How much paint protection is too much?

[Fresh Start Detail]

I've seen some people recommend a full-car Clear Bra ("full wrap") but the costs I'm being quotes are about $5k for this. Perhaps this is a dumb question, but couldn't I just get the whole car re-painted 5 years from now for $5k and possibly end up with better quality than I have now?

I'm leaning towards a $2k option which is a full frontal clear bra and Opti-Coat on the rest. The big thing I know will happen that this will not provide much protection against will be door dings from other drivers, but I figure I could just plan on a whole car repaint in about 10 years if I find it necessary.

I'm not a huge fan of most PPF. It has its place depending on each car's individual design but to me it's like putting plastic wrap on that nice couch or lamp shade you bought.
You're not going to get a quality paint job on your entire car for $5,000 that's for sure, but at worst you would probably only need the nose and hood. People always forget about the extra costs and issues with PPF like how much is it going to be to remove or replace the PPF down the road? If you need to get a section replaced will it match perfectly with the older sections? With PPF being softer than the original clear coat it will be damaged from abrasion (scuffing from parking lot poles, garage opening edges, etc) easier than your factory paint which can be paint-corrected if the scuff isn't too deep. I'm not saying is never a good option, I just like people to know all the facts before they make such a big purchase.
Ceramic coatings do a good job of preventing environmental damage like tree sap and bird droppings so they can be a worthwhile investment if you're going to keep the car for several years. A rock chip in your hood can be touched up reasonably well for little cost, but a stain from sap or bird poo will look far worse and be more noticeable.
Just one guy's professional opinion.

If you do decide on PPF go with a high quality product like Expel or it will look like this in a couple years.

 

[timvracer]

I went middle ground, with OptiCoat Pro on the entire car, and PPF (OptiCoat PPF which adheres to the OptiCoat Pro underneath) on the front clip (front fenders, mirrors and hood), the running board, partial rear fenders (where it chips), and the luggage shelf on the rear bumper.

Oh.. I also put PPF on the door jam to cover the aluminum "Model S" badges, which scratch easily.

 

[Jean-Claude]

For the majority of the typical wear a car gets from daily use, PPF ages better than paint, not worse. It is far less prone to pitting and road rash than paint. I believe that is due to it having many mils of better compression and decompression characteristics than hard paint.

I see cars come in with no film and I see car come in with film all daily driven. The PPF wrapped front ends have far less rash than their exposed cousins.

 

[Rahul]

I think full wrap is worth it just for the protection against swirl marks...

 

[LED_FT]

I've had my car since March 2017 and got Xpel wrap on the front end, hood, doors, rockers and hatch lip and CQuartz on the entire car. Two days ago, the car in front of me ran over an orange cone on the highway and I ended up running over it with it hitting and scratching my front bumper and quarter panel (but did not tear or puncture the Xpel wrap). Without Xpel, my paint would have been scratched and I'm sure it would have resulted in the need to retouch or repaint the front bumper and quarter panel. But, since I had Xpel, I wiped down the scratches with isopropyl alcohol to remove the cloudy scratches (per my installer). I parked with my front end in the sun for two days while at work and the Xpel healed itself. No sign of any scratches or front end damage. I was grateful that I spent the money up front to avoid paint damage!

 

[Nosken]

I debated partial wrap or foil wrap, and since I take mine skiing quite often, I decided on the full wrap. My worst nightmare with me someone walking through a parking lot with something sticking out I'm scratching the door for their rear quarter panel that I could not protect you.
Then just today, I had a permanent marker and out, and I inadvertently marked my driver side quarter panel. I called XPel to find out what they recommended, and after a quick wipe with lacquer thinner, as recommended, it looks just like new.

 

[Stirthepot]

I went with a full wrap, pics below are with it wrapped in Clearguard Nano. I had Xpel Ultimate on my previous S, great product, but this one is glossier, clearer and has a ceramic embedded in the film. Do the whole car IMO, it will cost way more than 5k to repaint the car.

 

[Az_Rael]

I think it depends on how stressed you get about scratches and rock chips and swirls as to wether it's worth $5k. If you are the sort to get every rock chip and scuff and swirl fixed then the $5k full wrap could save you hassle and stress in the long run.

I inherited a poorly installed full wrap on my car. It's a "kit" vs custom (i.e. the edges show) and it's not self healing that I can tell. The prior owner must not have done paint correction because I have swirl marks, which seems weird. Tesla had to remove the hood portion during my CPO refurb process and I already have rock chips, which I find are bothering me. So I am getting the hood redone by a good shop for a few hundred. They quoted me $6k to replace the whole wrap, so I can't really justify that on a 55k mile car, but I do enjoy the piece of mind of finding a random scuff someone left in a parking lot and realizing it's only in the film. So I am keeping the crappy wrap and just replacing pieces as needed.

 

[Jean-Claude]

I went with a full wrap, pics below are with it wrapped in Clearguard Nano. I had Xpel Ultimate on my previous S, great product, but this one is glossier, clearer and has a ceramic embedded in the film. Do the whole car IMO, it will cost way more than 5k to repaint the car.

Clear Guard Nano is the bee's knees. We have been installing a lot of it and while it does cost more and requires more labor to install, I believe it is hands down the best PPF right now. I am about to be doing some testing with STEK's glossy PPF and can report back on that once I have more feedback on that film. -Though, STEK's satin PPF is my favorite satin right now after using it....

No doubt you got your CGN installation done with Phil at DD. Good choice! We just documented a new Model X that we wrapped fully with CGN and coated with Modesta...the video is to come in the very near future to show it off.

I think it depends on how stressed you get about scratches and rock chips and swirls as to wether it's worth $5k. If you are the sort to get every rock chip and scuff and swirl fixed then the $5k full wrap could save you hassle and stress in the long run.

BINGO! You 100% hit the nail on the head. It all comes down to personal preference when it comes to how much coverage, if any at all, one goes with. It's just like insurance. Everyone has a different measure of tolerance for exposure and everyone tends to spend differently on insurance coverage....but at it's core, it's about peace of mind. PPF is pretty much the same.

I inherited a poorly installed full wrap on my car. It's a "kit" vs custom (i.e. the edges show) and it's not self healing that I can tell. The prior owner must not have done paint correction because I have swirl marks, which seems weird. Tesla had to remove the hood portion during my CPO refurb process and I already have rock chips, which I find are bothering me. So I am getting the hood redone by a good shop for a few hundred. They quoted me $6k to replace the whole wrap, so I can't really justify that on a 55k mile car, but I do enjoy the piece of mind of finding a random scuff someone left in a parking lot and realizing it's only in the film. So I am keeping the crappy wrap and just replacing pieces as needed.

I think your approach is very balanced. It's not a scenario I am unfamiliar with. Folks get a full or partial PPF wrap and then decide they want a much better fit and finish. My first suggestion is always to strongly consider just beating up the shoddy wrap they have already paid for for as long as possible and then rewrap once you get a better value out of the spent money. Most of the time, they end up just living with it and just rocking a wrap that while it isn't perfect, gives them the peace of mind to not sweat the little things. Your approach is a wise one, imho.

 

[adambirozy]

I got my pearl white MS about 1 month ago. I just got a full front clear bra and ceramic pro from a place in Orange County. I just picked it up last sunday and am letting it "cure" for two weeks because I have another car I can use, but it looks great. I hope it was worth the money as mine was about 3,500 for everything.

When I asked peoples opinion on this forum, the general response was to get both if you are going for protection as they both address different issues. I drive a lot on the freeways and the opticoat / ceramic pro will not save you from those things, so the bra is a necessity.

 

[calisnow]

I've never had any sort of paint protection on my vehicles, but I have never owned a vehicle as expensive as my soon-to-arrive Model S. My 5yo Lexus certainly has some minor paint issues that possibly would have been prevented with some of the available solutions. I also understand that due to CA regulations the paint quality on the Model S might not be as good as I'm used to.

I've seen some people recommend a full-car Clear Bra ("full wrap") but the costs I'm being quotes are about $5k for this. Perhaps this is a dumb question, but couldn't I just get the whole car re-painted 5 years from now for $5k and possibly end up with better quality than I have now?

I'm leaning towards a $2k option which is a full frontal clear bra and Opti-Coat on the rest. The big thing I know will happen that this will not provide much protection against will be door dings from other drivers, but I figure I could just plan on a whole car repaint in about 10 years if I find it necessary.

Thoughts?

This is too much