PPF

[Rickenbacker]

About a month ago I got quite a nasty stone or bolt dent/chip in the bonnet of my 991GTS whilst on the M1 in the 60mph zone near Milton Keynes. Right through the PPF , past the paintwork and into the aluminium.
My paintless dent magician couldn't fix it as it was impossible to get at from behind and too small to pull out.
So I had the bonnet repainted £495 plus VAT and the PPF replaced £395 +VAT.
10 days later I got a stone chip right through the PPF again. It hasn't got through to the paint this time but it is right in the middle of the bonnet and very unsightly. It certainly won't "self heal" I don't think I will bother with PPF again...........
My car has full PPF protection but I am now tempted to leave it off the front and just repaint when neccessary. The car is flat black it is reasonably easy to repaint. :whiteflag:

 

[lk993]

What make PPF? (Some are thicker than others and therefore a better bet for high impact areas.) I had PPF done by Topaz on my 4C, who recommended Xpel on the high impact areas and Suntek on others like the doors.

 

[911Time]

Sorry to hear that!!

Unfortunately, there are some things you just can't legislate for - I once had a bolt fall off the back of the lorry in front, bounce on the road and up onto the bonnet of my Alpina: Wrong place, wrong time I guess - it ruined the film and left a fair dent but it could have been much worse (through the windscreen). Fortunately it was in an accessible area and could be teased out, the paint polished, film re-applied and all was good.

Most stones just glance off but it seems you were very unlucky - with the angle of the 991's bonnet, it must have been a fair old chunk of rock, to get through the film and dent the metal!!

Sadly, there seems to be a lot more debris on the road these days and depending on the local council, some are better at sweeping it up than others!!

 

[Zingari]

This highlights the concerns I've had over PPF and the 'smoke and mirrors' ability to 'self-heal' :roll:

That's why I've not bothered.

 

[Rickenbacker]

What make PPF? (Some are thicker than others and therefore a better bet for high impact areas.) I had PPF done by Topaz on my 4C, who recommended Xpel on the high impact areas and Suntek on others like the doors.

It is XPEL Ultimate Plus. Looks great, very professionally installed by Paintshield
In Letchworth.

 

[lk993]

What make PPF? (Some are thicker than others and therefore a better bet for high impact areas.) I had PPF done by Topaz on my 4C, who recommended Xpel on the high impact areas and Suntek on others like the doors.

It is XPEL Ultimate Plus. Looks great, very professionally installed by Paintshield
In Letchworth.

Oh well, it seems you had the right stuff (maybe other makes are better in fending off stones, not sure now). I also have a couple of blemishes that haven't 'self healed'. :duh:

 

[911Time]

There seems to be some misconception about what 'Self Healing' PPF can do. PPF is only a thin layer of film, a sacrificial layer if you will, to hopefully prevent the usual road-rash of stone chips from reaching your paintwork and thereby preserving the original paint condition or preventing a partial respray that (esp with metallic paint) might not match very well.

Xpel film tends to be thicker than Suntek etc but if you make the film too thick, it spoils the appearance of the car and is also harder to work around edges and contours.

The 'Self Healing' layers on these films are measured in fractions of a millimetre, so they can only deal with so much and are simply not thick enough to repair the damage caused by a stone chip. They were intended to reduce swirl marks that can be caused by washing and fine scratches from other forms of contact.

The long and the short is that PPF suits some people's requirements and not others but it's not a miracle cure for all potential damage and it certainly won't self heal after being hit by anything bigger than a piece of road grit and definitely not a projectile heavy enough to dent a panel.

It may be possible to improve the appearance of damage caused by heavier objects without having to replace the film on the affected panel. It's certainly worth a try - I've even heard of some installers being able to 'Iron' out imperfections but haven't seen the outcome first hand myself.

The 'Self Healing' surface layer reforms in response to heat (such as from the Sun) and in hot countries and some American States that can work well but it can take a lot longer in a generally cool environment, like the UK. Instead, you can try pouring hot water (not boiling) and preferably distilled to remove hard water deposits, onto the film, although I would recommend trying that in slightly warmer weather than we have at the moment (i.e not on a freezing winter day - which could cause other problems like thermal shock).

I've had most of my cars protected with PPF for decades now and whilst I know it doesn't suit all, I'd rather have the benefits PPF offers and live within its limitations, than have no protection at all.

Hope that helps clarify things in terms of expectations for anyone thinking of PPF on their car.

 

[Schuey-M]

Excellent post Mark. :thumb:

For the first time in my car ownership and for my inbound first Porsche, I'm going to get the car PPF'd. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to many, including Mark who has been very helpful. I came across this video below which essentially sums up what Mark says above. I think it's clear in the video that it saved the GT3RS from a lot of damage. Worth a quick watch.

https://youtu.be/gHH5IjJXvlk

 

[911Time]

Excellent post Mark. :thumb:

For the first time in my car ownership and for my inbound first Porsche, I'm going to get the car PPF'd. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to many, including Mark who has been very helpful. I came across this video below which essentially sums up what Mark says above. I think it's clear in the video that it saved the GT3RS from a lot of damage. Worth a quick watch.

https://youtu.be/gHH5IjJXvlk

Hi Jas, happy new year to you :thumb:

That's a great video and shows just how much of a dog's breakfast that gorgeous RS's paintwork would look, were it not for the PPF!

Like I said, it can't perform miracles but it can save a LOT of gravel rash.

 

[Schuey-M]

Excellent post Mark. :thumb:

For the first time in my car ownership and for my inbound first Porsche, I'm going to get the car PPF'd. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to many, including Mark who has been very helpful. I came across this video below which essentially sums up what Mark says above. I think it's clear in the video that it saved the GT3RS from a lot of damage. Worth a quick watch.

https://youtu.be/gHH5IjJXvlk

Hi Jas, happy new year to you :thumb:

That's a great video and shows just how much of a dog's breakfast that gorgeous RS's paintwork would look, were it not for the PPF!

Like I said, it can't perform miracles but it can save a LOT of gravel rash.

Happy New Year Mark

Yes, I was very pleasantly surprised by that video. :thumb:

 

[Jungle650]

The only other thing worth mentioning on top of what Mark has already stated is that the self healing layer of these films is extremely thin. Whilst after heat is applied it will help to hide certain marks, if the film has been machine polished/ compounded ( which you will see On Youtube ) you can kiss goodbye to that self heal layer. Also applying too much heat can cause irreversible damage to the film.

PPF has many benefits but its not perfect or a one stop solution. Seems like you have been unlucky with the damage to your car, but no doubt it could have been far worse if it was not installed.

All the best
Jungle

 

[Rickenbacker]

Thank you for all the comments and observations guys.
To conclude I will at some point in the summer replace the PPF again as the car has full PPF protection already and I do like the deep lustre it gives when clean.

However I don't think I will bother in the future.