now before it turns into a daily driver at the end of the month.
I'm not thrilled at all with the results. Just wanted a second opinion on the results posted below.
Read on for a little explanation...
Firstly, I was told by the estimator that they wrap the edges of all the body panels so that you won't even see the film lines. This wound up being untrue. I asked the person who did the work and he said he never wraps the edges.
Second, I was told the film is cut by a giant printer for perfect fitnent. The cutting lines of the film look like they were done with safety scissors in some parts, and the alignment is clearly way off in several panels.
Lastly, the cost. They were a little bit cheaper, maybe 15-30% based on pricing from 5 different shops. Still, this cost me $2k.
If this was my own work (as a first timer) using a precut clearbra kit off eBay, I'd be thrilled with the results and might not bother removing it. I do my own maintenance but body work/tint I tend to just pay to have done.
So it wasn't until I drove it home that I saw the problems and called back to express my dissatisfaction. While I was at the store I asked about the lack of edge wrapping and they said it was at the wrapper's discretion. So I called back and complained once I saw the extent of the lackluster work.
He asked that I wait a week or two to see how it settles in and that he assures me they can fix any concerns but this job is a bit too far gone. The contours on the bumper aren't even smooth. It's like they had to slice it several times to accommodate the curves. And it's very definitely not covering all the painted surfaces of the panels the film is applied to. Even the mirrors leave about 40% of the paint uncovered on the top half of the mirror!
Just wanted to share and warn others thinking of PPF not to go on positive reviews and a good sales pitch alone.
I'll be requesting they remove this and refund the complete cost of the PPF. The tint actually looks pretty good right now, as long as a few obligatory bubbles disappear that I see.
Make sure you see samples of their work before you commit to it, save yourself some hassle!
I'm just going to stick with my wash and wax regimen, and if I really want to after 7yrs, I can pay for a respray/touch up from a good shop for well under the ~2k that PPF runs, I'm sure.
Never done PPF before, so I did some shopping and found an installer with an excellent online reputation (mostly window tinting) and having been in business for 20+ years.
Also got tint done at the same time.
Less than 40 miles on the vehicle when I took it in for the work. During the inspection we both agreed there's zero faults in the paint.
I've never done PPF before as I'm pretty meticulous with regular wash and wax, but figured since this would be a commuter, it might be worth the investment to save the bumper/fenders/hood/mirrors.
And I was doing this now before it turns into a daily driver at the end of the month.
I'm not thrilled at all with the results. Just wanted a second opinion on the results posted below.
Read on for a little explanation...
Firstly, I was told by the estimator that they wrap the edges of all the body panels so that you won't even see the film lines. This wound up being untrue. I asked the person who did the work and he said he never wraps the edges.
Second, I was told the film is cut by a giant printer for perfect fitnent. The cutting lines of the film look like they were done with safety scissors in some parts, and the alignment is clearly way off in several panels.
Lastly, the cost. They were a little bit cheaper, maybe 15-30% based on pricing from 5 different shops. Still, this cost me $2k.
If this was my own work (as a first timer) using a precut clearbra kit off eBay, I'd be thrilled with the results and might not bother removing it. I do my own maintenance but body work/tint I tend to just pay to have done.
So it wasn't until I drove it home that I saw the problems and called back to express my dissatisfaction. While I was at the store I asked about the lack of edge wrapping and they said it was at the wrapper's discretion. So I called back and complained once I saw the extent of the lackluster work.
He asked that I wait a week or two to see how it settles in and that he assures me they can fix any concerns but this job is a bit too far gone. The contours on the bumper aren't even smooth. It's like they had to slice it several times to accommodate the curves. And it's very definitely not covering all the painted surfaces of the panels the film is applied to. Even the mirrors leave about 40% of the paint uncovered on the top half of the mirror!
Just wanted to share and warn others thinking of PPF not to go on positive reviews and a good sales pitch alone.
I'll be requesting they remove this and refund the complete cost of the PPF. The tint actually looks pretty good right now, as long as a few obligatory bubbles disappear that I see.
Make sure you see samples of their work before you commit to it, save yourself some hassle!
I'm just going to stick with my wash and wax regimen, and if I really want to after 7yrs, I can pay for a respray/touch up from a good shop for well under the ~2k that PPF runs, I'm sure.
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