Isn’t the whole point of PPF that it is a sacrificial layer so instead of the bug stains permanently damaging your paint it damages the PPF? So essentially you don’t have to repaint your car and as result reducing the resale value of your car, you just take off the PPF and now have a more desirable car to sell or trade in and with perfect (original) paint, which ultimately means higher price for the seller.

As someone who is in the PPF/Ceramic industry I can appreciate this video. In my opinion, the only way to sell PPF is as a sacrificial layer of protection (like you mentioned) to protect your paint. PPF is a tangible product that will always be there and protect the paint from the majority of scratches, chips and dings regardless of how someone takes care of their vehicle. There is a big education curve that needs to take place between the installer and the consumer and lots of that education you touched on well in this video.

I drive quite a bit up to 28k miles a year. My commute to work is almost all expressway and with my last car I just couldn’t keep up with massive amounts of rock chips I was getting. When I bought my Type R the first thing I did was take it in for professionally installed PPF and ceramic coating. PPF may not be for everyone, but I am quite happy with how it has protected the leading edges of my car up to this point.

A year ago I bought a 4 year old Mercedes SL450 with full PPF over the entire car. The car was just off lease and had spent it's life in Florida, bug capital of the US. The paint was flawless. Not a swirl, not a stain, no blems except for a couple of chips on a mirror. What creates flaws in the paint is driving 70 mph on the highway or perhaps a windy day around town. Dust, fine particles of dirt and the like create micro abrasions in the paint. This is where you benefit from ppf. The ppf protects from these types of abrasions and they don't seem to damage the ppf at all. After my owning the car for another year, the paint looks like it just came out of the factory. Yes, it's expensive, but unless you drag out the buffing wheel once a year, and I don't, the ppf will, in most cases, keep your paint looking factory fresh.

I have xpel ppf and it makes me happy knowing my paint is protected, and when i wash my car i know uts going to look like new and shiny. Because i have OCD and any imperfection just gets in my nerves, so ppf is easily worth it for me. If you dont care about rock chip and are mainly focused on value then dont use ppf. You wont get your money back when you sell your car, but while you own the car, you will be happy ppf helped keep it looking beautiful 😍

Great video. Answered so many of my questions. Great content!! So happy I can make an informed decision now and not regret it down the road by not having had someone explain everything to me as you have.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Coleton. I’ve had mixed feelings about not getting PPF for my car, but this makes me relieved I didn’t get it! I had no idea there were so many downsides. Hope to see you again soon!

I’am the owner of PPF studio in Australia and wanted to thank you for the video. I have to agree that PPF is not for everyone, I always mention to my customers this wont solve all your problems. In my opinion PPF is worth the money as long as you use best brands like Suntek or XPEL. Installation process is a key - edge wrapped, do not overstretch and use patterns. A lot of people don’t understand PPF installation is basically a handcraft and many of detailers expend their services without thinking how difficult it is to make it right and that’s what destroying our industry. I found educating people about the whole idea make them coming back with other vehicles. In addition detailers sell ceramic coating as a paint protection which everyone knows it does not, expect UV.

Thanks so much for your video. It helped me so much to understand the PRO/CON of PPF. Really appreciate the truth you shared here.

I believe PPF is good for people who don’t like scratches, point blank. It’s not about making things perfect. When parking in parking lots or driving long periods. It’s helpful to know you have that extra layer of protection instead of getting your car re painted.

Thank You, for someone in the industry finally stating the whole truth about PPF. I've seen some pretty bad work out there where you can tell by just seeing the edges. On some it would have been better too just have an new paint job. Also, PPF doesn't last forever.

Thank you, Coleton. Very helpful.

Thank you for your honest opinion! I love this channel and all the insight that you bring to bear :)

Thanks for the video. As a person who had a bad PPf experience, I thought Id comment. If you are going to get PPF, make sure you get it installed by a professional and insist on seeing some of thier work in person before giving them any of your money. My first experience was through a shop with 5 star ratings, but i never had a chance to see any of thier PPF work. The end result was an install with all the flaws Coleton shows, along with knife cuts into the paint! PPF was removed by another shop and most, but not all of the knife cuts could be polished out. Not a good start for a brand new vehicle. In the future, only paint correction and ceramic coatings for me.

The whole half of the video of you talking around the car before zooming in, it looks perfectly fine to me. Seems like the ppf did it's job.

I had PPF put on my CX5 gloss black plastic door pillars. The plastic is ridiculously soft so it needed some way of helping stop scratching. The PPF does help prevent lots of micro scratches but PPF is itself prone to scratching that won’t self heal. It’s only the micro scratches that self heal.

What are your thoughts on ceramic on top of PPF? My Detailer did that for my install and my PPF still looks like it’s brand new from a year ago. Granted we don’t have as many bugs and I hand wash every weekend.

Thank yoy! Good thing I saw your vid. I nearly had my daily driven crv done as I get unwanted scratches and bugs stains and got tired of cleaning it off every weekend thinking that ppf will help.

I feel your passion for what you do. This was very helpful. Thank you!

Thank you. Exactly the video I needed to see

Think about this, if a rock chip would've damaged the PPF as described in this video, can you imagine how badly it would've damaged the clearcoat AND paint!?

I have a 2021 Mazda cx-9. I have PPF on my car since new from rock guard films on the east coast in Pennsylvania and have no problem or issues like this. Looks great since day one. It goes to my detailer about every 6-8 month for maintenance washes. I also have a ceramic coating and they say the car and ppf is great.

I was actually looking into getting this done on my new car. Just saved me a lot of money. Thanks.

PPF should NEVER be sold as an "enhancement" to your vehicle! It's a barrier to protect your factory paint so that you can resell and hopefully recoup the cost of the PPF. For me, I don't drive on the highway much and don't follow close to cars ahead of me. I see people getting PPF on a Nissan Sentra, and for me that's just throwing your money away! If you have a very expensive car, get some PPF to protect your car from losing its value even more than it already will.

I really, really appreciate your HONEST opinion about PPF. I was on the fence about spending that kind of money on something that I really wasn’t sure about but you have convinced me that it’s not worth it. I realize that this video will upset some PPF installers, but people need to see the pros and cons with it and that it’s not a perfect product. Thank you again I really enjoyed your video. I’m just going to have it ceramic coated, and call it a day.

Thank you so so much for this video honestly you helped me save so much ! Grateful for people like you that are honest !!!! We need more in this world !!

It is nice to hear your opinion and I learned a few things about what makes a good or bad PPF install. I have put PPF on my vehicles for years thinking it is the best protection from rock chips in the long run, but I have discovered like you point out that some rocks can get through and damage the paint anyway. The other dirty secret with PPF is that it needs to be replaced on a routine basis. It is not install it for the life of the vehicle. I have an 09 Corvette Z06 that came with PPF installed on the front section. That PPF is now starting to dry out and check in places and will need to be removed at great expense. I have decided to forgo PPF on my newest vehicle purchase.

TRUELY APPRECIATE THIS MOST VALUABLE & INFORMATIVE INFORMATION U TOOK YOUR TIME 2 SHARE this with us. I was contemplating having the " rest" if my brand new FORESTER PPF'd ......HOWEVER THANKS 2 YOUR video i am just going have the ceramic coating applied & CARE 4 MY FIRST NEW CAR as it should B...& hand wash, double buckets & IF I need a car wash once in awhile....BRUSHLESS 😮 THANK U SO MUCH 4 YOUR TIME & CONSIDERATION in making this video 4 all of us who really want ti know IF its worth it 😮 I WISH I wud have seen it B4 I had the front of my car, fenders, & pillars done with PPF.... I live in the PNW ...no garage & i truely WANTED the BEST PROTECTION 👌

Thank you for this video, what’s your opinion on ceramic coating?

Got Xpel PPF on our 2022 Model Y. I finally got around to hand-washing it this week (no-touch washes leave a greyish dirt film). Car looks like new. Better yet, the PPF makes the paint look like it has 20 layers of clear coat on it. PS Bug spots are harder to get off (ceramic coating helped). I'll have a closer look for PPF damage and for big rock chips too. Thanks Coleton! Lotsa love to all ❤❤❤

Funny thing I discovered about PPF: I polished the headlights on an Aston Martin, and when I put the PPF on them, I realized it ALREADY HAD PPF. That's on me, but it proves to show PPF can be buffed/ polished and made look like new...at least on headlights.

This was VERY informative. Nice to have a non-salesman talk clearly about the benefits and disadvantages of PPF

had mine on 3yrs and counting, and i live in a tropical country. no problems. no peeling. ppf looks good still.

I think this is the fastest like and subscribe I've ever done in 15 years watching KZfaq. Great stuff, hi from malaysia

What if we put ceramic coating on top of PPF? Would it solve the issues you pointed out aside from a poor application by the detailer?

Yeah, I don’t think so. Very strange viewpoint in my humble opinion. I own about 40 cars and almost all of them have some PPF and I probably have about 10 cars that I have full PF on them. The proper way to protect a new car is Pain correction, then, PPF, then ceramic coating over the PPF. In the last seven or so years, I’ve used three different shops. One of them does amazing work every time, the other two, it depends on who did the job as far as the technician himself. That new EXPEL thicker film is awesome. Also, the matte film is terrific in my opinion. My matte paint cars I don’t even drive at all until they are PPFed. As far as staining, yes, I have had one year old PPF redone twice. Both times it had to do with the fact that the car sat in the sun with sapp stains on the PPF. And, regardless of what it is, older, film, seven years plus old, will need to be replaced if you drive the car at all. I am a big fan of ceramic coating, but only if it goes on top of the PPF. Lastly, the worstPPF that I have seen both from the application technique perspective as well as the quality of the film itself, is Factory PPF on the newer Porsches.

I'm thinking about PPF for my pickup truck. I want to protect the paint as best I can but I also have to take the vehicle through dirt tracks and woodland (I run a farm). For me, PPF seems like the best option - Protection against scratches small "Branches" and protection against track stones etc. Great video and thanks for spending the time putting this together.

Great video. Thanks for the breakdown.

I LOVE PPF for a partial hood. I have 2 cars that are 7 years old and their hoods are 100% free of rock chips. I don't love it for bugs, and that's why I only do a partial hood. It has never faded and looks as new as when I installed it 7 years ago.

I agree with you. I only have done PPF on my cars that are 100k+, there is no reason to do in a beater. And a good PPF starts at 5k, and needs to be replaced every few years to not look garbage. But it will protect from rock chips and bird poop, the PPF might fade but the painting underneath won’t. A good PPF shop will do paint correction before applying the PPF and then after to make sure it looks neat.

Thank you for sharing your POV. I've been thinking about installing it in my car but when I saw your video I'm thinking thrice. They said there are self healing PPF, I might find a review for that.

I have two cars that I'm going to get aftermarket painted. I intend to then get PPF because in my experience aftermarket paint isn't as strong (they don't have the $500M ovens Lexus has) and chips much easier. I'd much prefer the defects you've shown to the number of chips I've gotten on aftermarket paint. My real concern is will removing and replacing it someday take the paint off with it. Thoughts anyone?

You are really good at explaining stuff. I didn’t know a lot about this process but know a lot more now!

thanks for the heads up brother ! very informative

so what your saying is it make more sense to not put any film on and have the rock hit the paint.... not film and have the bugs etch the actual paint? Not there is wet sanding buffing involved. i would rather having a ppf with lifting edges than having to buff and possibly paint a car. im pretty sure you are good at your profession, but this video is not affective. if anything it more proved why you SHOULD get PPF.

Thanks for a great review! I just bought a GLE AMG63s and of course want to do the best thing to keep it looking good. But I thought back over all the cars I have owned and realized that while they did get a few rock chips, other than that they looked just fine as I hand wash and wax(nano-coat) them myself. Your video confirmed that I made the right decision to save thousands of dollars on PPG.

Thank you for helping me with my decision.👍

Should I get PPF if I live in extreme weather like Northern US and Canada and we get road salt etc .?

I have had 3M PPF installed and my commute is mainly HWY and over the years I have not in counter the issues that you mentioned, maybe is the quality of ppf that a dealer uses because the 3M film has done a great job on my car and if there are a few dings from rocks they have never penetrated the film and I have not had any issues with bug stain they always come off without leaving a mark, Its absolutely worth it to me.

So is paint correction a better option once you get rock chips?

This video for has come at a great time. I am looking to have my model y front end ppf and the car ceramic coated. Since it’s a daily driver I think doing the ceramic coat only will be a better value. I do plan on driving this car into ground as they say.

Thanks for providing this informative video, I just purchased a BMW 3 series. This car is very special to me and I was considering doing a PPF but now I don't know if I should after watching your video. This will be a daily driver and I work from home so the car will not be driven on highways, I also live in the city.

Thank you Sir. Great info

I just bought a new 2023 subaru brz and I'm thinking of putting ppf on it. Are they going to take the parts out of my car? I have no confidence that they will put them back as they were in my country. What do you recommend?

Just curious on the alternative? Apart from expensive and super cars what you think people should do instead of PPF?

I have a 2021 E450 wagon with 12K miles on it. 99% perfect and I am considering a front wrap (PPF). I am planning a cross country trip in a few months and think this may still be worth it, I agree that this isn't the time to cut costs. However with only reviews to go on how do you really know the skill level of the installer. I guess I could verbally ask for the "best" installer after asking a lot of questions showing interest in detail. I will move forward but if you were traveling across country 2700 miles does that sway you to get it? BTW: I plan on holding the car barring mechanical issues for 6-10 years.

Wouldn’t wrapping it be better than ppf or are they both the same thing ?

How do you prevent those marks under the film from happening? Are those from over stretching? Dirty water?

How do the high end ceramic/extra hydrophobic films do with bug stains? Vs how quick are they stains removed?

Modesta Ceramic Coating, here I come. Been thinking about doing film on my soon to be factory delivered BMW, but had concerns (like lifting film). Thx for answering questions I have suspected to be problematic with PPF.

Rock chips and bug splatter ruin PPF, but isn’t that what it’s for? So what’s the alternative wrap film for a color change on a daily driver ?

I have my car PPFed and I am super happy about it. My PPF is self-healing and you can scratch it with a fork and after a couple of sunny hours, it looks perfect again.

If you add ceramic coating to the PPF does it still have the same bug stains ?

You made me want PPF after watching this video. If it gets damaged and saves the paint, then fine. You failed to provide a better alternative, and something is better than nothing. It sounds to me that if your story is true, then the owner of that car didn't clean it often enough and let the bugs damage the PPF. You t h en criticized people who care about protecting their car. Nice.

Do you think fixing rock chips after couple year period looks better and is cheaper than having ppf and replacing it after the same time period?

My car is fully ppf'ed. Aside the roof which doesn't count because it is a tesla and it is just glass. I was involved in an accident that was not fatal, Another car just scrapped through my right rear door down to the wheel arch and bumber. The whole area was heavily scuffed and a dent was created at the wheel arch area. The ppf saved my car paint and clearcoat. It protected it. My installer removed it and it was again like new. I had pdr done on the dented area and new ppf was installed instead of the one that was ruined on the door and back right side again. This car is white pearl. If i had to repaint and keep it look like new, it would end up repainting the whole right side of the car or otherwise it wouldn't be perfect color blending. So ppf was worth it to me. Car also looks much glossier than without it so it shines alot more. The ppf is self healing so any minor scratches just dissappear under the warm sun and the shine level remains high.

If I do a decent job of getting the bugs off quickly without letting it sit, won’t it decrease the staining?

So your rationale for not getting PPF is because it leaves a mark on the PPF when there is a rock chip? Do you not understand what happens when a rock hits your car? It chips the paint. On my previous car that did not have PPF I had so many rock chips. I would go over it with touch up paint, which would cost money, but it was never that good of a job. PPF would have protected my paint. It is not perfect, but PPF is better than nothing. And the dealership that I got it installed at gave me a 10 year warranty on the PPF. Even if I trade in the car, it will be worth more with having PPF installed. Hard to say that is not worth it.

So what do you suggest people do to protect their paint? PPS? Nothing at all? Naked paint has its disadvantages too.

I drove to work on the highway about a half our each way. I live in an industrial city (although nowhere near as industrial as it used to be) so there are a fair share of trucks of all types. Add to that road salt and the fact that the roadway is full of debris each Spring, so if you’re like me and like to keep your car as detailed as possible under adverse conditions then I can see the use case for PPF. After I retired and only do local driving I peeled it off my GTI and must admit it mostly did its job. But regardless of paint protection a top tip is to always install it on your headlight lenses. If you do they’ll never yellow or haze over from harmful UV rays.

I live in SA. I ppf my car at a reputable car detailer. I had done a roadtrip of mote than 4000 km's. No problems. Any bugs I just wiped them off at the end of the day. I had my second car done. No problem. I only did the front part because of lack of funds. It's only ordinary cars but it was the best decision. Perhaps thete are fitters and fitters.

What happened to carnauba wax being the “sacrificial layer”?

What about using on a Snap-On Black Powder Coated Toolbox? PPF or Coatings?

I have had bugs that would swell and even stain paint but it goes away after being baked in the hot sun for a day or two. The way I look at cars is that unless it's collectable just drive the car, it won't make a difference when you go trade it in. Also a lot of times, if the paint is not perfect on a car, it will damage the paint than not having it.

is vynil or any other type of wrap better? like if u wrap ur whole ass car a different colour wont that help out this issue but also help out preserving the original paint ?

I've had PPF (and ceramic) on my Audi S5 SB for years. It still looks beautiful and turns heads. If the PPF layer is an example of what the permanent damage could have been to the paint, it's money well spent. In my opinion, this is a nit picking video. The average person that gets PPF could care less about about a few things. Gas prices. Bug smudges that they have to literally dig into just to find and complain about. And the price of getting a good detail. The PPF prevented 99.9% of potential permanent damage. And you're complaining about the 0.1%? Nit picking PPF bug smudges and critiquing someone else's work? Not educational in my opinion.

Recently discovered your channel. Great content. Subscribed.

I bought my Nardo Gray'18 Audi RS3 with Xpel Stealth PPF already installed on the whole car. Cool look. It doesn't have the same issues with bugs leaving stains like clear PPF. Makes cleaning super easy. But when there's any slight damage to the PPF there's nothing you can do besides replace it. I like it, But I didn't have to pay the $5k+ for the install.

I get what your saying but for me the PPF has 100% done its job. its taken the damage and protected his paint. when he wants to sell it just pull off the PPF and his paint will 100% be in better condition than if he didn't have the PPF

Do you recommended ceramic coating rims ?

I have a 2023 Sierra AT 4 and i plan on keeping it forever..to me, i could care less if the ppf is absolutely perfect on the edges...i just want it to protect against chips from rocks...the bug issue is worrisome because it seems that it could actually look worse over say, 3 yrs than if it didnt have it..i need that somewhat rock protection though

Great video! Reminds me of my terrible efforts covering my kids school books ......

Thank you so much for this video! I didn’t realize all the bad things about getting PPF. I thought about getting PPF on my cars but after watching your video I’ve decided not to spend the money on it. Thank you!

I traded in a red BMW that was not PPF and I lost a lot of money cause of the rock chips expose the white primer underneath . Since then -I had my last three cars PPF and no rock chips or bug marks.

My previous Tesla had PPF from day 1, for 3 years. PPF still looked fine to me. But of course does not increase value of car at all. When i sold it, nobody cared i saved the paid from a couple rock chips. So $2,000 for .... some peace of mind. All that said I am still getting PPF on my new Tesla Y. The difference this time is I bought a kit, and pre-cut pieces from TESBROS. Doing myself keeps cost down, and helps me justify the cost benefit. I think i will always have bumper, and rocker panels covered. Especially if I am successful in putting this stuff on myself.

What would you recommend for this scenario: I am getting a new Model Y in black, and want to make it Satin/Matte Black. Do I do xpel stealth PPF ($4,300) or a satin black vinyl wrap ($4,000). would the vinyl do better with bugs, and rock chips --would the thinner vinyl not have as noticable indents? appreciate any insight you have. I am mostly wanting the color to change to satin/matte and like the little added protection from rocks chipping paint. Maybe even eliminate the need for mudflaps?

Thank you for your insight and telling us the truth about PPF

Definitely true about rock chips on front bumper. Several have gotten through to the paint below on my TeslaM3. Impossible to repair. My next purchase of Model Y I have no plan to get PPF for that and other reasons.

what does paint correction mean at the end of the video? i have a new 24 truck what should I do? ceramic coat it?

I had certain parts of my car vinyl wrapped. Similar to the PPF, it’s not impervious to bugs or rock chips. I’ve also ceramic coated the vehicle and that doesn’t just allow dirt to rinse off the vehicle. In my humble opinion, it’s an industry that’s out to make money and there are a lot of misnomers and false advertising. Yes, a coat of Carnauba won’t last as long as ceramic, graphene, or even some polymer sealants. But, in my humble opinion, you’re going to have to keep applying toppers to your ceramic coating so you can go with wax and probably be just fine as long as you hand wash regularly and avoid automatic car washes. Great video!!

I use halo v2 for my wrap, decals ppf ect. It's a flexable ceramic coating for your ppf ect. It's great honestly!

I've never had issues of bug stains on my PPF, I have the 3M film on the entire car though maybe it's an xpel issue?

Super helpful, thx

I am old school and have the old fashioned black canvas / vinyl bra on my cars. Very hard to find one for new cars.

I have to say, my PPF i ordered from Ford during the build of my 22' Maverick has held up great! And it was only $330 ... though I was a little disappointed to find out that it's only the first 3rd of the fenders and hood. But the installation was professionally done and all bugs and "would be" stone chips are non-existent. It now has 23,920 miles.

Great video, was on the fence about ppf and your POV really help! Decided not to get it, not worth all the hassle like you said

Colorado is rough when it comes to rock chips. The best way I have found to protect my car from rock chips in CO is stay way back from trucks on 25 and 70.

I’ve passed on getting this fitted due to my concern of them scratching the shyt out off my paint with the cutters….

My five year old Model 3 is happy it's had PPF on it. So much so that I'm getting my new Model Y protected. It looks great where the PPF was installed and I regret not having it installed in front of the rear wheels where the paint is ruined. It costs $20,000 or more to repaint a car. That's 10 applications of PPF

What do you think of Expel Trac wrap I use when taking long road trips and put on then take off so far no issues I do have ceramic coating on my Model 3 Lp 2021